32 replies to this topic

[The Messiah]

Hi I'm also starting out in pyro , are there any good magazines/websites/books etc with basic info and "how-to-do" stuff like smokes/bp/stars so I can build up my knowledge and get experience?

[PyroNitrate]

Heres a few.

http://www.unitednuc.../experindex.htm

http://www.geocities.../mini_bielecki/

http://www.angelfire...ech/index1.html

[XtRaVa]

You're gonna burn your face off dude.

[The Messiah]

Cheers pyronitrate, and I'll be as safe as I can XtRaVa

[XtRaVa]

lol I didnt mean you messiah, you should be okay making bp, I meant the guy making flash powder =/

Only messing around anyway

[pokerhelper]

I realise it is Very dangerous to mix your own powder considering the sensitivity of the substance and i am prepared to take that risk. Please tell me a proper way to mix it with good results, the amounts to use and the amount to put in a m80 tube. Thanks for your help.

You put exactly 0. grams in your M-80 tube, to be exact.
I have a suggestion, this forum is about LEGAL fireworks.
You are proposing to implicate us in a felony, for conspiracy to make
illegal explosive devices. (that is exactly what a M-80 is)
You can find "kiddie blow yourself to hell" formulas all over the net...
The quanties of chemicals that you profess to have to make your flash powder mix would equal
a huge charge... Many dynamite sticks in power.
God it scares the hell out of me.
A young person who is no longer living mixed a "couple pounds" of flash powder in K.C. Missouri, not knowing any better. He took out his neighbors too, not just himself.
Many here have suggested that you mix a gram or less, and you can see why in the demonstration that "BigBang" posted as to why this should not be attempted in the first place.
Do you know how much a gram is?
Im not being flippant... Its a very small amount.
In all honesty, I fear for you and what you might do if you were to stumble across a site like totse...
There are forums that deal with high explosives, and while the information is dangerous and should be avioided entirely, some sources are better than others.
Since you will find such sites with little effort, I cannot in good conscience not mention http://www.roguesci.org
My simple question is what cant you accomplish with BP fireworks?
Why do you have to be destructive, and engage in things that are blatantly illegal?

Edited by pokerhelper, 18 October 2006 - 04:49 PM.

[cunning_plan]

flash of any form is somethign i personaly never ever want to go near again. i experiemtned with it in my early days of pyro. alongside a few other stupid mixtures. i've got the scars (and a hole in my iron outdoor table) as proof. though what people here are saying may look to you as over the top these people really really know there stuff and i would strongley advise anyone to stay away from flash until your a lot more experienced.... id probably even stay away from chlorates all together.

listen and learn from these guys and theyl show you a lot... and if you really do wanna do something stupid.just make sure its only you that gets removed from the gene pool eh

[Polar]

Your mad mate that stuff rips through metal like its paper, and can be set off by a static shock.

why exactly did u buy that much?
surely "someone" would notice a purchase like that and investigate??

[pendulum]

pokerhelper replied to this thread which is 3 years old and rekindled it. You won't get any answers from the original poster as he last logged in 2 years ago, so no good asking him questions

[cunning_plan]

lol. i looked at the date but not they year. wonder if this guys alive still

[junglism]

Hello all,
I'm new to safely controlled pyrotechnics, having foolishly spent my childhood and teenage years blowing things up with homemade bangers made from disassembling commercially bought rockets etc. One thing I noticed is that these rockets often contained a grey powder that left a silvery residue on the fingers. It was definitely more powerful than the black powder found in other devices. Out of interest I opened a Midas rocket from Lidl the other day to examine the workings and found the same stuff inside. Would this substance be flash powder? If so then how come it is sold commercially?
Is it true to say you can shake a rocket bought from the shops, even throw it against a wall and it wont go off? What makes this type of powder stable?
I'm not about to go and start my civilised adult pyrotechnics career by making lethal homemade flash powder, but the stuff found in those rockets does seem more appealing than black powder. I wonder if one of you could enlighten me on how this commercially sold substance seems so much more stable than the flash powder from hell that is discussed on these pages?
Thank you for your wisdom!

[Richard H]

The standard compositions are generally chemically stable, Although the Chinese use cheaper grades of Aluminium which are not quite as powerful as European counterparts.

