German Dark Aluminum Powder? The 224 Detailed Answer

By PyroGuide

Potassium Perchlorate Flash is the most commonly used flash powder in the pyrotechnic industry. It has an excellent balance of stability and performance and is usually composed of potassium perchlorate and aluminum powder. Some compositions also contain sulfur and are accordingly stronger. Mixing of these chemicals should be done with great care as all flash mixes are very sensitive to shock and friction. The aluminum used in these compositions should be “dark pyro grade” for best results. These compositions produce the loudest saluting sounds when sub-10 or 12 micron aluminum is used. Never grind or hand grind flash powder!

edit] compositions

The first composition is said to have the loudest sound available with a potassium perchlorate mix. The second is a little quieter, but safer due to the lack of sulfur. The third is extremely fast burning, but also delicate and unsuitable for storage. The fourth is a nearly stoichiometric mixture of KClO4 and dark Al and produces the loudest bang available with those two components.

Schimizu 1

Potassium Perchlorate 64 Aluminum (preferably dark) 23 Sulfur 13

Schimizu 2

Potassium Perchlorate 72 Aluminum (preferably dark) 28

Shimizu Magnesium

Potassium Perchlorate 50 Magnesium 50

Stoichiometric perchlorate/aluminum

Potassium Perchlorate 2 Aluminum (Dark Pyro) 1

edit] method

Mix it up using the diaper method. Do not use any other method to craft Lightning Powder as it is very delicate. Do not ram or get wet. As always, use extreme caution when mixing flash powder compositions.

edit] reference

These compositions are taken from the publications of Dr.Takeo Shimizu.

RESTRICTIONS ON ILLEGAL EXPLODING FIREWORKS

RESTRICTIONS ON CHEMICALS COMMONLY USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ILLEGAL EXPLODING FIREWORKS (e.g. M80s and aerial gun salutes)

Federal regulations require us to review all purchase orders that could potentially be used to build M80 and other illegal exploding fireworks. If you’re trying to order any of the chemicals commonly used to make these products, here’s what that means for you.

LEGALITY

The US federal government prohibits the sale of “kits or components intended for use” in the manufacture of illegal explosive devices unless the purchaser has an ATF explosives manufacturing license. What does that mean? Here are our definitions of those terms.

“KITS”

Any combination of chemicals, fuses, hoses, or other items likely to be used in the manufacture of illegal explosive devices. Kits are easy for us to recognize. For example, if you order fuses, tubing, plugs, potassium perchlorate, and dark aluminum, your order will be automatically rejected. If you attempt to split an order for the various components of an M80 into multiple orders, we will still recognize this and will automatically refuse your subsequent orders. So it’s a no-go to buy one item in one order and the other items in subsequent orders. We catch this and reject your order. On the other hand, that doesn’t mean you can never buy the various items that go into an M80; Almost all of these components can and are used in legal fireworks. In fact, once we realize that you make a variety of legal fireworks, you can probably buy just about anything you want.

“COMPONENTS”

Many of the chemicals and other components used to create illegal explosive devices can be used in other legal fireworks. We use our own experience to observe the attempted purchase patterns over the years of thousands of attempted M80 manufacturers. To comply with BATF and Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) regulations, we automatically reject first-time customers who wish to purchase flash-grade aluminum.

“ILLEGAL EXPLODING DEVICES”

Typically this means M80s, cherry bombs, silver salutes, firecrackers, air salutes, rocket heads and other flash powder based items. Unless you are ATF licensed to manufacture explosives, and that is primarily the equipment you wish to manufacture, federal regulations administered by the CPSC fundamentally prevent us from selling you the components necessary to manufacture these devices.

FIRST ORDERS

Skylighter’s policy is to refuse initial orders from anyone who either appears to be making illegal explosive devices or whose initial order contains refractory aluminum. So if this is your first order from us, Skylighter will not sell you flash grade aluminum on your first order. This is because, in our experience, most people who order fireproof aluminum on their first order clearly intend to use it to make illegal explosive devices (M80 or similar devices).

SECOND AND SUBSEQUENT ORDERS

When you place an order on this site, we will review all your previous orders before accepting them. Regardless of what you ordered in your first order, all your orders will be considered as if they were one order. Therefore, your orders for Flash Powder Components will most likely be refused. If a high percentage of the items you order can be used to make illegal explosive devices, your order will be refused.

IF YOUR ORDERS ARE REFUSED, THREE STRIKES, YOU’RE OUT

Your orders are all verified by the software on our website and by humans here at Skylighter.

Some orders placed on our website are automatically rejected there. You can try to place an order on our website as many times as you like. You will not be penalized for this. In fact, we understand that this may be the only way to determine whether or not your order will be approved.

But any order you place with us that is subsequently rejected by a human WILL BE tracked and recorded. If we refuse any of your orders, your record will be flagged on our computer as a suspected illegal explosives manufacturer. If three of your orders are declined, you will be prevented from ever ordering anything legal or otherwise from Skylighter.

Again, remember that if your order is rejected or blocked by the shopping cart, you are not responsible for it. There is no penalty for you if you add items to your shopping cart to see what you are allowed to buy.

EXCEPTIONS FROM THE RULES

We are fully aware that under certain circumstances these rules can penalize someone somewhere unfairly. Please let us know if this is the case for you. If you are in a business, school or government organization that needs restricted chemicals, send us an order on your letterhead and then call. We will do everything in our power to fulfill your order

Remember we’ve been in this business for a long time. We’ve heard every imaginable story as to why someone would need flash grade aluminum for their own special project. Not a day goes by that someone doesn’t try to convince us that they need dark aluminum for their gunpowder. There’s no faster way to be permanently discouraged from ever ordering anything from Skylighter than by lying to us.

“BUT THE ATF (OR ANY OTHER AGENCY) TOLD ME I DON’T NEED A LICENSE…”

Probably true too. But the ATF is not the regulatory body that these rules were designed to comply with. These rules are primarily intended to keep you and us in compliance with CPSC regulations.

We strongly encourage you not to waste your time trying to get ATF assistance on this matter. Calling CPSC or another agency doesn’t help either. Until and if the regulations change, we’ll all just have to live with it.

WHY ARE THESE RESTRICTIONS SO STRONG?

Easy. To stay in business. The Consumer Product Safety Commission investigated this company and many others to see if they help people make illegal explosive devices. In most cases, the CPSC has succeeded in either forcing these companies to shut down and/or jailing their owners, or catastrophically reducing their ability to do business. The only reason Skylighter is still in business is that we continue to comply with all laws and regulations to which we are subject.

Is your business important to us? Of course. Is it worth risking jail or losing our business and jobs? nope

Don’t even think about circumventing these federal regulations and our rules designed to meet them.

HOW CAN YOU BUY WHAT YOU WANT?

