ddewees Posted January 4, 2014 Posted January 4, 2014 Why are there so many different potassium perchlorates? You have domestic, chinese, spanish, w/ anti cake, w/ cab-o-sil, w/ whatever... The prices are all over the place too. I had purchased some domestic stuff that was very expensive for my whistle fuels, and another large quantity of super cheap chinese stuff w/ ATC for salutes and other things. Is this chinese KClO4 w/ ATC not a good choice for whistle fuel? I'm out of the domestic stuff at the moment. Thanks for you help.
LambentPyro Posted January 4, 2014 Posted January 4, 2014 (edited) I always get the Chinese w/ Anticake, never noticed a difference in quality. However I primarily use it for stars and Whistle Mix as booster for shells, so I am not sure if there is a significant difference in rocketry. When I began, I was just as confused as you were, but I'm sorta lazy when it comes to some things, so I go with AntiCake (except for KNO3), and buy whatever is cheaper. Just make sure it has a high purity. Edited January 4, 2014 by LambentPyro
Mumbles Posted January 4, 2014 Posted January 4, 2014 There are a lot of varieties because there are several manufacturers, and probably a lot of marketing BS. I've never had an issues using standard chinese perchlorate with anti-cake for anything. Some feel it's not as good for whistle rockets, but you'll have to test it to see if you agree. There are plenty of people successfully making whistle with it.
Maserface Posted January 4, 2014 Posted January 4, 2014 Dan creagan did some tests for thrust with different percs - there was a big difference befween the shitty stuff and the nice stuff, they are quite old tests and I think most of the perc now is decent. Color quality may be a different story, though.
ddewees Posted January 4, 2014 Author Posted January 4, 2014 Thanks, I'll give it a try... and post my results.
Arthur Posted January 4, 2014 Posted January 4, 2014 Well you could learn about purification by filtration of solutions but that would take a lot of time and energy. Usually pick a supplier of product that works and stick to it. -even buy a big bag! I bought some from Spain but it was actually Chinese anyway! but I got that at 20Kilo bag price
LambentPyro Posted January 4, 2014 Posted January 4, 2014 Well you could learn about purification by filtration of solutions but that would take a lot of time and energy. Usually pick a supplier of product that works and stick to it. -even buy a big bag! I bought some from Spain but it was actually Chinese anyway! but I got that at 20Kilo bag price How much in USD?
nater Posted January 5, 2014 Posted January 5, 2014 I use cheap Chinese Perc with anti-cake from Uncle Buck. My whistle whistles and my salutes make a bang, even my blue stars are blue. Yet, my whistle is weaker than whistle made from better perc and my blue might be a touch washed out compared to using the premium stuff. Bottom line is what I have works for me. I have heard of people complaining that there was so much anti-cake in their perc that 70/30 wouldn't make a report. Maybe it depends on the supplier or how well they stir the drum up before repacking it.
schroedinger Posted January 5, 2014 Posted January 5, 2014 Nowadays, you won't get any big problems with using chinese stuff, they supply some of the best chemicals. There are just some tests i would run on the stuff. First test for Chlorates Confirm Perc Test for chlorides Look for insoluble parts. Most things i think should be clear, if chlorates are present, destroy!! maybe titrate. If chloride is present titrate ammounts smaller than 0.1% would be perfect under 1% should be enought (but i won't buy that again)
psyco_1322 Posted January 5, 2014 Posted January 5, 2014 It's true that higher grades of perchlorate will make faster whistle, but you don't need to waste money on it. You can make rockets and what ever else with cheap, chinese perc. It usually runs around $4/lb when you buy it in small quantities, in drums, the price is around half that. I've been using it for several years now, and have got plenty compliments on star colors, so I don't think there is any worry there.
LambentPyro Posted January 5, 2014 Posted January 5, 2014 It's true that higher grades of perchlorate will make faster whistle, but you don't need to waste money on it. You can make rockets and what ever else with cheap, chinese perc. It usually runs around $4/lb when you buy it in small quantities, in drums, the price is around half that. I've been using it for several years now, and have got plenty compliments on star colors, so I don't think there is any worry there.Hobby Chem is 4$/lb. for 5 LBS. and up.
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