Glitter Stars

[pyrokid]

Hey Guys, I have some coarse 30-80 mesh aluminum, and I can't find any formulas to use it in. I'd like to make some glitter stars, so I was wondering if anyone knew any good compositions that use the stuff. I appreciate any help!

[AdmiralDonSnider]

Glitters are usually based on finer grades of aluminum or magnalium. Something like 200 mesh atomized or 325 mesh bright flake seems pretty standard to me. Coarse grade like yours can be added in small portions to enhance the tail and give extra sparks, but I doubt that the effect itself can be based on it.

 

Possible uses for your material are silver comets or formulas calling for a medium sized flitter. If it is granular Al, the uses may be restricted to the former.

[mabuse00]

I once tried 45 - 140mesh ranged atomised aluminium in N1 and D1.

Result was a very short tail and practically no visible glitter.

 

Flaky stuff is something different but the atomised imho has no place in pyro. Great for thermite casting though, as it burns slowly.

[Seymour]

the atomised imho has no place in pyro.

 

There are a few uses of it, beside the Admiral's suggestion as a tail enhancer (used in addition to the correct Aluminium) it is possible to get it to light up as silver sparks too.

 

It needs to be really hot as you might imagine. I'd stick to Barium nitrate or KClO4 for that reason, and I'd also use either MgAl or very fine Al to boost the temperature. Lots of it.

[Eaglefireworks]

You can not simply make out Glitter star using this coarse Aluminium.

It can be used in flower pots,wheels,waterfalls.

here is the list of those formulas for stars based on coarse grade aluminium.

 

Composition-

 

Potassium Nitrate 40

Aluminum, flake, flitters, coarse. -20 mesh 30 http://www.passfire.com/images/clear.gif

Realgar 10 http://www.passfire.com/images/clear.gif

Sulfur 10 http://www.passfire.com/images/clear.gif

Rice Starch (glutinous) 7 http://www.passfire.com/images/clear.gif

Charcoal Airfloat 2 http://www.passfire.com/images/clear.gif

Boric Acid 1 http://www.passfire.com/images/clear.gif

 

Silver wave chrysanthemum:-

 

Potassium nitrate 50.0%

Sulphur 17.5

Pine charcoal 7.5

(These three are previously mixed densely as in the manufacture

of black powder,if possible)

Aluminium(somewhat coarse flake ) 7.5

Magnalium 1.5

Antimony trisulphide 2.5

Realgar 7.5

Soluble glutinous rice starch 6.0

 

 

Golden wave: no1 no2 no3

 

Potassium nitrate 37% 37% 37%

Aluminium(somewhat coarse flake ) 47% 47% 47%

Antimony trisulphide 9% - -

Sulphur - 9% -

Realgar - - 9%

Boric acid 1% 1% 1%

Soluble glutinous rice starch 6% 6% 6%

 

Silver wave:-

 

Potassium perchlorate 50%

Aluminium(somewhat coarse flake ) 50 %

Soluble glutinous rice starch 5%

 

Silver shower star #3

Source:

Comments:

Preparation: Add water and proceed as usual.

Flitter Aluminum (or any grade except the finest pyro grades).....15

Potassium nitrate.................................55

Boric acid........................................2

Fine charcoal.....................................10

Dextrin...........................................5

 

Firefly #1

Source: rec.pyrotechnics archive. Posted by Eric Eisack.

Comments:

Preparation: Aluminum is large flake. It was sieved through a windowscreen. This gives about 30 mesh powder.

Potassium nitrate.................................50

Charcoal,air float................................29

Charcoal, 80 mesh.................................10.5

Sulfur............................................6

Aluminum (large flake)............................4.5

Dextrin or CMC....................................+5 or +1

 

White flitter star

Source: Tom’s Perigrin's homepage. Composition from Weingart[5].

Comments:

Preparation:

Potassium nitrate.................................17

Sulfur............................................3

Charcoal..........................................3

Aluminum, coarse..................................4

Aluminum flake, fine..............................10

Dextrin...........................................1

 

White Star with medium white tail.

 

Barium nitrate-4 parts

Flake aluminium very fine-1 parts

Flitter aluminium (40 mesh)-1parts

 

Preparation-mix fine powder of barium nitrate and fine flake aluminium 2/3 times with sieve then mix 40 mesh flitter aluminium.

bind with thin wheat paste and don't forget to use 2 percent boric acid due to nitrate and aluminium.

