sparksnsky Posted September 20, 2009 Posted September 20, 2009 Hello, I found in youtube the vid bellow, with these fantastic roman candle comets you'll watch. I was wondering if anybody of you has any idea what the formula could be, or has any clue in order to start experimenting. I suspect that the mix contains a metallic green (emerald green for example) together with a small amount of Ti of about 80mesh. But I'm not sure at all.Thanks in advance for your help.
NightHawkInLight Posted September 20, 2009 Posted September 20, 2009 Hello, I found in youtube the vid bellow, with these fantastic roman candle comets you'll watch. I was wondering if anybody of you has any idea what the formula could be, or has any clue in order to start experimenting. I suspect that the mix contains a metallic green (emerald green for example) together with a small amount of Ti of about 80mesh. But I'm not sure at all.Thanks in advance for your help.You're on the right track. I would say to try emerald green with additional (15% ?) coarse Ti. Looks to be a rather thick and long hanging tail, I would expect at least that percentage. Someone with more experience using Ti might correct me.
Sambo Posted September 20, 2009 Posted September 20, 2009 (edited) It doesn't look rich enough to be emerald green, I think it looks more like an organic green. This cake (not mine) uses veline colours with 3% 20 mesh Ti, I think more Ti could be added to increase the density of the tail as in the youtube vid. Edited September 20, 2009 by Sambo
Mumbles Posted September 20, 2009 Posted September 20, 2009 I don't know about organic green. It stands out pretty well against the Ti. In any case, I would assume it's more desirable to have a nicer green than go for perfect replication. 15% seems like quite a bit, it doesn't take much to make a tail for colored stars. If you're going to make comets, like in the video, I'd use more than if you're intending to make stars from them The other way would be to use married comets. I think you might end up using less Ti than if you mixed it into the comp itself.
FREAKYDUTCHMEN Posted September 20, 2009 Posted September 20, 2009 Or stars made with a cavity pump and parlon bound color mix.
Seymour Posted September 21, 2009 Posted September 21, 2009 It is certainly not an organic green, and I am very doubtful that the Chinese would go to the effort required to make married comets (though if you do, I'm sure you can get much better effects). Adding Titanium to many star compositions, ESPECIALLY organic ones will result in the Titanium burning in or close to the flame, significantly washing out the flame. However if there is a large magnalium content in the star the flame will not be an environment which the titanium will burn in so the flame will be LESS effected, and the titanium will be giving off white light where it belongs, in the tail. That green is not the best, as it has been changed by the addition of the tail. All three factors of the star, high burn rate, bright flame and decent tail point towards a high magnalium green with a sizable but not excessive titanium (or perhaps FeTi) content. Sparknsky, I am confident that the formula is made up with Barium nitrate, Magnalium, Titanium and parlon, with other fuels in there too. Essentially the Emerald green + Ti that people refer to. Nighthawkinlight, I do not think that titanium is too coarse. It will be coarse, because all firework titanium is coarse, but that tail does not last all that long, and is fairly thick.
sparksnsky Posted September 21, 2009 Author Posted September 21, 2009 I'd like to thank all of you for your interest and your opinion.I'm going to try both organic and emerald green with Ti 10% added and let you know for the result.
Ventsi Posted September 21, 2009 Posted September 21, 2009 (edited) Just a quick follow up. How do you guys think a organic chlorate red would do with a few % of -100 Iron powder?I imagine it would look like a regular gold streamer with a red head but i don't know, is the stuff too fine? How much % of metal is a good starting point? Edited September 21, 2009 by Ventsi
Seymour Posted September 21, 2009 Posted September 21, 2009 Why use an organic red? So long as it is clean burning and over fueled the CO in the flame should prevent the Iron from burning until it is behind the star. If the star is not clean burning, the metal might just form clumps that fall off, providing a very disappointing tail. I would try 10% at first.
portfire Posted September 21, 2009 Posted September 21, 2009 This cake (not mine) uses veline colours with 3% 20 mesh Ti Also the MgAl was 70/30
Sambo Posted September 21, 2009 Posted September 21, 2009 Also the MgAl was 70/30 Indeed it was, sorry about that.
TheSidewinder Posted September 22, 2009 Posted September 22, 2009 There's no scale on that video to compare to, except the house in the background which is kind of deceiving anyway. That looked to be a good size candle, if that's what it was. Could have been a small cake, too, I think. And the more I look at that video the more I'm wondering if those aren't small married comets in that device. Color comp on top, metallic streamer on the bottom, something like that?
sparksnsky Posted September 22, 2009 Author Posted September 22, 2009 Would you mind explaining what a married comet is please?Thanks
Mumbles Posted September 22, 2009 Posted September 22, 2009 Married comets are two comets, or comet wafers, that are glued together. It's used to combine two otherwise impossible effect. Blue stars with glitter tails, red with a brocade tail, etc. NC and black powder slurry is often used to kind of "stick" them together, and they are pasted around the circumference to lock them together. I think mike swisher recomeds that the color wafer be 1/3 as thick as the tail wafer. This is for chlorate colors, but 1/4 is recomended for perchlorate colors IIRC.
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