aquaman Posted March 18, 2006 Posted March 18, 2006 Polyvinyl chloride (PVC). It's a chlorine donor but I was wondering is it the same Polyvinyl chloride as the PVC pipe? If it is couldn't I just grind down a PVC pipe? But since I haven't heard anybody doing it I'm guessing that it isn't the same or it is to hard to grind down.
ULTRABUF Posted March 18, 2006 Posted March 18, 2006 I think you might be able to but I seem to remember reading somewhere that PVC pipe is a very impure source of PVC and that it wont work very well.
PyroJoe Posted March 18, 2006 Posted March 18, 2006 I believe it is the same stuff, but has a lot impurities in it. It will work, but its a lot of work to grind down the pipe and also the colors probably won't be as nice compared to purchased pvc powder.
aquaman Posted March 18, 2006 Author Posted March 18, 2006 Thanks everyone just wondering. It would've been nice if they were the same. I think when I get KClO4 from firefox I will test it in some color comps. and see if it truely effects the color.
Pyrohawk Posted March 19, 2006 Posted March 19, 2006 Theyre right....it is the same stuff but the pipe has impurities to make it stronger and such. I've haerd of people using it but they don't get very good color. Also it is hard to grind to a good powder.
BigBang Posted March 19, 2006 Posted March 19, 2006 Yes, it is chuck full of fillers, some that destroy colors. If you still want to try, grind it down with maybe 100 grit sandpaper. This should give an ok product, size wise.
FrKoNaLeaSh1010 Posted March 20, 2006 Posted March 20, 2006 Is there anyone here who actually tried using ground down pvc and can honestly say if the color was degraded or not as bright in relation to pure pvc powder? I dont wanna know theory....only if someone has first hand experience. It should still make a color...just not that great.
justanotherpyro Posted March 21, 2006 Posted March 21, 2006 There are several types of PVC pipe. Each for specific uses. With some reasearch you may be able to find out which ones are the purest PVC.
Caleb51 Posted March 25, 2006 Posted March 25, 2006 (edited) Wait, whats does powdered PVC do? Never heard of that having a use in pyrotechnics. EDIT: I put PVS instead of PVC. Typo sorry Edited March 25, 2006 by Caleb51
Mumbles Posted March 25, 2006 Posted March 25, 2006 It is a chlorine donor. Chlorine brightens flames, and makes better colors. It is particularly used in Green, Blue, and Red.
Caleb51 Posted March 25, 2006 Posted March 25, 2006 So if you say it's a chlorine donor, what would something like powdered pool tablets do to say a fountain composition? Anything? That's chlorine, so I was curious.
Mumbles Posted March 25, 2006 Posted March 25, 2006 No, that wouldn't work. It is Calcium Hypochlorite, and Ca(OH)2 amongst other things. Anyway, the purpose of using PVC, or Saran, or Parlon, or even KClO4 to an extent, is to provide chlorine without disturbing the flame color. None of those produce much of a color change in flames. Blue and Green are very sensitive to color contamination. Calcium burns a bright orange color, and would definatly wash out or over power the color in the star. There is another pool chlorinator, Trichlorocyanuric Acid. Maybe Trichloroisocyanuric Acid, I don't remember exactly. Thay may be able to be used. Lately all I have seen of it are the sodium salt, which would wash out the color. If you got the straight acid it may be able to be used from a theoretical standpoint, but not practically. First off, it is acidic, which could mess some things up. Secondly on contact with moisture it converts to HCl, H2O and a few other things, which would also mess up things by not letting it dry and having strong acids everywhere..
Lord Sidious Posted October 23, 2006 Posted October 23, 2006 PVC pipe probably won't work very well... it's apparently got too much other junk in it. I read somewhere recently that PVC cement can be used if you're desperate and can't get PVC powder. Fimo and Sculpey modeling clays can also be used with decent results... so I've heard. Question: The PVC powder I have (from a pyro supplier) is slightly granular, and I wonder if it can be milled? After working with it a few times now, it doesn't seem like a substance that will mill very well. Same with my Parlon (it's rubber after all). Do you guys mill your chlorine donors?
psymon Posted October 23, 2006 Posted October 23, 2006 Bought my parlon from inoxia.co.uk and its very fine powder like flour so no need to mill. Made a blue star composition with and without parlon. Without parlon burns with NO blue flame at all. With parlon it gives a wonderful sky blue colour. Never used PVC in any composition but would like to. I am told its a bit of a fuel too. Whereas Parlon offers little or no fuel to the mix.
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