Smoke bomb

[Mario1]

Ok so I made a smoke bomb. Its was 100grams and it was pretty sweet. KN/SU 60:40 ball milled for 30 minutes. What do you think?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GfJ3R2A1eM...yer_profilepage

[Mumbles]

I think you need a new testing area, and a choke on your tube. For KNO3 that is actually pretty thin smoke. If you can extinguish that flame, it gets so much thicker.

[Mario1]

Whats a choke. I had a piece of paper there and it blew out as you can see in the video.

[Gunzway]

I think you need a new testing area

Says it all. You really need a new testing area, where you are testing things at the moment is NOT a good idea and it will lead to trouble in the future. To also see videos of 20gram black powder salutes in the same area is also worrying.

[Skycastlefish]

My first smoke bomb flared up alot as well. I'm wondering if a bentonite plug with a nozzle will help. Can you ram KNO3 and sugar? Edited September 12, 2009 by Skycastlefish

[Ventsi]

Better just to melt and pack it in your casing. I've noticed melted KNSU smokes a lot cleaner , meaning its white and no flaming , and you can get more into a smaller space. You COULD ram it but that would just be too much work.

 

Look into setting off the smokes at a local park. Thats what I do with mine. Also alert people around in case they don't like that type of stuff. Most of the time they are cool with it.

[dagabu]

My first smoke bomb flared up alot as well. I'm wondering if a bentonite plug with a nozzle will help. Can you ram KNO3 and sugar?

 

Yes, you can ram after screening it together but both must be a fine powder first. Ramming can cause the mix to defelgrate as well as BP, it has happened and there are known cases with pictures but hand ramming with the proper gloves, clothing, face shield etc is pretty safe. Its usually another variable that pops one while ramming.

 

Ventsi is right that melting it until it JUST starts to turn color is much better. Use caution though, the mix is hygroscopic and will turn to mush if not protected in a sealed container when stored.

 

If you want a rocket then put a nozzle on there, make sure you dont have anything around for quite a way if you do, they spin like mad and fly everywhere. I think that almost everyone in pyro has inadvertently made a go-getter in their lifetime!

[Skycastlefish]

Better just to melt and pack it in your casing. I've noticed melted KNSU smokes a lot cleaner , meaning its white and no flaming , and you can get more into a smaller space. You COULD ram it but that would just be too much work.

 

Look into setting off the smokes at a local park. Thats what I do with mine. Also alert people around in case they don't like that type of stuff. Most of the time they are cool with it.

Thanks!

[Skycastlefish]

Yes, you can ram after screening it together but both must be a fine powder first. Ramming can cause the mix to defelgrate as well as BP, it has happened and there are known cases with pictures but hand ramming with the proper gloves, clothing, face shield etc is pretty safe. Its usually another variable that pops one while ramming.

 

Ventsi is right that melting it until it JUST starts to turn color is much better. Use caution though, the mix is hygroscopic and will turn to mush if not protected in a sealed container when stored.

 

If you want a rocket then put a nozzle on there, make sure you dont have anything around for quite a way if you do, they spin like mad and fly everywhere. I think that almost everyone in pyro has inadvertently made a go-getter in their lifetime!

I'm glad you warned me about the nozzle, because I don't really want to make a rocket unless thats what I'm trying to do! Man, its more dangerous than funny, but I could just see myself running around the yard with my leather apron. I guess its not a bad idea to expect the unexpected.

Thanks.

Skycastle

[Mumbles]

That brings up lesson #2. Stick your tube in a bucket of sand or bury it or something. Don't ask me how, but inadvertent go-getters and rockets always head toward the nearest person.

[Skycastlefish]

That brings up lesson #2. Stick your tube in a bucket of sand or bury it or something. Don't ask me how, but inadvertent go-getters and rockets always head toward the nearest person.

 

That is so true? I once had a stray piece of visco cannon fuse chase me around for a good ten seconds. It makes you wonder if fire thinks. I'm thinking I might tape a beef skewer to my next smoke project and ram it into the ground.

[psyco_1322]

Just melt the stuff, and pour it into some greased cupcake pans. Let it cool a bit and stick a fuse into it. If you want them to last, dip them a few times in wax (about 3 times).

 

Here are some pictures of mine:

Some after various coats:

http://pyrobin.com/files/s4024508.jpg

Finished:

http://pyrobin.com/files/s4024513.jpg

[TheSidewinder]

Someone having a birthday party?

 

Smoke Cupcakes!

[Richtee]

Someone having a birthday party?

 

Smoke Cupcakes!

I would like to go on record that if *I* smoked the cupcakes they would taste better than this recipe ;{)

 

But they would have bacon in them too!

[MHael]

Sorry for hijacking the thread but this is somewhat related and I can't make my own, though I've been lurking for a bit.