Star type-10 by 10 mm cut star.

Star prime-prime with BP+8% silicon powder

prime this star on only one side (top of cut star).

 

-Eagle

[FlaMtnBkr]

Look up breaking glass comets. I believe they mainly use a material like yours.

[Mumbles]

Eaglefireworks, every single one of the formulas you posted (and I do mean EVERY) used flitter aluminum. Flitter aluminum while "coarse" in the sense that it's quite wide, is still maybe 30 microns thick at most. It lights very easily and does give a very nice effect. Substituting in atomized aluminum of a similar mesh size would probably result in close to no effect.

 

Pyrokid, do you know if your material is atomized (little granules or balls) or a flake type powder. They behave very differently, so knowing what shape it is will help us to find uses for it.

[pyrokid]

The aluminum is atomized. It was billed as the material used in breaking glass comets, but I've never seen the formula for them. I felt like it was a secret held by one manufacturer or another, so I didn't want to ask for it straight away.

 

I appreciate the help guys. I don't need a breaking glass clone by any means, but I'd like to get some glitter stars out of this aluminum.

[Mumbles]

I don't think the breaking glass formula has totally been deciphered yet. There are some formulas out there based on reverse engineering the comets themselves, but they're not really there yet.

 

I do have one formula that should probably work for you. Don't fire this anywhere with a fire hazard.

 

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.pyrotechnics/browse_thread/thread/6454e9c4a268ac11/34f4c26d6d67608f?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=pampanino+glitter+pyrotechnics#34f4c26d6d67608f

 

 

Mike Swisher posted this one with comments

 

Meal powder 10 lb.

Antimony sulphide 4 lb.

"Alluminio in granelli" 2 lb. 8 oz.

Strontium carbonate 8 oz.

Gum arabic 1 lb.

 

"Cut stars take a long time to dry. This is a very long-delay

composition. The

stars will burn forming a cinder on the ground. They only work when

falling

through the air. Gum arabic protects the aluminum, and this is why it

is used

instead of dextrine."

[pyrokid]

Thanks Mumbles! I'll try to get some video.

[Mumbles]

I just saw I only included about half of my notes. The rest don't really add anything, but it has some history of the name, which is Pampanino. More from Mike Swisher, this time from passfire.

 

 

 

There is a great variety of compositions containing these ingredients. Here's one exactly as it appears in an old formula manuscript I have:

 

Polverino Kg. 5

Antimonio scuro Kg. 2

Alluminio in granelli Kg. 1-1/4

Carbonato stront. Gr. 250

Gomma rabica [sic] Gr. 500

 

All are called pampanino, pimpinella, pampanella, or something similar. These Italian words all refer to types of plants with spikes or umbels of pinkish-white flowers. I think the idea was originally to make a pink tremalon, but the color is really not visible. Alluminio in granelli means a coarse atomized grade. I used Reynolds No. 40 and got a beautiful long-delay white tremalon with big flashes. Benito Pagano said he uses "aluminum atomizato gries" by Schlenk, and gives other details for this kind of mix in his letter on p. 4 of Pyrotechnica XV.

[BPgorilla]

does anybody know a good formula for steal powder(200)mesh? Could I add it to T.T. Comp., & if so what %? Edited June 21, 2013 by BPgorilla

[FlaMtnBkr]

Steel powder that fine won't leave much of a spark trail. It will burn up in the first few inches behind what you add it to. Steel also needs to be coated or used immediately as the oxidizer will turn it into rust. It may even get warm if not coated being so fine as it is oxidized. Steel is usually coated in baked linseed oil or wax. But being so fine will probably be hard to get into a powder as it dries.

 

So I guess all that means I don't know of anything it can be used for.

Edited June 21, 2013 by FlaMtnBkr

[Zumber]

steel powder can be used in sparklers as a spark forming component and dont have any formula.

[Shadowcat1969]

This one uses Steel Powder, in a sparkler http://www.skylighter.com/fireworks/how-to-make/strontium-nitrate-sparklers.asp

[BPgorilla]

I recently added charcoal to the steel powder, to keep it from oxidizing, I also added 10% to a 100% batch of T.T. Comp. The results are amazing!

[BJV]

(I recently added charcoal to the steel powder, to keep it from oxidizing)

Could you please explain how charcoal keeps the steel from oxidizing?

BJV

[Zumber]

same question here....how it prevents steel from oxidizing..??