Screening KClO4

[Pyrophysics]

I usually buy KClO4 with anti-cake, but my latest batch is pure, and has subsequently clumped up into very hard lumps. I plan to pass the material through a screen, but which mesh size is best for breaking up hard clumps of KClO4?

 

Thanks.

[FREAKYDUTCHMEN]

Be happy you bought the clumpy stuff, it can be easily screened through 40 to 200 mesh screens.

[Twotails]

I pass Mine through a kitchen sifter, works good so i cant complane.

[Bonny]

I run mine through a coffee grinder and then screen through 100mesh. Some people use a 60 mesh, which you could probably just force it through with a spoon or something.

[Pyrophysics]

I run mine through a coffee grinder and then screen through 100mesh.

 

Thanks for that idea. I have a coffee grinder for grinding up charcoal, but I didn't think to use one for breaking up the lumps in my KClO4. I went up to the local Wal-Mart and bought another one for $8, and it works very well. I poured in 20g of KClO4, and held the power switch down while shaking the grinder up and down. In about 10 seconds, the KClO4 was reduced to a fine, free-flowing powder with no lumps. Perfect.

[Mumbles]

If the clumps are soft a fine screen, between 40 and 100 or so is probably fine. I normally just screen it as I screen the composition. If I am making flash or whistle, I do prescreen it on it's own so as to avoid grinding those kind of compositions.

 

For very hard or large clumps I have a little trick. I screen them through a larger screen first, say 12 or 16. Smaller mesh screens have to have thinner wires and are more fragile. Big, hard lumps need some muscle. I actually grate them through the stronger, coarser screens to break it up. From there it should pass the finer screen without much trouble, and without the risk of tearing up your screens.

[Arthur]

I use a cheese grater -just a simple manual one! for grating anything from lumpy chems to ricing damped meal. (does the term cheese grater still mean a manual sheet of metal with cutting dimples all over in the USA?)

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