46 replies to this topic

[hewettn]

OK if i was making my own willow charoal would you leave the bark on or strip the bark off and cook it?

Nigel

[phildunford]

you need to strip the bark off.

Good stuff about making your own charcoal at http://www.wecreate4...l/charcoal.html

[smpip]

If you want Charcoal that has nothing added, everything taken away go to B&Q, they sell "Locally produced charcoal" you will not be able to buy any comercial softwood charcoal, it makes the food taste weird, (yes I do remember Richard that we ain't BBQing) :duh:

[PanMaster]

not true, , in fact there is commercial willow charcoal used for artists, its very expensive at ?4 for a small box of less than hundred gms

[Gor]

"Good stuff about making your own charcoal at [url="http://www.wecreate4u.net/dwilliams/charcoal/charcoal.html""]http://www.wecreate4u.net/dwilliams/charco...coal.html"[/url]

I don't understand this at all. Surely the holes in the bottom would cause it all to burn up. Personally I won't pay ?4 a box even to draw with the stuff let alone to burn it. I use any old tin can and punch a smal hole in the top I put it on an old gas ring (outdoors), and come back 2 hours later. Its perfect (for drawing with anyway).
Like everything in life you get out what you put in, and good fresh clean willow peels easily and makes the most even charcoal.

If you don't know where to find willow - find a river!!!

[StarScream]

A simple source of Sulfur is ?yellow dusting sulfur? that can be bought in most mid-large size garden centres. This is 95% Sulfur and 5% manganese or calcium carbonate. While this might effect colour in connection with high temperature composition (those containing parchlorates.) ? for most it will do fine.

Forgive my ignorance folks but is dusting sulphur and elemental sulphur fertilizer the same thing? My local garden centre carries 2 sulphur products:

1) 300g cans of "Garden Sulphur" for about $5 but the purity is only 92%. I don't know what colour it is.

2) 2kg bags of "Elemental Sulphur Fertilizer" for about $3 and 95% pure. The colour is not light yellow, more of a tan colour, and it is granulated. I think that this might be the stuff BigG is talking about above, but I just want to make sure before I try using it for BP.

Does anyone know if this stuff will be ok for BP?

[StarScream]

I don't understand this at all. Surely the holes in the bottom would cause it all to burn up.

Gor: The holes are in the bottom of the cooker... NOT the retort container.

[missileman]

hi people.
just wondering if anyone could help me? 
im trying my best to make pyrotechnics but its hard when i have to improvise some things. i can make rockets and fountains etc no problem, but these are now getting a bit boring since all that comes out on the rockets is some orange sparks and the same for the fountains. firecrackers are about the only pyrotechnics im making at the moment since the rockets and fountains have become boring, plus its fun watching things blowing up.
could some experienced pyro PLEASE inform me where they get the chemicals and supplies which i havn't got, iv got potassium nitrate, sulphur, dodgy sodium chlorate, charcoal, aluminium powder(tiranti)......errrr thats it. iv tried plaster of paris as a nozzel mix put it burns and has ruined a lot of my rockets:(.oh...iv got ammonium nitrate aswel...i hear its becoming popular in rocket compositions?red gum, parlon, pyro aluminium, pure potassium perchlorate, acetone, tubes and basic things like them and ANY chemicals or equipment which can be useful pyrotechnics.

Look in ebay laboratory equipment and you will see kclo4 and kclo3 on sale at realistic starting prices

[Phoenix]

Forgive my ignorance folks but is dusting sulphur and elemental sulphur fertilizer the same thing? My local garden centre carries 2 sulphur products:

1) 300g cans of "Garden Sulphur" for about $5 but the purity is only 92%. I don't know what colour it is.

2) 2kg bags of "Elemental Sulphur Fertilizer" for about $3 and 95% pure. The colour is not light yellow, more of a tan colour, and it is granulated. I think that this might be the stuff BigG is talking about above, but I just want to make sure before I try using it for BP.

Does anyone know if this stuff will be ok for BP?

Either will probably be fine for BP. I'd go with the latter, a) because it's cheaper, and b) because it's slightly purer. None of the sulphur I've ever used (prilled and "chips" of varius brands) has ever been yellow, rather biege or greeny. It all worked fine though.

Edited by Phoenix, 19 October 2004 - 04:41 PM.

[boris_73]

do www.timstar.co.uk sell chemicals to the public because they sell eg KNO3 there for about ?3.00 for 500g, where i pay ?9.50 for 500g all there chemicals are very cheap compared to what i have seen

Edited by boris_73, 01 November 2004 - 11:51 AM.

[al69]

Well here are the few pyro supplies that i know.

www.inoxia.co.uk they sell a lot of chems, and containers as well as craft paper milling media (ceramic) and chemical containers. They are based in the uk but i think they ship to europe. I'm sure most of you know this company anyway. They dont sell a lot of oxidisers though.

www.labpakchemicals.co.uk They sell a lot of chems including soem oxidisers such as KNO3 and KMnO4 etc. but the prices are a bit steep. (They are based in the UK by the way).

www.pyrocreations.com Based in America but if you live in the UK like me, not a bad source of paper tubing. And a good range too. (Just email them for a shipping quote). Shame they dont ship visco tho. Although i managed to persuade them to do it for me, dont tell them i told you, or else they wont sell me anything else .

www.pyrotube.com Based in America but theyll ship worldwide for $5. All they currently sell is 1/4"ID, 3/8"OD, 1/16" wall, 2" long tubes, but in january he is planning to start selling some 3/4 ID tubes.


www.gardendirect.co.uk most people already know this company they sell KNO3, sulphur, NH4NO3, KMnO4 and some other chems people might find useful.

Edited by al69, 20 December 2004 - 08:18 PM.

[Yugen-biki]

I don't what to start another topic for just this Q. So I'II post it here.


What metal creates a blue flame other then Cu? Is it cobolt or what was it? I know someone posted something about this before in this forum, but now I can't seem to find it.

Thanks!

Edited by Yugen-biki, 20 December 2004 - 09:27 PM.

[Creepin_pyro]

Mabye there should be a thread for random questions like this....

Anyway, I think you are looking for Caesium

Just found this page. Some songs about the stuff

Edited by Creepin_pyro, 20 December 2004 - 11:47 PM.

[al69]

I think zinc burns with a blue flame, but i may be wrong . Zn/S flash burns with a blue green flash and zinc on its own burns blue.

[Yugen-biki]

Thanks for the info.

I was thinking of something like Caesium-carbonate instead of Cu-carbonate in stars...