115 replies to this topic

[adamw]

It will work. But you won't for much longer

[seymour]

Have I done something wrong? I am sorry. Just delete It and please dont hurt me!... you can do that cant you? And also can you explain what I have done wrong because I dont know. But please Dont kick me out because whatever I have done was a mistake and I like this pace.

Now I am in shame

[alany]

Read the MSDS link that Richard H posted.

Toluene is fairly toxic, relatively small amounts can cause short term effects like loss of hearing and colour vision (!) just by inhalation. Larger amounts make you dizzy and feel sick, you eventually pass out in a pool of your own vomit while it permanently damages your brain and kidneys. It also has a nasty habit of damaging fetal brains if the mother is exposed to relatively small amounts.

The most common exposure comes from paint thinners and rubber cements, there are strict laws about work related exposure (200 ppm in air IIRC) because it is so nasty. Inhalation is the biggest danger, but it can also soak right through your skin like many solvents.

It is still debated over if it causes cancer, best to avoid exposure to it.

[mrpyromx]

for decent fireballs, it has been posted cremora and BP work wonders. use a 1:4 ratio by weight for your fireballs. 1 part BP and 4 parts cremora (cheap powdered creamer also works). poke a hole in the side of the tube, place your fuse inside, next add 1 part BP on top of the bp place a thin disk now add your 4 parts of creamora, now add a small wad of tissue ontop but dont compact the powder. light and run. make sure you have a video camara ready to capture this . Now remember to start small and work your way up. once you perfect this you will know by the cool ring it leaves lingering in the air.

[seymour]

I am sorry, I had no idea that toluene is a highly toxic substance. I have not used or thought about using toulene for anything, nor was I atempting to recomend its use. I had just heard that it makes good fireballs and was asking if this was true. and if there wer any reasons to avoid it because I thought that you ( people on this forum) would know.
I now see that toluene has no use in pyrotechnics. highly toxic for one and "avoid contact with oxidisers, oxygen and moisture" would ruin its pyrotechnic potential even if it was non-toxic.
Am i forgiven?

[RegimentalPyro]

Am I forgiven?

Absolutely.

Asking for safety information before trying something is always going to earn you kudos in my book. Likewise learning what to avoid is as valuable as learning correct pyro procedures....

[SwissTony]

for decent fireballs, it has been posted cremora and BP work wonders.

I am tempted to try this as it seems the easiest method.
Whats the smallest size tube you can use.
I have a a tube with an internal diameter of 17mm with 3.5mm walls and about 65mm in length.
Just wanted to make a small one to start with to test.
Is this tube going to be to small?

Cheers
Swiss T

[Creepin_pyro]

You can make them even smaller than that

Not sure how small you can go, but I've seen 10mm ones function perfectly.

Lycopodium is a good choice for micro-fireballs. I don't like creamola, and liquid fuelled ones can leave flames on the ground, then there's the complications of loading a liquid into a tube which needs to stay dry......... Sprinklings of Titanium make a great addition to dry-fuelled fireballs

[Sprengman]

Fireballs are very simple.

For a modelairshow I shot hundreds of fireballs.

My method:

I use a 3" Motar wich is 6" long and stands on a wooden plate (6"x6"). In these motars I put 5g potassiumnitrate/magenesium-flash (1:1) wich is contained in some layers aluminiumfoil. Over this came a freezer bag full off Gasoline. It contains so much Gasoline that it was flush with the border of the motar. Closing the freezer bag is optional.

Here you can see such a fireball in action.

Here you see a motar i used.

Edited by Sprengman, 07 January 2005 - 04:00 PM.

[adamw]

It will work. But you won't for much longer

This was not a threat. It was a way of saying 'Tolulene will not do your body any good'

Sorry if you got the wrong impression.

[warrenizer88]

sprengman, im just wondering why you use flash for fireballs. ive found that black powder works well enough, and is much cheaper. atleast where i am



warren

[seymour]

QUOTE
It will work. But you won't for much longer
This was not a threat. It was a way of saying 'Tolulene will not do your body any good'
Sorry if you got the wrong impression.

I did get the wrong impression but thats my fault, not yours. Dont worry, now that I know what toluene does I am glad that I have never used it.( and never will, at least not until I am in a plastic bubble. nasty stuff)

I know this guy in the movie industry and he told me about this fireball they made. Basicly they got a length of pvc pipe, full of petrol and wraped it in cordite. They lit the cordite and a wall of fire randomly erupted across the shotover river. I think to make the movie more interesting some nutter flew through the flames in the shotover jet. The shotover jet is an adventure ride in queenstown where you are put in a boat that goes about 200kph straight at cliffs doing 360? spins ant turning away a metre from the cliff, all in 3 inches of water! Surely some of you know about the shotover jet... maybe the australians?

[seymour]

But please don't do this!!!
It's teribly dangerous. leave it to the profesionals, and if thats you...um...er. just don't do It unless you know it works, from a source other than me!

[Sprengman]

Yes, Blackpowder will also work, but the flash is better because it burns hotter and smelts the aluminiumfoil into extremly hot burning white sparks wich will ignit the gasoline perfektly.

Shooting over hundred fireballs I never had an fireball that didn?t work.

[adamw]

I'm sure you mean primacord ('detcord') not cordite heh. That was a name for 'smokeless powder' (ie propellent in small arms)