11 replies to this topic

[bogsulphur]

I have been experimenting with a potassium nitrate/sugar mix for a while and trying different ratios and adding different chemicals. We all know it works best melted, and I have tried adding sulphur, iron oxide, coal, carbon, potassium permanganate and some others. Does anyone know THE best ratio of chemicals and/or additives to put in?
Cheers

[spawned]

What effect are you looking for smoke or a rocket fuel or what?

[bogsulphur]

I am primarily concerned with creating as much smoke as possible as fast as possible - I find that by adding iron oxide and charcoal and sulphur this is achievable - but was wondering if anyone knew a really good recipe or how to create some wierd effects, like funny colours or something.

[paul]

5/5/2 Sugar/KNO3/Stearin works best. Mix the first two chems, (powder them seperately first) and melt the wax. Put it away from the heat surce and stir in the mix. This works well and there is no risk of ignition or something like that. The mix isn?t hotter than 110?C..

You can use this crumbly stuff losely packed in paper cardriges... Works well.

http://www.freepgs.c..._100g/smoke.htm

The first pic is 100g of a very similar mix. Its comparable to the 5/5/2 mixture!

The second is 300g Kn/So. This produces the smoke in a much shorter period of time.

Edited by paul, 29 September 2004 - 04:41 PM.

[bogsulphur]

will that mixture work if the sugar is melted, paul?

[marker227]

yes. I did it. It gets really sticky though. Use a good container to hold it and get a few popsicale sticks to. It hardens like concrete.

[paul]

Then you have to powder the smokemix (Kn/Su) again. Otherwise you can?t mix it well enough with the wax!

Simply mix Kn and Sugar (both powdered before) and you?re fine. It?s even better to use not a too fast smokemix for this purpose.

[alany]

Don't put potassium permanganate in it! That forms a very unstable mixture, before I new any better I crushed a small amount of such a mixture in a mortar and it ignited. It also ignites spontaneously, or if it gets wet, which is almost certian as sugar is so hygroscopic!

Edited by alany, 01 October 2004 - 12:00 PM.

[bogsulphur]

If you make up a batch of just KNO3 / sugar and melt it, then when it is solid, break it up into fine pieces, then put it in an envelope (as in postage) and light it, it all goes up at once and produces a very impressive cloud.

[neo]

Just wondering... I have made some but I'm using sodium nitrate, I just wonder how big the diffrens is? Sodium nitrate formula is: NaNO3 and potassium nitrate is KNO3 and it is an oxider so it's only the oxygen you?re after right? So, it shouldn?t be any differs, but that?s what I think...

[bogsulphur]

Also, apart from the hygroscopic part, sodium is less reactive than potassium (lower in the electrochemical series) so potassium nitrate is more reactive than sodium nitrate.