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Posted

Basically the only true solvent for PVC is tetrahydrofuran. It can be cut with other things, but you need it in there to actually dissolve anything. PVC might work as a chlorine donor, but you might need to find another binder if you can't source THF.

Posted

Pyrogenius007, а good source of chlorine for the stars can be chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) for 67% Cl, it is well dissolved in saturated ketones (CH3-C (O) -CH3).It may be as binder.

Posted

The best green I've tried is Jopetes' green #2, but supposedly green #1 is a bit better. I just don't have the carbonate to make #1.

 

Green 2
0.18 Potassium perchlorate
0.45 Barium nitrate
0.10 Red gum
0.09 Parlon
0.14 Magnalium, 230-mesh
0.04 Dextrin
1.00 Total
I tossed the dex, re-calculated the percentages, and wet it with acetone to make screen sliced stars. The brightness speaks for itself:
Posted

 

The best green I've tried is Jopetes' green #2, but supposedly green #1 is a bit better. I just don't have the carbonate to make #1.

 

Try looking at pottery supply centres. Here in the UK they all stock Barium Carbonate fairly cheaply and that's where I've always got mine from with no issues.

Posted

Here's a formula that doesn't need organic chlorine donor.I believe the perchlorate donates chlorine. It produces an acceptable green.

barium nitrate 10

Potassium perchlorate 4

Dextrin 3(I use boiled corn starch )

Magnesium 60 mesh 5 (I use uncoated. Spontaneous combustion doesn't take place while wetting and storing )

I live in the country where magnalium and potassium dichromate is pretty hard to buy. However Magnesium powder is quite easy to obtain.

The composition will slowly generate ammonia only when it is wet . After drying the reaction stops .The composition has a long shelf life (The batch in April 2014 is still useable )

Posted
As far as I know potassium perchlorate decomposes in KCl and oxygen. So no chlorine donor... Does this actually burns deep green ?
Posted
I haven't barium chlorate so I can't tell you if it is deep green.But the color's definitely green ,not white. Apple green and it is extremely bright.I'm not sure if magnalium can be a good substitution.
  • 5 months later...
Posted (edited)

Barium Nitrate 60

Parlon 15

Mg/Al (200 mesh) 15

Dextrin 10


I didn't try the formula out myself (yet), but if someone doesn't have pvc, potassium perchlorate or red gum, it might be useful.

Edited by Stef727
Posted

Try the "brilliant green rubber stars" This is the only green comp. I have ever used, I have tried a few but didn't get very good color with barium nitrate until I tried this one and decided I didn't need to test any more mixes. This is a great barium nitrate based green, the only drawback is that you must "screen slice" or cut the stars, I'm a big fan of the screen sliced method.

 

Here's the link to the project http://www.skylighter.com/how_to_make_fireworks/Red_Rubber-Stars.asp#continue

 

all you do is replace strontium nitrate with barium nitrate(as he says at the end) and i would also suggest trying his citron yellow variation of the composition, very interesting

 

Some reason's to try this comp.:

1-great color

2-stars are very bright

3-I've never been able to blow one blind, the mix burns very vigorously

4-the stars dry in around 3 hours because of the use of only solvents

5-stars are rock hard

6-stars are parlon (chlorinated rubber) based making them water resistant

 

you could also try:

Radiant Green Firework Star-cut with straight acetone, or roll<br style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; ">40% Potassium perchlorate30%Barium carbonate15%Dark pyro aluminum (or any -400 mesh or smaller flake aluminum)15%Parlon or saran

(+5%) Dextrin, only if you desire to roll them, use 25% alc./water

 

 

I posted the rubber green formula to the formula database along with a few others and for some reason they never got posted, anyone have any ideas why?

 

Would 200mesh MgAl work with this formula?

Posted

Yes the green rubber stars work with 200 mesh magnallium, but you will find that the green they produce isn't very supperior.

 

I tried them this year and didn't like them at all. But i also switched back from using parlon to pvc and saran. I just don't like the sot produced while burning parlon comps.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted
Pyrogenius- try Cpvc cemented glue,its work better than pvc.
  • 5 months later...
Posted

Nothing jumps off as a true green without the parlon or PVC I see. Since all these comps require a chlorine donor, has anyone of you who posted their favorite or greenest comp tried yours with PVC. Then made it again using parlon or Saran or any other donor and came back to your compositions chlorine donor because it ''twas simply greener with that chemical?

 

In other words which chlorine donor is the best with greens? Not to derail this thread, just curious...

Posted (edited)
For green pvc or saran. If you use mg, use pvc with mg/al use saran over pvc. Edited by schroedinger
  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

For green pvc or saran. If you use mg, use pvc with mg/al use saran over pvc.

 

What is the reasoning behind this?

Posted

Pvc is cheap and works really good in combination with mg, giving very brilliant color. Saran gives a color, not a brilliant (but close to). With magnallium it is the other way arround. Propably because mg/al has a lot more firce burn then the smoth burn of mg, which brakes up the molecule better.

Parlon not for the sluggish burn.

Posted

Do you have any vid's or some sorts to show the differences? Would be much appreciated.

 

I always found green, aqua and all sorts of green varieties to be a bit dull/blurred. Might be due to the use of parlon as you described.

 

Then again, a lot of vid's I saw online use parlon based comps..

  • 4 months later...
Posted

Hi, I would like to try out the green comp. using Barium Nitrate - 55, Magnesium. - 28 and PVC - 17, What would be the ideal binder and prime for these stars.

Posted (edited)

I think the PVC or parlon (whichever you use) is the binder and chlorine donor in one and an organic solvent is used to bind it. Methylene chloride should work if you don't have tetrahydrofuran.

This is the composition info I found that seems similar to the formula you describe:

 

"The composition leaves lots of ash. Ammonium perchlorate improves it.

Preparation: Mix Parlon with magnesium. Add 50 volume parts of acetone, mix well and mix in the other ingredients. If PVC is used, add the correct amount of the solution in THF to the other ingredients.

 

barium nitrate....................................50

lab grade magnesium powder........................32

Parlon or PVC.....................................18"

Edited by greenlight
Posted

Thanks greenlight for the advice you have given, can you also tell me the right prime for this star and also if it can be cut or has to be pumped ?

Posted (edited)

I don't know 100% whether cut or pumped would be better but I would try pumped if I was to make these.

 

I haven't made any stars yet that haven't been able ro be ignited by just spraying with alcohol/h20 and rolling the stars in a tub of meal powder and letting them dry.

Theres no chlorate in the formula so the sulphur in the bp shouldn't matter.

 

I want to start making hotter primes though cause they do get blown blind sometimes.

Edited by greenlight
Posted

Thanks greenlight for the advice, i will pump the stars and prime them with meal powder.

Posted
If you use just meal powder, you will be very disappointed. Unless you throughly step prime them.
Posted

I have just been using coats of meal to prime the stars but some of them have been blown blind. What prime would you suggest carbon796?

Chlorate or perchlorate based prime?

Posted

I would suggest a "hot" perchlorate based prime.

 

I'm not aware of any chlorate based primes. Even if I was, I would not advise to use them.

Posted

I would suggest a "hot" perchlorate based prime.

 

I'm not aware of any chlorate based primes. Even if I was, I would not advise to use them.

In lack of Perch, would fence-post prime work?
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