Ruby red and Emerald green

[InRainbows]

I would just like to add, I omitted the dextrin in the ruby red and used alcohol to bind them, and they burned just fine. I used 50/50 prime under green mix.

[GraafVaag]

Did you add extra red gum then? Or just worked with the 2%? Sounds like the stars won't be very hard, RG is not the best binder anyway. Am I right?

[Mumbles]

I've done a similar thing, but replacing the dextrin 1:1 with RG. Stars burnt fine, and will hard enough to survive the burst.

[InRainbows]

No, I used the exact Ruby Red, just without dextrin. I binded with 70% alcohol I had lying around, and let them dry without any help. And no, they're not crumbly, I'm using slow flash to lift them in cake inserts.

[lja]

This is one of the best greens I've ever tried.

 

The formula was created by Kyle Kepley, it is listed as "Emerald Green MgAl" in the Passfire database.

[FrankRizzo]

This is one of the best greens I've ever tried.

 

The formula was created by Kyle Kepley, it is listed as "Emerald Green MgAl" in the Passfire database.

I'm a big fan of that green star as well. The problem is getting them primed correctly so they light. I made 1kg of 1/4" star cores with that formula and have a devil of a time getting them lit without using a prime containing silicon.

[Mumbles]

I find a layer of Veline super prime, followed by a layer of green meal gets them to light consistently. Even on the red version, which is significantly harder to light for me.

[crazyboy25]

I find a layer of Veline super prime, followed by a layer of green meal gets them to light consistently. Even on the red version, which is significantly harder to light for me.

Yes I use a nice thick layer of super prime followed by liberal amounts of meal, I never liked priming with green mix. Despite the rather large change in diameter due to the prime and meal it burns off amazingly fast and is only visible if you know what to look for.

[yellowcard]

I prime my rubys and emeralds always with past meal with 5% GD, 10% 100# MgAl and 5% 250# Al and 5% Red Gum added and i never had any problems . Is this weird or what ? The colors are excellent.

[nath0r]

I've always found my ruby red and emerald green stars to light pretty easily, all i use as a prime is a thin coating of BP with MgAl added. and yes, these stars are really great when high up in the air. I've made ruby red shells and emerald green shells, i want to make a rainbow shell next containing a mix of both colours

[PyroMan LTU]

Hye, there guys!

Sorry If this is a dumb question, but I just wondered If veline star prime is still useful without pot. dichromate?

Thanks for awnsers.

[Bonny]

I'm not sure if that prime is OK without the dichromate, but you could try this one:

KClO4-62

C-22

MgAl (200M)-7

Dextrin-4

Al (dark)-3

CuO-2

+2 or 3 % woodmeal (I use sawdust 40mesh I think)

 

Then dust with meal.

[PyroMan LTU]

oh, thanks just bump that I dont have any good alu but I'll get it some how... Maybe someone can give a link for some more prime mixtures?

[Bonny]

oh, thanks just bump that I dont have any good alu but I'll get it some how... Maybe someone can give a link for some more prime mixtures?

Here is a place to find primes etc...

http://www.pyrocreations.com/miscellaneous_compositions

[BLAST420]

oh, thanks just bump that I dont have any good alu but I'll get it some how... Maybe someone can give a link for some more prime mixtures?

...I guess since everyone has had a chance to yell at me I will pass it on beofre they do onto you! READ READ READ What your asking is prolly in thousands of sections across the web!! No but really simple questions like this arent what is generally discussed because it has already been done so many times. BUT to answer your question http://www.wfvisser.dds.nl/compoDB.html#chapter6 has MANY MANY different formulas you can also find MANY primes in these forumes discussed ......the most common maybe just veline prime if you no want potassium dicromat there are many othera or just use meal powder hopped up!! There are endless possabilitys.....SEARCH but that link has many comps for everything it is a good resource!

[PyroMan LTU]

thanks for help guys.

[bmarley5780]

ok - Barium nitrate = poision

 

Gloves, eye protection, respirator when weighing out and mixing/screening is known.

 

I am assuming (protection) when wetting and making (cut/press/roll) the stars too?

 

What about when making the devices the star are going in to?

