Hello.

I made flash powder and it is very hard to light and it burns pretty slow. I was wondering if there was anything I could add to it to make it easier to light and burn faster. My formula was 4lbs of potassium nitrate, 1lb of 90% sulfur and, 1lb of 625 mesh aluminum.

Potassium nitrate + aluminum don't make a good flash, at least not in my experience. Maybe you should use some Perchlorate instead, but with perchlorate, sulfur should be avoided. You can replace aluminum with magnesium, but my friend had an accident using KNO3 + Mg mix, so be careful!

Maybe it will help, if you grind sulfur and Potassium nitrate. Grind them separately. The finer, the better. It is the most common beginner mistake, that they use chemicals in crystalline form and not grinding them.

Maybe you got the ratio wrong, I can't help you with that, because I am not familiar with "lb" measurement. Do some calculations. If you don't know how to calculate the ratios for yourself, it is not safe for you to mess around with flash compositions or other pyrotechnics.

The first thing I would like to say is WHAT A WASTE!:eek:

Making flash in such large quantities is completely stupid and irresponsible. You should have used small amounts for 2 reasons.

1) So you don’t end up wasting 4 pounds of precious KNO3

2) To avoid serious injury.

If you are going to persist with pyrotechnics I suggest you keep the quantities you make your mixtures in small.

If you are going to add something to your powder I’m assuming your storing it which is also incredibly risky.

Burn it (in small quantities at a time i.e. 5 grams) ASAP, otherwise keep it in a safe area where no damage will be done if it burns, for it has the possibility of spontaneously igniting.

Some people get lucky with posts like this but because you didn’t read the rules you made the following mistakes:

1) Your grammar and English is shocking, you could have got away with this if you posted in the water cooler but I think you’re on your way to getting banned AKA HED.

2) You asked a question on your first post.

I have no doubt that you’re going to be in trouble with the mods.

c.tech- You're correct on the grammar and "first post, asks question" issures.

However, that mix has little chance of spontaneous ignition. And he could use it as a base for a glitter star mix rather than burning it off.

Unless I’m mistaken, I always thought that KNO3 and metal powders become extremely unstable if they develop or contain moisture.

Even if they don’t I wouldn’t want to have 6 pounds of flash around incase something did go wrong.

Hgihkcin, do you have a large property which you could keep it on safely, such as a farm?

BTW, did you mix it in small quantities and have a total of 6 pounds or did you mix it all together?

There are a couple of reasons that could be causing your powder to be of poor quality.
1) Your sulfur and/or KNO3 aren’t ground finely enough.
2) Your sulfur and/or KNO3 are too impure.

A new idea has come to my mind, if you aren’t satisfied with your powder and don’t want to waste your KNO3 you can simply dissolve it in water, filter and boil off the water, although this would make your Al useless if it oxidized.
Would a coffee filter be fine enough to capture 625 mesh aluminum?

Coffee filters are generally in the 40- 50 micron range.

The mixture in question could be salvaged several ways; Aforementioned star mix, various pyro effects, rocket fuel, and others, I'm sure. I think it's called UTFSE.

Hgihkcin, check out: totse.com. They're a fabulous source of just the kind of info you're looking for. Do it now.

I mixed it in smaller quantites like 1/8th of a pound at a time total which is somewhere around 20 grams.

I have visited totse.com, I'm a member there, and I'm just inexperienced with this kind of thing. This is the first time I have tried explosive related things.

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Given the shitty grammar you were using, and that I corrected, I'd say that TOTSE is the only place you'll ever be able to post at in the future, unless somone invents an anti-k3wL vaccine. :p

i mixed it in smaller quantites like 1/8th of a pound at a time total which is somewhere around 20 grams
Apologies for before I thought you mixed it all together at one time, my mistake.

i have visited totse.com, im a member there
Who would have guessed? :rolleyes:

im just inexperienced with this kind of thing this is the first time i have tried explosive related things
If your new always make sure you find safety information and know what you’re doing. You don’t want to end up like Phone. Have a read and see what happens to inexperienced people when they get too confident, learn from others mistakes, that’s probably the reason I’ve never been injured. http://www.roguesci.org/theforum/water-cooler/2311-storing-acetone-peroxide.html

[QUOTE=Hgihkcin]i mixed it in smaller quantites like 1/8th of a pound at a time total which is somewhere around 20 grams

I just hope to God that you're better at something else- ANYTHING else- that this. You need to rethink the whole "flash powder" deal, and start with mud pies.

I don't believe anybody would mix a 56.7g batch w/o trying it first, before making another, and another, till you have mixed it all. Tell the truth- you threw it all together at one time, didn't ya?

At least you didn't use KCLO3...

Well, this has been entertaining, in a painful sort of way. I'd say, "see you later!", but somehow I doubt that it's in the cards.

Hgihkcin, Surely the Gods are smiling on you this day! That you've not been turned into Mod-fodder thus far, and in the interest of fair play, I should tell you this: RUN, don't walk, to the (relative) safety of the Water Cooler!

You've broken every pertinent rule that our good Hosts have provided. The rules are there as well as at the end of any post of nbk. Read them. Follow them. Or suffer the consequences. I just hope that I've not queered myself in this (probably) hopeless attempt at rescuing your sorry ass.