Pretty easy too. Easily apply for and obtain an ATF Explosives Manufacturing License. It’s a lot easier and less expensive than you might think. Once you have this license, you can buy anything you want from us without any restrictions.

Keep the powder away from open fire as aluminum powder burns very easily.

Work the grinder in short bursts. If you grind continuously you build up heat and risk burning the powder.

description

Aluminum Indian Blackhead Dark Pyro is a very fine powder and is dark gray in colour. The nominal size can range from 200 mesh down to 2µ. There are a variety of uses for dark aluminum, for example, lightning powder, star compositions, fountains, waterfalls, torches, flares, etc. For all these purposes, it is generally used as a fuel.

Many powders sold as ‘dark’ are not actually dark aluminum but are of the atomized type (often 63µ) and although the former may vary in colour, it must be dark gray rather than light gray or even off-white (some of the best dark ones Aluminum comes from Eckart Germany and this powder has an almost black color = German Dark Pyro Aluminum). Atomized and dark powders are easy to see under the microscope: the former are spherical, the latter irregular and angular. German Dark Pyro Aluminum Powder 5413H Super is manufactured by Eckart.

The finest powders can be “airfloat” and are commonly used in flash compositions. Aluminum Indian Blackhead Dark Pyro is also used in small percentages in some hobbyist rocket fuels. Courser powders are generally used for sparkling effects. Many effects—such as tinsel, glitter, fireflies, and snowballs—can be achieved with these larger particle types. At 3 microns (4000 mesh), 5413 is one of the finest dark flake aluminums available.

Aluminum is a neurotoxin that alters the functioning of the blood-brain barrier. In addition, small airborne particles act like tiny razors when they come into contact with lung or eye tissue, and a dust mask and safety goggles should be worn at all times when working with aluminum powder. Mixtures containing nitrates and aluminum powder tend to heat up spontaneously and can ignite, especially when wet. This is caused by the reduction of the nitrate by aluminum to form amides. These very basic compounds will further react with aluminum powder in a very exothermic reaction that can cause spontaneous combustion. This reaction often produces an odor of ammonia. The addition of 1 to 2% boric acid to compositions containing nitrates and aluminum is common practice and often prevents spontaneous combustion.

First-time customers may be asked to identify themselves before the order is shipped. Please contact us with any questions about this restriction

Aluminum powder is used in the manufacture of many types of explosives and fireworks. It is also used in the manufacture of certain types of electronics. Powdered aluminum comes in many colors and finishes. Certain products designed to transmit electrical power, such as As solar cells are often made of aluminum powder. Rocket fuel is often made from aluminum, and many solid rocket fuels are based on chemical reactions involving this metal.

What is gunpowder?

Originally, gunpowder was made by mixing elemental sulfur, charcoal, and saltpetre (potassium nitrate). There was no definitive opinion as to how the ratios should be, and this changed dramatically from country to country and over time. The current modern ratio of 75% nitrate, 15% charcoal, 10% sulfur was established in England sometime in the mid-18th century. But different countries had their own formulas that may account in part for their military success or failure.

Changing the ratio of the ingredients also affects the speed at which the gunpowder burns and the amount of smoke it produces. Gunpowder creates a lot of smoke, which can obscure visibility on a battlefield or reduce the visibility of fireworks. Incidentally, charcoal is not the only fuel that can be used. Sugar is used in many pyrotechnic applications.

When the ingredients were carefully ground together, the end result was a powder called “serpentine”. One of the disadvantages of black powder in this original form was the tendency of the individual elements to decompose under the influence of vibration, e.g. move a keg of powder. After the component parts separated, the powder no longer maintained the correct proportions. The same volume of powder could either hiss or break apart a gun barrel, depending on its vibration history and whether it was taken from the top or bottom of the container. To be on the safe side, the ingredients had to be mixed again before use.

Later innovations began by adding liquid to the mixture, usually wine or some other flammable fermented liquid, creating a paste. This paste was then forced through a sieve to produce small pellets which were then allowed to dry. This ensured the right mix throughout.

This process, called Corning, also made it possible to produce different powder qualities depending on the size of the holes in the sieve. The coarser or larger the granules or granules, the less surface area and therefore the slower the combustion of the powder. The largest varieties were used for cannons, the smallest for firing small arms or for use in firecrackers, incendiary devices and grenades.

Even so, the surface was still fleeting. Dust collected in the powder, and a single spark could spell disaster. In the 15th century, makers began tumbling the kernels in silk beakers to remove the dust. In the mid-17th century, grains were polished by adding graphite to the tumbling, which tended to seal the grains and make them safer. Black powder remained in this form until the introduction of smokeless powders and other substitutes in the late 19th century in the form of higher compression chemical mixtures such as cordite.

How gunpowder works

Black powder consists of a fuel (charcoal), an oxidizer (nitrate or saltpeter), and a stabilizer (sulphur) to allow for a constant reaction. Without the oxidizer, the reaction would be slow, like a wood fire. Carbon in a fire must draw oxygen from the air, but the saltpeter in gunpowder supplies the oxygen.

When heated, the sulfur ignites first, which in turn burns the charcoal fuel, raising the temperature to the point where it literally rips apart the nitrate molecules and releases the oxygen that supports combustion. Potassium nitrate, sulfur and carbon reacting with each other to form nitrogen and carbon dioxide gases, thermal energy and potassium sulfide. The heat causes the gases to expand rapidly, creating an explosive force that provides propulsion.

Suggested reading: Gunpowder: Alchemy, Bombards, and Pyrotechnics: The History of the Explosive That Changed the World, by Jack Kelly

Flash Powder is a pyrotechnic composition, a mixture of oxidizer and metallic fuel, that burns rapidly and, when trapped, produces a loud noise. It is widely used in theatrical pyrotechnics and fireworks (namely salutes, e.g. cherry bombs, M-80s, firecrackers and cap gun shots) and was once used for flashes in photography.

Examples of binary flash powders in theater. Note the common oxidizer powder (A) for some types of fuel (B).

Different grades of flash powder are made from different compositions; the most common are potassium perchlorate and aluminum powder. Sometimes sulfur is included in the mix to increase sensitivity. Early formulations used potassium chlorate instead of potassium perchlorate.

Flash powder compositions are also used in military pyrotechnics when generation of a large amount of noise, light or infrared radiation is required, e.g. B. Rocket Decoys and Stun Grenades.

history [edit]

Lycopodium powder is a tan, dust-like powder that was formerly used as a flash powder.[1] Today the main use of the powder is to create flashes or flames that are large and impressive but relatively easy to manipulate, in acts of magic and for cinema and theater special effects.

Mixtures [ edit ]

Usually flash powder mixtures are put together to achieve a specific purpose. These mixes range from extremely fast burning mixes designed to produce maximum audio report, to mixes designed to burn slowly and deliver lots of light, to mixes formerly used in photography became.

