Jump to content


Photo

Crackling Stars


  • Please log in to reply
62 replies to this topic

#1 Stuart

Stuart

    BPS Member

  • General Public Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 664 posts

Posted 28 September 2003 - 08:34 PM

How are crackling stars made or what chems are used to make them?


Stuart

#2 PanMaster

PanMaster

    Member

  • General Public Members
  • PipPip
  • 157 posts

Posted 28 September 2003 - 08:44 PM

rice crispies i think
Where are the matches?

#3 adamw

adamw

    An old Leodensian

  • General Public Members
  • PipPipPipPip
  • 1,297 posts

Posted 28 September 2003 - 09:32 PM

Funny.

;)

Commonly Mg / MgAl, Lead tetraoxide, Bismuth oxide / subcarbonate etc. They arent too easy either...
75 : 15: 10... Enough said!

#4 Rhodri

Rhodri

    One of the gang!

  • General Public Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 486 posts

Posted 29 September 2003 - 07:55 AM

Hey I really like these.

Went to a party on Saturday night - lots of purchased fireworks from "Millenium Fireworks" - anyone heard of these?

Anyway, we hade x1 HUGE crackiling fountain cone - approx. 0.7m in height!

It was big - fantastic golden sparks layered with loud crackling stars. Lasted for around 1 minute 30.

Very cool.

I'd love to me able to make these.
Making light, sound and good conversation.

#5 BurlHorse

BurlHorse

    Burlhorse

  • General Public Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 233 posts

Posted 10 January 2004 - 08:59 PM

How are crackling stars made or what chems are used to make them?


Stuart


Crackling microstars:

____________________Best AFN 3___Best AFN 3____Best AFN 3

Lead tetraoxide____________________70__________81.8

Bismuth trioxide________75

Magnalium, -200 mesh___15__________17.5__________9.1

Black copper oxide______10__________12.5__________9.1

Aluminum,_____________+5__________+5_______________200 mesh atomized

type_________________cut____________cut_________Rolled or cut

solvent:______________10% NC lacq.__10% NC lacq.__10% NC lacq.


Notes: PBO3 is nasty stuff :unsure: , Proper safety gear, (Long sleeves, Respirator, Goggles, etc.) as red lead will go "EVERYWHERE" when you open container or grinder, work outside, you upwind, chemicals downwind. No Eating or drinking until you change clothes and shower. I learned the hard way and have a slight lead level in my blood as the result... :blink: ...Caveat Emptor..... Bismuth trioxide works nearly just as well and is not "As" toxic.

Quick and easy microstars by me......Choose formula. Place ingredients in ziplock bag, Shake rattle and roll until ingredients are well blended ( Purists will be screaming Static, Plastic, Static....(Work on a day that humidity is about 55 to 60 and use static gard spray OK)), now then...dilute N/C Laquer to 10% (Assuming you have 25% stock) concentration, spray in bag and wet comp and knead gently until a putty-like consistency results, reserve some of the dry comp in case you over wet, or just leave bag open and acetone will evap quickly. With gloved hands, remove putty from bag form a ball and gently scrape ball of compound across a window screen mesh size sieve, again, not rocket science here, use what you have, allow putty to drop onto kraft paper through sieve, forming small stars, do not layer, but move sieve around to form a single layer of the small "Stars". If putty comes through sieve in the form of "strings" putty is too wet, just knead some more and it will become the right consistency, go back to screening process. Acetone will evaporate in a day easily, sooner if it's warm out side. These can be placed in fountain comps and will give you some cool effects, to use them as real stars, they will need a prime, straight Meal-D just put some in a suitable bowl, spray micro-stars with 10% N/C Laquer and drop onto Meal-D, give em a shake, spray again give another shake and you should have great layer of prime that will take Fire easily.

Hope that answers your questions Stuart,

Regards, Stay Green,

Bear
There are old pyros, and there are bold pyros, but there are not very many old, bold pyros....

Check Out My E-Bay Auctions !!

#6 pyro4life

pyro4life

    Member

  • General Public Members
  • PipPip
  • 28 posts

Posted 10 January 2004 - 11:54 PM

Had a rocket pack from "Millenium Fireworks" sometime last year. It was cheap and in my opinion the contained some of the best garden rockets I've seen.
Chris

#7 Yugen-biki

Yugen-biki

    Pyro is forever

  • General Public Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 384 posts

Posted 11 January 2004 - 07:37 PM

Why crackling stars? This is the most common effect on the market (here eny way). Leadoxide or bismuthoxide are surely the safest. But they are friction sesitive in the same way like Fe(III)O and Al are. I would never put this in a shell or enything if I would drop it or something! <_<

Edited by Yugen-biki, 12 January 2004 - 11:47 AM.


