Potassium Dichromate Safety

[pyroguy1960]

I'm making a comp this week for white strobe that calls for Potassium Dichromate. I have never worked with substance before and after looking at the MSDS (which I do for everything new I work with) it seems that this stuff is extremely toxic.

 

I plan on wearing full coveralls, boots, safety googles, gloves and my respirator (a high quality one).

 

I guess my questions are:

 

Once I have this mixed, wetted and pumped into stars, is it safe to even dry these stars in my garage?

 

Does the chemical leech into the air even with it's been made into stars?

 

Am I being way to over cautious and there is not much danger here?

 

Below is the comp

 

Barium Nitrate 53

Sulfur 23

Mg/Al (-60 mesh) 12

Mg/Al (-200 mesh) 6

Dextrin 5

Boric Acid 0.5

Potassium Dichromate 2

Edited September 1, 2010 by jms04081974

[NightHawkInLight]

Yes, it is extremely poisonous. It warrants all the protective clothing while mixing, but you should need no more than gloves after it has been made into stars. If they have a good prime on them I wouldn't be worried at all. The biggest danger is when the stuff can get airborne. Working downwind is not enough, as I have been so unfortunate to learn.

[50AE]

Bad stuff to work with, Cr6+ poisoning is nasty and I don't know if chromium can be leeched out of the body. Lead can, with some proper therapy. Chromium is carcinogenic and AFAIK, mutagenic. Not only it's bad to poison yourself, but worse to have kids with three arms or God knows what else. You can get away with crappy respirator and gloves when working with barium, but here it's not an option. Very strict protection has to be in mind.

 

Edit: Is this a white strobe mix? I think you can get the dichromate out and check out Blesser 26# white strobe.

Edited September 1, 2010 by 50AE

[dagabu]

I strongly recommend that you avoid Dichromate but if you must use it, use zip locks to shield you from exposure. I like the 2 gallon bags, I put my tub of Dichromate, the mixing bag (1 gallon) and a scoop in the bag. That way there is no way for it to get airborne.

 

The trick is in weighing the chems, I have a very cheap and small scale that stays inside the bag and I never take it out.

 

I am a huge baby about poisons and this way I am much more comfortable. Yes, I still wear my Tyvek bunny suit and respirator when I do this and I never mix inside the shop.

 

Good luck and be safe!

[pyroguy1960]

Edit: Is this a white strobe mix? I think you can get the dichromate out and check out Blesser 26# white strobe.

 

 

Tis a white strobe....I couldn't find the Blesser 26 anywhere, do you have the comp?

[dagabu]

Tis a white strobe....I couldn't find the Blesser 26 anywhere, do you have the comp?

 

White Strobe Star:

Name: Bleser #26

Source: David Bleser

 

Chemical Name: Parts: Weigh:

Barium Nitrate 51

Sulfur 19

Magnalium, granular, -100 mesh 18

Potassium Nitrate 7

Dextrin 5

Tare: Total: 100%

 

NOTES:

Roll no larger than 5/16'' dia or stars will strobe all the way to the ground.

 

It is important that the barium nitrate be finely powdered. If your barium nitrate looks like table salt then you will need to ball mill it otherwise the formula may not strobe at all.

 

Using finer magnalium will increase the strobe rate. Going above 300 mesh will give more of a shimmering effect than a strobe effect, due to the high flash rate.

[pyroguy1960]

Sweet....screw the dichromate then, I'll just use this comp.

 

I plan on pressing it with a 3/8 star plate and priming with meal.....any issues?

[50AE]

I'm priming it with first layer green mix +5% MgAl and second layer BP. You should use a hot prime to ensure maximum ignition.

[pyroguy1960]

sorry but somewhat of a newb here, what's the comp for that green mix prime?

[Algenco]

sorry but somewhat of a newb here, what's the comp for that green mix prime?

 

 

it's just unmilled BP, simply mix the ingredients

[pyroguy1960]

DOH...well that's what I use for meal prime anyway...screened together Pot Nit, sulfur, charcoal and a little dextrin....need to get a mill. I do have a good mortar and pestle though...