Aluminum and chlorate [ edit ]

The combination of aluminum powder and potassium chlorate is unstable and a poor choice for flash powder intended to be stored for more than a very short period of time. For this reason it has been largely replaced by the potassium perchlorate mixtures. Chlorate blends are still used when cost is a concern, since potassium chlorate is less expensive than perchlorate.

A two-component chlorate mixture is the simplest, although this is rarely used.

KClO 3 + 2Al → Al 2 O 3 + KCl

The composition is approximately 70 wt% KClO 3 : 30 wt% Al for the reactants of the above stoichiometrically balanced equation.

It is considered extremely important to exclude sulfur and all acidic components from these mixtures. Sulfur oxidizes and absorbs moisture to produce sulfuric and thionic acids; Any acid in the mixture will make it unstable. Sometimes a few percent of bicarbonate or carbonate buffer is added to the mixture to ensure there are no acidic impurities.

Sulfur is deliberately added as a third component to this mixture in order to reduce the activation energy.[2][3] However, this leads to the problem of acid formation and instability and therefore these mixtures are generally considered too unstable for storage and must be mixed immediately before use. Antimony trisulfide can be used as an alternative and is more storage stable.[2][3]

Potassium nitrate, aluminum and sulfur [ edit ]

This composition, usually in a ratio of 5 parts potassium nitrate to 3 parts aluminum powder to 2 parts sulfur, is particularly popular with hobbyists. It doesn’t burn very quickly unless exceptionally fine ingredients are used. Although it contains sulphur, it is actually quite strong and will withstand multiple hits with a hammer on a hard surface. Adding 2% of its weight with boric acid is said to significantly increase stability and durability as it is more resistant to moisture from ambient humidity. Other ratios such as 6 KNO 3 /3 Al/2 S and 5 KNO 3 /2 Al/3 S also exist and work. All ratios have similar burn times and strength, although 5 KNO 3 /3 Al/2 S appears to be dominant.

2 KNO 3 + 4 Al + S → K 2 S + N 2 + 2 Al 2 O 3

The composition is about 59 wt% KNO 3 : 31.6 wt% Al: 9.4 wt% S for the reactants of the above stoichiometrically balanced equation.

For best results, German Dark aluminum with suspended sulfur and finely ball ground pure potassium nitrate should be used. The finished mixture should never be ground together in a ball mill.

Aluminum and perchlorate[ edit ]

Aluminum powder and potassium perchlorate are the only two components of the industry standard pyrotechnic flash powder. It offers an excellent balance of stability and power and is the composition used in most commercial exploding fireworks.

a.k.a. A-B mix

The balanced reaction equation is:

3 KClO 4 + 8 Al → 3 KCl + 4 Al 2 O 3

The stoichiometric ratio is 34.2% by mass of aluminum and 65.8% by mass of perchlorate. A ratio of seven parts potassium perchlorate to three parts dark pyroaluminium is the composition used by most pyrotechnicians.

For best results, the aluminum powder should be Dark Pyro grade, with a flake particle shape and particle size less than 10 microns. The KClO 4 should be in powder form, free from lumps. If necessary, it can be sifted through a sieve to remove any lumps before use. The particle size of the perchlorate is not as critical as that of the aluminum component since much less energy is required to decompose the KClO 4 than is required to melt the aluminum to the liquid state required for the reaction.

Although this composition is fairly hardy, it should be handled with care and respect. Hobby pyrotechnicians typically use a method called diapers, in which the materials are poured separately onto a large piece of paper, which is then alternately lifted at each corner to roll the composition over itself and mix the components. Some amateur pyrotechnicians choose to mix the composition by shaking it in a closed paper container, as this is much faster and more effective than swaddling. One method of mixing flash is by placing the components in the final device and manipulating the device will mix the flash powder. Paper/cardboard is preferred over other materials such as plastic due to its favorable triboelectric properties.

Larger quantities should never be mixed in a single batch. Large quantities are not only more difficult to handle safely, but also endanger bystanders in the area. In the event of accidental ignition, debris from a multi-pound flash powder blast can be ejected hundreds of feet with sufficient force to kill or injure. (Note: 3 grams of mixture is enough to explode outdoors with no restrictions other than air pressure.)

Regardless of the amount, care must always be taken to avoid electrostatic discharge or friction during mixing or handling as these can cause accidental ignition.

Magnesium and nitrate[ edit ]

Another flash composition common among amateurs is magnesium powder and potassium nitrate. Other metal nitrates have been used, including barium and strontium nitrates. Compositions using nitrate and magnesium metal have been used as photographic flash powders almost since the invention of photography. Potassium Nitrate/Magnesium Flash Powder should be mixed and used immediately and not stored due to its tendency to self-ignite.

If magnesium is not a very fine powder, it can be passivated with linseed oil or potassium dichromate. The passivated magnesium flash powder is stable and safe to store.

2 KNO 3 + 5 Mg → K 2 O + N 2 + 5 MgO

The composition is 62.5 wt% KNO 3 : 37.5 wt% Mg for the reactants of the above stoichiometrically balanced equation. Below is the same reaction but with barium nitrate.

Ba(NO 3 ) 2 + 5Mg → BaO + N 2 + 5MgO

Reporting mixes differ significantly from lighting mixes. A stoichiometric ratio of three parts KNO 3 to two parts Mg is almost ideal and provides the fastest combustion. The magnesium powder should be less than 200 mesh, although up to 100 mesh will work. The potassium nitrate should be an impalpable dust. This mixture is popular in amateur pyrotechnics because it is insensitive and relatively harmless.

For photographic purposes, mixtures containing magnesium and nitrates are made much more fuel-rich. The excess magnesium is volatilized by the reaction and burns in air, providing additional light. In addition, the higher concentration of fuel results in slower combustion, producing more “puff” and less “bang” when ignited. A 1917 formula specifies 5 parts magnesium to 6 parts barium nitrate for a stoichiometry of nine parts fuel to one part oxidizer.[4] Modern recreations of photographic flash powders may avoid using barium salts due to their toxic nature. A mix of five parts 80 mesh magnesium and one part potassium nitrate gives a good white flash without being too harsh. Fuel-rich flash powders are also used in theatrical flash pots.

Magnesium-based compositions degrade over long periods of time, meaning that the metallic Mg slowly reacts with atmospheric oxygen and moisture. For military pyrotechnics using magnesium fuels, external oxygen can be eliminated by using hermetically sealed canisters. Commercial photographic flash powders are sold as two-part mixes that must be combined immediately before use.

Magnesium and PTFE [ edit ]

A flash composition specifically designed to produce flares that are exceptionally bright in the infrared portion of the spectrum uses a mixture of pyro-grade magnesium and powdered polytetrafluoroethylene. These flares are used as decoys by aircraft that may be subject to fire from heat-seeking missiles.

