Jump to content
APC Forum

Ammonium Nitrate


Recommended Posts

Posted
Any good sources yet for Ammonium Nitrate?
Posted

Plenty of sources.

 

The question is, in pyrotechnics, are there any good uses?

Posted
instant cold packs? it'll run you about $5/lb, for 99% purity, but won't get you on any watchlists. only use I know of is synthesis of nitrates... ive made sodium nitrate out of it quite succesfully, don't know if others can be formed.
Posted

Plenty of sources.

 

The question is, in pyrotechnics, are there any good uses?

 

Rocket fuel could be very cheap if you could use AN instead of AP. Hygroscopicity is a pain in the arse. If it wasn't for that, you could also use perchlorates of barium and strontium with hexamine as a fuel.

Posted (edited)

Ahhhhh...the "good-ol-days"...When composite fuel was cheap2rolleyes.gif

I second that .... AN makes for a really cheap composite fuel.! ( or used to be the cheapest) . AN is now becoming harder to obtain due to its raging costs ,and lack of access to the common fellow as a fertilizer. IT CAN be found quite easy, but your gonna spend some $ for it...

Rocket fuel could be very cheap if you could use AN instead of AP. Hygroscopicity is a pain in the arse. If it wasn't for that, you could also use perchlorates of barium and strontium with hexamine as a fuel.

Edited by pyrojig
Posted

local fertilizer supply was one of the few companies that still bagged AN.

They told me last week that they'll probably not be able to get it next year, Goverment wants to ban it's use.

It's not so much concern over bombers, the Meth heads are using it to get ammonia

I got the last 4 bags that they had, possibly the last bags ever

Posted
Should they use horse shit on the acres again, or do they make exceptions for farmers?
Posted

Farmers get it by the 1000lb hopper loads ... Not the locals

Should they use horse shit on the acres again, or do they make exceptions for farmers?

Posted
Rocket fuel could be very cheap if you could use AN instead of AP. Hygroscopicity is a pain in the arse. If it wasn't for that, you could also use perchlorates of barium and strontium with hexamine as a fuel.

 

True. However, hygroscopicity is not the only fatal flaw that AN has. As discussed a bit in the rocketry threads, in reality it just burns terribly (or not at all) with almost everything, and phase changes will add further challenges.

Posted

Should they use horse shit on the acres again, or do they make exceptions for farmers?

 

 

Urea, it's cheaper but requires different equipment

Posted
urea and droppings from turkey, chicken, and duck barns. it makes a hog barn smell good by comparison when they spray that crap on the fields. my eyes are burning just thinking about it..
Posted
AN is not widely used in broad acre agriculture any longer. Too many hassles to deal with after Oklahoma city. The last plant in Canada shut down last winter, I think there are one or two left in production in the States. The speciality producers that need it can still get it, they just have to jump through a lot of hoops.
Posted
it is theoretically possible to use the hygroscopic nature of AN to your advantage, newspaper soaked in an AN solution and rolled up make plenty of smoke so could be used in a rocket if confined
Posted

it is theoretically possible to use the hygroscopic nature of AN to your advantage, newspaper soaked in an AN solution and rolled up make plenty of smoke so could be used in a rocket if confined

 

 

ive seen this with sodium chlorate but i wouldnt know about trying it with an,

i dont think that instant cold packs will get you a reliable source either if you can still find them with an you cant get them here.

 

dan.

Posted

Yes!! Just stumbled on several tons (80#) of prilled AN. Firm was holding it for a farmer who has declined it...any interest?

Would make a lot of targets...

Posted

One hell of an ice bath.

 

Anyone have a huge swimming pool for some chilled chemistry?

Posted

Yes!! Just stumbled on several tons (80#) of prilled AN. Firm was holding it for a farmer who has declined it...any interest?

Would make a lot of targets...

 

Are you attending PGI next year? Many members, myself included, would likely buy up all of it if we could pick it up and the price was right.

Posted
Anyone tried a strobe pots with AN and MgAl? Not suitable for storage but bloody bright!
Posted (edited)

instant cold packs? it'll run you about $5/lb, for 99% purity, but won't get you on any watchlists. only use I know of is synthesis of nitrates... ive made sodium nitrate out of it quite succesfully, don't know if others can be formed.

 

A co-worker here was asking me about targets so I did a little research. One thing I did was pick up some of the cold packs from wally world, after looking at the MSDS online. When I got home I removed the contents of one pack and weighed it out. I figured the cost, and how much Al to add, then marked it all on the package. Once I was done I looked at the box and see the little notice "AMMONIUM NITRATE FREE" well dang it anyway. So now I have these cold packs in case of muscle soreness or other.... the sniff test leads me to believe that these are AN free.

 

So now I'm working on some flash targets for my friend, but I will be interested in some of the AN when it becomes available.

 

DanB

Edited by VintageRacer
Posted

Have a ton of AN coming...as soon as I can find a proper,economical way of shipping, I'll make it available to those wishing to use it for targets...and fertilizer of course!

 

Posted

Have a ton of AN coming...as soon as I can find a proper,economical way of shipping, I'll make it available to those wishing to use it for targets...and fertilizer of course!

 

 

I wonder how much you could pack into a $15 flat rate USPS box?

Posted

I wonder how much you could pack into a $15 flat rate USPS box?

 

Ask first but I think up to 20# can be shipped USPS. I don't know about flat rate boxes though.

 

-dag

Posted
Think 20# will fit...will let you all know....
Posted (edited)
Think I will offer it in 5#, 10#, and 20# for USPS shipping to keep costs down... Edited by Blackthumb
Posted
Also arranging for a ton of KNO3....wouldn't want to run out...will have the greenest lawn in the area...
×
×
  • Create New...