Atomised Mg applications

[mabuse00]

Can you tell me something about the use of atomised magnesium?

 

I'm after stars mostly, and my experience with flake Mg is

 

-it impairs binding, my stars are always crumbly.

-the burn rate is usually to high, stars rather explode

-it's moisture sensitive, even to wet isopropanol or acetone

 

Also flakes can be expected to contain a large percentage of useless oxide, not to be very storage stable (the stars also...) ect. ect.

Makes nice salutes, otherwise useless.

 

Atomised Mg might be a remedy?

Can you share some experience, what size would you recommend for "normal" stars?

 

[a_bab]

I've once scavanged after a fireworks show that used commercial material. The show was held on an area covered with concrete, so I was able to recover some unlit stars. The stars were cut, about 5x5x7mm, not all the same size and it was obvious the prime was burned off but the stars did not ignite. They were very rubbery and flexible - they didn't crack when crushed in the pliers but rather gave off about 2mm before cracking in half. I can say these stars were made with lots of parlon (15% at least). They were some red compo, and it was a good red I must add.

 

 

Now, here is the catch: the metal fuel was very visible as tiny globules, between 0.2 to maybe 0.6mm. I concluded it must have been atomized Mg.

[Mumbles]

The other possibility is that they had pieces of atomized/granular Titanium or Aluminum in them for a tail.

 

Other than strobes I don't have a lot of experience with magnesium fueled stars. I've tried some, but the hassle of having to coat it for storage stability is enough to keep me with MgAl. Nearly all the Mg I've used has been atomized or granular. I only had a small amount of flake magnesium. The majority of my use of magnesium, both flake and atomized/granular, has been in colored flashes. This happens to be one application it excels at over MgAl and definitely Al.

[schroedinger]

Atomized mg, stores quite well and still works perfect after a couple years, even mg in the range of german dark is fine after 5 years. For most stars such a fine mg is making rather strong stars. So it is advisable to replace a part of the normal used oxidizer with sulphate or carbonate of the same kation. It also works proper to make stars with just a chlorine donor, carbonate and this fine mg.

[mabuse00]

Thanks for the replies.

 

 

Nearly all the Mg I've used has been atomized or granular

Mumbles, can you give me an idea what sizes are usually used?

 

 

The majority of my use of magnesium, both flake and atomized/granular, has been in colored flashes. This happens to be one application it excels at over MgAl and definitely Al.

I read about this somewhere. My experiments with colored flash gave white results, no matter what I tried. Whould you mind to share some recepies? Something oxalate based?

 

 

 

For most stars such a fine mg is making rather strong stars.

 

Strong mechanically or in the sense of fast burning?

 

 

 

[schroedinger]

For a real nice green flash, use mg and barium sulphate 1:1. Can easily be ignited even by the use of visco and burns really hot, it can even be used for bursting bag header of rockets with a nice prime.

Mg should be very fine like GD

Edited August 1, 2014 by schroedinger