2n Mg + (C 2 F 4 )) n → 2n MgF 2 (s) + 2n C (s)

Antimony trisulfide and chlorate [ edit ]

This mixture and similar mixtures, sometimes containing pyro-aluminum, have been used for small “Black Cat” style paper crackers since the early 1900’s. Its extremely low cost makes it popular with manufacturers of low-quality fireworks in China. Like all chlorate containing mixtures, it is extremely sensitive to friction, shock and ESD and is considered unsafe in pyrotechnic devices containing more than tens of milligrams of the mixture.

3KClO3 + Sb2S3 → Sb2O3 + 3SO2 + 3KCl

This mixture is not high-energy, and in at least some parts of the United States, fireworks containing 50 mg or less of this mixture are legal as consumer fireworks.

Safety and Handling[ edit ]

Flash powders, even when used as intended, often unleash an explosive force of deadly capacity. Almost all widely used flash powder mixtures are sensitive to shock, friction and electrostatic discharge. For certain mixtures, it is not uncommon for this sensitivity to change spontaneously over time or due to changes in the environment or other unknown factors, either during initial manufacture or during actual storage. Additionally, incidental contaminants such as strong acids or sulfur compounds can sensitize them even more. Because flash powder mixes are so easy to initiate, there may be a high risk of accidental explosions causing serious blast/shrapnel injuries e.g. Blindness, blast amputation, permanent mutilation or disfigurement. deaths have occurred. The various flash powder compositions should therefore not be handled by anyone unfamiliar with their properties or the handling techniques required to maintain safety. Flash powder and flash powder devices pose an exceptionally high risk to children, who typically cannot understand the hazard and are less familiar with safe handling techniques. As a result, children tend to sustain more serious injuries than adults.

Flash powders – particularly those using chlorate – are often very sensitive to friction, heat/flame and static electricity. A spark as little as 0.1-10 millijoules can initiate certain mixtures. Certain formulations known in the underground press contain both sulfur and potassium chlorate. These compounds are particularly sensitive to shock and friction and should be considered unpredictable in many applications. Modern pyrotechnic practices dictate never using sulfur in a mixture containing chlorate salts.

Some flash powder formulations (those that use aluminum powder or fine magnesium powder in the single digit micron range as fuel) can self-lock up and explode in small quantities. This makes handling flash powder dangerous as it can cause severe hearing damage and amputational injuries even in the open air. Self-containment occurs when the mass of the stack provides sufficient inertia to allow high pressure to build up therein as the mixture reacts. This is called “inertial confinement” and should not be confused with a detonation.

Flash powder of any formulation should not be mixed in large quantities by amateur pyrotechnicians. Beginners should start with subgram quantities and avoid making large devices. Flash powder should only be made in the place where it is going to be used. In addition, the mixture should be prepared immediately before use. Mixing may have transportation, storage, use, miscellaneous possession, and illegal “firearms” (including criminal offenses) laws that do not apply to the unmixed or preassembled components.

See also[edit]

Pages: 1 2

Author: Subject: Mixing quality thermite with Al powder, is that possible?

Mixing quality thermite with Al powder, is that possible?

I figured if really fine Al powder was used at the ignition start point, once the reaction got going it would continue with even more coarse Al powder in the mix underneath. I would think that the aluminum would vaporize after initial ignition, so particle size would be less important.

I made a thermite-like composition using powdered aluminum I made in a coffee grinder and copper(ii) chloride; it sustained a strong exothermic reaction. It was necessary to grind the aluminum into a fine powder; During my successful attempt, I burned out the coffee grinder that was grinding the aluminum. Larger aluminum particles (the size of a dot on a newspaper) did not react unless heat was continuously applied. If I try to make my own aluminum powder again I will try to run it through sieves to get a better idea of ​​the particle size.

My experience so far is that powder that can pass a 200 sieve is fine enough.

I am currently developing a ball mill to make aluminum fine enough for thermite or for use as a reducing agent. I hate using bundles of slides.

Phlogiston manufacturer/supplier.

For all your phlogiston needs.

Bert

Posts: 2745

Registered: 12/3/2004

Member is offline

Mood: “I think we’re all going to die. I think love is an illusion. We’re flawed, my love.” SuperadminPosts: 2745Joined: 12/3/2004Member is offline” I think we’re all going to die. I think love is an illusion. We’re flawed, my darling.”

posted on 6-5-2018 at 19:57

It is possible to mix different sizes of Al fuel particles into such mixtures to achieve a desired reaction rate. A little German Blackhead Al or even some nanoparticle Al can be reactive enough to bring coarser grades up to temperature.

Depending on the intended use of a Goldschmidt reaction, you can also use more than one metal oxide as the oxidant. Or additives like sulfur.

Rapopart’s Rules for Critical Comments:

1. Try to state the position of your goal so clearly, vividly, and fairly that your goal says, “Thanks, I wish I’d thought to put it that way.”

2. List matches (especially if they are not general or widespread matches).

3. Mention everything you learned from your goal.

4. Only then may you utter a single word of reply or criticism.

Anatol Rapoport was a Russian-born American mathematical psychologist (1911-2007).

Buy your own blender first, don’t try to use your wife/mum/girlfriend’s or you will regret it.

Quote: I’m pretty sure it’s possible to make thermite using aluminum powder made in a blender

Use a blender jar filled about 2/3 full with light mineral oil or a similarly viscous and non-reactive liquid. Put in your shredded aluminum foil that you want to pulverize and run the blender. Add more foil until you have something still pourable but like a pancake batter. Keep the blender running, you may need to let it rest and cool for a while, then return and run it for a bit more.

The vanes keep the oil in turbulence. The oil tears the foil apart and also prevents the aluminum from balling up into small balls of foil.

If a sample taken and solvent washed is fine enough, filter out as much oil as possible from the slurry and then run a couple of solvent washes to remove the oil.

[Edited 8/5/2018 by Bert]

(Shit! Sorry JJay)

[Edited 8/5/2018 by Bert]

aluminum powder. How about enclosing an angle grinder in a closed environment of inert gas, helium, which is easy to find, and mounting an aluminum rod to press it against the grinding wheel?

Edit: The grinder could be rigged so that the spark and cooling part is outside of the case. Tape it into a hole in the side of the case.

[Edited 8/5/2018 by Pyro_cat]

I’m wondering if crazy glue is strong enough that I could use it to attach razor blades to the blender blades and maybe not get the agglomeration into little balls as mentioned above. That seems to be because the blades aren’t sharp enough and they just hit instead of cutting. I know that a sharp blade on a mulching mower makes a big difference. In the next step, try sharpening the Dremmel to sharpen the blender blades and finally make some of the infamous Thermite.

And to make rust a little faster, you need bleach and vinegar, right?

