linkin Posted August 16, 2006 Posted August 16, 2006 Hi I've just tried Mg flash. I made it from KNO3 and Mg in 50 : 50 ratio. I made my Mg in a coffee grinder. The flash worked very well, it was very fast and 0,2g of it made a pop. I would like to know if there are better formulas for this. The only oxydizer I have is KNO3. Is it needed to add sulfur?
Mumbles Posted August 16, 2006 Posted August 16, 2006 Just know I was tempted to lock this. In my opinion if you can't figure this one out on your own(IE look up formulas), they you shouldn't be touching flash at all. Anyway, as far as the chemicals you have, it won't get a lot better. Well you could stop grinding the Mg in a coffee grinder and get a truely powdered meterial, but thats about it. Mg is pretty forgiving in flash though. What you have is about the best you'll get.
Mumbles Posted August 16, 2006 Posted August 16, 2006 Charcoal is a sensitiser for KNO3, does that mean you shouldn't make BP?
linkin Posted August 17, 2006 Author Posted August 17, 2006 Ok I experimented with different formulas and found the best for me. Mg - 40%S - 10%KNO3 - 50% Seems to work even better than 50:50 Mg/KNO3. Mg 30/S 20/KNO3 50 was too slow. Now I have 22.5g of flash. Going to test it today maybe.I'm thinking if this stuff is going all in 1 device or multiple separte ones.
joe609 Posted August 17, 2006 Posted August 17, 2006 I wouldn't reccomend putting that much flash in one device or youll have a heck of a bang id split it up into seperate devices. there arent many devices you can make with just flash do you have bp, or is it that you just make salutes?
Von Bass` Posted August 17, 2006 Posted August 17, 2006 Charcoal is a sensitiser for KNO3, does that mean you shouldn't make BP? My apologies, I didn't read the OP, I thought he was using a potassium perch based flash. It also seemed like he was fairly new to it all, and he never posted any details on what sort of Mg he was using. As I say, sorry.
rocket Posted August 18, 2006 Posted August 18, 2006 If all your after is a bang a small amount will do fine. You can get a loud bang from about .3g if confined well, it helps when you’re under a deck
linkin Posted August 19, 2006 Author Posted August 19, 2006 It was an advanced plastic pipe(1mm fibreglass, 0,5mm aluminium, 2mm plastic). I closed the pipe ends with with gypsum. I even covered my BM with paper casing where the BM is in gypsum. But the thing didn't go off, and after opening it I found that the BM was wet. I think I'll use plastic tape instead of paper to cover my BM next time. BTW the device was in a car tyre to avoid any pieces of the pipe flying at me and my mates. Also KNO3 5/Mg 4/S 1 didn't perform well. After seeing the device didn't work I took the flash out. 20g of it didn't selfconfine, wierd. KNO3/Mg 50:50 selfconfined at 0,2g. I'll use that ratio next time. I've also found that a coffee grinder makes uber BP. It was milled 55 x 10 seconds. 10g of it burns instantly.
Pretty green flame Posted August 19, 2006 Posted August 19, 2006 Do not grind BP in a coffee grinder!!!! And your statement is wrong, coffee grinders don't make uber BP, ball mills do. Coffee ground BP will look super fast to the unexperienced pyro. Also a piece of advice, do not cover the blackmatch with anything on your ground devices, covering it will produce something that is called quickmatch and burns very fast. Just prevent the blackmatch from coming into contact with anything moist and you should be OK. Stay green!
rocket Posted August 19, 2006 Posted August 19, 2006 I agree with you there pgf about the coffee ground BP, when I first used a coffee grinder to make BP it was the fastest I had made but once I got my ball mill up and running it sucked, makes got BP for rockets though.I use a straw once to cover black match it melted and acted like quick match. Why wouldn’t you just use a paper tube it’s a lot safer that a plastic one.
linkin Posted August 19, 2006 Author Posted August 19, 2006 I use paper tubes too, I just haven't tested plastic ones yet(I was going to but the device didn't go off). I've seen videos of 48 hours milled BP and so on and they all look slower than mine. But it would be sure faster if I milled it in both. Coffee grinder makes the chemicals just so fine that they burn fast. Ball mill would kick KNO3 and S into the pores of C, would be even faster. Could someone show me a video of uber fast BP? 1
Frozentech Posted August 20, 2006 Posted August 20, 2006 Could someone show me a video of uber fast BP?http://www.wichitabuggywhip.com/fireworks/whiteash3a.wmv And before you go using PVC in pyrotechnics, read this little story :PVC mortar accident
Pretty green flame Posted August 20, 2006 Posted August 20, 2006 One question. How stable are colored Mg "flash" compositions in regards to auto ignition I was thinking of using something like 45% Mg (It's around 50mesh),45% Sr/Ba(NO3)2 and 10% PVC For how long could i store this (packed in devices).
