Skarphedin

hi i have just finished my first batch of black powder i have quite a lot and it seems to burn fairly fast,i also iave some paper tubes and end caps aswell as a length of visco fuse so my question is. if i put it altogther fill that make a fire cracker or something like a fountain?

Black match is a good second step. It will familiarize you with binders and it is required for many other devices.
Save the visco for later. When you have sucessfully made black match you can create a fountain or small triangle banger.
Seach for paloma, polumna or triangle salute and you will find all info you need. 0.5 or 1 gram good black powder is enough for
a small banger.

Hi All;

I seem to be finding contradicting informtion from numerous sources on ball milling star compositions as to whether it is safe or not.

Is it based on particular comps that are more sensitive to shock?

In reviewing the some comps such as Tiger Tail and Willow stars I don't see much of an issue, but then ones like D1 Glitter with Al and KNO3 I wasn't sure.

Can anyone help clarify?

From a safety perspective; never mill metal powders at all.

In my exeperience charcoal streamers like Tiger Tail and Willow requires extensive milling to perform good, and to avoid smoldering sparks falling all the way to the ground. (but others may have different experiences). Almost all other star compostions such as glitters is best screened. Make sure all your individual chemicals are quite fine and screen together. For D1 glitter I first mill charcoal alone and potassium nitrate alone. Then screen togheter will the other chemicals that are alredy fine.

I made a few 4oz rockets for new years eve. This is the best one:

http://pyrotechnics....l_ballshell.avi

Also on YouTube:

I use passfire 4oz bp rocket fuel. Ignition with quickmatch and a bit of visco fuse in the end.
The header is a 1.75" ball shell with 3/8" pumped tiger tail stars, bp on grass seeds and 0.3 gram slow nitrate flash for break. Hemispheres made of newspaper and pasted with 6 layers of thin recycled kraftpaper.

I have a few areas I want to improve: a slightly harder break and a slower burning delay above the core of the rocket. Now I have only used rocket fuel, but I want to try a slower burning composition to get a small delay before the shell bursts.

Do you have any other suggestions for improvement?

Hello!

So i was thinking of placeing an order from KeteN´s Chemicals. http://www.keten.org.pl/

I have read the previous posts about him, but they are old by now. So, what do you guys think about him? Is it worth it?

I ordered from Keten in september. Shipping was quite slow. I don't remember exactly, but I think I received the package after 3 or 4 weeks.
The chemicals was packed in quite rigid plastic bottles, wrapped with newspaper, and placed tightly in a cardboard box with more newspaper that finally was wrapped with several layers of thin plastic and tape.

I have not tested any of the chemicals yet so I cannot comment on quality or if it even is the correct chemicals (but density and colour seems right). Overall I'm satisfied with Keten based on my single order.

I would just like to add that yes it is legal to make 100g of bp without a licence it is rather dangerous. Storing bp is very risky due to accidental ignition or its quality deteriating. I do advise all who are considering this that they think again!

BP does NOT detoriate quickly. I have recently used BP that was stored about 50 years (used in a muzzleloader shotgun by my grandfather). It was stored in the paper tubes from the manufacturer (100 gram packages) in a shed with temperatures probably in the range -30 to +30 degrees celcius over the years and with variable humidity.

BP is also very stable. Just keep it away from sparks, flames, areas with lots of static electricity. Store it in a lightweight container made of paper, cardboard, plastic bags (some think it is a static risk), or lightweight metal containers designed for bp storage. Do NOT use glass, thick walled metal, heavy plastic. It is also a good idea to store it in a non inhabitated building where children and no one but you have access.
You may have problems with insurance in case of a fire if you store BP in your home (not to mention the risks of those that try to stop the fire).