Lead dust

[Arthur]

I've just been offered a bottle of lead dust 300# to dust, it came from a well regarded pyro company but what would it be useful for???

[SideGlance]

Poisonous, what kind of lead is it?

Edited April 30, 2014 by SideGlance

[ollie1016]

Lead oxidises in contact with air to form Lead Oxide (PbO). So there will be a large percentage of PbO contamination. I haven't heard of any compositions using Lead, due to it's relatively high toxicity.

 

Make sure you don't inhale it, and give your hands a good wash before eating etc

[fredjr]

If it is from a pyro company it is more likely Lead Tetraoxide (red lead) which is used for dragon eggs.

[Arthur]

It is in a glass bottle with the stopper wax sealed in so no chance of it getting out! it's certainly a grey black colour so not red lead oxide. I think I'll just weigh it in for scrap or make mill balls from it.

[Mumbles]

I would have a couple of mostly academic ideas of things to try with it, but nothing I'd actually want to do for risk of lead poisoning. There are a few blue formulas from pre-1900 literature that use lead (II) chloride as a colorant. It may be interesting to see if you could form the colorant in situ, like we do with most current flame colors. My other idea would be to try it as an additive for low light crossette breaks. It's dense and the resulting lead (IV) oxides are dark in color. It might also have some uses in inorganic colored smokes.

 

Vaporized lead and lead salts are one of the last things I want to deal with closeup. The smoke idea is especially frightening in this regard.

[Respirator]

It is toxic and adding it to pyro would definitely be unwise. I do have a few pyro - related ideas but I wouldn't post anything I'd not suggest to myself.

[krakra]

I once saw thermal decomposition of lead glyoximate, it was a bright blue flash. So, I believe, lead can be used as blue colorant in some compositions. However, it is quite toxic and costly, there are friendlier option. Some military grade delay and priming compositions utilize lead compounds and metal, mostly lead tetroxide, but nothing really useful for civil use.

 

Since lead compounds are, indeed, toxic, I wouldn't use it in firework compositions. Moreover, many lead-containing compositions are in modern days modified to use bismuth compounds instead. Bismuth is relatively harmless (really, some bismuth compounds are used in drugs for peroral use).

 

Since lead dust is quite exotic, I'd assume the company offers more exotic dusts, so I'd check if I can get some from same source

[boule]

Hm, let's see.... lead dust and being highly poisonous? You guys gotta be kidding me. First of all, it is not lead itself that is poisonous since its bioavailability is quite low but rather organic lead compounds... if you inhale or ingest fine dust, it'll eventually be absorbed after reacting with weak acids commonly found in bodily fluids but if you take standard precautions (gloves, mask) lead powder is pretty safe.

If you want to think of it - after ballmilling your chems in a jar with a couple dozen lead balls, guess what you have distributed all through your black powder? Right, the lead balls get smaller over time and end up as powder in your comps ;-)

 

 

Sooo, what to do with lead powder?

 

1) load breacher rounds for your shotgun

2) Turn it into lead(II) nitrate and use it as crackling microstars, slow match, silver rain etc. (mostly very old formulas)

3) React a very very small amount to lead styphnate (not recommended)

4) Lead oxide and silicone do react quite interesting

 

Since all of these would produce even finer lead particles than just the dust, I would probably try minuscule amounts of comp under a fume hood but other than that probably just keep the powder and mix it with some resin if I need a high-density flexible balancing weight somewhere.

 

There are a few blue formulas from pre-1900 literature that use lead (II) chloride as a colorant. It may be interesting to see if you could form the colorant in situ, like we do with most current flame colors.

 

Actually, Mumbles, it has the advantage of being a chlorine donor at the same time, so yes, it was used in pyrotechnic compositions waaay back.

[Arthur]

OK so it was used in pyro but has been replaced.

 

A deep analysis of DIY BP includes lots of lead, it's how they discover whether it was commercial or not.

[fredjr]

After seeing this thread last week I was thinking I might have some. I looked last night and I do have a 1lb container that orginally came from skylighter. I got it when I bought the supplies of a pyro that passed away a few years ago. Don't know what I'll ever use it for.

[Arthur]

According to a faded label my jar of powder is Banham powder meaning lead 300# to dust. I'm reluctant to melt it into balls 'cos if I do I'll suddenly need lead powder!