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Slowest star formulations please


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Posted

I'm looking at making some heart shells and I'm looking for slow burning compounds so that I can have small stars that still have a reaonable burn time. 20+ stars in a heart shape in a 4inch hemi with a burn time of more than two seconds needs a star about 6mm, 6mm and two seconds is quite slow.

 

Also can I have red, blue, gold .........

Posted

Let me look it up in my database.

 

65 Barium/Strontium Nitrate

10 Aluminium Powder (-325# flake, finer is better)

20 Parlon

04 Sulfur

02 Boric Acid

 

Bind preferabely with NC laquer. I wrote a note under this composition saying it is nearly impossible to ignite without step priming or using a silicon prime. This star gives a very bright deep color, similar to emerald and ruby colored stars. I noticed some tail when made with paint grade aluminium, but for ignitability reasons I would recommend making it with something more reactive like dark flake.

Posted

I find that colors that use Ammonium Perchlorate as an oxidizer burn slower that those that use KP. David Bleser's AP Blue #20 might be a good starting point for making slow burn-rate color stars:

 

Ammonium Perchlorate..........68

Hexamine............................17

Copper(II) Oxychloride..........11

Dextrin.................................4

 

I've not settled on a standard formula, but I typically bring the coloring agent (metal oxides or carbonates) to 15% and add a few % of additional chlorine donor (Saran usually); they slow the combustion even more while deepening the color, at a slight expense of light output.

 

I use these as color cores to roll streamers over...Reaper Silver's a good and east one.

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