Random Thread #1

[frogy]

Sulfur burned = Sulfur Dioxide

 

Sulfur Dioxide + O2 w\ catalyst of Vanadium (V) Oxide = Sulfur Trioxide

 

Sulfur Trioxide + H2O = Sulfuric Acid

 

 

This process isn't practical at all because I doubt you have and Vanadium (V) Oxide, and when you mix sulfur trioxide and water it makes a shitload of an exothermic reaction (very hot)...

 

Really to do this correctly you have to mix Sulfur Trioxide with Sulfuric acid, and then add more water...

 

 

To put it shortly... I don't know where to get it... lol... Check your local Mafia supplier

 

Tonight I'm lighting off my first Can shell...

#1. I hope it gets out of the tube....

#2. I hope the stars don't shatter...

 

It was purely perchlorate flash for the break and that stars I used were crappy ones that broke off my larger cut stars... It should at least made a big cloud of sparks if it doesn't flowerpot...

[mormanman]

I use Bohega, it's mostly blue. I find it's easier on the eyes, but looks pretty badass.

 

You can get sulfuric acid from the hardware store as drain cleaner. Rooto is my brand of choice, but there are others. Read the labels. Generally the goods are wrapped in clear plastic bags.

I went to Home Depot yesterday and I read the labels and it said nothing about sulfuric acid. Also, what do you mean by "Generall th goods are wrapped in clear plastic bags."

[FrankRizzo]

Walmart sells a sulfuric acid drain cleaner near their toilet valves and whatnot called "Liquid Lightning". Alternatively, try a *real* hardware store like Ace for "Rooto" or "Liquid Fire".

 

http://www.absda.ca/2007NewProductImages/Strickland_Liquid_Lightning.jpg

[mormanman]

Ok thanks a lot guys.

[Mumbles]

I couldn't find a good picture. The good drain cleaners generally come in a resonably thick polyethylene bag to prevent spills from becoming very dangerous. It contains all the acid incase it leaks or whatever in storage.

 

http://www.retrowork.com/images/rooto/imag...fessionalDO.jpg

[asilentbob]

Yeah Rooto is probably one of the best OTC sources. I get mine from Ace Hardware. IIRC it is 93%. Mostly clear. No buffers.

 

If your going to be using it for nitrations and whatnot... Get some good acid proof gloves and be very careful.

 

Pour acid into water, not the other way around.

[flying fish]

Ok, here's a random question:

 

Does anyone think that there is enough readily accessible information on fireworks available from an *artistic* (non-technical) standpoint to write a 7 page research paper for an introductory humanities class?

 

I would also need to be able to relate it to the concepts in the class, especially how it relates to historical movements in general art.

 

In any case I feel like something fireworks related would be good for me, because I actually have to get up and talk about it for 10 minutes without notes.

[Mumbles]

I was able to write a 6 page paper on the different classes of people within a pyro group. I made most of it up. Really, who is going to be able to check? And yes, I think there is enough info around to write a paper like that. I would make sure you have access to things like FAST, Lancaster, and the fulcanelli papers to really be able to do it. It will be hard to write an entirely non-technical paper, but I think it could be done. Perhaps go over evolution of the different techniques in different parts of the world. IE Japan uses ball shells, and Italy mainly canisters. Talk about different effects, and pairings maybe.

[Mumbles]

I know I'm double posting, but I'm an admin, so I can. I just saw this, and wanted to get writing this before I ran out of time. I wanted to get the previous answer out first though.

 

If you haven't seen this, I suggest it. It's very cool. I thought I'd help put some names to faces to help some people over seas or who haven't met these people yet. I helped to explain a few things as well. I suggest downloading the higher definition version too, it makes all the difference.

 

http://www.pgi.org/2007video.aspx

 

Right at the beginning they are signing a shell for Fred Johnson. He passed away this year. There was a big thing in the PGI bulletin about him, and I would assume some sort of ceremony this year. Anyway, he made the super and megastrings what they are today. He engineered them to preform better and more impressivly. I can assure you he succeeded.

 

The guy sitting on the gator with the camo pants is Bill Bahr.

 

The guy signing in the suit is Mike Swisher.

 

The next guy signing in the green shirt is Tom Handel

 

The next guy in the turquoise shirt is Jim Freeman.

 

The big fireball is what the superstring looks like. It sounds something like paper tearing at 130 dB for 5 minutes.

 

The guy talking after the superstring is John Steinberg. Bet you wouldn't have figured that one out.

