Aluminum grades?

[Arclight]

I need to procure about 5lbs of fine Aluminum as an additive for pyrotechnic rock breaking. The spec calls for 5-50 micron particle size. Can anyone recommend something economical?

The very smallest "dark" Aluminum is flaked and the larger particles are atomized, correct? Does anyone have a spec for the "blue Aluminum" that also seems to be sold for pyro? I don't think "smaller is better" in this case, as I don't need the finished product to behave like flash.

Thanks!

Arclight

[displayfireworks1]

I never heard of aluminum for pyrotechnic rock breaking. I'm going remember that term when the police show up. What oxidizer are you using?

[Arclight]

I never heard of aluminum for pyrotechnic rock breaking. I'm going remember that term when the police show up. What oxidizer are you using?


There are actually a couple of different effects available. Deflagrating compounds usually contain smokeless powder, AN and sometimes other fuels. They have to be contained in the bottom of a borehole and completely confined to have any effect. When ignited unconfined, they just burn. When fully confined, they can build up 100K psi and crack the rock at it's weak points. These are pretty safe and don't generate a lot of fly rock.

The true "binary explosive" compounds require no containment, are much more violent, and actually break the rock under tension, as the shockwave moves out and back.

The nice thing about the "pyrotechnic cartridge" designation is that they can ship as class 1.4.
Here is one of the commercial types:
https://www.royexsystem.com/rock-breaking-cartridges.html

[displayfireworks1]

Arclight , I forgot about your expertise in this blasting business. When I ask him about what oxidizer he was using , it was sort of test question to see if he was going to say Potassium Perchlorate. As far as I remember aluminum and the nitrates are not a good mixture and develop heat. Is fine micron aluminum used to blast rock?
On a side note , when I first became deeper into pyrotechnics I was invited to a party where someone in the blasting business made these salutes with ammonium nitrate in a empty 2 liter soda bottle and a blasting cap. I was in shock how deep and loud it was. I remember it being wet looking. They also sent a 5 inch one in the air and I thought they blew a hole in the sky. LOL Further, they had these commercially made bags with labels on them hanging from stick about 4 feet in the air . The bags were wet looking and gravity was pulling them to look elongated. I was told they were old and he was disposing of them. This was a yearly party in rural Pennsylvania. I remember I called them Ammonium Nitrate salutes, they corrected me and said to use the term AN Salute. LOL For some reason that was the last year for that party.

[Arclight]

Wow, that sounds like a party! The AN used in blasting is in prills, and not a fine powder. It is considered stable when mixed into a slurry of oil, AL, and other fuels.
Because of the "wet" ingredients, shelf life is definitely a problem. You really don't keep most of these materials in storage more than a year or two. Especially dynamite. It can become dangerous.



Arclight , I forgot about your expertise in this blasting business. When I ask him about what oxidizer he was using , it was sort of test question to see if he was going to say Potassium Perchlorate. As far as I remember aluminum and the nitrates are not a good mixture and develop heat. Is fine micron aluminum used to blast rock?
On a side note , when I first became deeper into pyrotechnics I was invited to a party where someone in the blasting business made these salutes with ammonium nitrate in a empty 2 liter soda bottle and a blasting cap. I was in shock how deep and loud it was. I remember it being wet looking. They also sent a 5 inch one in the air and I thought they blew a hole in the sky. LOL Further, they had these commercially made bags with labels on them hanging from stick about 4 feet in the air . The bags were wet looking and gravity was pulling them to look elongated. I was told they were old and he was disposing of them. This was a yearly party in rural Pennsylvania. I remember I called them Ammonium Nitrate salutes, they corrected me and said to use the term AN Salute. LOL For some reason that was the last year for that party.

[Fire Art]

The Indian Black we sell is 3 micron and is used for similar purposes by some blasting companies that I am aware of. Unfortunately we only sell it bulk in 110 lb drums. There is a company in Cali that sells aluminum powder, I don't think they are an advertiser so I won't mention the name openly. PM me if you wish.

Al

[displayfireworks1]

Who is good at math and ppw calculations? If I buy that 110 lbs of black aluminum and make one big firecracker at 70/30 ppw. How much potassium perclorate. Will I need to purchase? Also who sells the silver tube and end plugs. Tube must be spiral wound, I want to stay safe. Lol

[Arclight]

Who is good at math and ppw calculations? If I buy that 110 lbs of black aluminum and make one big firecracker at 70/30 ppw. How much potassium perclorate. Will I need to purchase? Also who sells the silver tube and end plugs. Tube must be spiral wound, I want to stay safe. Lol

I would also like to know how many cases of duct tape are needed.

[PyroKing31]

Who is good at math and ppw calculations? If I buy that 110 lbs of black aluminum and make one big firecracker at 70/30 ppw. How much potassium perclorate. Will I need to purchase? Also who sells the silver tube and end plugs. Tube must be spiral wound, I want to stay safe. Lol

About a 1/4 mile of fuse as well.

[RalphieJ]

Who is good at math and ppw calculations? If I buy that 110 lbs of black aluminum and make one big firecracker at 70/30 ppw. How much potassium perclorate. Will I need to purchase? Also who sells the silver tube and end plugs. Tube must be spiral wound, I want to stay safe. Lol

256 lbs of perc will be needed. Would need a really big tarp to diaper mix it as well.

