Jump to content
APC Forum

Recommended Posts

Posted

I did a search on this one but haven't found anything..

 

When making colored stars with a Ti tail, usually these are cavity-type stars, right? With the color comp added in the cavity of the star, if i'm correct.

 

Adding Ti to the color composition wouldn't work for a nice glitter trail, due to the presence of a chlorine donor.

 

I'm not sure if this is true, but nevertheless, you can't just add Ti to the comp. I've tried it with Ruby Red.

 

Now there is someone on YTB claiming he made a red comp, added like 10% of Ti and it worked out just fine. But he lost the formula.

 

So now is the question:

 

Is there a color comp witch can handle the presence of Ti and what is it?

 

Here is the vid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J5mgaoZPqg

Posted (edited)

You can add Ti to just about any medium to fast burning star and it should work just fine... Except for glitters.

 

Here is a red star. Add acetone or alcohol. Acetone makes a stronger star.

 

Brilliant Red Star

Strontium nitrate 53%

Magnalium 19%

Parlon 17%

Red gum 11%

 

That star might be a bit too bright... Something like this might make the Ti more visible...

 

Lancaster Red - cut

Potassium perchlorate 70

Strontium carbonate 15

Red gum 9

Charcoal(airfloat) 2

Dextrin 4 Add 25% alcohol / 75% water

Edited by usapyro
Posted

Actually, Lancaster red may not be as good with Titanium.

 

Besides metal fuels having a tendency to help give a cleaner burn (reducing the chance of the Ti being caught in slag or ash), the metal rich environment in the flame discourages the Titanium from burning until it's left the flame, lengthening the tail, and reducing pollution to the colour (though this IS going to suffer).

 

My suggestion is to go for the nice hot burning Magnalium fueled ones. They tend to be the best colours anyway in my opinion.

Posted
I too have added Ti to color compositions to get a tail. It does work. I've found you can minimize color washout by screening out all the fine Ti. I remove anything finer than 60 mesh or so. I've done this with purples, so I know it doesn't affect it too much.
Posted

I made some test stars from Brilliant Red with 10% Ti. I will test them when they are dry.

Thx for the info!

Posted

I made some test stars from Brilliant Red with 10% Ti. I will test them when they are dry.

Thx for the info!

 

I usually prime those with BP Meal +8KNO3 +8Silicon btw. Silicon primes are awesome...

Posted (edited)

Why the kno3? I use Si and MgAl in the BP prime and some wooddust to make the star more fluffy.

Works well and a lot cheaper then Bleser prime.

Edited by Trippiej!
Posted (edited)

I'm filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise and shock; it worked out.

Although the trail of sparks seemed a little lean, the color was good and the trail was long.

I used about 10% 300-600um (20-12mesh) Ti sponge in the Brilliant Red Star composition.

Burnrate was pretty quick for a 12mm star.

 

Thx for the info.

 

Should i put some more in it or choose some finer Ti..?

Edited by Trippiej!
Posted
It probably seemed lean because there were pretty coarse particles in there. Perhaps try a 50:50 mix of finer (coarser than 100 mesh though), and the coarse stuff. Hopefully that will give you a denser tail, yet retain the length.
Posted

Why the kno3? I use Si and MgAl in the BP prime and some wooddust to make the star more fluffy.

Works well and a lot cheaper then Bleser prime.

 

Not really needed, but tossing in some oxidizer for the Silicon makes it hotter.

Posted
Nice shell and video.
Posted

I too have added Ti to color compositions to get a tail. It does work. I've found you can minimize color washout by screening out all the fine Ti. I remove anything finer than 60 mesh or so. I've done this with purples, so I know it doesn't affect it too much.

 

By the way, do you have a vid of that purple or could you share the formula?

Posted (edited)

This is awkward.

 

I rolled a batch of this composition, about 600 grams with alcohol:water 50:50, like the usual.

