MgAl

[firetech]

In Shimizu's Fireworks, The Art Science and Technique he calls for Mg in most of his star compositions.. most of what im seeing in recent comps is magnalium. Can mgal be substituted with mg without drastically changing the comp?

[Mumbles]

Generally speaking, yes you can exchange MgAl in place of Mg. It's not as safe to go in the opposite direction though. It may not be as reactive, but you can adjust that by using a finer MgAl in many cases. Many current comps take this into account, and using Magnesium instead would result in exploding rockets, stars that burn too fast, and potentially unsafe/sensitive mixes.

 

There are also some compositions that rely on unique nature of MgAl, so Mg simply wont work. Things like dragon eggs, potentially nitrate based strobes, and some glitters.

[firetech]

What I was specifically looking at would be velines star system...which is finely tuned already. Mg can be found much cheaper than MgAl. Could I use Mg in these comps without completely changing the ratios?

[fireworks]

MgAl may be too expensive to buy commercially, but if you make it yourself could save a lot of money.

[firetech]

From an economic standpoint producing your own magnalium could save a lot of money, although you have to factor in the cost of different mill media, sieves and production materials. Magnesium powder can be found at the right mesh size for a very affordable price..which I would rather use that MgAl. The question still remains if magnalium can be substituted with magnesium in a composition without a drastic change in ratios or color. Does anyone have an answer for this? Mumbles already stated a few good points.

[Mumbles]

I'd have to take a look at it on a case by case situation. Thats the best I can do. In any case, the Mg would have to be coated to be safe. For simple colored stars, I think you'd be alright substituting in Mg for MgAl assuming the mesh was comparable between the two. You'd probably notice an increase in speed, and probably pretty similar color. The above doesn't hold true for blue or purple. I think with these, you'd risk washing them out more than a red or green or something. Then again, the metal content of blue and purple is generally pretty low.

[firetech]

I was considering using it in a system like Velines...I would suppose it would work OK..but like you said a bit faster just by nature. Would a coarser Mg slow the burn rate reasonably?