[displayfireworks1]

Is the total flash now 366 lbs. ?? We are going further with this into Grams and Milligram. But first we need to determine the total pounds on the flash using that 110 lbs drum in one mixture. Off the top my head I believe 90 lbs. of Black Aluminum will make 300 lbs of flash and require 210 lbs of Per.

[RalphieJ]

Is the total flash now 366 lbs. ?? We are going further with this into Grams and Milligram. But first we need to determine the total pounds on the flash using that 110 lbs drum in one mixture. Off the top my head I believe 90 lbs. of Black Aluminum will make 300 lbs of flash and require 210 lbs of Per.

70% of 366 = 256.2
30% of 366 = 109.8

I found a manufacturer of fiber barrels. the 55 gallon will hold 400 lbs. Let me know if you need the name of the company. LOL!

[displayfireworks1]

Ok here it goes and please double check me on the math.
.
With the average M-80 holding 3 Gram of Flash composition. That should equal 55,266 ..M-80's .
.
Would anyone care to calculate how many 50 mg firecrackers can be made?

[PyroKing31]

Math is not my strongest subject but 1 pound equals 453 grams. Break it down into milligrams. 453592 milligrams in one pound. One pound of flash would make 90,718 50mg firecrackers.

400 pounds of flash would make

36,287,360,000 50MG firecrackers.

[PyroKing31]

Math is not my strongest subject but 1 pound equals 453 grams. Break it down into milligrams. 453592 milligrams in one pound. One pound of flash would make 90,718 50mg firecrackers.

400 pounds of flash would make

36,287,360,000 50MG firecrackers.

Right so its early and I did micrograms instead of miligrams for the conversion. Woops.

Here is the correction.

20X 50mg crackers per 1 gram. 453 grams per pound. 9,060 crackers per pound of flash.

3,624,000 crackers for 400 pounds of flash.

[displayfireworks1]

I went to a few websites to price out the chemicals for this theoretical project. To my surprise it appears the cost of fireworks chemicals has dropped over the years. I came up with an average. Of course buying in that volume we would receive further discounts. I used just the basic cost per pound listed.
Potassium Perchlorate at $8.00 per pound
Indian Black at $11.00 per pound

256 x 8 + 110 x 11.00 = $3258.00 in chemical cost.
.
Question : How much is the cost of the typical 3 Grams of powder in a M-80?

[PyroKing31]

.
Question : How much is the cost of the typical 3 Grams of powder in a M-80?

Just gotta do the math. $19 dollars a pound. 453 grams per pound. .0041 cents per gram. Avg 3 grams per M-80. Cost of powder charge. 0.123 Cents

[RalphieJ]

Just gotta do the math. $19 dollars a pound. 453 grams per pound. .0041 cents per gram. Avg 3 grams per M-80. Cost of powder charge. 0.123 Cents

Precisely the reason the Mob in the Northeast was involved in bootleg manufacture '70's-'90's after the CPSC ban. Huge profit margins........

[Rick_In_Tampa]

So you'd make $9,060 if you sold the firecrackers for $0.25 for a pack of 100. Roughly a $5800 profit!

[RalphieJ]

So you'd make $9,060 if you sold the firecrackers for $0.25 for a pack of 100. Roughly a $5800 profit!

Hold on Rick. The last time that I purchased bootleg M-80's they were $100 a gross (the least I ever paid was $75). I bought from a middleman, who purchased by the 35-gallon plastic garbage pail for less, but $100 was even the going price direct for a single purchase of anything less than 10-gross box. Standing next to a 35-gallon bucket full of M-80's in some guy's garage gives you the heebie-jeebies let me tell you. Whew!

[RalphieJ]

Hold on Rick. The last time that I purchased bootleg M-80's they were $100 a gross (the least I ever paid was $75). I bought from a middleman, who purchased by the 35-gallon plastic garbage pail for less, but $100 was even the going price direct for a single purchase of anything less than 10-gross box. Standing next to a 35-gallon bucket full of M-80's in some guy's garage gives you the heebie-jeebies let me tell you. Whew!

My memory slips....I did business with this guy once, it was too nerve-racking. Subsequent purchases were made from a distributor in Rome NY. 3-4 years from him, then he passed and I quit them, since they were re-classified by the Feds as "explosive devices" and upped the penalties......just not worth it.

[cptnding]

A thought just occurred to me and I don't know the answer. Maybe one of you guys do.
If you have some M-80s that were made before they were outlawed (or even old firecrackers for that matter), are they considered contraband by the government? Seems like they wouldn't be but I honestly don't know.

[displayfireworks1]

The PGI Bulletin used to have a section called ask the ATF a question. Someone ask a similar question. According to the ATF. ANY firecracker with over 50 mg need to be stored in a magazine. Thus, all of those old Chinese firecrackers included should be stored in a magazine. It is for that very reason that a big collector will not do a video with me. The ATF does not recognize vintage fireworks as exempt. It was after that answer in the PGI Bulletin I sent a message to the PGI and ask them to stop asking the ATF any more dumb-ass questions. That Ask The ATF page eventually disappeared.