Bleser Red Mg vs Shimizu Red Star Brilliant?

[Potassiumchlorate]

I have just tested smaller stars in my stargun. I get the feeling that Shimizu Red Star Brilliant is a bit brighter and has a larger flame envelope, though.

 

Bleser Red Mg:

 

Strontium nitrate 55

Magnesium 100-200 mesh 28

Parlon 10

PVC 7

 

Shimizu Red Star Brilliant:

 

Potassium perchlorate 30

Strontium nitrate 20

Magnesium 80 mesh 30

Parlon 18

Lampblack or airfloat charcoal 2

 

I use finer magnesium for both, though, about 250 mesh, since I make the stars pretty big.

 

Thoughts about this?

[Potassiumchlorate]

EDIT: I might have posted this in the wrong section. Some moderator might move it to Pyrotechnics or Chemistry.

[mabuse00]

I love such "emergency torch" mixtures

 

But I prefer magnalium, despite it's disadvantages in performance.

When I tried the Bleser Mg formula with acetone + Mg, I had gas evolution problems and ended up with a porous mass (with a huge surface and thus rather explosive properties).

Oviously the acetone is not dry enough, but drying it was to much hassle for me...

 

What kind of binder system did you use?

 

 

I wonder what this spitting in Parlon 10 / PVC 7 is good for. Burning retardant?

 

Why not use 17% parlon, having more available chlorine?

Or use less parlon and fill up the fuel value with even more Mg for more light output?

Edited August 18, 2012 by mabuse00

[Potassiumchlorate]

I use acetone as well, but I'm considering using xylene instead, just because of that problem with water.

 

I'm considering starting to use MgAl as well, but then I'll use the extremely fine 10µm and not 63µm or even 45µm.

 

The origin of Bleser Red Mg is a Lancaster composition using PVC as chlorine donor and pressing as the method of consolidation. I think PVC slows it down a bit, unless it's extremely fine.

 

I think over 33% Mg will wash it out. I have never seen more than 33% Mg in a star composition.

 

It's a little bit more than 10% "external" chlorine in both compositions. I think it's possible to go down to 52% strontium nitrate and 15% parlon in Bleser's comp and go up to 33% Mg. In Shimizu's comp you might as well go down to 15% parlon and up to 33% Mg. I think that adding 5% red gum to both might also be a good idea. I think Shimizu wrote something about red gum making a Mg fueled flame burning "purer" by reducing the amount of MgO, although an abundance of chlorine has also that effect.

 

But the question is: will the flame envelope be bigger with Shimizu's composition?

Edited August 18, 2012 by Potassiumchlorate