Wiley Posted June 19, 2015 Posted June 19, 2015 So Mumbles, do you think my nitrate report mix will be stable over extended amounts of time? I really like how cheap it is, and in large quantities, sounds about the same as "real" flash, but if there's a longevity concern I'll stop using it.
schroedinger Posted June 20, 2015 Posted June 20, 2015 Well is was teached that way to me, since tetrahydroxoaluminate isn't stable in diluted solution, and generates Al (OH3) while regenerating the base.
Mumbles Posted June 20, 2015 Posted June 20, 2015 I'm sure you're aware pH is critical here. I think it's around pH 10 that Al2O3 starts dissolving. All these aluminum oxides and hydroxide and ionic species are pH dependent. Al(OH)3 isn't water soluble so it drops out of of solution if it's being regenerated. I'd need to do more investigating, but I am under the impression that as soon as the pH is low enough to allow aluminum hydroxide to deposit from the the tetrahydroxoaluminate, it's also too low to keep striping off the passivated aluminum oxide layer. If you have some other information about this, I'd be happy to read it over and reevaluate my position. I was kind of harsh and I apologize.
schroedinger Posted June 20, 2015 Posted June 20, 2015 Mumbles no reason to apologize. I know you want to do the best you can, and i also think that you do.I will look what information i can find in english. The special thing about this is that it is not only dependant on ph, also it depends on the concentration.
GMetcalf Posted June 22, 2015 Posted June 22, 2015 I've heard that people mill KNO3 and Sulfur together, is this a good idea? I can't see why milling these two ingredients alone would cause any problems. They are of course milled together when making Black Powder, however the Charcoal might have some stabilising quality I'm not aware of that makes Potassium Nitrate and Sulphur milling alone unsafe. So Mumbles, do you think my nitrate report mix will be stable over extended amounts of time? I really like how cheap it is, and in large quantities, sounds about the same as "real" flash, but if there's a longevity concern I'll stop using it. I know I'm not Mumbles, but with a few percent Boric Acid added then you should be ok. The more important storage aspect would be to make sure the powder is 100% dry. Store it with desiccant packets to make sure... Basically treat it like it might be hygroscopic and it'll probably be ok. Myself though, I wouldn't store any form of Flash Powder.
Wiley Posted June 22, 2015 Posted June 22, 2015 (edited) My worry is about the bottom shots/inserts loaded with this stuff that sit for months. If I continue to use it, I'll add a couple percent boric acid to it. Edited June 22, 2015 by Wiley
Mumbles Posted June 22, 2015 Posted June 22, 2015 If they're going to be stored for a long period of time, that's probably not a bad bet. Fireworks seal up pretty well, but they do still "breath" a bit. It wont do any harm, and might give a little more peace of mind.
Ubehage Posted June 26, 2015 Posted June 26, 2015 I've heard that people mill KNO3 and Sulfur together, is this a good idea?KNO3 and Sulfur will not burn. As far as I can read, chemists have been wondering about this for ages.
Tabun Posted July 3, 2015 Posted July 3, 2015 Flash on the other hand, can cost you a hand or your life in the blink of an eye. I suggest you read the topics in the 'safety' section of the forum over and over again, and start with Black Powder.I know they are sensitive...I'm not familiar with pyro compositions.I was more into HE but while I was watching a FAE video on you tube I somehow got interested in pyrotechnics too.
Joyburger Posted July 8, 2015 Posted July 8, 2015 (edited) The boric acid might work, but then again - who really wants to be sitting on Flash for that long? Better to use it or lose it in my opinion. Edited July 8, 2015 by Joyburger
Recommended Posts