danginolfi Posted December 21, 2008 Posted December 21, 2008 i just got a shipment of Al in from hawkmount and i tried to make nitrate flash with it and it didnt work. Flake is best but has anyone had success with spherical atomized? (25-30 micron)
TheSidewinder Posted December 21, 2008 Posted December 21, 2008 I see that you're a new member, and the fact that you asked the question makes me wonder, strictly from a safety standpoint, whether you're getting ahead of yourself. How much experience do you have with fireworks? Have you successfully made aerial devices and/or rockets that were BP-based? If you've had less than 6 months to a year of experience, then you ARE getting ahead of yourself, and I suggest doing a LOT more reading before tackling Flash. We want to make sure our members keep all their important bits attached, and this is one area we're pretty strict about......
psyco_1322 Posted December 21, 2008 Posted December 21, 2008 In my experiences, atomized Al does not make for any kind of usable flash or fast burning comps. It does how ever make great glitter. You just bought a pound of two of good ol D1 dust son.
danginolfi Posted December 21, 2008 Author Posted December 21, 2008 I have not had much experience with pyro (maybe a little less that 2 years) but i have come a long way. I am in the final stages of my new years display. Rockets mines shells etc. i have accomplished and perfected on small and medium scales. I'm no flash junkie....i personally hate even the word itself. So spherical is no good for flash? =/
crazyboy25 Posted December 21, 2008 Posted December 21, 2008 I was surprised to hear spherical is actually better for flash however at the size you have it (about 500-600 mesh or 25- 30 micron) it wont work very well for real flash. You might be able to use it as slow flash for some shell breaks but not salutes. You're the one with the aluminum why don't you try it and tell us?
FrankRizzo Posted December 21, 2008 Posted December 21, 2008 I was surprised to hear spherical is actually better for flash however at the size you have it (about 500-600 mesh or 25- 30 micron) it wont work very well for real flash. You might be able to use it as slow flash for some shell breaks but not salutes. You're the one with the aluminum why don't you try it and tell us? The Kosanke's report is total BS. If you give it some *assistance* with a hot ignition, you can make it perform similarly to the fine flake aluminums sold. Atomized grades are definitely good for glitters and solver streamer star formulas though.
Miech Posted December 21, 2008 Posted December 21, 2008 I have a book about flash powder stating that a mixture of 30 parts atomized aluminium with 70 parts of flake aluminium gives a better kind of aluminium powdr for flash use. That should be because such a mixture should create air pockets which speeds up the flame front, thus increasing the reaction rate. I don't know wether this will work outside of perfectly controlled circumstances, but you could give it a shot. I'd personally just use it for glitters and such, as it is way better suited for that purpose.
pa_pyro Posted December 21, 2008 Posted December 21, 2008 Spherical aluminum is a pain in the butt in most flash formulas and will probably require a few parts sulfur to even get it to light, especially with nitrate flashes which tend to be slightly slower. Try the basic 5/3/2 KNO3/S/Al mix and see if that does it for you. It requires a pretty strong case for a decent report as far as flash goes.
danginolfi Posted December 21, 2008 Author Posted December 21, 2008 5/3/2 kno3/s/al lit but didnt work well. i bought it because not only would it be cheap but i can use it for glitters and streamer and other things. I didnt expect it to work well but i figured it was worth a try and i figured id ask to see if anyone had success with it. thanks!
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