All flash powders demand respect and good housekeeping when working with them. Friction, impact, and of course static electricity are all things that should be avoided at all costs. If you are a beginner you are advised to stay well away from working with them.

[BigG]

Hello all,
I'm new to safely controlled pyrotechnics, having foolishly spent my childhood and teenage years blowing things up with homemade bangers made from disassembling commercially bought rockets etc. One thing I noticed is that these rockets often contained a grey powder that left a silvery residue on the fingers. It was definitely more powerful than the black powder found in other devices. Out of interest I opened a Midas rocket from Lidl the other day to examine the workings and found the same stuff inside. Would this substance be flash powder? If so then how come it is sold commercially?
Is it true to say you can shake a rocket bought from the shops, even throw it against a wall and it wont go off? What makes this type of powder stable?
I'm not about to go and start my civilised adult pyrotechnics career by making lethal homemade flash powder, but the stuff found in those rockets does seem more appealing than black powder. I wonder if one of you could enlighten me on how this commercially sold substance seems so much more stable than the flash powder from hell that is discussed on these pages?
Thank you for your wisdom!

Okay - First, I have no idea which part of a rocket you were looking at. If it was the motor - then it is VERY likely that it WAS black powder. Probably some aluminium or titanium added to create an attractive trail.

Some companies do use all sort of unique compounds to enhance performance, but this is not generally the case, and most of the time they are out of reach for the hobbyist community. In regard to people claiming that “those rockets are more powerful then mine”, well, you will be surprised how much difference charcoal can make. Some companies store more then 50 types of charcoal – and some of those make superior BP to anything you are likely to see. Steve de Luke (hope got his name right) already showed how different materials, pressing power and construction could make Hugh differences in performance.

If you were looking at the header of the rocket – then some of them do use tiny quantity to flash for burst – but a motor will not contain flash. Even well compacted, it is most likely to blow the motor to bit within seconds.

[junglism]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Yes, it was the head of the rocket that I was looking at, sorry to be vague! Inside the head was a plastic bag filled with grey balls and the grey powder. The motor tube was definitely filled with compressed black powder. The grey stuff in the head I'm assuming is flash. There wasnt much of it, like you said its probably required to fling the snapping balls out into the air. The grey powder was extremely fast burning when I tested a tiny amount by burning it on a bit of paper.. quite a snap! Any idea what would be the chemical makeup of this type of flash? If there is a good stabiliser involved then maybe it would reduce the danger slightly if any novices are planning to foolishly make flash? Personally I'm not planning to make pounds of unstable flash from Chlorate, German Alu and Sulphur, I'm just purely interested in the theory behind this remarkable stuff. If it could be made less likely to self detonate then it may be helpful to mention how on this thread, so as to reduce the danger for any crazy kids who go ahead and make the stuff regardless of your advice?

If any novices are planning to make flash then maybe they should watch the video of the container exploding. (see flash video thread) Its like a mini Atom b*mb and if that doesnt put you off, then God help you...
And here is what happens when you hit a small amount with a hammer :

Another question I have is would it be possible to make black powder that disintegrates its cardboard tube like flash does? Would it have a similar report? Any advice on recommended chemicals to use for BP salutes like this? Purely theoretically speaking of course, I'm not planning on jumping in the deep end and try to create a salute that leaves a 6 foot crater! lol (I'm going to start with smoke b*mbs I think.. lol)

I have a feeling that pyro may become a lifelong hobby and I'm planning on learning the right way so thank you for your valued guidance chaps...

[pyromaniac303]

Any idea what would be the chemical makeup of this type of flash?

It was probably 70:30 pottasium perchlorate and aluminium flash. This is safer than the chlorate based flash you mention, which should never be made under any circumstances. You shouldnt mix chlorate and metal powders, as its very unstable, and chlorate with sulphur is even more unstable.

Granulated willow BP will make a reasonable, and far safer report in a thin cardboard casing. A slightly less safe but louder report can be made using whistle (70 potassium perchlorate and 30 sodium benzoate or sodium salicylate) but this is also slightly friction sensitive, though still safer than flash.

Its safer, and more legal just to avoid salutes altogether and start with fountains or lances if you are planning on starting pyrotechnics as a long term hobby.

The balls you mentioned are called stars, you can find 100s of pages on this site about them by searching.