Do not mix bleach and vinegar!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nmJ8uq-h4IkXPxD5svnT…

———————————

Elements collected: H, Li, B, C, N, O, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ag, I, Au, Pb, Bi, Am

Last Purchased: B

Next: Well

————– Materials list from ScienceMadness.org users: ——- ——Collected Elements: H, Li, B, C, N, O, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ag, I, Au, Pb, Bi, AmLast Acquired: BNext: Na– ————

Do not mix bleach and vinegar!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nmJ8uq-h4IkXPxD5svnT…

———————————

Elements collected: H, Li, B, C, N, O, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ag, I, Au, Pb, Bi, Am

Last Purchased: B

Next: Well

————– Materials list from ScienceMadness.org users: ——- ——Collected Elements: H, Li, B, C, N, O, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ag, I, Au, Pb, Bi, AmLast Acquired: BNext: Na– ————

Quote: Originally posted by JJay Buy your own blender first, don’t try to use your wife/mum/girlfriend’s or you will regret it.

Quote: I’m pretty sure it’s possible to make thermite using aluminum powder made in a blender

Use a blender jar filled about 2/3 full with light mineral oil or a similarly viscous and non-reactive liquid. Put in your shredded aluminum foil that you want to pulverize and run the blender. Add more foil until you have something still pourable but like a pancake batter. Keep the blender running, you may need to let it rest and cool for a while, then return and run it for a bit more.

The vanes keep the oil in turbulence. The oil tears the foil apart and also prevents the aluminum from balling up into small balls of foil.

If a sample taken and solvent washed is fine enough, filter out as much oil as possible from the slurry and then run a couple of solvent washes to remove the oil.

[Edited 8/5/2018 by Bert]

(Shit! Sorry JJay)

[Edited 8/5/2018 by Bert]

Wow, that’s a super cool post.

When the process was discovered in 1893, it was unlikely they had access to anything much better than a coffee grinder to make Al powder.

Quote: Originally posted by Abromination Don’t mix bleach and vinegar!

I learned this from the chemistry section of the 1977 World Book encyclopedias and tried it as a kid and I survived. It rusts pretty quickly. It also said things about ants and juniper and formic acid. Before the Internet, if you wanted to know anything about energetic materials, the trick was to read the even older encyclopedias.

Quote: Originally Posted by JJay Use a blender jar about 2/3 with light mineral oil or similar viscous and non-reactive liquid. Put in your shredded aluminum foil that you want to pulverize and run the blender.

I just tried it with water without worrying about oxidizing it and didn’t get a better result. I was hoping for gray water.

I know you’re asking for a blender, but if you can afford a blender you can also afford a cheap stone beaker to use as a ball mill.

Additionally, foil is often difficult to grind due to its tendency to form into small balls.

I use an Al block and drill to make shavings, they grind much faster and give a higher quality powder with less oxide in my experience.

Quote: Originally Posted by Pyro_cat Quote: Originally Posted by JJay Use a blender jar about 2/3 with light mineral oil or a similarly viscous and non-reactive liquid. Put in your shredded aluminum foil that you want to pulverize and run the blender.

I just tried it with water without worrying about oxidizing it and didn’t get a better result. I was hoping for gray water.

That was actually Bert’s contribution, but water has a low viscosity. I’m not sure why he specified a viscous liquid.

The theory and practice of ball milling for the amateur pyrotechnician

Bert, your method sounds impressive in its ingenuity. Those hours and hours of using a cheap blender…

For a wider range of applications, however, I recommend a real ball mill. I am not making any money from the sale of this book, I just think it is really valuable information. I’m not interested in fireworks or thermite (yet), but I have many other uses for grinding things into powder. A ball mill is a semi-luxe thing, and this book will show you how to make a very efficient, customizable one. Also some great background on why they work and how they work best. It was worth every penny to me.

A year ago but I’m finally doing this project. So many videos that I want to see this in real life. The lava in Hawaii that was scary in real life. Video doesn’t do it justice.

Lots of sifting and sharpening the blades on the blender really helps, I think I’m good for the aluminum. So focused I didn’t know that a lot of rusting isn’t the easiest thing to do when you’re too cheap to buy bags and bags made out of steel wool. Just wait for the finished nails under water in the casserole dish.

I’ll go with a strobe cup to try and initiate it. The brightness of these things tells me this is the hottest thing I’ll find.

For the iron oxide, consider going to a paint store and buying it. It is often used as a red (Fe2O3) or black (Fe3O4) pigment and is usually sold pure.

Quote: Originally posted by Microtek For the iron oxide, you should go to a paint store and buy it. It is often used as a red (Fe2O3) or black (Fe3O4) pigment and is usually sold pure.

Many Thanks. Searched for this and found they also have red concrete color iron oxide pigment powder for making these fake brick driveways.

https://www.bestmaterials.com/PDF_MSDS/solomon-concrete-colo…

https://www.smithpaints.com/tech_docs/drypigmentpacks_msds.p…

[Edited 7/22/2019 by Pyro_cat]

Quote: Originally posted by Microtek For the iron oxide, you should go to a paint store and buy it. It is often used as a red (Fe2O3) or black (Fe3O4) pigment and is usually sold pure.

Red: hematite

Black: magnetite

A friend of mine came 10 days ago to learn how to make thermite.

“But where should I get all this from?”

She paints well enough to make a living so I referred her to her art supply store!

The spirit of adventure was with me. Since I had nitric acid and copper, all I had to do was learn what the words “act on” meant. – Ira Remsen

Quote: Originally posted by Felis Corax, but Electrolysis can be fun in its own right.

It is fun. I haven’t run electricity through water since I built a saltwater variac when I was messing around with microwave transformers.

I only have a “smart” battery charger for a DC supply, but getting it to turn on by plugging in a battery that isn’t fully discharged is easy enough.

Thanks, I’ll go with that electrolysis. Didn’t have the motivation for a homedepo run just to see if they could have some of that pigment powder. That will be fun.

Electrolysis turned a steel wool pad into a few tablespoons of black dirt in about an hour. I just filtered it out of the liquid.

I’ll make some more then try to replicate the aluminum foil thermite here https://youtu.be/H-PubIM6O_4?t=354 but instead of roller press I just have to roll it up and put it in the vise then I hammer the cotton ball from the vise for the same effect.

Quote: Quoted from Felis Corax One could also produce red iron oxide by electrolysis with mild steel electrodes (or iron, but mild steel is cheap at hardware stores). When I did it I was using NaCl as my electrolyte which naturally produces sodium hydroxide and chlorine gas so it has to be dealt with. The result is a sticky hydrate which, when heated, yields a relatively small amount of very fine anhydrous red iron oxide.

Interesting. I have never noticed chlorine when using NaCl and iron anodes. I think you get ferric and ferrous chlorides and sodium hydroxide (well, at least you get the ions to form those), but they react to precipitate goop, which is formed in the course of the electrolysis of green-brown to orange-brown, presumably as oxidation states changed.