Now when you say you made small amounts of flash before, was the source of the chemicals the same? I would say the most likely reason is mixing. You need to mix thouroughly. It will take a lot longer for 6 pounds to be mixed than it would for 1/8 of a pound. Be careful.

i did make smaller quantites and they worked they were easy to light and burnt semi fast but then when i i made it all it was almost imposivle to light and still burnt kinda slow, i think i just got bad alumminum because the potassium nitrate and sulfur made really good black powder
What was your source of Al?
Are you sure when you made a big batch you didn’t go half assed about it and slack off on how fine it was ground?

Hgihkcin, Surely the Gods are smiling on you this day! That you've not been turned into Mod-fodder thus far
Don’t worry, its still to come and will be amusing to watch ;).

Hello.

I made flash powder and it is very hard to light and it burns pretty slow. I was wondering if there was anything I could add to it to make it easier to light and burn faster. My formula was 4lbs of potassium nitrate, 1lb of 90% sulfur and, 1lb of 625 mesh aluminum.

First off, while I AM new, please God NBK Ban him... Why?? WHO IN THE HELL MIXES 1LB of ANYTHING when it's their first try??

If you had done it with more potent oxidizers Hgihkcin, you would have been killed, I belive that 110%.

And as for the question, the 625 mesh you got off PKUnlimited on e-bay (guessing here, but it's the ONLY 625 I can find worldwide) IS CRAP.

Great for sparklers, and stars, nothing more...

Yeah man, it's a damn good thing you chose the improper mix...I too doubt your life would have prevailed, had you mixed with a more potent oxidizer.

I cringe mixing 25g of flash anymore, let alone 6lbs. :eek:

Please, for the sake of you and those around you, never think of mixing such large quantities of flash. That amount would literally level an average home. Mix per device. Wear Static Guard too.

The guy with the serial number name:

You will probably find your chances of surviving at the E&W forum will be greately increased if you be clear about what chemicals you are working with. Example: "potass"

There are several factors which determine flash powder potency even if you have good aluminum, if your oxidizer is crap, so will your flash mix be. You might be trying to say something different than what I got out of your question, but it is hard to tell due to your inability to spell, use grammar, or put any thought into your sentances.

I mixed it in smaller quantites like 1/8th of a pound at a time total which is somewhere around 20 grams.

Only if you believe 56.6990463g is "somewhere around 20 grams". :confused:

You tried to make 6 lb (about 2722 grams). If you made 56.7 grams at a time that is 48 batches. If you made it 20g at a time then it's 136 batches. That must have taken you a long time. Surprising that you did not think to test the first batch to make sure it worked before making 47 more... :rolleyes:

It seems pretty likely that you did do it in one huge batch.

When I make flash (Perc/Flake Al) I only do it in 2g batches now. I used to do it in up to 6g batches but decided it would do too much damage to myself if it did go off. I can't really put in to words what I feel about you trying to make 2,700 grams of flash in a single batch.

I hope you do reach adulthood, but it's not looking good. Try not to take anyone else with you. :(

I was just skimming through and I found this thread (I don't really like to post in the pyrotechnic forum) but I just had to say...WTF? 6 pounds of flash powder made in one batch!!! 10 grams or less for me! Waaaayyyy too dangerous!!! Also, If you are using this formula, I would add an addition of boric acid to prevent the nitrate and metal powder from reacting.

6lbs!!!!!! I'd stick to about 6 GRAMS or less.Hgihkcin you will most likely kill yourself in the near future if you continue to produce any pyrotechnic composition on that scale.I agree with others that if he had mixed the proper mix he would have been dead,leveled his workshop and probably caused considerable damage to other peoples property as well as his own.

There are some KNO3 flash mixes out there though I've personally never tried them. Boric acid is recommended because of spontaneous ignition.
USE
Regardless, you either need to do some serious reading involving pyro or you are are going to wind up dead. Don't think it can't happen.
PARAGRAPH
I was working with a dual oxidizer flash (KClO3&KClO4) and had unplanned detonation. Very scary. I was working with a couple grms. I'm still here.
BREAKS
Read. Read. Read. Knowledge and safety are the only things that will save you. Luck has nothing to do with it.
NBK

6lbs!?!?!? :eek: *shakes head* Anyway azeotrope22, a good KNO3 mix to try is:
47 parts Mg, 24 parts KNO3, 22 parts sulphur and 6 parts Sr(NO3)2 (strontium nitrate).
Becareful with this one, its quite sensitive!

Instead of Sulphur try with Charcoal for safety, they burn hotter by the way.

I was working with a couple grms. I'm still here.

I hate to be so anal about this, but unless you were working with Germans or germs, or maybe gremlins, the abbreviation for gram is "g". Or "G", I'm told.

...the abbreviation for gram is "g". Or "G", I'm told... It is always a small "g"!

(I love to be anal! :D )

I don't know about that. I had thought the same, only to be corrected from above.

But you can't go wrong with "g".

More at Chemistry Discourse>Other Explosives> comparing AP and HMTD, posts 18, 19, 20 and 22.

For all the other noobies out there, at least try to read a thread through before posting so you don't end up posting somthig that's already been stated to nausea.

Besides I believe that by 4lbs, 1lb, 1lb it's just a weight ratio that's represented and not necessarily a 6lb batch.

As for nitrate based powders 5 parts KNO3, 3 parts sulfur, 2 parts aluminum
(all parts by weight) is a fairly common one I've heard of. It works realitively but requires more containment than perchlorate flash. For this mix you can premill the KNO3 and sulfur and then diaper in the aluminum.

This page has some good info on this recipie, and the site some good pyro info in general. www.vk2zay.net/composition.php?id=19
in the rest of the site