flashpower
06-28-2013, 01:54 AM
I made account a while back, heard of PT after seeing displayfireworks1 on youtube a year back. This is 1st post, haven't read much here, did see flash topics at a quick glance, hope I can both share experiment data and see other opinions/experience results without making it easy for 'kewls'- the uninterested in knowing chem principals or non exploding experiments, to learn and improve.
I like making flash explode; been since age 12, but viewing fireworks hasn't given a similar thrill like I remember it used to setting off 1.4G stuff. Its been a few summers since I had any (have to go to Ohio since no pyro license. No bottle rocket buying for me; haven't bothered trying a license though, besides my CWP. I hope I keep my patience making fireworks and that my low artistic ability doesn't make it frustrating and not worth the time. Kind of obligated myself with recent color-related chems though, so I'm here mainly for this and likely questions I'll have.
Need one more order, and in honor of this site and all of Dave's great vids I'll try to go with skylighter
Parlon&redgum or replacements that most recipes I checked needed, Ti sponge, could use more of the BP 3, slowest fuse i can get which so far is strobe fuse, raw materials like tubes, plastic mortars... all on tight budget.
Joined here soon after finding a video in a search of displayfireworks1. I subbed immediately after: http://youtu.be/WQxJg_GwreU (Dave's coverage of a 1980s explosion killing many.), which I recommend if you haven't watched twice. It helped me further respect , add some hesitation.
I've done sensitivity testing, 'invented' a really nice flash/strobing mix involving gallium; if anyone interested may post details when relevant.
controverial opinions:
I no longer believe in some of the CYA-type warnings about flash mixng, especially involving static, but realize we don't know who reads what we type or how young they are. I think giving good fact based reasons for caution go further than blanket 'don't' statements, which in many of the kewl type probably encourages them to do it to prove them 'clever' or whatever selfish psychology drives them. Most 'don't do' are 'be very careful' to me after reading another forum a while. A common 70/30 type mix, to me, seems more dangerous in open 'diaper' mix, with fine particles building up in the air, in my humble opinion and short experience. Not to say the standard folding method is unsafe, but a closed cardboard tube rolled around slow (like poster holder) will keep those finest floating particles in the mix and out of lungs/open flame some kid neglected.
I replaced my shooting guns with fireworks, but like both..just not up for ammo expense. who i never met. use Google earth to find/ ride quad to/ nice rural areas, focused on lower elevation than surroundings, and furthest from houses (and avoiding houses in same valley).
I have chemistry experience, (college minor), it does me well in safe handling and respect, but still rely on recipes and ingredients to be listed, other than the easy flash where experiment (and govt paid documents testing such) is only data source; theory too complex with some mixes. I do like the theories of what happens chemically in fireworks (its "just" electrons moving), but also cool to know that even simple flash has many variables-chain of events at a nanosecond-microsecond scale; for example does oxidizer react with any cellulose in endcaps/plug? The 3 ingredient ones with sugar or sulfur aren't hard to make calculated guesses at but what about nitrogenI started out balancing equations for flash before ever making it, but got discouraged when I read a KClO4 purity test which was low, so 70/30 partly makes up for this.
Hope it wasn't boring, hope a skim gave some talking point to later discuss, this was done over 2 tries n don't have energy to edit now, but like to "discuss" even if for now its typing thoughts out to myself! My friends aren't into pyro so I rarely share much socially, they just like the basic enjoyment of lighting them.
I like making flash explode; been since age 12, but viewing fireworks hasn't given a similar thrill like I remember it used to setting off 1.4G stuff. Its been a few summers since I had any (have to go to Ohio since no pyro license. No bottle rocket buying for me; haven't bothered trying a license though, besides my CWP. I hope I keep my patience making fireworks and that my low artistic ability doesn't make it frustrating and not worth the time. Kind of obligated myself with recent color-related chems though, so I'm here mainly for this and likely questions I'll have.
Need one more order, and in honor of this site and all of Dave's great vids I'll try to go with skylighter
Parlon&redgum or replacements that most recipes I checked needed, Ti sponge, could use more of the BP 3, slowest fuse i can get which so far is strobe fuse, raw materials like tubes, plastic mortars... all on tight budget.
Joined here soon after finding a video in a search of displayfireworks1. I subbed immediately after: http://youtu.be/WQxJg_GwreU (Dave's coverage of a 1980s explosion killing many.), which I recommend if you haven't watched twice. It helped me further respect , add some hesitation.
I've done sensitivity testing, 'invented' a really nice flash/strobing mix involving gallium; if anyone interested may post details when relevant.
controverial opinions:
I no longer believe in some of the CYA-type warnings about flash mixng, especially involving static, but realize we don't know who reads what we type or how young they are. I think giving good fact based reasons for caution go further than blanket 'don't' statements, which in many of the kewl type probably encourages them to do it to prove them 'clever' or whatever selfish psychology drives them. Most 'don't do' are 'be very careful' to me after reading another forum a while. A common 70/30 type mix, to me, seems more dangerous in open 'diaper' mix, with fine particles building up in the air, in my humble opinion and short experience. Not to say the standard folding method is unsafe, but a closed cardboard tube rolled around slow (like poster holder) will keep those finest floating particles in the mix and out of lungs/open flame some kid neglected.
I replaced my shooting guns with fireworks, but like both..just not up for ammo expense. who i never met. use Google earth to find/ ride quad to/ nice rural areas, focused on lower elevation than surroundings, and furthest from houses (and avoiding houses in same valley).
I have chemistry experience, (college minor), it does me well in safe handling and respect, but still rely on recipes and ingredients to be listed, other than the easy flash where experiment (and govt paid documents testing such) is only data source; theory too complex with some mixes. I do like the theories of what happens chemically in fireworks (its "just" electrons moving), but also cool to know that even simple flash has many variables-chain of events at a nanosecond-microsecond scale; for example does oxidizer react with any cellulose in endcaps/plug? The 3 ingredient ones with sugar or sulfur aren't hard to make calculated guesses at but what about nitrogenI started out balancing equations for flash before ever making it, but got discouraged when I read a KClO4 purity test which was low, so 70/30 partly makes up for this.
Hope it wasn't boring, hope a skim gave some talking point to later discuss, this was done over 2 tries n don't have energy to edit now, but like to "discuss" even if for now its typing thoughts out to myself! My friends aren't into pyro so I rarely share much socially, they just like the basic enjoyment of lighting them.