Red flash - beautiful but how sensitive?

[Potassiumchlorate]

Update: it works with perchlorate as well. I see no difference whatsoever. One should not fool oneself about safety, but it feels pretty safe with a flash that consists to 38% of a non-hygroscopic carbonate.

 

If I use my 10:1 mix of potassium perchlorate and potassium dichromate, it seems like the reaction is slower but with a bigger flame. With finer magnesium and/or bigger amounts (this was just 2 grams) it will probably react faster than without dichromate. It wasn't really thorougly mixed either.

Edited December 14, 2012 by Potassiumchlorate

[Potassiumchlorate]

Yellow flash is not difficult. I've seen some colored formulas that utilize potassium chlorate, fine magnesium, an oxalate, and sulfur that are alleged to be of maltese origin, or at least an example of the type used. Now, if they are, they're probably not currently used formulas. I doubt the good stuff would ever be that disseminated.

 

I'm still not found of the yellow colour in itself, but the possibilities to create it are interesting. Potassium perchlorate/magnesium with +7-10% cryolite should be pretty yellow, right?

Edited December 14, 2012 by Potassiumchlorate

[psyco_1322]

The composition is:

 

Strontium carbonate 38

Potassium chlorate 12

Magnesium 50

 

 

Where did this formula originate from?

[Potassiumchlorate]

Where did this formula originate from?

 

It's from a document I downloaded from Cannonfuse or Skylighter (don't remember which) a couple of years ago. The origin of the formula is said to be "Pyro-Tec". I can't find any information about a company or similar called that, although since their blue flash contains Paris Green, the formula is probably at least some decades old.

Edited December 16, 2012 by Potassiumchlorate

[Potassiumchlorate]

I tested it today. It's not a very noisy flash powder; 100 grams in an aerial salute sounded about the same as the 17 grams of BP used for the lift.

[AirCowPeacock]

Was it very red?

[Mumbles]

That's just a property of these sorts of things. The better the color, the worse the actual salute sound generally. You need to balance these properties out. Additionally, the color tends to suffer in larger sizes. Larger sizes mean higher heat. It might be for a lack of trying, but I really haven't ever seen a decent colored salute that was over 10g or so.

[Potassiumchlorate]

I found this very nice in colour, and you know that I'm usually not a fan of carbonate reds

[mabuse00]

Another idea:

Why not use really fine microstars, like riced BP, and a bright, fast burning composition that will be consumed within say 100-300ms?

 

Ideally in combination with a dark report, what would be the next major obstacle.

[Potassiumchlorate]

That is of course an option too

[AirCowPeacock]

What about terraphthalic acid with AP + catalyst. Edited December 18, 2012 by AirCowPeacock

[AirCowPeacock]

Would hexamine and AP be suitable?

[AdmiralDonSnider]

Has anyone every tried the colored flash comps contained in Hardt? How are they color-wise?

[Potassiumchlorate]

I haven't seen any of them, since I don't have the book. Can you give some examples?

[AdmiralDonSnider]

From Hardt Table 15-28:

 

Red Colored Flash

 

Potassium perchlorate 54

Strontium oxalate 11.5

Strontium carbonate 11.5

Mg 120-300 mesh 15

Red gum 8

 

Handle with great care.

 

There are comps with excellent color, as the maltese often show in their colored ring salute shells.

[Potassiumchlorate]

I would guess that this one is even more red than the one I tested and with a louder bang, given the high amount of potassium perchlorate.

[AldoSPyro]

Sorry to rivive this old thread, but I saw a video of an italian firework show at San Trifone, and it had some very large booming colored salutes with very vibrant obvious colors like red and green! So i guess they have some good mixture or way of making them:

 

 

Some obvious color salutes went off right after 0:30

[Merlin]

US is kinda paranoid when it comes to visa. The general procedure seems to be the person is a potential terrorist until proven otherwise.

 

Also you can be denied a tourist visa just because the officer doesn't like you. Even police troubles that doesn't result in a conviction can work against you. All they need is "a reason to believe" you committed a crime in the past to bar you from the USA forever. Even countries like the UK needs an actual conviction to bar you, and if it's more than 10 years old then they can't do anything to you about it.

The exception to this is that ANYONE can walk across the US/Mexico border without the need for any papers. If caught you get a hotel room, medical care, food etc.