 

I'd like to use KNO3 and sugar (+ ~5% Bicarb Soda) to make simple smoke bombs with sparklers for fuses. Would it be feasible to colour the smoke blue using CuSO4, or would that break down the sulfate and result in some nice toxic sulphur oxide products (I'm pretty sure it will but just checking) or work at all?

 

I only ask about the CuSO4 as it's easily obtained from Norco, along with KNO3. If using the copper as a colouring agent safely does require extracting it in a different compound I'll probably just not worry about it. I'd prefer to avoid toxic products as much as possible. I've read organic dyes work well for colouring smoke but I'm not clear on where I'd obtain them, and which ones I should use so help there would be mucho appreciated if the CuSO4's no good.

 

Also would psyco_1322 's method of wax coating increase the amount of smoke released or just decrease the reaction rate?

 

Please correct me on anything I'm doing which is possibly dangerous (I don't think there is).

 

On an unrelated note, could anyone suggest a good source for pure alcohol? (at least 95% with the rest distilled water) I have some second hand records which need cleaning.

[TheEskimo]

You can't color KNO3-based smoke. If you want colored smokes, use chlorates. Yes, wax does both. The smoke device will burn longer, and put out more smoke. But to make it smoke more, the common formula is 60:40:40 of KNO3:Sugar:Paraffin wax. Mix the kno3 and the Su, melt the wax, and stir it in. Psycos method will just make them waterproof.

[mike_au]

Mix the kno3 and the Su, melt the wax, and stir it in. Psycos method will just make them waterproof.

 

I like to melt the sugar and wax together, then remove the heat and mix in the KNO3.

 

Rumor has it that melting KNO3 and sugar together gives a better result than just mixing. I assume that remains the case with the addition of the wax.

 

It probably makes mixing easier as well since you won't drop the temperature so much.

[MHael]

Sweet. Thanks for the help, tips and quick replies. Definitely going with the 3:2:2 mixture now.

[pyrogeorge]

The best method and the fastest to make smoke bmb is the following:

 

47-kno3 (milled)

28-parafin wax

25- sugar

 

Mill sugar and kno3 to fine powder for better results.

Then melt the parafin until is like water.

Add the kno3-sugar and mixing well.

Put it in a tube and wait to freeze.

 

The tube must has a plug at the bottom and on the top the plug must has a hole not very big.It depends how big is the tube.

The result:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjOdNGLUTC4

[firetech]

Does anyone know the impurities of candle wax? I made the best smoke bomb of my pyro-career about two years ago with candle wax a found lying around. Which I assume had a high paraffin content. More recently I haven't even gotten the composition to begin burning.

[pyrogeorge]

The only bad is that parafin lying around.I use little priming on the top to be sure.

[TheSidewinder]

Does anyone know the impurities of candle wax? I made the best smoke bomb of my pyro-career about two years ago with candle wax a found lying around. Which I assume had a high paraffin content. More recently I haven't even gotten the composition to begin burning.

 

These days, typical "candle wax" is almost all paraffin. Get plain white, unscented candles if that's what you want to do. But it's easier to go to the grocery store and just buy a block of paraffin. It's usually found in the canning supplies.

 

(I believe Church candles are still made of beeswax, but not sure of that.)

[TheEskimo]

I have found for paraffin smoke-bombs, oxidiser, and sugar mesh is VERY important. Use icing sugar. Mill your KNO3 to a flour-like consistency. You can make acceptable greenmix with rather granular KNO3, but for smoke-bombs, it'll just make it sputter. I also mill my KNO3 and sugar for like 5 minutes, to be sure of consistency.

[MHael]

I made a few decent smoke bombs using 48% KNO3, 27% Wax, 25% Sugar (thanks pyrogeorge). I don't have a ball mill, so I just left the KNO3 as it came (about as granular as ordinary sugar) and used icing sugar. Firetech, I just bought a couple of packets of ordinary tealight candles, (non-long burning, non-scented etc.) so they're pretty well pure paraffin wax, and it's easy as pie to take them out of their containers then remove the wick. I sifted the KNO3 and sugar into the molten wax to ensure even consistency. Total cost was $10, with enough left over to make as many again.

 

For my tubes I used cardboard tubes from; toilet paper, wrapping paper (cut up of course), and paper towel (also cut up); wrapped in Al foil (folded into the ends and held in place with tape). Plugs were made from 16 layers of paper (folded A4) wrapped in Al foil. Used commercial sparklers as a fuse (needed 3 to get them to light consistently, 1 full one for length/time, and one cut in half). Once assembled and full of mix, the whole thing was wrapped in foil again, mainly to help hold the top plug in place. A few which had less foil flamed instead of smoking, but this was easily fixed by knocking them over with a long stick, after which they smoked like a charm.

[Richtee]

OK..I have never made a smoke bomb...but all this talk of nozzles and such... why don't you folks just bury them, tamp a couple inches of dirt over them and light the fuse? Well, assuming you make the fuse long enough to stick out the top anyway ;{)