#8 Pyromaster2003

Pyromaster2003

    Pyro Forum Regular

  • General Public Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 479 posts

Posted 11 January 2004 - 07:56 PM

Just a thought, but does anyone think 30Mg : 70KCLO4 mixed with NC laquer would work for a crackle? I very much doubt this, but the 'red phospourous, sulphur, chlorate' composition posted above got me thinking...

I know that a small pile of Mg:KCLO4 will explode unconfined, in the open in small amounts...

#9 Yugen-biki

Yugen-biki

    Pyro is forever

  • General Public Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 384 posts

Posted 11 January 2004 - 08:15 PM

Shimizu have a formula for crackling balls using realgar, sand and chlorate. The sand is for igniting the comp when throwing the comp, formed to balls, on the ground. 0,05g of this gives a "crack"! This is as dangerous as making the one with red phosphorus I guess!
I have heard crackling star may be made from some comp using BaNO3, Al or Mg and maby chlorate. I dont really remember but if lead and bismuth is hard to get it might be worth testing. But crackling stars are dangerous due to friction and shock problems...
A safer way may be to make a number off small salutes with safer flash comps... Multi salute shell... <_<

#10 bernie

bernie

    Pyro Forum Regular

  • General Public Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 457 posts

Posted 11 January 2004 - 08:38 PM

A competely different effect from crackling micro stars or dragon eggs. Your barkin' up the wrong tree fellas.

#11 Stuart

Stuart

    BPS Member

  • General Public Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 664 posts

Posted 11 January 2004 - 08:58 PM

Lead is easy to obtain. I get mine from a builders merchant. Are there any crackaling forumlas that use lead as it is or ones that use easy to make lead compounds?

Stuart

Edited by Stuart, 11 January 2004 - 09:11 PM.


#12 bernie

bernie

    Pyro Forum Regular

  • General Public Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 457 posts

Posted 11 January 2004 - 09:35 PM

It needs to be the lead or bismuth compounds that Burlhorse has listed.

Products vary but I once wittnessed automobile body putty used in a micro star demo. Red lead I presume. If the lead compounds are difficult to obtain it might be worth some investigation. Bismuth is the way to go.

#13 Stuart

Stuart

    BPS Member

  • General Public Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 664 posts

Posted 11 January 2004 - 09:58 PM

So what do I need to mix with red lead to achive a crackaling effect? I presume red lead can be made by burning lead in air?

Stuart

#14 bernie

bernie

    Pyro Forum Regular

  • General Public Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 457 posts

Posted 11 January 2004 - 10:16 PM

You need to look up at the earlier post by Burlhorse. I ain't to sure how to produce red lead but burning lead in the open air is gonna fall short I think. I've been poking around on the web and there's plenty of info out there. You seem much more chemically inclined than I am Stuart but unless you have lots of time on your hands and enjoy the process I would just try and buy the stuff somewhere. Better yet ......bismuth trioxide.

Some excerpts from Wagners Chemical Technology (1872)

"Red lead of excellent is largely manufactured near Newcastle-on-Tyne, by carefully heating oxide of lead in a reverberatory furnace expressly built for that purpose, the access of air being limited so as to prevent the fusion of that portion of the oxide which cannot be converted into minium. "

"sulphate of lead is heated with Chili saltpeter, and after the mass has been exhausted with water the red lead is left, while sulfate and nitrate of soda are dissolved."

Edited by bernie, 11 January 2004 - 10:34 PM.


#15 tajmiester

tajmiester

    Member

  • General Public Members
  • PipPip
  • 137 posts

Posted 11 January 2004 - 10:23 PM

If I remember correctly I think you can somehow electrolise it... Not sure though!

EDITED 12/01/03 9:09AM:
Oh actually I think I was thinking of making iron oxide quickly for use in thermolite.

I found this on good old dictionary.com though:

A poisonous bright red powder, Pb3O4, used in paints, glass, pottery, and packing for pipe joints.


So you might be able to get it from potterycrafts, thats where I get my strontium and barium carbonates... (They don't have their entire catalogue online though)

Tris ;)

Edited by tajmiester, 12 January 2004 - 09:19 AM.





0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users