ecko Posted July 24, 2009 Posted July 24, 2009 Hello, I recently ran out of sulfur and other chemicals, but I saw a big bag at Home Depot, so I picked it up, and saw it came in what looks like oats from oatmeal, except thicker. I was wondering if this is 100% sulfur, or if it is not? I'm assuming not because it's in the shape.
Xtreme Pyro Posted July 24, 2009 Posted July 24, 2009 Hello, I recently ran out of sulfur and other chemicals, but I saw a big bag at Home Depot, so I picked it up, and saw it came in what looks like oats from oatmeal, except thicker. I was wondering if this is 100% sulfur, or if it is not? I'm assuming not because it's in the shape. What brand is it? If it's the kind im thinking of it's 90% sulfur and 10% clay, they usually tell you the purity on the back of the bag somewhere. It works just fine for pyrotechnics.
pyrogeorge Posted July 24, 2009 Posted July 24, 2009 You will be ok..the most of firework makers use kno3-sulphur from garden stores.
Swede Posted July 24, 2009 Posted July 24, 2009 I remember reading that if you add water, the impurities float, and the sulfur settles - or the other way around, I'm not sure which, but decanting can help separate. I remember asking about sulfur purity a while back, and apparently "rubbermaker's sulfur" is the good stuff, free of impurities and non-acidic. It isn't expensive and is worthwhile for peace of mind. A few kilos would last a long time unless you are into serious production. Same lines - I have heard so often how crappy stump remover is, but the brands I've seen have all been fairly pure, with Specrtracide looking exactly like lab KNO3. No prills, no coating, just table sugar KNO3. But the cost is insane, $6 per pound vs 70 cents or so from Seattle pottery and other sources.
Ventsi Posted July 24, 2009 Posted July 24, 2009 I just washed a few lbs of garden sulfur prills by dumping them in a 5gal bucket ,adding water ,stirring arround and pouring all the water/woodchips/dirt/crap out of it . After about 1/2 hour and 20-30 washing I had probably cleaned out a few large tablespoons of dirt. The process was really easy , just wash after adding water and swirling until is clear not foggy.I reccomend you do this if you do buy garden sulfur
JrayJ Posted July 27, 2009 Posted July 27, 2009 I recently purchased a bag of "dusting sulfur" and on the bck of the bag it said "90% sulfur", but really if you use this to make bp with the regular 75:15:10 ratios it will only be 1% impure, which is more than good enough for me.
stormyweathers Posted July 30, 2009 Posted July 30, 2009 what was the official use of the sulfur from home depot?i searched a few stores and couldnt find anything at all
Mumbles Posted July 30, 2009 Posted July 30, 2009 Acidifying soil. It useful for roses. If they try to sell you something else, tell them you grow food organically.
Seymour Posted July 30, 2009 Posted July 30, 2009 Mumbles, I'd put my money on sulphur being a "chemical" fertiliser/pesticide when it comes to getting your products certified organic. Besides acidifying soil (by reacting slowly with moisture to produce trace H2SO4), dusting leaves with the stuff (therefore the term 'dusting sulfur') kills some pests, be they fu8ngal, invertibrate or bacterial, the type escapes me. Some particular stores sell much of their stick to people like us
Mumbles Posted July 30, 2009 Posted July 30, 2009 Yeah, I did some more reading on it, and it seems opposite of organic. It kills some of the fungus and bacteria that make compost good.
ecko Posted July 30, 2009 Author Posted July 30, 2009 Thanks guys! I really appreciate it. Is there any way you guys could give me any more info on purifying the sulfur?
Seymour Posted July 30, 2009 Posted July 30, 2009 My advice is that it is not worth it, because purity of sulfur is not hugely critical in most compositions, and besides, pure sulfur should be easy to get. However if you want to do it anyway, perhaps just as a project, another method that can be used (as opposed to letting the clays and other debris sink when mixed with water) is to melt it and cast fairly pure 'ingots' of the stuff. I would expect impurities to either float or sink on the melt, and thus be separated by decanting or skimming the surface. You will soon be familiar with the evils of SO2!
FrankRizzo Posted July 30, 2009 Posted July 30, 2009 The <10% bentonite clay that's in most garden sulfur flakes will not impact your use noticeably. It's an inert ingredient (doesn't burn or decompose). Just multiply the amount of sulfur in the comp by 1.10 to make up for the clay. For example: 75 - KNO315 - Charcoal10 - Sulfur becomes 75 - KNO315 - Charcoal11 - Sulfur (10 x 1.10 = 11)
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