50AE Posted October 14, 2009 Posted October 14, 2009 I saw somewhere in the old APC topics a "Christian's" yellow using 75 parts NaNO3, 20 charcoal and 5 dextrin. Well, I put 150 grams of pure NaNO3 and 40 grams of BBQ charcoal that works perfectly for my charcoal fire comps. Milled for 3 hours, I took it out, lighted a small batch and - disappointment. The comp is hard to light and burns with lots of molten slag. That wouldn't happen with KNO3. Could you tell me what could be the reason ?
50AE Posted October 15, 2009 Author Posted October 15, 2009 Doesn't seem to be the problem, I've dried it already.
Mumbles Posted October 15, 2009 Posted October 15, 2009 I mean has absorbed water due to the hygroscopic nature of NaNO3. You can't get rid of that with a fan or dehumidifier. It also sounds like it's not bound yet, so that could be part of the problem. I wouldn't expect that with a mix so close to BP though.
flying fish Posted October 15, 2009 Posted October 15, 2009 I've tried to make NaNO3 based stars in the past, they always absorbed so much moisture that they just turn into a soggy, crumbly mess.
Arthur Posted October 15, 2009 Posted October 15, 2009 Take some of your powder and dry it gently in a warm place, keep on weighing it, see if it loses weight, or gains weight on the bench again. The NaNO3 will absorb water from the air. May need a prim in NC lacquer to seal it!
Twotails Posted October 16, 2009 Posted October 16, 2009 Take some of your powder and dry it gently in a warm place, keep on weighing it, see if it loses weight, or gains weight on the bench again. The NaNO3 will absorb water from the air. May need a prim in NC lacquer to seal it! That is what i do, seal it with NC. but, storage is also important. I store my stars and compositions that are extreamly hydroscopic in a small container, with a bag of Some kind of moisture absober on top ( walmart closet-dry stuff, used in wet cellers and closets) When they are drying I place them into my Food Dehydrator (walmart $15-$30). that is also how i dry my various chemicals.
50AE Posted October 18, 2009 Author Posted October 18, 2009 Because I was pointing a hot air gun at a test batch for 2 minutes and it burned the same way after that.Today I'll try again, giving more time.
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