 

-Joe

[TheSidewinder]

Once they're wetted, you should use gloves but shouldn't need any other gear. It's the airborne dust that's the most hazardous. Skin contact is secondary, but gloves will prevent that. Finished stars, if they have a prime coating that has no Barium in it, don't need any precautions beyond gloves, and that's as much to stay clean as anything else. If you are doing large-scale production indoors, though, I'd use full protections at all times since residual dust will be present.

 

Someone here has a (suspected and mild) Barium poisoning experience they might share, if they're feeling chatty.

[aa92td]

I am always using latex gloves not matter what I'm doing even with bp , its more comfortable and when i'm done i dont have a smell of sulfur from my fingers .

when i'm using Barium nitare i always put a dust mask and gloves , when i am using big amounts i have sweatshirt to.

Take those advices and use them , i have in the past a suspicion for a lead poisoning and i can tell you that its not fun at all.

[gomis]

Hi,

 

I've been following this thread. Quite interested in nitrate based compositions. However, there is one point that noticed for all these type of formulations with high nitrate content, that is the excess amount of ash produced. Even when testing the star, you can see the incandescent ash falling down, what is something not clean... I would like to know if someone has had the same problem. I tried several combitations, with high content of strontium nitrate and always the same... I think that a formular containing no more that 30% sr nitrate, kclo4 and sr carbonate should be the solution. I usually us hexamine in my formulas, but hexamine is no generatin the ash.. any comments? Also the hot prime needed for ignition is a disadvantage.

[Miech]

I have experienced the same. Especially parlon is very likely to not burn completely if too coarse, as it is a fire retardant. Just mill the composition without barium nitrate, magnalium and potassium perchlorate together for 1 to 2 hours (lead media, ceramic may take longer), and you'll get much better results. My emerald and ruby stars don't produce a tail or fall out anymore.

[FREAKYDUTCHMEN]

Is it always such a pain in the ass to dry them? red and green?

[gomis]

I think as a basic prinicple, that any nitrate based composition should be not dampen with a water system. These compo's need ate least 4 days to get dry. I put just now a couple of stars in the oven at 50C and check if tomorrow are ok, as two days and still not burning properly.

 

For such a fomulation, the use ok mek is the best solution. If mg/al changed with Mg, the color will improve A LOT. The difficulty to get them lighted is still a problem. I think a perclorate based compo with carbonate should be used if dampen with water system. I think that to use sr nitrate with mg/al and dampen with water is the same like eating caviar along with a hamburger and drinking coke... Mg needs mek. St Nitrate likes Mg. So... Sr Nitrate-Mag-Mek...

[FREAKYDUTCHMEN]

I think I forgot to add the dextrin

 

Why shouldn't use dex and H2O for binding NO3 compo's? I like to use water as a solvent the most, others are messy.

I do have enough patient

[qwezxc12]

All my stars made with these two formulas were bound with 75/25 water/etOH & Dextrin and they worked just fine. A lot of it might have to do with the purity of your oxidizers...I think it's common that cheap Strontium Nitrate can have Strontium Chloride contamination. The Chloride is a hydrated crystal (hexahydrate) and is quite hygroscopic, IIRC.

 

I always make sure my chems are very fine and dry...this means oven drying sometimes. I only pump or roll these, never cut...When pumping, I only use just enough water to activate the Dextrin: ~6% for glitters, and no more than 8% for most colors. Charcoal streamers are another story and require more water. Using this little water takes patience - you need to screen the damp comp several times to distribute the moisture and get all the Dextrin activated. It pays off because the stars dry so fast. I air dry the stars overnight before force drying to prevent them from being "driven-in", where the outside is dried/heated too fast and makes an impermeable crust, preventing the moisture inside from ever drying. They pretty much are bone dry and ready for prime in a day or two.

 

I don't bother using an MEK/Parlon binder system when water/Dex will work, because it's costly, toxic, flammable and a bitch to clean up. I save the more exotic binders for where they're really needed, such as an Ammonium Perchlorate go-getters or Mg fueled comets bound with Resorcinol resin.

 

As always, YMMV.

Edited November 12, 2008 by qwezxc12