D1 glitter

[The-T]

I was just recently testing my first batch of D1 glitter stars, and I noticed they create lots of slag, when I fired them in the air they fall back down to the ground as a molten slag, is this normal? I let them dry for about 2-3 days, do they need to dry longer?

Thanks.

 

Also, I only milled the comp. for about 30 mins, should it be milled longer?

Edited September 15, 2008 by The-T

[PyroMedia]

Try using less AL and more lift.

 

I was just recently testing my first batch of D1 glitter stars, and I noticed they create lots of slag, when I fired them in the air they fall back down to the ground as a molten slag, is this normal? I let them dry for about 2-3 days, do they need to dry longer?

Thanks.

 

Also, I only milled the comp. for about 30 mins, should it be milled longer?

[jacob]

Try using less AL and more lift.

 

What purpose would that serve?

 

 

The-T,

 

Glitter stars are supposed to make slag, what kind of AL are you using exactly? as far as I know D-1 does not need to be milled, much less with the AL in, to make sure they're dry, put a few in a ziplock bag in the sun for a few hours, if there's any condensation on the inside they aren't dry.

 

Probably a dumb question but did you fire them at night? and what size are your stars?

[The-T]

I am using 325 mesh sperical atomized, And the stars are about 3/8".

[Pyrohawk]

Hmm.... sounds like your stars aren't completely dry. Do the test jacob sugested and let them dry for a few more days. It will still create a lot of slag when burnt on the ground but in the air it will look fine.

[The-T]

Well I let them dry another night except inside, maybe it was a bit humid, But anyways I'll test them again and if I still get a molten ball of slag falling to the ground, Ill try your test, Jacob.

 

Thanks.

[Mumbles]

I'd give them at least a week. Higher charcoal stars can take significant amounts of time to dry. I use a setup of 2 fans, and the stars still take 3 or 4 days to fully dry.

 

Also, it has been my experience with stars containing sodium bicarbonate is that they are significantly more likely to react. Did you notice any heating up, or smells of rotten eggs or ammonia? As a rule, I always wet my glitter stars with boric acid solution. Since I started that, I have not had one single reaction. Stars that have reacted have enormous amounts of slag if they will even light.

[The-T]

I think It may be my Kno3, when I mixed the comp. my Kno3 wasn't ballmilled, and it was still small crystals, in my next batch I'll have my Kno3 ballmilled to a finer powder, before mixing.

 

Also, I never felt them heating up or noticed smells of rotten eggs.

[Gunzway]

I think It may be my Kno3, when I mixed the comp. my Kno3 wasn't ballmilled, and it was still small crystals, in my next batch I'll have my Kno3 ballmilled to a finer powder, before mixing.

 

Also, I never felt them heating up or noticed smells of rotten eggs.

Due to the sodium bicarbonate, it would be unlikely for that reaction to take place.

[Mumbles]

I feel your pain on the slightly coarse KNO3. I've rained down much fire to the earth from using unmilled KNO3 lately.

 

You'd be suprised with the NaHCO3. It doesn't make logical sense, but every batch of stars I've had go bad(3) was due to a sodium bicarbonate catalyzed reaction that generated H2S. I use very pure sulfur, so I know it isn't that. Perhaps the reaction produces Na2S or K2S which is in turn hydrolysing.

[50AE]

From my experience, if they create slag, they're not fully dried. Once I filled shells with D1 slightly damp stars, because I didn't have time to let them dry and they didn't perform like a real glitter.

I'm talking about this 3" shell : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKOarCCVwds&fmt=18

 

 

Mumble, how much boric acid do you add ? Are +2% ok ? I've never tried to add, and my Glitters always smelled ammonia.

[FrankRizzo]

From my experience, if they create slag, they're not fully dried. Once I filled shells with D1 slightly damp stars, because I didn't have time to let them dry and they didn't perform like a real glitter.

I'm talking about this 3" shell : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKOarCCVwds&fmt=18

 

 

Mumble, how much boric acid do you add ? Are +2% ok ? I've never tried to add, and my Glitters always smelled ammonia.

 

 

Adding boric acid is silly. It will react with the sodium bicarbonate, and become inert. Glitter formulas with sodium bicarb should only be lightly wetted, and pumped under pressure.

[Mumbles]

Actually, boric acid doesn't react with Sodium bicarbonate. It may not seem intuitive, but it's true. Try adding the solutions together. No bubbles. No bubbles, means no neutralization. Boric acid doesn't produce H+ ions, rather absorbs OH- ions to form B(OH)4 (-). It's not an acid in a traditional sense.

 

Anyway, adding boric acid to compositions as a solid is inefficient. I've gotten reactions by doing so actually. It is far more effective to add it in solution, such as the wetting composition. I use a saturated solution of boric acid to wet my glitters, which is around 5%. Using a boric acid soln, I have never ever gotten a reaction in my compositions.

 

50AE, I can assure you that coarse KNO3 produces slag as well. I've had stars drying for well over a year that produced a hell of a lot of slag a few weeks ago. They are absolutely dry as a bone.

[Arthur]

The very glitter effect relies on there being slag! A friend in the UK uses a mix of 25% alcohol in water to damp the stars so that they dry more easily, Some compounds he damps with acetone for rapid drying.