Indoor Type Low Smoke Sparkler Composition

[oldguy]

I searched the web looking for a low smoke indoor type sparkler comp & came up pretty much empty handed.

Anybody have any tips, pointers or comp's for indoor type low smoke sparklers or small gerbs?

Edited April 26, 2011 by oldguy

[NightHawkInLight]

You're going to have trouble finding a composition that makes sparks but doesn't give off much smoke. The fuel options are pretty much metals or charcoal. Metals are going to produce lots of metal oxides as they burn so you're out of luck there. Maybe straight nitrocellulose and a percentage of added charcoal will produce sparks without smoke.

[Ralph]

commercial wedding cake sparklers contain NC fine Ti and a small amount of AP (sadly not a large enough amount to make extraction a worth while process) don't add to much AP as HCl gas can be given off (surprisingly in the sparklers they don't unless the wind blows on the spark plume)

[Mumbles]

If the formula is well balanced, there is little fear of giving off HCl. However, that is harder than it sounds. It would seem the AP is in there just to speed up combustion a little bit. A catalyst (maybe Fe2O3) could likely accomplish the same thing. The chlorine is probably not present in high enough amounts to be a problem, or it makes some sort of questionable halogenated organic compound.

 

Most formulas I've seen don't use any AP. Typically just NC, Ti, sometimes some catalysts/burn rate modifiers, and occasionally a binder.

[oldguy]

You're going to have trouble finding a composition that makes sparks but doesn't give off much smoke. The fuel options are pretty much metals or charcoal. Metals are going to produce lots of metal oxides as they burn so you're out of luck there. Maybe straight nitrocellulose and a percentage of added charcoal will produce sparks without smoke.

 

 

 

SkyLighter, Diamond Sparkler & several others sell low smoke indoor sparklers.

Plus, many are wholesaled in from China.

 

The comp cannot be all that tough. Whatever it is?

[NightHawkInLight]

I stand corrected. I'll be thinking more about it.

[Peret]

Wire sparklers are usually barium nitrate with iron and aluminum and a binder like dextrin.

[oldguy]

Wire sparklers are usually barium nitrate with iron and aluminum and a binder like dextrin.

 

 

This is the standard comp for outdoor Diamond Sparklers (USA made)

 

Barium Nitrate Ba(NO₃)₂ - 45%

Iron Filings Fe- 34% (coated with Linseed oil)

Aluminum Al- 8%

Dextrin (C₆H₁₀O₅)_n - 11%

Boric Acid H₃BO₃ - 2%

 

But it smokes & Indoor sparklers don’t contain Fe filings.

 

 

 

[Mumbles]

The top picture you posted from the wedding, sure look like iron or steel to me.

[oldguy]

The top picture you posted from the wedding, sure look like iron or steel to me.

 

I agree.

I am not concerned so much about the spark effect.

That one I can figure out with tests.

 

It's the slow burn rate and low or minimal smoke thing I trying to chase down.

 

A while back I put togather a bunch of special purpose fusee's.

They suit my purpose, but, produce considerable smoke.

 

So, I am thinking..... if (big IF) I can determine the comp for low smoke indoor type sparklers.

I could tweek my fusee comp in that same direction to reduce & minimize the fusee's smoke output.

 

Indoor low smoke sparklers are relativly inexpensive.

So, I doubt the oxidizer, fuel & binder are anything to exotic or expensive.

 

If no one can point me in the right direction, I guess I will order a few box's of these low smoke sparklers, just to eyeball what they appear to consist of.

Edited April 27, 2011 by oldguy