5 replies to this topic

[MDH]

Hi guys,

I'm out of time in regards to making batches of D1.

I would like (love) a great glitter formula that could help me create some basic gold or silver glitter stars without too much hassle, which use meal powder as a base. I would probably press it in tubes.

Thanks.

-MDH

[Bonny]

Hi guys,

I'm out of time in regards to making batches of D1.

I would like (love) a great glitter formula that could help me create some basic gold or silver glitter stars without too much hassle, which use meal powder as a base. I would probably press it in tubes.

Thanks.

-MDH

You could use meal powder and simply add more charcoal or Al/Ti/MgAl...

[seymour]

A great silver glitter gerb formula (Robert Winokur) is:
Potassium nitrate 55
Sulphur 10
Charcoal 10
Aluminium 10
Barium nitrate 5
Barium carbonate 5
Iron oxide 5

You could make a similar composition by adding extras to meal, for example:

Meal 70
Aluminium 10
Sulphur 5
Barium nitrate 5
Barium carbonate 5
Iron oxide 5


You could do what I have just done to pretty much any glitter comp, replace The potassium nitrate, the charcoal and some of the sulphur with meal, and add extra sulphur to approximately match the glitter. Then add the Aluminium and the delay/drossing agents. So long as you have suitable Aluminium you can modify the composition a fair bit and still get the glittering effect.

I usually press an increment of glitter fountain, or star composition above, or even as the choke, and then press/ram BP into the rest of the tube. That way I can get a good volume and height of glitter while not compromising the quality of the glitter by trying to make it burn fast and cleanly enough to not fill the tube with dross.

[Mumbles]

Most glitters started out as simply meal + additives. The main secret is extra sulfur. It is by far the most important component. Often added as either sulfur powder, or antimony type mixes.

Lancaster Yellow
Meal Powder 70
Sodium Oxalate 10
Antimony Trisulfide, Chinese needle 8
Aluminum, atom, spher, 120-325 mesh, 20 micron 7
Dextrin 5


Tremalon - Jerry Taylor

Meal Powder 24
Antimony Trisulfide, Chinese needle 4.5
Aluminum, atom, spher, 120-325 mesh, 20 micron 3
Dextrin 2.25
Strontium Carbonate 1.5
Sodium Oxalate 1.5

Degn #11

Meal - 25
Antimony Trisulfide - 3
Aluminum bright flake - 3
Dextrin - 1


Degn #10
Meal - 25
Antimony Trisulfide - 3
Aluminum bright flake - 3
Sodium Oxalate - 4
Dextrin - 1

[Pyro-pal]

I witnessed an effect recently at a fireworks display that could be described as a dense cloud of rapid gold flashes. The glitter was very clean and bright with no charcoal debris and the shape of flashes was perfectly round.
I surmised the formula was Meal powder based because of how clean it burned.

Could this type of effect be from one of the formulas posted from you’re list?

[seymour]

Banga, I have moved our conversation here as we were getting away from the topic of flash powder. Sorry MDH for Hijacking your thread...

Oh, given that you think using non aqueous binder is an extreme safety precaution, would it be possible to use a KNO3 S Al C mix to make stars? with dextrin as a binder + boric acid?

Yes, absolutely.

Another thing you can try is to add sodium bicarbonate you will get golden flashes instead of silver sparks in the stars tail.

The formula is as follows:


D1 Glitter

Potassium nitrate 53
Sulphur 18
Charcoal (airfloat) 11
Aluminium (-325 mesh, spherical) 7
Sodium bicarbonate 7
Dextrin 4


Your Aluminium should be a fine replacement for -325 mesh spherical. You will notice that Boric acid is not in the formula. You should be fine leaving it out. I personally would replace the Dextrin with Gum Arabic as it produces harder stars which seem less affected by moisture than the former, though if you only have dextrin, it should serve you fine.

Edited by seymour, 16 July 2008 - 11:19 AM.