Siegmund Posted March 29, 2011 Posted March 29, 2011 Sooooo.... after exploring with a modest array of ingredients last year, it is time to buy a few new chemicals and get started on new projects this spring. Among the things I wasn't able to try last year was a blue star. Where is my best starting point, from the standpoint of decent results without excessive frustration? There aren't exactly many "foolproof beginner's blue stars" out there. There are lists of blue star comps out there, but not many hints as to which are best to learn from vs. which are best saved for later (except that I don't plan to try chlorates.) 1) If I buy just one coloring agent, which should it be? I am guessing copper oxide, since it has other uses e.g. dragon eggs, rather than copper carbonate. But if y'all write back to say "no, the perfect beginner's blue uses copper waggawaggayuccamate" I can adapt...2) In regard to blue stars or more generally - I have red gum and parlon on hand. If I were to add another organic fuel or chlorine donor to my box of toys for the summer, what should it be? Any chance I will be happy with the CuO+KP+red gum blue star recipes or do I need to plan up front to try something more complicated than that?
Algenco Posted March 29, 2011 Posted March 29, 2011 (edited) ahhh, the "Holy Grail" of colors Pyroscience blue is very good , it's a variation of Shimizu 49 Copper oxide (black) Edited March 29, 2011 by Algenco
dagabu Posted March 29, 2011 Posted March 29, 2011 I like the GE Silicone II blue star the best. Its a mess to make but they are pretty!
Carbon796 Posted March 29, 2011 Posted March 29, 2011 I agree with dagabu, the silicone II blue is a good star. It's also easy/quick to make, with only four ingredients. It is a little messy to start, but once mixed and primed it cuts and handles well.
Peret Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 You should definitely use copper waggawaggayuccamate, there is no substitute. Most references say the key to a good blue is a cool burning star, and suggest a fuel like hexamine or lactose instead of red gum. My experience with cool burning blue stars has been quite disappointing, likewise experiments with copper carbonate, so last year I did nothing but the Veline formula (KP, CuO, MgAl, Parlon and red gum). It's a bright star, good color, but a little washed out. Lately I've been experimenting with Paris Green (copper acetoarsenate) and ammonium perchlorate and it's looking good, but I'm not ready to say I've got a satisfactory color yet. If it weren't for the tedious necessity of working to pay the mortgage for my pyro hobby I could give it more time.
nater Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 I'm planning on using G. Smith's Parlon Blue for my first colored stars. It looks like an easy formula and is optimized for screen slicing. Is it okay to repost formulas from a different forum?
50AE Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 One also has to find out what nuance of blue he likes the best. With time, I understood that I just don't like deep blue, but I prefer the brighter, with the slight presence of green, lighter blue. About blues, you should know that: -hotter fuel and faster burning time means more temperature, resulting in a brighter and more washed out blue.-cooler fuel and slower burning time means less temperature, resulting in a dimmer, but deeper color.The color emitting molecule CuCl decomposes at temperatures above 1200CCool burning fuels are starch, lactose, sucrose, sulfurHot burning fuels are resins (red gum, shellac), hexamine and metals The purity of the chemicals used in a blue compositions is critical. Even a small present amount of sodium or calcium would ruin your color. Another way to deepen the blue is to add more chlorine to the mix. Then, the production of CuCl is bigger. While the composition is burning, there's an reverse reaction occuring - CuCl is decomposing to CuO and CuOH, while the later emits a green tint, hence the lighter blue. If the amount of chlorine is increased, the concentration of CuCl will be higher, so the reaction will go in the reversed way. I have recently developed blue that match my taste, though they are chlorate ones, so I don't recommend them for beginners, but if you advance in pyro one day, you could try them if you wish: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LXfXsZyO8c
Arthur Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 My favourite blues are Hexamine fueled, coloured with black copper oxide, oxidised with potassium or ammonium perchlorate, chlorinated and bound. Phiko? comes to mind, It's been a long time did I bind with acetone on the ?Parlon?
marks265 Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 A good beginner blue with not a lot of fancy stuff in it I would definitely steer you to Shimizu KP2. It rolls easy and is a nice blue Mark
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