color smoke bombs

[kaizoku]

Hello I am pretty new at 'playing' with chemicals.

So I have some questions. First of all i made an

smoke bomb with kno3, sugar and i have heard that sodium bicarbonate helps

the composition to burn longer is that true? I also saw a vid on metacafe

about an colored smoke bomb but i do not think that is possible since the kno3

burns too fast and just burns the dye and thus not giving it the time to evaporate

so it is possible to use color dyes in the kno3 mixture or should I use potassium chlorate

for color smoke bombs instead of kno3?

and if so what are the compositions?

and lastly I know that acid+potassium chlorate = super boom!

but does that happen if I mix them together or when i burn the composition?

thanks i hope for many reply's

[dagabu]

You are probably going to get a lot of not so friendly replys to your post due to the quote,

 

"and lastly I know that acid+potassium chlorate = super boom!

but does that happen if I mix them together or when i burn the composition?".

 

I strongly suggest that you do some reading, start/stay with much safer compositions like KNO3, charcoal and such for a while before you start to even think about chlorate. Just an FYI, colored smoke is an enormous step up from novice pyro activities, may I suggest that you start with Turbo Pyro from Skylighter?

 

D

[kaizoku]

thanks for your reply and i know that I should get more experience but i have made a lot of kno3 smoke bombs

but i am here just to learn. I just want to know what is bad and what is not.

 

and what do you mean with this:

You are probably going to get a lot of not so friendly replys to your post due to the quote,

 

like I said I am just an beginner not some pyro genius

Edited November 6, 2010 by kaizoku

[dagabu]

Kaizoku,

 

We get all sorts of people here they has different goals in mind, one of them is the builder and learner, boomers are not an interest of theirs in particular but have working knowledge of them for use as reports, bottom shots and the like. Another people group are the teachers, I would like to be part of that group some day. The one group that frightens us are the k3wls and b00m3rz that are just interested in property damage and Jackass type shenanigans that are unsafe, illegal and give the pyro community a bad name.

 

With the question, "and lastly I know that acid+potassium chlorate = super boom!

but does that happen if I mix them together or when i burn the composition?", you exposed yourself to be very new and a b00m3r. That is why I suggested that you start with some introductory reading and start small where mistakes will cost you a burn, not death.

 

That combined with your statement of, "like I said I am just an beginner not some pyro genius" is indicative of someone that needs to start at the beginning and forget about booms for the time being.

 

PM sent.

[kaizoku]

about that super boom thing i have read about it but it wasn't clear whether it would explode when mixed or when lit. that is why i wanted to know

if that is so. I do know that this stuff is dangerous otherwise I would not ask for advice and i do know that i am an beginner but that doesn't mean that

i am the same like those crazy guys i am here just to learn and i appreciate that you are trying to put me into the 'right' path but when it comes to

chemistry i always have questions about it whether it is about cycloalkanes or how amphoterics work. so if you misunderstood me i just want to learn more

about it and where can you learn better than by other pyrochemists

Edited November 6, 2010 by kaizoku

[Mumbles]

Well, the best course of action would be to just never try to find out if acids and chlorates explode upon mixture or ignition. They don't always necessarily explode, spontaneous ignition is far more common and that happens upon mixing.

 

You are correct that KNO3 based smokers cannot be used to make colored smokes, at least none of the interesting ones. Most current smoke compositions use the following basic formula:

 

Smoke Dye - 50

Potassium Chlorate - 30

Lactose - 20

 

Some of the more tuned formulas will have the addition of some carbonate to help further cool the flame, but those are generally specific to chemical stock and dye. The above formula should give an acceptable result. The smoke dyes that the formula is designed for are generally rather hard to come by and expensive.

[kaizoku]

so if I am correct lactose works as fuel??

If so why can't sugar be used as an fuel?

[Arthur]

When starting out with fireworks, it is usually helpful to learn from several books the way it was done in recent history. Sometimes seemingly odd mixtures work, sometimes we don't know exactly why.

[Mumbles]

Don't you think it's already a little early to be making substitutions? Lactose is a sugar. I suppose you're probably referring to table sugar, sucrose, though. It can work just fine to, but it's hygroscopic and generally less desirable. I would worry about trying to locate the dyes at a reasonable price before concerning yourself over whether sucrose would work as well.

 

I would agree with Arthur that you need to go out and purchase some books. It will do you well.

[kaizoku]

i was just curious but what would be 'reasonable' prices for dyes ????

[Mumbles]

I depends on a lot of things, but you're probably looking at minimum of $20-50 per pound in hobbyist sized quantities, depending on the source and color.

[kaizoku]

I depends on a lot of things, but you're probably looking at minimum of $20-50 per pound in hobbyist sized quantities, depending on the source and color.

 

then this is the right prices for dyes ???

http://www.americanpyrosupply.com/SMOKE_DEVICE_BULK_DYES-BLUE_BR_SMOKE_DYE_2.html

blue dye for example and is potassium chlorate this cheap ???

 

http://www.americanpyrosupply.com/PYROTECHNIC_OXIDIZERS-POTASSIUM_CHLORATE.html

 

when i am trying to get potassium chlorate then it is 250 gram 22,50 euros so around 30 dollars

is this too good to be true or am i just being ripped off ???