When I first electrolyzed salt with a graphite anode, I was a bit surprised to smell chlorine, having never had it with iron or copper electrodes. When I first tried graphite and a sizable fraction of an amp, I wasn’t surprised by the presence of chlorine but by the sheer amount. Had to turn off the electricity and open the window a few minutes after the procedure.

Many Thanks,

I just used one salt packet in 4 ounces of water. The clip on the charger was the cathode. It seems to me that less salt would limit the chlorine available to make other compounds. The process started out very slowly and seemed to accelerate itself as the water became polluted with the products of electrolysis. The ammeter on the charger ended up moving to about 1. I broke the rule and smelled it too and didn’t smell anything chlorinated. At one point it had a green-orange look.

The next setup will get a stainless steel threaded rod for the cathode (plenty of surface area) and some iron from the junk heap for the anode in a shoebox sized plastic container.

This was very interesting Sodium chlorate from electrolysis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUvCnyz6ESI If I do electrolysis in a sodium chloride solution I assume that will happen too.

In the first experiment, did I make sodium chlorate and thereby lower the electrical resistance of the water allowing more current to flow, or was it the iron compounds, or both? I assume both.

Turning off the power and testing the solution by Olm will be part of this experiment.

Quote: Originally Posted by Felis Corax If this advice seems patronizingly obvious, I apologize; I don’t know your level of experience.[/rquote]

No problem, a beginner here. At this stage of Hey’s chemistry, this actually works if you follow the directions. Similar place to collecting the first little sparks from the Tesla coil project. I can do this !

Just a thought here.

If you know of a place that has a lathe/mill etc or has access to a machine shop I would speculate that aluminum shavings/shavings/shavings would be more conducive to blender grinding than foil. It doesn’t tend to ball up and in my personal experience the small pieces are more brittle and much less flexible than foil. I got some jars of the stuff from a machinist friend of mine. Playing with this by hand gives me the idea that the specific chip size matters for grinding versus blending, as it seems like some of the longer and thinner needle-like chips don’t work nearly as well while some of the, say, longer and more ribbon-like pieces are easily broken apart between your fingers. YMMV and it may not be practical, just a thought.

Edit: Someone else has already suggested something similar for aluminum, and here I feel stupid reading the rest of the thread… So I’ll discuss how to make iron oxide.

I’m not sure if this advice applies to you, but when I’m trying to make iron oxide, I go to the local gun shop and buy some really cheap Steel Case ammo. I shoot everything, collect the cases, put them in a bucket (about 2/3 full) and mix in some salt water. The cases have a pretty good finish for the amount of metal, so they rust pretty quickly. If you let the water evaporate and then just shake the stuff up, the cartridges will smack each other to pieces, eventually creating a very fine, almost levitating, mixture of iron oxide powder. The primers are sort of brassy, ​​so they generally don’t oxidize and just fall out of the mix. It’s a bit time consuming to do by hand, but I think it could very well be adapted to a ball mill with more or less self-consumable media.

The few times I’ve done it, my yields have generally been in the pound/kilogram rather than the gram/ounce range.

But the advice is useless if you’re not in a place where firearms are allowed, or if you don’t shoot or own them. Depending on that, maybe you could go to a local shooting range and ask if you can have their used steel cases, even in a less permissive region. I bet places really wouldn’t care too much. I’m sure the process would really work with any type of scrap steel or iron, but the advantages of the method fade away pretty quickly without a similar shape/finish. I’ve experimented with ball bearings and haven’t had much luck. Maybe cut sections of a thin piece of pipe or something along those lines. Something about the size of refrigerator hoses? I hope I didn’t clutter up your thread with something useless.

[Edited 7/26/2019 by James Ikanov]

“To do a good job, you have to eat well, be well housed, have a fling now and then, smoke a pipe, and drink your coffee quietly” – Vincent Van Gogh

What is thermite?

Make thermite with red iron oxide

Thermite #1 mixture

Ingredient Parts by Weight Parts by % Red Iron Oxide -325 Mesh 3 75 Aluminum Flake -325 Mesh 1 25 Total 100%

Thermite is a pyrotechnic composition usually composed of metal powder and a metal oxide. It is not normally explosive, but generates extremely high temperatures for short periods of time in a very small space. For example, aluminum/iron oxide thermite temperatures are as high as 4500 degrees F. Thermite is used for welding, metal cutting or drilling, field metal repairs, scientific demonstrations, high temperature ignition, disabling military equipment (including artillery, document files and hard drives), and other uses . Proper balance of fuel and oxidant is key to stable combustion in a thermite reaction. The thermite recipe for red iron oxide and aluminum is 3 parts red iron oxide to 1 part aluminum fuel. In general, the finer the ingredients in pyrotechnic compositions and the better they are mixed, the easier it is to ignite and the faster the reaction proceeds. Therefore, when selecting thermite ingredients, our goals are easy ignition and stable, non-explosive burning. For this example, we use Skylighter 325 mesh red iron oxide and Skylighter 325 mesh bright aluminum, which has an average particle size of 45 microns. To make a 4 ounce batch of thermite, first weigh out 3 ounces of red iron oxide. Then weigh out 1 ounce of aluminum powder. Place them in a plastic tub and put the lid on. Shake them until the color is consistent throughout. Then pass the mixture through a 20 mesh or finer sieve. If there are any lumps, break them up with your fingers. Sieve the mixture two more times or more until you have an evenly colored powder. This can be a dusty process, so be sure and do it somewhere where the aluminum dust won’t be a problem. Don’t attempt this where air is moving. The better you mix the ingredient, the faster and hotter the reaction will be. Thermite needs a very high temperature to ignite. Your thermite kit contains 6 gold sparklers. The iron in it burns at about 1800 degrees F. Here’s how to use sparklers to ignite your thermite. Place your thermite mix in a plastic tub. Make a hole near the bottom on the side of the tub big enough for a sparkler to fit through. Push 1 to 2 inches of the sparkler into the mixture through the hole in the side of the pan. Leave at least 2-3 inches of your sparkler sticking out. Place the plastic tub on a metal surface ready to burn through. Light the sparkler and step back 40 or 50 feet.: DO NOT attempt to ignite your thermite by hand dipping your sparkler into the mixture. The mixture can ignite violently and will spray you with burning metal.: Fierce ignition of thermite can eject molten metal in all directions. Do not stand near the mixture if it ignites or is burning.: Thermite burns extremely hot and produces molten iron slag that can melt through a car’s engine block! Burning thermite can splatter molten iron far from the burning pile. Stay as far back as possible. And make sure there is nothing nearby that can catch fire. Start your thermite experiments with small amounts at first until you understand how it behaves and how far it throws molten metal slag.: You cannot put out a thermite fire with water. Do not try to put out the fire with water, otherwise a violent steam explosion may occur, which may also throw off molten slag. Also, do not use wet materials to try to put out the fire.

