Random Thread #1

[crazyboy25]

Well I believe I just made impure elemental sodium metal. I heated 15g Mg and 33g NaOH in a sealed soup can in an argon atmosphere with a blowtorch for about a minute or two. Then I let it cool and poured in xylene (kind of screwed everything up) the chunk was broken up with a screwdriver and the chunks and soot where found to release hydrogen gas and combust when dropped into water. I had quite a bit of fun and got some vids/pics maybe ill upload later.

 

The xylene screwed the whole thing up because it was oily and wouldn't get off the chunks so when they were tossed in they only liberated hydrogen and only a few actually burst into flames. I know this was the xylenes fault because they burnt with a sooty flame and when they where heated with a lighter they burned sootily but when the burnt piece was tossed back into the water it burned much better then the ones still coated with xylene.

[mormanman]

I'm building a star plate out of White Ash. I'm afraid the wood might warp but i have nothing better to do and I will learn how to make on. So there still is a bright side.

[Tweetybird88]

I've been looking everywhere! Where would I find a palladium coated/plated Cathode.

[InRainbows]

Well I believe I just made impure elemental sodium metal. I heated 15g Mg and 33g NaOH in a sealed soup can in an argon atmosphere with a blowtorch for about a minute or two. Then I let it cool and poured in xylene (kind of screwed everything up) the chunk was broken up with a screwdriver and the chunks and soot where found to release hydrogen gas and combust when dropped into water. I had quite a bit of fun and got some vids/pics maybe ill upload later.

 

The xylene screwed the whole thing up because it was oily and wouldn't get off the chunks so when they were tossed in they only liberated hydrogen and only a few actually burst into flames. I know this was the xylenes fault because they burnt with a sooty flame and when they where heated with a lighter they burned sootily but when the burnt piece was tossed back into the water it burned much better then the ones still coated with xylene.

Where exactly would you get argon? I've read it's used in welding, and in incandescent lighting, but can you obtain smaller tanks from say, a hardware store? Breaking open light bulbs wouldn't be very practical in my mind.

 

Also, anyone have any experience with Skylighter's Red Chuffer Rocket Comp.? I'm pretty sure it's a fine red, but I'm paranoid.

[Bonny]

Where exactly would you get argon? I've read it's used in welding, and in incandescent lighting, but can you obtain smaller tanks from say, a hardware store? Breaking open light bulbs wouldn't be very practical in my mind.

Argon (unlikely you'd find it in any hardware store) is used in MIG(GMAW) (and TIG{GTAW}) welding as a sheilding gas. Because it is a "noble gas", formerly known as "inert" gas, it won't react with the metal being welded...the name of the game in welding is no oxygen, it can form porosity (bubbles) in the weld. MIG welding wires also contain Silicon which will react with any oxygen present in the weld pool and float it to the top as silicon doixide (sand/glass). Thatt's the brown crap on top of a mig weld. The argon being blown over top while welding forms an atmosphere without oxygen...

In the case of stick arc welding (real welding) the flux on the rod contains all that is necassary to provide an oxygen free environment.

[mormanman]

Wow bonny. I was unaware that you knew all that. Did you take metal shop or what? I learned that in metal shop. Never thought I would see that out of class.

[Bonny]

Wow bonny. I was unaware that you knew all that. Did you take metal shop or what? I learned that in metal shop. Never thought I would see that out of class.

I worked as a welder out of high school for about 5yrs. Learned to weld on the job at a machine and welding shop, then took some intro courses and READ alot on my own time. The welding chemistry was really interesting....and still is. Now I only mainly weld on my spare time as a hobby, but the knowledge and ability definately helps with this hobby, for tooling,presses etc...

If you can weld, you can make anything..just don't tell any machinist that

[crazyboy25]

Yes I used the shielding gas from my dad's welder the gas forms an inert atmosphere for the welding AND creates a heavier then gas curtain that prevents too many sparks from flying out. However halfway through the process there was a small fire despite the inert atmosphere either there was a leak or there was enough CO2 in the gas that the Mg could burn (one reason why you never put out Mg fires with CO2 extinguishers.)

 

 

 

 

EDIT: Here is some short demos of my homemade sodium: http://s179.photobucket.com/albums/w318/cr...&current=Na.flv

 

It might seem to burn with a oily flame not like that of sodium this is due to xylene not the sodium.

[mormanman]

The thing about argon is it is extremely dangerous. My metal shop teacher told me it can sweep the oxygen out of a room in 7 seconds and kill you.

[Frozentech]

The thing about argon is it is extremely dangerous. My metal shop teacher told me it can sweep the oxygen out of a room in 7 seconds and kill you.

It would take a lot of argon ( or any other non-breathable gas for that matter ) to "sweep the oxygen out of a room in 7 seconds and kill you"

 

Argon is no more dangerous than other inert gases and less dangerous than some. You're breathing about 1% Argon right now.

 

Your shop teacher is using a bit overblown imagery to teach a point about safety.

[mormanman]

LOL thats what I said first I think he said tungsten though.

[hst45]

The thing about argon is it is extremely dangerous. My metal shop teacher told me it can sweep the oxygen out of a room in 7 seconds and kill you.

This teacher is either really uninformed or is trying to scare you for whatever reason. As frozentech said Argon is inert, and as far as I know the only danger might be if a tank of Argon was completely discharged in the aforementioned seven seconds, in which case just hold your breath and walk away into fresh air. It won't kill you, it would just, potentially, replace the ambient air.

 

By the way, is this the same teacher that told you that Aluminum can't be oxidized?