 

At 2:39, the guy running the WASP is Ned Gorski, last year's Grandmaster by a landslide.

 

At 2:42 the guy in the black is Jim Biersach.

 

The guy at the Judge's table waving is Jim Freeman again.

 

2:52 the guy in the blue sitting at the firing panel is John Petrash.

 

2:37 you get a brief glimpse of Steve LaDuke, in the red hat.

 

Around 2:45 is the Junior Pyrotechnic Association. It was nice. Last year they thought I was in it so they didn't ask me for money. I guess I didn't shave this year.

 

From 4:00 to 4:10 you see what the super string looks like as it's being setup.

 

4:19 is Jeff Wise, one of Steve LaDuke's prodigies. If you look at the competition results, the student has finally beaten the master.

 

At 4:34 is Ray Lee, the safety chairman (I think)

 

At 5:07 from left to right is Rich Wolter's daughter-in-law, Claudia Wolter, Rich Wolter, and someone I don't know.

 

At 5:17 is Tom Handel, and I think Jim Widmann.

 

At 5:53 is Bill Raynault from pyroplanet.com and the N American Distributor of Pyroclock.

 

At 7:03 is Jodi Sorrentino, and the dog. She and her husband Paul run PyroRight. They have some cool stuff, and are really nice people. The dog thinks it weights about 100 more pounds.

[jacob]

Wow, i didn't know there was skins, i think bohegeha is the best too, it's so relaxing. that move is awesome, i'v always wanted to hear a song like that.

[psymon]

Whooooaaaaa.... Just had the police come round. They said is this *****? Right we need to talk to you about some Perchlorate... Right, well am I in trouble? He said no, just want to know what you do with it? I said I make fireworks. He asked, do you have any left? I said yes, do you want me to get it for you? He said no. Just need to check your date of birth and ask what you do with the stuff. After that he just said everything was ok and left... Oh crap wonder if he was telling th truth or will I get a court summons?

 

Probably because I bought some from KN03.com before they were busted.

[Mumbles]

Just a quick notice to anyone trying to send me e-mail at Mumbles@apcforum.net I set up a box trapper to try to get all the spam out of there too. Anyone who sends me mail is going to get an automatic reply that they will have to confirm they are a real person with.

 

 

Also to anyone sending me mail at Mumbes@hush.com. You probably shouldn't, as the account has been disabled.

[frogy]

I'm making some BP\KP coated Rice Crispies in a hour or so and I wanted to know how to determine the BP\KP to carrier ratio?

 

Is 4:1 good for BP and 7:1 with KP?

 

Please post ratios of BP\KP to carrier and how to determine it...

 

 

Also how to I wet rice krispies? Same manner as Rice hulls would probably break them...

[ULTRABUF]

Can't really help you with the ratios, I need to tweak mine myself cause currently I use a really odd ratio, like 2:3 crispies/bp. I've gotten really good breaks, but I could definately get more power if I can get more bp to stick on the crispies. Anyways, the way I wet the crispies is I put them in a wire mesh spagehtti strainer, and I spray them with a H2O/ alc mix so that they are damp, and mix them around a bit to get consistency. A lot of people them put them in the washing machine with no water and just do a quick spin cycle so that they are just damp and not wet, I just hold out the strainer and spin in a circle for a few seconds. I get dizzy but it works well lol.

[crazyboy25]

couple questions

 

1. according to pyroguide you can wet ball mill KP is this true if so what is the water to KP ratio and how long?

 

2. what is a bottom shot? i know its like a salute i have seen them i just dot know what they are.

 

3. would an aerial shell salute be made like a regular shell except both hemis only have meal coated rice hulls in them and some flash with a little titanium in the space between the rice hulls?

[Mumbles]

I'd go 4:1 BP, and 5:1 KP. I've never used rice crispies, but I hear they dissolve to mush kinda easily. Id say just spray them until they start sticking together, and add some powder. Repeat until it's all stuck on. Without a star roller, you'll probably get a lot of loose powder this way.

 

1. I've never heard that. I just screen my KP together, and it works just fine.

 

2. A bottom shot is a large salute to signify the end of a shell. They can also be used as rhythm breakers. I do enjoy them, but you need to have multibreak shells absolutely perfected, or they become highly unsafe. The last thing you want is a bottom shot breaking on the ground.