optimus Posted August 20, 2006 Posted August 20, 2006 I did a little experiment a while back: I mixed up a few grams of Mg/Sr(NO3)/PCV flash, placed equal amounts in plastic containers, which were closed but not airtight. I left them outside, under cover but not sealed from the elements. A year later I returned to find the flash had gone all fluffy, was obviously quite damp, but it was all still there (it had not auto-ignited). It did burn, slowly and incompletely. I'm not saying this is proof that Mg flash will not auto-ignite, but it was left exposed to the atmosphere in a very wet environment for over a year with no auto-ignition. I wouldn't worry too much, as long as your chems are dry to start off with, and the device(s) are well-sealed.
Swany Posted August 20, 2006 Posted August 20, 2006 Sr and Ba nitrates seem very hygroscopic and I belive if they were kept sealed and dessicated, they would last indefinitely. In the presence of moisture, both the Mg and the nitrates suffer.
bubbelpower Posted August 21, 2006 Posted August 21, 2006 Frozentach, I don't think they are talking about using PVC mortars, exept for the purpuose to grind it down and use it as a Cl donor. BTW, how fine do the MG powder need to be to make a decent flash powder?
rocket Posted August 21, 2006 Posted August 21, 2006 The Mg I use in my flash I think is around –200 mesh. I grind it with a sanding drum. When I used a file it was quit coarse and and acted like a fountain a lot of the time.So the finer the better.
blasterman Posted September 22, 2006 Posted September 22, 2006 I suppose the experts should clue me in, but if one's goal is to produce the brightest flash possible isn't it common to replace half your oxidizer with barium nitrate?
Mumbles Posted September 22, 2006 Posted September 22, 2006 If you want the brightest flash possible, you sure as hell don't use Aluminum or perc, or any of the common oxidisers. I would suggest Halfnium, and cesium ozonide or something. However, barium nitrate does increase heat output. I wouldn't fully replace it, but 10% or so will increase light output. The Al2O3 is an excellent white light emitter in itself.
pyrochris Posted September 22, 2006 Posted September 22, 2006 I suppose the experts should clue me in, but if one's goal is to produce the brightest flash possible isn't it common to replace half your oxidizer with barium nitrate? if you want the brightest flash possible, add a greater percentage of metal. 70/30 Kclo4/Al is no where near as bright as 60/40 kclo4/al.
optimus Posted November 29, 2006 Posted November 29, 2006 Neither Al or Mg will mill as well as Magnalium alloy - it's very brittle and will mill to a very fine mesh relatively quickly. I have some 'dark' Mg/Al which seems to be faster than 1 micron Magnesium, although I haven't really confirmed this through detailed experimentation. What's a flash kettle?
Polumna Posted November 29, 2006 Posted November 29, 2006 gi dudes i think it is possible to make excellent BP with a coffeegrinder, but there might be a huge riskof a Cato. I also think that milling magnesiumshavings in a coffeegrinder would make the blades very unsharp and your coffeegrinder would went to waste.The meshsize isn´t that high(around 100 mesh), too polumna
Mumbles Posted November 29, 2006 Posted November 29, 2006 Ok thats a warning. Please use some common sense and at least post something somewhere in the vicinity of the topic at hand.
Jimjimboom Posted May 2, 2020 Posted May 2, 2020 Sorry how old are you buddy? The guy that started this post! There should be some kind of proof of id needed to join this site with anyone under 18 needing a patent to sign off that they are allowed because 20g flash in a 15year old new pyro is a recipe for a 1 handed adult! It sounds like this guy is going to do everything you tell him not to do! Did anyone else get that feeling? So as a piece of advice mate, dont spend a heap of time reading up on safty! I hope that you do the opposite of what i said and go and do some reserch! Im 40 and 20g of confined flash scares me! You say it didnt go off, what fuse are you using? If it is homemade then i suggest you work on making them reliable befor making fp! As i wouldnt want to go near a device full of flash that didnt go off for a fair while! Please mate saftey you dont need 20g for a flash bang you can use 1g to get a great ground salute! And sulfur with mg kno3, JUST DONT DO IT! It doesnt just make it more sensitive to being lit it makes it more unstable and more likley you will loose a hand! From what i have read, i have all pf those things here but have read too many times not to put sulfer in mg kno3 flash!
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