Aluminum powder is used in the manufacture of many types of explosives and fireworks. It is also used in the manufacture of certain types of electronics. Powdered aluminum comes in many colors and finishes. Certain products designed to transmit electrical power, such as As solar cells are often made of aluminum powder. Rocket fuel is often made from aluminum, and many solid rocket fuels are based on chemical reactions involving this metal.

description

Aluminum Indian Blackhead Dark Pyro is a very fine powder and is dark gray in colour. The nominal size can range from 200 mesh down to 2µ. There are a variety of uses for dark aluminum, for example, lightning powder, star compositions, fountains, waterfalls, torches, flares, etc. For all these purposes, it is generally used as a fuel.

Many powders sold as ‘dark’ are not actually dark aluminum but are of the atomized type (often 63µ) and although the former may vary in colour, it must be dark gray rather than light gray or even off-white (some of the best dark ones Aluminum comes from Eckart Germany and this powder has an almost black color = German Dark Pyro Aluminum). Atomized and dark powders are easy to see under the microscope: the former are spherical, the latter irregular and angular. German Dark Pyro Aluminum Powder 5413H Super is manufactured by Eckart.

The finest powders can be “airfloat” and are commonly used in flash compositions. Aluminum Indian Blackhead Dark Pyro is also used in small percentages in some hobbyist rocket fuels. Courser powders are generally used for sparkling effects. Many effects—such as tinsel, glitter, fireflies, and snowballs—can be achieved with these larger particle types. At 3 microns (4000 mesh), 5413 is one of the finest dark flake aluminums available.

Aluminum is a neurotoxin that alters the functioning of the blood-brain barrier. In addition, small airborne particles act like tiny razors when they come into contact with lung or eye tissue, and a dust mask and safety goggles should be worn at all times when working with aluminum powder. Mixtures containing nitrates and aluminum powder tend to heat up spontaneously and can ignite, especially when wet. This is caused by the reduction of the nitrate by aluminum to form amides. These very basic compounds will further react with aluminum powder in a very exothermic reaction that can cause spontaneous combustion. This reaction often produces an odor of ammonia. The addition of 1 to 2% boric acid to compositions containing nitrates and aluminum is common practice and often prevents spontaneous combustion.

First-time customers may be asked to identify themselves before the order is shipped. Please contact us with any questions about this restriction

Flash Powder is a pyrotechnic composition, a mixture of oxidizer and metallic fuel, that burns rapidly and, when trapped, produces a loud noise. It is widely used in theatrical pyrotechnics and fireworks (namely salutes, e.g. cherry bombs, M-80s, firecrackers and cap gun shots) and was once used for flashes in photography.

Examples of binary flash powders in theater. Note the common oxidizer powder (A) for some types of fuel (B).

Different grades of flash powder are made from different compositions; the most common are potassium perchlorate and aluminum powder. Sometimes sulfur is included in the mix to increase sensitivity. Early formulations used potassium chlorate instead of potassium perchlorate.

Flash powder compositions are also used in military pyrotechnics when generation of a large amount of noise, light or infrared radiation is required, e.g. B. Rocket Decoys and Stun Grenades.

history [edit]

Lycopodium powder is a tan, dust-like powder that was formerly used as a flash powder.[1] Today the main use of the powder is to create flashes or flames that are large and impressive but relatively easy to manipulate, in acts of magic and for cinema and theater special effects.

Mixtures [ edit ]

Usually flash powder mixtures are put together to achieve a specific purpose. These mixes range from extremely fast burning mixes designed to produce maximum audio report, to mixes designed to burn slowly and deliver lots of light, to mixes formerly used in photography became.

Aluminum and chlorate [ edit ]

The combination of aluminum powder and potassium chlorate is unstable and a poor choice for flash powder intended to be stored for more than a very short period of time. For this reason it has been largely replaced by the potassium perchlorate mixtures. Chlorate blends are still used when cost is a concern, since potassium chlorate is less expensive than perchlorate.

A two-component chlorate mixture is the simplest, although this is rarely used.

KClO 3 + 2Al → Al 2 O 3 + KCl

The composition is approximately 70 wt% KClO 3 : 30 wt% Al for the reactants of the above stoichiometrically balanced equation.

It is considered extremely important to exclude sulfur and all acidic components from these mixtures. Sulfur oxidizes and absorbs moisture to produce sulfuric and thionic acids; Any acid in the mixture will make it unstable. Sometimes a few percent of bicarbonate or carbonate buffer is added to the mixture to ensure there are no acidic impurities.

Sulfur is deliberately added as a third component to this mixture in order to reduce the activation energy.[2][3] However, this leads to the problem of acid formation and instability and therefore these mixtures are generally considered too unstable for storage and must be mixed immediately before use. Antimony trisulfide can be used as an alternative and is more storage stable.[2][3]

Potassium nitrate, aluminum and sulfur [ edit ]

This composition, usually in a ratio of 5 parts potassium nitrate to 3 parts aluminum powder to 2 parts sulfur, is particularly popular with hobbyists. It doesn’t burn very quickly unless exceptionally fine ingredients are used. Although it contains sulphur, it is actually quite strong and will withstand multiple hits with a hammer on a hard surface. Adding 2% of its weight with boric acid is said to significantly increase stability and durability as it is more resistant to moisture from ambient humidity. Other ratios such as 6 KNO 3 /3 Al/2 S and 5 KNO 3 /2 Al/3 S also exist and work. All ratios have similar burn times and strength, although 5 KNO 3 /3 Al/2 S appears to be dominant.

2 KNO 3 + 4 Al + S → K 2 S + N 2 + 2 Al 2 O 3

The composition is about 59 wt% KNO 3 : 31.6 wt% Al: 9.4 wt% S for the reactants of the above stoichiometrically balanced equation.

For best results, German Dark aluminum with suspended sulfur and finely ball ground pure potassium nitrate should be used. The finished mixture should never be ground together in a ball mill.

Aluminum and perchlorate[ edit ]

Aluminum powder and potassium perchlorate are the only two components of the industry standard pyrotechnic flash powder. It offers an excellent balance of stability and power and is the composition used in most commercial exploding fireworks.

a.k.a. A-B mix

The balanced reaction equation is:

3 KClO 4 + 8 Al → 3 KCl + 4 Al 2 O 3

The stoichiometric ratio is 34.2% by mass of aluminum and 65.8% by mass of perchlorate. A ratio of seven parts potassium perchlorate to three parts dark pyroaluminium is the composition used by most pyrotechnicians.

For best results, the aluminum powder should be Dark Pyro grade, with a flake particle shape and particle size less than 10 microns. The KClO 4 should be in powder form, free from lumps. If necessary, it can be sifted through a sieve to remove any lumps before use. The particle size of the perchlorate is not as critical as that of the aluminum component since much less energy is required to decompose the KClO 4 than is required to melt the aluminum to the liquid state required for the reaction.