When they were dry, they could easily be crumbled by only watching at them. Like no binder was used, although, with 11% Red Gum you would expect different.

 

So i thought, i roll some prime on them and re-wet the bastards hoping the RG would react this time.

Now they are drying for like 5 days and some of them are still a little damp, but the ones witch are dry are also very crumbly like it took no effect.

 

What happend? Should i spray acetone on them?

Edited by Trippiej!
Posted

This is awkward.

 

I rolled a batch of this composition, about 600 grams with alcohol:water 50:50, like the usual.

When they were dry, they could easily be crumbled by only watching at them. Like no binder was used, although, with 11% Red Gum you would expect different.

 

So i thought, i roll some prime on them and re-wet the bastards hoping the RG would react this time.

Now they are drying for like 5 days and some of them are still a little damp, but the ones witch are dry are also very crumbly like it took no effect.

 

What happend? Should i spray acetone on them?

 

Been there, done that.... I say to let them dry for a couple of weeks. See what they do at that point. No, I would not spray them with Acetone, you will likely just turn them to mush. They may have to be used in salutes or a mine.

 

-dag

Posted

I rolled a batch of this composition, about 600 grams with alcohol:water 50:50, like the usual.

When they were dry, they could easily be crumbled by only watching at them. Like no binder was used, although, with 11% Red Gum you would expect different.

 

That is because no binder was used.

 

Red Gum is not activated by water, and adding the 50% water to the alcohol will reduce the solubility of the red gum to virtually nothing. Either using pure alcohol, or a mixture of alcohol and acetone will work.

 

Unfortunately the prime is now a hindrance. Before, you could have just let the water and alcohol evaporate, and then started again with the mix. With the prime on there you are going to have a very hard time separating the two. However it's still worth salvaging, but the chances are that now instead of having red with Ti tail, you'll have pink with Ti sparks due to the washing out effects of the prime.

Posted

hmm.. Seems like a classic one.

I often bind my stars only with RG + spiritus. Works well and dry fast.

This time i added water cause i runned out of spiritus.

But the alcohol seemed to vaporise quicker then the water, so no reaction took place..

 

Well i guess I'll just press it in a nice red/Ti fountain then and roll some others with a decent binder.

Thx for the info, i shall drop a vid when it succeed.

 

Greetings.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted (edited)

I made Emerald Green stars +5% Ti sponge..you can see the result

at 0.9sec

Edited by pyrogeorge
  • Like 1
  • 4 months later...
Posted

Good effect!

What mesh was the titanium?

Thanks

I made Emerald Green stars +5% Ti sponge..you can see the result

at 0.9sec

Posted

Thanks my friend!

Ti sponge i suppose that is 12-20mesh.

Posted
It doesn't look like 12-20 mesh titanium. Are you sure?
Posted

It doesn't look like 12-20 mesh titanium. Are you sure?

Freakydutchmen, what mesh titanium do you prefer to get good tailed color stars?

 

 

 

Posted (edited)

It doesn't look like 12-20 mesh titanium. Are you sure?

i will check my order for sure.

edit

i found only the ebay title: TITANIUM FLAKES (SPONGE) 100g.

nothing else about mesh size.

Edited by pyrogeorge
Posted

Somewhere between 80 and 40 mesh will do. Or between 200 and 500 microns, more or less.

 

Flakes/sponge is not the same george.

Posted

Using 250-450 micron flake Ti I cant get any good results in colored Mg/Al based stars. Addition of that material to charcoal mixes can give some usable effects like

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVC0KRs4M8A

 

But in colored stars it doesnt work. At the moment I have only flake titanium. May be sponge Ti with the same particle size can give good effects due to the flake Ti burn more quickly in hot Mg/Al based stars compared to sponge.

Somewhere between 80 and 40 mesh will do. Or between 200 and 500 microns, more or less.

 

Flakes/sponge is not the same george.

×
×
  • Create New...