 

3. Not exactly. I see more canister salutes, but balls are also reasonably common. Heres what you do for a ball shell. Take your two hemis, and fuse one. Mix in 5-10% Ti to your flash powder. Pack both hemis as full with flash as you can. I'd suggest tapping them to get it to settle a bit. Place the two hemis together and paste as normal. There is some times rice hulls or something like that helping to fill in space, but the whole thing is packed with flash.

 

I don't like mixing Ti with my flash so I coat the walls of the salutes with a glue and sprinkle in Ti to coat it. It makes a nice donut shaped spray sometimes.

[frogy]

I actually have heard of people glueing charcoal or Ti to the sides of the shells and filling the rest with flash...

 

When I make flash salutes I normally make can shells...

 

 

Unfortunately I tried to make BP\Krispies before you told me they were to mushy lol... I could tell they were completely wet, yet me being an idiot I dumped in some BP, and then I figured mise well add another 200 grams... I tried my best to break up the big clumps... when it dries I'll be able to break it up further... I'm leaving it dry from 10 P.M. tonight until about 6 P.M. Friday... So about 3 days of drying in front of a heater vent should make it pretty dry....

 

Also granulated some KP... No KP crispies though... maybe tomorrow

[qwezxc12]

I make my BP/crispies in my roller. I currently use a 5:1 ratio, which is convenient as my bowl will make 600g of coated crispies without being overfilled. As I work more with flash breaks, I may lower the ratio since the BP is there to aid ignition and add gas output, not break the shell.

 

I dump the crispies in and *lightly* spray them to just get them damp and add the BP in small increments to start with, like a slightly rounded teaspoon full. It's like rolling stars; you need to start the process in small increments or you'll fill your roller with junk and coat the bowl walls. Once the crispies have some mass to them, they tumble better and are much less likely to stick together. Once I've added ~100g of BP, I can add larger amounts at once. It usually works out to 10 sprays, then add a heaping tablespoon of BP.

 

I used to make them in a big bowl and swirl them around while spraying, then add BP, but it left lots of dry powder. The crispies are much denser when made in the roller, too.

 

Also, I do not use dextrin. I use 1.5% CMC milled in with the BP.

[ULTRABUF]

Great idea, I never even though of using a roller to coat the crispies. That will be way easier, I wont get dizzy anymore lol.

[Mumbles]

I would love to know where these chinese people keep getting my contact info from. They contacted me this evening on my person e-mail address. I don't use it for anything pyro related, never posted on any forum or board.

 

 

[edit] Just found out. Apparantly it was on the PGI list.

[qwezxc12]

Also, I do not use dextrin. I use 1.5% CMC milled in with the BP.

CMC? Carboxymethylcellulose? Where did you get that?...

That's what it is. Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose, actually. I believe there are several differing compounds that all are used as thickening agents in food service and would serve as a binder for BP. I got mine from a ceramic supply. It's typically $8-11 / lb. here in the US. You can also find it at online health food websites sometimes.

 

I read that up to 2% additional in BP didn't affect burn-rate based on Danny Creagan and Lady Kate's tests: Charcoal Tests. 1.5% makes for sturdy, crunchy lift grains after pressing and screening and BP coated crispies shed very little dust after drying. A pound goes a long way.

[qwezxc12]

Wallpaper paste or home-made wheat paste (as what's used for pasting in shells) is an excellent binder, especially when used for star compositions using a high-percentage of flake Al. I tried some Shimizu Silver Wave stars and pumping them with wheat paste in place of dextrin/water kept the clouds of Al dust down and made a nice hard star. I believe the Japanese "toro" method of rolling stars uses a slurry made with SRGS...basically the same thing as wheat paste only less is needed.

[asilentbob]

I'm going to get some CMC (9.20/lb) next time I'm at the local ceramic supply... along with some black iron oxide, black copper oxide, and maybe strontium carbonate and/or iron chromate.

 

I wonder how slightly nitrated CMC would perform...

[psyco_1322]

What the heck are you gonna use iron chromate for? Maybe I should have picked some of that up. Last time I got every pyro chem that I seen they had, they had yellow iron oxide but I couldnt think of a use for it.

[DeAdFX]

What the heck are you gonna use iron chromate for? Maybe I should have picked some of that up. Last time I got every pyro chem that I seen they had, they had yellow iron oxide but I couldnt think of a use for it.

Ferric chromate is about 30% cheaper than ammonium or potassium variants. Which I guess would be useful if you wanted to make a cheap ammonium nitrate rocket...

 

Ammonium perchlorate/hex/Ferric chromate burns a dim yellow/green. It is no where near the level of a barium nitrate green but with a bit of tweaking it could.