Chems For Christmas

[usatrapper]

Alright guys, for christmas i can get a pretty decent amount of chems. What chems should i get and how many pounds of each? Curious as to what you guys will have to say...

[Ventsi]

Come on..... really?

 

http://www.apcforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=4058

[usatrapper]

Come on..... really?

 

http://www.apcforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=4058

 

My bad

[scarbelly]

Don't forget that generally you'll want a lot more oxidizers than any other individual chemical. Most compositions consist mostly of oxidizers; Black powder is a good example with 75% being KNO3. If you have 5 pounds of potassium nitrate for example, there is no point in buying 5 pounds of charcoal (if you buy charcoal), because you will just end up with a HUGE excess of left over charcoal. I bought 5 pounds of spherical Aluminum powder because it was a good deal, but that is WAAAY more than I could ever use, so unless I find a way to use that much, It ended up being a waste of a bit of money.

[TheEskimo]

Aye, go with lots of oxidisers, at least 10 pounds of KCLO4, and 25 of KNO3. You will go through this quickly, and they are generally less expensive in bigger amounts. Look at seattlepottery, and other non-pyrotechnic suppliers. They will have lots of the same chemicals, but for 1/4 the price or less.

[dagabu]

Two bags of KNO3

One bag of Sulfur

Drum of Pot Perc

35# of 2Fa

20# of Dark Al

 

Hey, you gotta dream big, right?

 

D

[Ralph]

rather than going for a wheel barrow full of flash as sujested above I would go for chemicals you would be less likely to buy your self like Antimony trisulfide or stock up on some of the more expensive chems like copper salts

[dagabu]

rather than going for a wheel barrow full of flash as sujested above I would go for chemicals you would be less likely to buy your self like Antimony trisulfide or stock up on some of the more expensive chems like copper salts

 

If it were for flash I would agree but there are a bunch of comps that use all of the above (or most) of the chems listed. I looked through my inventory and these were the biggest by weight I used (charcoal made when needed).

 

We are making sparklers soon and the pot perc and Al are essential for them as well as glitter formulas like D1 and Winkor 20.

 

D

[Ralph]

i was more thinking of the 20lb of dark al

[50AE]

You shouldn't think that having a large quantity of charcoal is useless, especially if you're making charcoal streamer stars.

I think the most consumed oxidizer is the potassium nitrate and buy very much of it.

[Swede]

Agree ^^ 100 pounds of KNO3 is a decent stash for a serious amateur, and should be available for $1 pound or less, depending upon the grade. Outside the U.S. it can vary wildly. For shipping, if that is needed, maybe 50 pounds or 25 kilos would make more sense, as shipping can be the killer.

 

Seattle pottery still has KNO3 at less than a buck a pound. K perchlorate comes next. I wonder about the typical ratios used in producing hobby pyro... maybe 1:5? 1 pound of perchlorate consumed for every 5 pounds of potassium nitrate? I don't know, but being more expensive anyhow, it can be difficult to accumulate really large stashes of perchlorate. Rather than accumulating it in 1 to 3 pound increments at $8 or more per pound, it might be better to find a decent quality perc, bite the bullet, and order a 100 pound fiber drum for $2 to $4 per pound.

[Twotails]

I would Definitly have to say HobbyChemicalSupply for small quantitys of cheap chemicals, or http://atlantis-chemicals.com/8.html if you have an import license (If you already hold one, and want to order chemicals, I would gladly split costs of product, taxes, and ect, seems to me it would be a hassle to get the import license. Its one of those "name the price, and we'll see if our factory can make it for that amount" type things) I would love to hook up with somone for the order(in march) hell, there chemical list is quite interesting.