kenT Posted December 4, 2008 Posted December 4, 2008 I would really like to make some tiger tail rockets, and some ufo's(helicopters ). I have not been able to find any sulphur that is usable or anyone who will ship it to canada Is there any other methods for making rockets with a similar effect. I also have been unable to locate boric acid. any suggestions would be appreciated.
Mumbles Posted December 4, 2008 Posted December 4, 2008 You're going to have a tough time trying to make a good streamer without sulfur. There are a few, specifically one called chysanthemum of mystery. It's dim and sparse though. It's probably about as close as you're going to get though http://www.thegreenman.me.uk/pfp/stars.html Might I suggest looking harder, or rethinking what your definition of "unusable" is. Gardening sulfur is probably just fine. The additional percentage is usually clay, which doesn't hurt anything. In most of the comps the sulfur content is low, that any impurity accounts for less than 1%. That being said, blues and purples may not be achieveable.
kenT Posted December 5, 2008 Author Posted December 5, 2008 I can only find sulphur that is 92% pure. And they don't say what the other ingredients are.
tentacles Posted December 5, 2008 Posted December 5, 2008 Ken, that must be the garden sulfur at Rona? The other 8% is clay, you can search for the MSDS if you want. It's fairly typical of gardening sulfur to be 8-12% clay. It should not affect the composition significantly, although it may make the stars a bit harder. You can't find sulfur anywhere else? Did you look at prolab, for instance? I'm not sure if they would charge hazmat on it, though. They have 2.5kg for $22, not the worst price I've seen by far. But not the $2/lb I recently paid for 20lbs of rubbermaker's sulfur. Hell, it's better than the Rona price by any measure, if the shipping doesn't kill you. Have you tried the gardening sulfur? I used some a while back and it seems to do just fine. Bonny may have other suggestions as to where to buy some.
Bonny Posted December 5, 2008 Posted December 5, 2008 (edited) The gardening sulfur will be just fine,I still use it from time to time. As Tentacles said , it is often clay ,but I have read it can be calcium carbonate too. You can also find a purer form in most hydroponic shops that is in pellet (disc) form. The pellets can be a PITA as they need milling and make a mess when trying to screen though. Unless you can figure out a good way to screen the milled sulfur to 100mesh it's really only good in comps needing ball milling. Also some specialty gardening stores often have powdered sulfur that is pure, but I'm not sure if it is "Flowers of sulfur" which can be acidic. I did use a few lbs with no problems but that doesn't mean anything. As for Boric acid, go to a drugstore. Not to be a jerk or anything, but if you are going to get anywhere in pyro you will have to learn to look A LOT harder. kenT, Here are some more sources if info: http://www.wfvisser.dds.nl/indexEN.htmlhttp://www.pyroguide.com/index.php?title=Main_Page (some good stuff, but a lot of crap there)http://www.wichitabuggywhip.com/fireworks/ Edited December 5, 2008 by Bonny
kenT Posted December 5, 2008 Author Posted December 5, 2008 Well I have done quite a bit of looking. And spent a lot of hours on the net. But my success at this point has been limited. I have some sulphur that is from a hydroponic store.It is bought in bulk and re packaged in smaller containers. Its labeled as wettable sulfur. The bp i made with it was not great and when it burns it leaves behind a lot of left over crap that didn't burn up. I assumed it was from something in the sulphur and also assumed the 92% garden stuff would do the same. I didn't want to spend more money for the same results. Also My charcoal is royal oak brand. It is all I have been able to locate so far locally. I don't know how good of bp I can make with it. I will search the drug stores for boric acid, as I have aluminum powder and would like to be able to use it.
Bonny Posted December 5, 2008 Posted December 5, 2008 I have some sulphur that is from a hydroponic store.It is bought in bulk and re packaged in smaller containers. Its labeled as wettable sulfur. The bp i made with it was not great and when it burns it leaves behind a lot of left over crap that didn't burn up. I assumed it was from something in the sulphur and also assumed the 92% garden stuff would do the same. I didn't want to spend more money for the same results. Also My charcoal is royal oak brand. It is all I have been able to locate so far locally. I don't know how good of bp I can make with it. I will search the drug stores for boric acid, as I have aluminum powder and would like to be able to use it. Was the BP ballmilled , if so for how long? Is the charcoal "lumpwood"? If it is briquettes, then you are wasting your time and will never get good BP, as they are full of clay and other crap. Good charcoal is far more important than the sulfur. I cook all my own charcoal, but I guess that is not possible for everyone. Here is another link with lots of valuable info.http://www.skylighter.com/fireworks/help/F..._and_tables.asp
tentacles Posted December 6, 2008 Posted December 6, 2008 (edited) Just as importantly, where is that Royal Oak bag from? Is it the USA stuff, Chile, Brazil? Only the USA stuff and the (I think) brazilian were worth a damn, the others left behind tons of ash in barbecueing tests. You would do well to make some charcoal of your own out of a pine 2x4, or find another good BP wood. Willow should be fairly easy to get just about anywhere in Canada. Don't blame the sulfur until you know your charcoal makes worthwhile BP to start with.. Royal Oak charcoal will make mediocre BP *AT BEST*. If you're desperate for a sample of good charcoal, I might be convinced to send you half a pound of alder, and a sample of good sulfur for comparison's sake. Bonny: And speaking of sulfur, I'll have my hands on 20lbs of it fairly soon if you want some, which I think you do. It's that rubbermaker's stuff. Edited December 6, 2008 by tentacles
kenT Posted December 6, 2008 Author Posted December 6, 2008 The royal oak i have is lump charcoal not briquettes. It is in a blue and red bag and is the only type I have been able to locate thus far. I could not find it on the web, seems to be an odd ball, maybe bagged different for certain store chains or something. So I guess it may be the culprit. Perhaps I will get some of the garden sulphur and try that. If I get the same results then it's likely to be the coal. I also did find boric acid at the drugstore. ...So thanks for the tips!!
Bonny Posted December 8, 2008 Posted December 8, 2008 Bonny: And speaking of sulfur, I'll have my hands on 20lbs of it fairly soon if you want some, which I think you do. It's that rubbermaker's stuff. You bet I do!! The sulfur I have ATM is only usable in ball milled comps... so no glitters or other screened mixes for me right now.
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