[crazyboy25]

Argon is nontoxic and heavier then air so it would probably float on the floor also it could only kill you by displacing O2 in the blood stream which is unlikely

 

LOL thats what I said first I think he said tungsten though.

 

 

I don't think you are hearing him correctly tungsten is a hard heavy transition metal with a high melting point.

 

 

Now enough stupid talk questions comments or insight on the experiment?

[mormanman]

The thing about argon is it is extremely dangerous. My metal shop teacher told me it can sweep the oxygen out of a room in 7 seconds and kill you.

This teacher is either really uninformed or is trying to scare you for whatever reason. As frozentech said Argon is inert, and as far as I know the only danger might be if a tank of Argon was completely discharged in the aforementioned seven seconds, in which case just hold your breath and walk away into fresh air. It won't kill you, it would just, potentially, replace the ambient air.

 

By the way, is this the same teacher that told you that Aluminum can't be oxidized?

Yeah. I don't know what is going on. I'm not sure why he says all this maybe he just makes mistakes like everyone else.

 

Either way like crazyboy said its time to go back to what he was talking about.

[justanotherpyro]

I'm trying to switch over from organic based stars to metal based, now that I have a reliable source for cheap Magnalium. Any ideas for red and green formulas, specifically a SrCO3 based red star? I have the Emerald green, even though it is heavy on the BaNO3 which is hard to get now thanks to firefox's injunction.

[TheSidewinder]

Hope you have Perc and Ba/Sr NO3.

 

From the "Occasonal Happiness" thread, a link to some GREAT comps. Perhaps the best non-Chlorate formulas for Red and Green there are.

 

And *IN* the Happiness thread, several posts about it. I jotted down something I learned about them.

 

 

http://www.apcforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=2192

[justanotherpyro]

Thanks Sidewinder, unfortunately I have seen those. I wish that I had some SrNO3. I am hoping to find a good red color using Carbonate, I just don't know what its limitations are of being able to achieve a deep, rich red. I can attest to the beauty of the Emerald green, it is amazing.

 

Oh and I do have all of the other chems for those two posted. My limitation is the SrCO3.

 

I made a small amount of a modified red attributed to Al93535.

 

KClO4-66

Red Gum- 10

Hexamine- 3

C-2

SrCO3-12

Saran-3

 

I replaced 5 parts of Red gum with 5 Parts of 200+ mesh MgAl.

 

I think that it might be over fueled so I may up the KClO4, but I'm not sure yet. I'll see if the few sample stars are of a richer red than the original comp.

[Bonny]

Argon is nontoxic and heavier then air so it would probably float on the floor also it could only kill you by displacing O2 in the blood stream which is unlikely

There have apparently been welders that have experienced health problems from breathing too much argon. Being heavier than air, it accumulates in the bottom of the lungs, leaving less air capacity for breathing.

[justanotherpyro]

The red stars I messed around with the substituted MgAl were a richer red color as was hoped.

[shagaKahn]

Vague recollections of a formula for black smoke that utilizes napthalene.

 

Any clues o ye maestros?

 

Thanx,

s

[TheSidewinder]

Yes, there is. I can't recall off the top of my head where I saw it though. It's not on Passfire.

 

(As an aside, Passfire sure is skimpy in the Smoke department. Only *3* formulas total?!? Bah, humbug.)

 

Seems to me it was in a book I got for some other purpose than making smokes, but now am not certain.

 

And I'll let an expert say for sure, but I think smokes with any Naptha derivative are pretty toxic and/or carcinogenic.

 

 

M

[shagaKahn]

Hey Sidewinder,

 

Don't think you gotta be an expert to be right about that: anything that smells like mothballs can't be good for you.

 

(Made some naphthalene/BP lampares and it took over a month for the car to air out just from hauling them to the site).

 

But black smoke has proven to be quite a challenge. Here's a vid showing the only mix I've come up with so far that's even close to black. Ten feet out from the emitter and it's already so pale it's almost white:

 

http://www.efn.org/~mikemcoo/blakSmokePre.html

 

Of course no one in the neighborhood dropped dead from smelling it.

[asilentbob]

If you have asphalt or tar that should work. I'd guess just trying some KNSU with a signficant portion of naphthalene.

 

There is a powerpoint from a PGI convention on smokes floating around, but IIRC its more dealing with colored ones.

 

Edit:

Been considering learning more about Half-Life 2, Portal, and such in order to make maps (and have my little brother make maps) and possibly mods that have only very slight changes from the normal game. It would be alot to learn and I'm behind with studies as is... Meh its the jack of all trades in me...

[jacob]

Actually guys there is a black smoke formula on Passfire, it's under the listing for Green.

 

Potassium Chlorate 44

Naphthalene 26

Antimony Trisulfide, Dark Pyro, 325 mesh 24

Rice Starch (glutinous) 6

 

Be careful though, I've heard that Chorate/Naphthalene smokes are very powerful, and can explode on ignition, not to mention sulfides sensitize Chorate mixes.

 

The link to the powerpoint on smokes is this

http://www.privatedata.com/byb/pyro/pgi2000smoke.pdf

 

I've tried the Pot Chorate/Polystyrene black smoke and it seems to work good, you just need alot of Chlorate.

 

It may not be very practical, but if you want easy black smoke you could just burn a tire .

[shagaKahn]

I'd guess just trying some KNSU with a signficant portion of naphthalene.

Now that's kool. Ain't got any tar/asphalt--'less I go dig some outa the street--but candy-fuel I can manage.

 

Thanx, asilentbob--and Jacob. I'd check out the formula at passgas, only their gate fee seems a bit steep to me.