 

 

 

I suppose adding the MG/AL to it makes it a hot prime?

[Algenco]

DOH...well that's what I use for meal prime anyway...screened together Pot Nit, sulfur, charcoal and a little dextrin....need to get a mill. I do have a good mortar and pestle though...

 

 

 

I suppose adding the MG/AL to it makes it a hot prime?

 

 

yep, MgAl or Silicon works well

[pyroguy1960]

Gotcha....thanks to all for the help....

[50AE]

Green mix is a hotter prime than straight meal, and green mix with MgAl is hotter than both.

[pyroguy1960]

Wow that's weird, I would have thought that milled BP is hotter than just mixed....then why even bother milling it?

 

 

[dagabu]

Green mix is a hotter prime than straight meal, and green mix with MgAl is hotter than both.

 

50, I'm confused, the "Hotter" meal (or BP for that matter) should be the one that is more of a homogeneous mixture where the sulfur and KNO3 are fully integrated with the carbon.

 

Green meal is the base of just mixing the three ingredients and sifting them allowing for a slightly "green" color.

 

Meal is actually a milled mixture where the ingredients are homogeneously mixed and are ready for pressing into pucks.

 

Meal-D is actually the smallest corned BP and some refer to it as mill dust (the larger pieces).

[50AE]

Saying "hotter", I ment it has a bigger chance to ignite the stars. Meal (the fine milled 3 ingredients) burns hot, but fast. Green mix burns slower, but makes very hot droplets of K2CO3, which stay on the star and ignite it.

[Fly]

You know this thread brings up a very good question.We are always warning people about the danger

of flash.We need to focus more on the danger of chemicals we use.

 

This is a great hobby,but there seems to be no guide lines to warn the people of the dangers of some

of this stuff.

 

Take me, if I had not read this thread how could I ever had known, much less some one else.That troubles

me.We in this hobby need some one to step up & publish a good list of the danger of such chemicals.Maybe

the PGI.

 

We don't want to see anyone harmed or there family.

JMOHOP Fly:(

 

[dagabu]

Barium and Dichromate are my two that I watch out for. Nobody should be playing with chems that they have not done research on, Wikki the chem and you will get all of the information you need to keep you safe.

 

The responsibility is the users, lets not start a nanny state in this forum or PGI, you alone are the one that should be checking this stuff out first.

 

Sorry that came off rough but I find that to be one of my irritations in life.

[pyroguy1960]

I have to agree with dagabu on that one....if you're going to mix chemicals and you have no idea what they are and haven't done any research, you're an idiot plain and simple.

 

Especially if your mixing chemicals to make exploding devices....it screams common sense to me to make absolutely sure before you even attempt something you have no information about.

Edited September 1, 2010 by jms04081974

[50AE]

Well, this is one of the laws of safety in pyro. Nobody should play with a chemical or composition without knowing its properties first.

Dagabu, barium is highly toxic as well, but won't accumulate in your body as chromium does. I know it's nasty, but I'm not so scared as for chromium or lead compounds.

Edited September 1, 2010 by 50AE

[dagabu]

I have to agree with dagbu on that one....if you're going to mix chemicals and you have no idea what they are and haven't done any research, you're an idiot plain and simple.

 

No, that's not what I meant. I don't think that anyone is an idiot here it's just the blame game that I don't like. I take responsibility for my own decisions as we all should.

[pyroguy1960]

I wasn't naming anyone in particular, nor did I mean to offend.

 

But let's take the scenario:

 

I didn't do any research on the dichromate, I mix it with no protection what so ever because I assume "eh it's all good".

 

I die.

 

Who's fault is it?

 

Answer: No ones buy my own and I'm an idiot and got what I deserved.....just my opinion. Not meant to piss anyone off.

 

Sorry bagabu, I shouldn't have dragged your name into that post. I meant nothing by it.

Edited September 1, 2010 by jms04081974

[dagabu]

No troubles mate, it's just my personal nails on the chalkboard, and no, you by no means pissed me off. I was just an old cantankerous curmudgeon.

[pyroguy1960]

ill-tempered and disagreeable eh? Sounds like we're on the same page.... lol