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Red Nitrate Strobes


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Posted (edited)

I Have no strontium at this time , barium and sodium nitrates have difficult properties but work well for strobes, particularly with sodium nitrate.

My magnalium homemade separated througt 150 mesh i try to add smaller size nex time as testing.

This the best and fastest nitrate strobe 've ever seen

Await dinamic test from stibium

Edited by skysparkler
Posted (edited)

sky i think your dynamic test looked pretty good! i'd like to give that formula a try. i have a couple of other ideas that are in line first but i'll post my experiments with tghis formula.

Edited by rogeryermaw
Posted

I Have no strontium at this time , barium and sodium nitrates have difficult properties but work well for strobes, particularly with sodium nitrate.

My magnalium homemade separated througt 150 mesh i try to add smaller size nex time as testing.

This the best and fastest nitrate strobe 've ever seen

Await dinamic test from stibium

 

Whats the formula for that one Sky? I like that a lot.

Posted

That´s Stibium's formula.

 

Here you go:

 

Strontium Nitrate 65 g
Potassium Chlorate 10 g
PVC powder 3 g
Magnalium 200 mesh 21 g

NC 10% MEK 25 g

CuO 2g

Posted

Dag-Nabbitt! It has Chlorate in it... I like AP way more than I do chlorate so I keep it away from my building area. Maybe next summer then at PGI.

Posted
hi...newbie here, can any one point me to some info on the chemistry of a stobe and how it works....i know that it has to do with the fluctiation of burn rates of the magnalium and kno3 in blesser white strobes, but i am trying to learn more on it chemistry
Posted

I'd suggest checking out Pyrotechnica V, XI, and XIV, as well as Shimizu's Fireworks: Art, Science, and Technique for more detailed scientific discussion.

Posted

I'd suggest checking out Pyrotechnica V, XI, and XIV, as well as Shimizu's Fireworks: Art, Science, and Technique for more detailed scientific discussion.

is this a forum or a book?

Posted

Pyrotechnica is a journal of sorts, and "FAST" is a book. You know, you can just google these things.

  • Like 1
Posted

Pyrotechnica is a journal of sorts, and "FAST" is a book. You know, you can just google these things.

 

hey thanks mumbles, all the bits and pieces i have been reading onlinevfor the past year i have seen the shimizu compositions....only now as you told me about that book FAST, i now realise who shimizu was....i got to get me that book....but its plenty expensive though
  • Like 1
Posted

Dag-Nabbitt! It has Chlorate in it... I like AP way more than I do chlorate so I keep it away from my building area. Maybe next summer then at PGI.

 

Yeah I totally agree. Mixing chlorates and MgAl doesn't seem very safe to me. Although I have to admit I've never tried it.

Does anyone have any reference as to how sensitive compositions like this are?

Posted

No concerns about the MgAl, just with AP in the shop at the same time.

  • 1 month later...
Posted

I do all my work on a picnic table out in the yard. I don't like chemicals around my shop with a bunch of other stuff that others use. A spill isn't a big deal and gets cleaned up by nature.

 

I have both AP and chlorate. I have some tools that I use with the chlorate that I mark with a paint pen or colored tape and I store them all in a plastic container so they don't get mixed up. If I work with something that isn't compatible I move my 'shop' to a different part of the property, work with it, then clean up, put everything in the container and put it away.

 

I don't have a pyro only shop and i don't have tons of tools. So working with something, cutting stars, and priming them can be done and put away. Once dry they can be put in shells wherever I make them.

 

It's probably not perfect but it works well for me.

Posted

Hi! All. I tested mix that stibium are published. it best in static test but in air test strobe frequency go down.

Static 2% CuO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl6UMKqfX4s&list=UUUF0TVsqujOLhSPzJrv21Fg

Dynamic 2% CuO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QM5RwqG7bNo&list=UUUF0TVsqujOLhSPzJrv21Fg&index=1

Someone have ideas to make it faster or stabilize him in airflow

Magnalium used after 150 mesh

 

Sky, I loved your dynamic test. Beautiful indeed! I don't think the strobe frequency was bad. It was slower, but perfect IMO.

 

What's the comp? You say you used Stibium's comp, did you just replace Strontium nitrate with CuO?

Posted
He replaced the strontium nitrate with barium nitrate and added 2% CuO. At least that's how it sounds.
Posted (edited)

Why the different colors? It looks like they're rolled in layers. Blue-ish, green-ish and white-ish. Am I wrong?

 

edit: You are right, he did say he just replaced with barium nitrate. I don't understand why the colors look like they do though, maybe it's the camera. Will give it a shot here anyway.

Size around 5mm is OK for 3-4"? I assume they should be small, as it looks like they're falling quite slowly.

Edited by enanthate
Posted (edited)

It looks to me like there are a couple different colors. But the video is acting weird for me and cycling to the next so I'm not sure I'm looking at the same thing.

 

Edit: they look bluish, then a green/yellow, then white. No way to know what the formula is since they are color changing? He also mentioned use of sodium nitrate. I wonder if iron oxide could replace the copper.

 

I know the barium nitrate white strobe should be cut about a max of eighth inch (about 3mm) cubes. Or else you will have fire raining down on the ground. I would imagine the colors will be similar if not even slower than the white.

 

I have made the white many times and they work well for me.

Edited by FlaMtnBkr
Posted (edited)

Awesome, been wanting to roll smaller stars for my shells. Thanks for the info, will up a vid when my beauties are fired :)

 

I would think iron oxide would replace the copper, assuming the oxygen is giving the effect. Don't have iron oxide atm, so won't be able to test that for you.

 

edit: Would BP + 5% Si be a decent prime for these? My prime usually works for me, but so far I've only tried it on relatively easily ignited stars.

Edited by enanthate
Posted
The white ones light easy for me. I think I just use grean meal screened together to prime but can check notes and verify.
Posted (edited)

Sorry, I realized after posting that there is chlorate in it. Sulfur-based prime isnt a good idea, is it?

I'm doing pinball with BP on outter layer.

 

edit: Just tested my red strobes, they strobe nicely. 4-5hz while still a bit wet. #250 MgAl works fine, just added 1g copper instead of 2.

I love Parlonstars, but find it tricky to work with NC, it sticks to everything so much more than rubberstars. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it soon enough.

Thanks for info guys, will be making more of these. If anybody finds a parlonbound strobecomp, please shout!

Edited by enanthate
Posted
If your a member of fireworking.com there is one in the formula section.
  • Like 1
Posted (edited)

Hi !

With iron oxide don`t work properly and replace chlorate to perchlorate works bad to, without chlorates-perchlorates work nice but slow.

CuO best to perform frequency, and possibly add more than 2-3%. With parlon never take good efect because it`s very fine powder and it`s fuel witch supports combustion, without vibration in strobe mix.

Pvc possibly add 8-9% to beter green for green 3% enougt ,therefore we see blurred green color

I noticed that denser star strobe a bit faster .

Edited by skysparkler
  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

I like this strobe with barium-nitrat, and 3% PVC, the color is nearly aqua. But i dont have chlorate, with perchlorate isnt regulary strobe rate, and ignition hardly

Posted

Nitrate based strobes don't have regular strobe rates the same way that ammonium perchlorate/sulfate ones do. They'll always have some level of randomness to them. If you're looking for a replacement for strobe rockets, you're still out of luck. These really work best in shells where the randomness of individual stars isn't noticeable.

Posted

I like this strobe with barium-nitrat, and 3% PVC, the color is nearly aqua. But i dont have chlorate, with perchlorate isnt regulary strobe rate, and ignition hardly

Try add KnO3

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