Although this composition is fairly hardy, it should be handled with care and respect. Hobby pyrotechnicians typically use a method called diapers, in which the materials are poured separately onto a large piece of paper, which is then alternately lifted at each corner to roll the composition over itself and mix the components. Some amateur pyrotechnicians choose to mix the composition by shaking it in a closed paper container, as this is much faster and more effective than swaddling. One method of mixing flash is by placing the components in the final device and manipulating the device will mix the flash powder. Paper/cardboard is preferred over other materials such as plastic due to its favorable triboelectric properties.

Larger quantities should never be mixed in a single batch. Large quantities are not only more difficult to handle safely, but also endanger bystanders in the area. In the event of accidental ignition, debris from a multi-pound flash powder blast can be ejected hundreds of feet with sufficient force to kill or injure. (Note: 3 grams of mixture is enough to explode outdoors with no restrictions other than air pressure.)

Regardless of the amount, care must always be taken to avoid electrostatic discharge or friction during mixing or handling as these can cause accidental ignition.

Magnesium and nitrate[ edit ]

Another flash composition common among amateurs is magnesium powder and potassium nitrate. Other metal nitrates have been used, including barium and strontium nitrates. Compositions using nitrate and magnesium metal have been used as photographic flash powders almost since the invention of photography. Potassium Nitrate/Magnesium Flash Powder should be mixed and used immediately and not stored due to its tendency to self-ignite.

If magnesium is not a very fine powder, it can be passivated with linseed oil or potassium dichromate. The passivated magnesium flash powder is stable and safe to store.

2 KNO 3 + 5 Mg → K 2 O + N 2 + 5 MgO

The composition is 62.5 wt% KNO 3 : 37.5 wt% Mg for the reactants of the above stoichiometrically balanced equation. Below is the same reaction but with barium nitrate.

Ba(NO 3 ) 2 + 5Mg → BaO + N 2 + 5MgO

Reporting mixes differ significantly from lighting mixes. A stoichiometric ratio of three parts KNO 3 to two parts Mg is almost ideal and provides the fastest combustion. The magnesium powder should be less than 200 mesh, although up to 100 mesh will work. The potassium nitrate should be an impalpable dust. This mixture is popular in amateur pyrotechnics because it is insensitive and relatively harmless.

For photographic purposes, mixtures containing magnesium and nitrates are made much more fuel-rich. The excess magnesium is volatilized by the reaction and burns in air, providing additional light. In addition, the higher concentration of fuel results in slower combustion, producing more “puff” and less “bang” when ignited. A 1917 formula specifies 5 parts magnesium to 6 parts barium nitrate for a stoichiometry of nine parts fuel to one part oxidizer.[4] Modern recreations of photographic flash powders may avoid using barium salts due to their toxic nature. A mix of five parts 80 mesh magnesium and one part potassium nitrate gives a good white flash without being too harsh. Fuel-rich flash powders are also used in theatrical flash pots.

Magnesium-based compositions degrade over long periods of time, meaning that the metallic Mg slowly reacts with atmospheric oxygen and moisture. For military pyrotechnics using magnesium fuels, external oxygen can be eliminated by using hermetically sealed canisters. Commercial photographic flash powders are sold as two-part mixes that must be combined immediately before use.

Magnesium and PTFE [ edit ]

A flash composition specifically designed to produce flares that are exceptionally bright in the infrared portion of the spectrum uses a mixture of pyro-grade magnesium and powdered polytetrafluoroethylene. These flares are used as decoys by aircraft that may be subject to fire from heat-seeking missiles.

2n Mg + (C 2 F 4 )) n → 2n MgF 2 (s) + 2n C (s)

Antimony trisulfide and chlorate [ edit ]

This mixture and similar mixtures, sometimes containing pyro-aluminum, have been used for small “Black Cat” style paper crackers since the early 1900’s. Its extremely low cost makes it popular with manufacturers of low-quality fireworks in China. Like all chlorate containing mixtures, it is extremely sensitive to friction, shock and ESD and is considered unsafe in pyrotechnic devices containing more than tens of milligrams of the mixture.

3KClO3 + Sb2S3 → Sb2O3 + 3SO2 + 3KCl

This mixture is not high-energy, and in at least some parts of the United States, fireworks containing 50 mg or less of this mixture are legal as consumer fireworks.

Safety and Handling[ edit ]

Flash powders, even when used as intended, often unleash an explosive force of deadly capacity. Almost all widely used flash powder mixtures are sensitive to shock, friction and electrostatic discharge. For certain mixtures, it is not uncommon for this sensitivity to change spontaneously over time or due to changes in the environment or other unknown factors, either during initial manufacture or during actual storage. Additionally, incidental contaminants such as strong acids or sulfur compounds can sensitize them even more. Because flash powder mixes are so easy to initiate, there may be a high risk of accidental explosions causing serious blast/shrapnel injuries e.g. Blindness, blast amputation, permanent mutilation or disfigurement. deaths have occurred. The various flash powder compositions should therefore not be handled by anyone unfamiliar with their properties or the handling techniques required to maintain safety. Flash powder and flash powder devices pose an exceptionally high risk to children, who typically cannot understand the hazard and are less familiar with safe handling techniques. As a result, children tend to sustain more serious injuries than adults.

Flash powders – particularly those using chlorate – are often very sensitive to friction, heat/flame and static electricity. A spark as little as 0.1-10 millijoules can initiate certain mixtures. Certain formulations known in the underground press contain both sulfur and potassium chlorate. These compounds are particularly sensitive to shock and friction and should be considered unpredictable in many applications. Modern pyrotechnic practices dictate never using sulfur in a mixture containing chlorate salts.

Some flash powder formulations (those that use aluminum powder or fine magnesium powder in the single digit micron range as fuel) can self-lock up and explode in small quantities. This makes handling flash powder dangerous as it can cause severe hearing damage and amputational injuries even in the open air. Self-containment occurs when the mass of the stack provides sufficient inertia to allow high pressure to build up therein as the mixture reacts. This is called “inertial confinement” and should not be confused with a detonation.

Flash powder of any formulation should not be mixed in large quantities by amateur pyrotechnicians. Beginners should start with subgram quantities and avoid making large devices. Flash powder should only be made in the place where it is going to be used. In addition, the mixture should be prepared immediately before use. Mixing may have transportation, storage, use, miscellaneous possession, and illegal “firearms” (including criminal offenses) laws that do not apply to the unmixed or preassembled components.

See also[edit]

question

Does it have to be dark aluminum powder? I took normal aluminum powder because that’s what it says in the ingredients. I’ve followed the rest, it doesn’t burn fast enough, it’s a slow burn that doesn’t explode.