cogbarry Posted December 21, 2011 Posted December 21, 2011 Hi all, I was wondering what most of you do (if anything) to mitigate the increased danger when titanium is added to the 70/30 flash comp in a ball shell. From what I've read, there is a slight chance that the titanium could cause a spark, such as when pasting. Is the titanium simply added to the flash during shell construction? From what I understand/have read most folks don't worry much about this but I also remember someone mention using an adhesive (maybe just wheat paste) on the inside of the shell and sprinkling the titanium on it. Sorry, don't remember the source, it may have been here. Any comments would be appreciated.
optimus Posted December 21, 2011 Posted December 21, 2011 Glueing the Ti to the salute wall can give you the added 'instant galaxy' bonus. I'm not sure how it affects sensetivity but presume it makes it less sensetive to ignition. Not that it's particularly sensetive to start off... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsg0SJMJt1E I don't really have enough experience with salutes to advise but I never really worried about using coarse sponge. Using a large % or a fine mesh would be different.
dan999ification Posted December 21, 2011 Posted December 21, 2011 i wouldn't add sponge to loose powder safety being the major concern settling being next then the effect posibly being ruined,plus the donut is nice 1.5 inch are quite impressive as well as these monsters i think using hemis for this is a waste pesonally.pva glue has worked for me you have to let it dry for a while though [ day before ] , if you coat both the top and bottom ends/lids of a can you get a ball not a donut. dan.
cogbarry Posted December 21, 2011 Author Posted December 21, 2011 Now that's what I'm talking about! Nice salute! Thanks everyone. If I understand the risk, it's due to the titanium particles themselves banging together and creating a spark?
cogbarry Posted December 21, 2011 Author Posted December 21, 2011 Oh, one more thing. Will spherical titanium be okay if it is glued to the casing? Safety being first concern, effect being second. It's from skylighter, details follow: [Ti-Al] -40 +300 mesh, silver spheres 94% titanium, 6% aluminum. Approximate Particle Size Breakdown:-40+100 mesh = 65%-100-300 mesh = 35%This is an industrial byproduct. May contain very small amount of flakes, needles, and slight amount of foreign matter; but will not affect its performance. Produces bright white sparks. Works well in fountains, rockets, stars, and comets. Mix this with larger particle sizes if you want long comet tails.
dan999ification Posted December 21, 2011 Posted December 21, 2011 Now that's what I'm talking about! Nice salute! Thanks everyone. If I understand the risk, it's due to the titanium particles themselves banging together and creating a spark? the risk isnt only with the ti banging together causing a spark but also the comp being rubbed inbetween the coarse metal and friction igniting it, imagine milling [why lining the casing is a good idea] spherical ti should be safer than sponge but i'll let somone else confirm that, i just line the case if i want the sparks but quite like the comp on its own anyway and only use it for report not visual effect [ rarely ]. dan.
Mumbles Posted December 21, 2011 Posted December 21, 2011 I've heard people give wide ranging answers on this matter. Some feel that if you're below a certain critical threshold of Ti content, the majority of the danger is mitigated. In a way this makes sense. The issue comes from Ti rubbing against more Ti. If it's relatively "dilute", this is much less likely to happen. This is why I prefer canister shells. The salutes can be well settled, and the 50% extra volume is pretty nice too. For them, I diaper the Ti into the flash just before loading. For ball shells, you could probably add some Ti on top of the loose flash and the pasting and other manipulation will distribute it if you choose not to glue it down. I think the glued down stuff makes an interesting effect however. I kind of like the donut. That Ti should be just fine glued to the casing. If it doesn't give you the effect you're looking for, try to find some larger mesh Ti.
warthog Posted December 21, 2011 Posted December 21, 2011 would the so called "Grape Nuts" Ti be too large for such use or would it just make it burn longer and brighter?
cogbarry Posted December 22, 2011 Author Posted December 22, 2011 would the so called "Grape Nuts" Ti be too large for such use or would it just make it burn longer and brighter? Thanks guys. Mumbles, I like the donut effect myself such as in the video attached to this thread. Initially, I wasn't concerned much about the visual effect of my salutes, just wanted them to perform (burst at safe altitude, be loud, etc). The peer pressure has been awful though....."Dude, ya gotta put some titanium in your salutes" and I just can't take it any more . But they just dump it into their flash, don't worry about it, and I knew I have read otherwise somewhere, glad I asked. I was only asking for safety reasons but got good effect advice with it. It is an art after all, right? I have already advised some of my pyro friends of the advice given from you all - thanks again!
chuck45 Posted December 24, 2011 Posted December 24, 2011 I have some spherical titanium and was wondering the same things. I will most likely just add it to my flash salutes, I'm not overly concerned of the burst pattern and such. Down the track I will play with that but for now I'm just happy with the bang and sparks.
cogbarry Posted December 25, 2011 Author Posted December 25, 2011 I think I'll go with glueing it down for safety and effect. Until now I have simply left the Ti out. It makes sense to use can shells for this but I need a good can shell construction tutorial. Something that covers everything from the materials, ID, OD/wall thickness, the conole, disking, spiking, fusing to finishing. I read the thread on bottom/top fusing, this was useful. Yet another issue that isn't such a concern with ball shells. My first attempt to build a can shell was a couple years ago and resulted in a flower pot. My plan is to build a couple with a pyro friend with experience. Until then, I'm using hemis for all my shells including salutes.
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