5 replies to this topic

[burrelly]

Where is the best place in the UK to purchace chemicals ?

Burrelly

[Richard H]

Basically that question can't be answered. (Although monty python explained it rather well). There are lot's of small sources.

All the usual places...online garden supplies, ceramic supplies, model shops, lab suppliers, etc etc.

Also pyro suppliers, e.g. Skylighter and Firefox in the USA.

Also helps to have lots of contacts in the pyro world

[Phoenix]

alany said:

Sources for Sodium Oxalate might be hardware stores, often they carry oxalic acid which can be neutralised with Sodium Carbonate. It is also often available from photographic and pottery supply stores. Barium Carbonate should be available from pottery supply stores, that's where I get mine. If you have nitric acid you can make it into Barium Nitrate fairly easily. Antimony Trisulfide and Realgar are more difficult to find, not that I really want to fool around with Realgar much.

I have found a couple of easy sources of barium and strontium carbonate and copper oxide (ceramics), I just haven't got around to buying any yet. I haven?t seen oxalic acid in any hardware stores I have been in, but I haven?t looked for it specifically.

I don't have nitric acid, but barium nitrate's toxicity scares me rather (at least the carbonate is less likely to be absorbed through skin), so I don't really need any.

I feel the same about realgar, not that I stand any chance of getting it anyway.

Finally, antimony sulphide. I doubt I could get this directly, but I can get antimony oxide from ceramics suppliers. I think this could be reduced with carbon, as antimony sulphide is used in a flare composition in "Das Feurwerkbuch," written in about 1400, and medieval alchemists often used metallic antimony, and they can't have made it elecrolytically. I've searched google for a reactiity series that has antimony in, but with no luck. Has anyone tried this before, or does anyone know for sure if it would/wouldn't work. Antimony oxide is quite expensive, so I'd like to know before I buy a load and find it's useless.

Edited by Phoenix, 04 January 2004 - 01:04 PM.

[alany]

Indeed, I get my Strontium, Barium, Calcium and Potassium Carbonates, and my Copper Oxide and Carbonate from a pottery supply store. I also get Sodium Silicate solution from there. You can get fireclay, bentonite, grog, etc too, but I still just use cat litter for my plug/nozzle material.

They carry many metal oxides (and Cryolite too come to think of it), I'd never considered preparing Antimony Trisulfide from the Oxide, that's a good idea! I've seen elemental Antimony as -100 mesh powder come up on eBay a few times, in 1kg quantities, but I've always lost the auction. :-(

AFAIK Antimony was first isolated by heating stibnite with Iron, but I can't see why reducing the oxide with carbon wouldn't work, it is right next to Bismuth, Lead, Tin, Arsenic, etc.

[Phoenix]

Good, Good

I've looked for sodium silicate in all the chemists/grocers/hardware stores near me with no luck (yes, I did ask for waterglass and egg preserver), although actually the chemists said they could order it for me but they wanted something totally insane like ?10.00 for 200ml. I tried fireproofing tubes by adding a little clay powder to the paste, but it didn't really work.

I would like to put in a big order with a ceramic site for colouring metal compounds, antimony oxide and waterglass, but have as yet not found one that carries them all, and I'm too tight to pay for shipping and handling on two seperate orders, but I guess I might just have to.

[BigG]

alany said:



I have found a couple of easy sources of barium and strontium carbonate and copper oxide (ceramics), I just haven't got around to buying any yet. I haven?t seen oxalic acid in any hardware stores I have been in, but I haven?t looked for it specifically.

I don't have nitric acid, but barium nitrate's toxicity scares me rather (at least the carbonate is less likely to be absorbed through skin), so I don't really need any.

I feel the same about realgar, not that I stand any chance of getting it anyway.

Finally, antimony sulphide. I doubt I could get this directly, but I can get antimony oxide from ceramics suppliers. I think this could be reduced with carbon, as antimony sulphide is used in a flare composition in "Das Feurwerkbuch," written in about 1400, and medieval alchemists often used metallic antimony, and they can't have made it elecrolytically. I've searched google for a reactiity series that has antimony in, but with no luck. Has anyone tried this before, or does anyone know for sure if it would/wouldn't work. Antimony oxide is quite expensive, so I'd like to know before I buy a load and find it's useless.

Note that the antimony (III) sulphide used in fireworks is mainly the crushed rock stibnite and not a chemically made one. Antimony metal can also be used and can be bought from http://www.theantimonyman.com/

BigG