Popcorn coated BP burst charge

[Givat]

Hi all,

I wanted to share with you my new try in burst charge - BP coated Popcorn! =]

I was looking for a good carrier for my BP in shells burst charge, and remembered I have a popcorn machine in my house.

The process was to pass the popcorn in my 8 m"m star plate to break it to small pieces, than screening it from every thing that smaller than 3 m"m.

This popcorn was coated in my naskar roller with 6:1 BP:popcorn.

 

I hope to soon try this in a shell, but it looks promising.

 

left-good popcorn. right-too small popcorn

http://i1111.photobucket.com/albums/h479/questl/2012-02-05113914.jpg

before:

http://i1111.photobucket.com/albums/h479/questl/2012-02-05113924.jpg

after

http://i1111.photobucket.com/albums/h479/questl/2012-02-05122333.jpg

[californiapyro]

LOL looks like "buncha crunch"

 

good idea!

[sid101]

Seems a good idea, much easier to get hold of than rice husks.

Does it perform pretty similar?

And BP wont kill me if i get tempted will it?

[Essohbe]

You'd eat that? Lol!

 

Popcorn is a resourceful idea. I got these stupid little styrofoam balls I bet would work good too.

[JFeve81]

I'm wanting to see how this performs as well. I'm guessing it acts like BP coated cereal.

[JFeve81]

You'd eat that? Lol!

 

Popcorn is a resourceful idea. I got these stupid little styrofoam balls I bet would work good too.

 

 

I don't know how big your styrofoam balls are but I would be worried about it coming down as either molten debris or flaming molten debris.

[mxman123]

I don't know how big your styrofoam balls are but I would be worried about it coming down as either molten debris or flaming molten debris.

 

But maybe they would make that same cool sound (vvvvvffffppp) as burning, black smoke spewing, plastic dripping to the ground that I used to do as a kid...

[Mumbles]

People have tried to use polystyrene balls before. They actually work quite poorly. Polystyrene is quite hydrophobic which makes them extremely difficult to coat.

[Essohbe]

They're about 1/8" diameter from some kind of packaging I think. Lol. They are static prone also, so probably not the best idea for pyrotechnics

[jonesy]

haha! good idea. Have you tested them out yet?

[Givat]

I used the whole popcorn (no breaking) for a 5" shell break charge. the smaller. when I tried to break the popcorn to make it better for smaller shell I't lost it volume when wet and I got a really dens break charge.

[oldguy]

 

PERLITE

 

 

PUFFED RICE

 

 

[Algenco]

quite a few of the carriers used leave burning embers that are distracting, puffed rice for certain

 

Good old rice hulls are the best all around

[rednight637]

do people ever use blackpowder coated sunflower seed shells?

[Potassiumchlorate]

do people ever use blackpowder coated sunflower seed shells?

 

I don't know, but I have been thinking about it myself for larger shells. We use sunflower seed as winter food for birds, so I have plenty.

[oldguy]

If you live anywhere near where rice is grown?

 

You can often find rice hulls cheaper than dirt in 50 lb bags or bigger.

 

Below is a link on Sacramento Ca area Craig list 50lb bag for $9.

 

http://sacramento.craigslist.org/fod/2978326649.html

 

I can get rice hulls for about twice price that from a local place that uses rice hulls for horse bedding.

 

But, that is still far cheaper than most pyro supply places.

 

 

[oldguy]

People have tried to use polystyrene balls before. They actually work quite poorly. Polystyrene is quite hydrophobic which makes them extremely difficult to coat.

 

From arms length you just give them little polystyrene balls a few mild blasts from a $1.49 cent can of of womens firm set type HAIR SPRAY.

Matter of fact, if you want to coat about anything with meal powder or larger BP, hair spray works great as an adhesive .

 

Edited April 25, 2012 by oldguy

[Givat]

this is really interesting oldguy, have you used perlite in the past?

I never saw this stuff but from googling it I see it's very chip in my country. is this material is light like puffed rice? does the BP adhere to it easily?

[oldguy]

BP sticks to Perlite as well as it does popcorn or rice hulls. Edited April 26, 2012 by oldguy

[pdfbq]

Yes Givat, perlite is very light.

The problem might be that its hard, so you can not, or more difficultly close your shell like an over-packed suitcase.

 

Vermiculite (same supplier, they have it both) might be a better alternative because its a bit more flexible. Where I live we have three sizes, small medium and large.

You need large.

 

It sucks indeed that we have to pay $10,- for a kilo of rice hulls!

Edited April 26, 2012 by pdfbq

[oldguy]

Yes Givat, perlite is very light.

The problem might be that its hard, so you can not, or more difficultly close your shell like an over-packed suitcase.

 

The density of raw perlite or the unexpanded perlite is around 1100 kg/m3 (1.1 g/cm3).

The density of typically expanded perlite is 30 - 150 kg/m3.

 

The perlite I have is the expanded type.

With only very slight pressure, I can crush it between my fingers.

Or grind it into smaller pieces in my own hands.

I would not call that hard.

[pdfbq]

I would not call that hard.

Well, you nailed me on my English there!

 

What I mend is exactly what I wrote with the over-packed suitcase.

You can not squeeze perlite at all while vermiclulite is a bit squeezable.

[Givat]

what particle size of Perlite do you use?

I think I will order the V4 (which is 2.8-8 m"m in size, and separating it with a mash it the smaller ones will be good for 3-4" break and the bigger for 5" break)