90% sulfur? Newbie here

[SemperFish]

A readily available and cheap source of sulfur for me is Fungicide/insecticide sulfur dust at the blue and the orange big hardware stores.
HOWEVER: it is 90% pure with 10% "inert" ingredients. Presumably anti-caking agents.
Should I compensate for the lower purity by increasing the amount I might add to a recipe? Or am I being too "gnats azz" about it?
Thanks

[Arles]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGfBEnBw01A

[SemperFish]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGfBEnBw01A
OK....bad idea....no explanation? Just a link to a video that says "bad idea" a hundred times?
WHY is it a bad idea?

[displayfireworks1]

At SemperFish. If my memory serves me correctly you told us you are 61 years old. Don't buy Walmart chemicals to make fireworks. While I would like to see more making fireworks activity here on pyrotalk forums, we can not do a ground up education on making fireworks. I suggest you join a site run by a person experienced in making fireworks. He runs a website that does not cost much to join. Here is link.
.
https://fireworking.com/
.
.

You also need to commit a budget to the hobby.

[Okimarine]

In black powder the purity of each ingredient will directly reflect how fast the powder burns. If you have the best homemade charcoal (type of wood makes a difference), 99.something % pure potassium nitate, my guess is that your 90% it would still burn fine but not as fast as most enthusiasts prefer. If you use lower quality on all ingredients, it may still burn but the performance would be greatly degraded and unusable in fireworks production.

There are many varibles to consider. I use Tree-of-Heaven for my homemade charcoal, not the best but good and I have an abundant supply. I use 99% pure potassium nitrate and sulfer. How long you mill the BP mix makes a difference. I grind the charcoal in a hand grider then ball mill the mix for about 4 hours. Adding dextrin to granulate slows it down some.

I use my homemade powder as a lift charge for gas mines. 40 grams with a pinch of titanium powder works great in 6" tubes. Im getting ready to start testing a couple 10" tubes to determine how much is needed.

There are several charts availible online that tests performance of different types of charcoal used in BP mixtures. Google "best charcoal for homemade Black Powder." Its a interested read.

[adultuser]

In black powder the purity of each ingredient will directly reflect how fast the powder burns. If you have the best homemade charcoal (type of wood makes a difference), 99.something % pure potassium nitate, my guess is that your 90% it would still burn fine but not as fast as most enthusiasts prefer. If you use lower quality on all ingredients, it may still burn but the performance would be greatly degraded and unusable in fireworks production.

There are many varibles to consider. I use Tree-of-Heaven for my homemade charcoal, not the best but good and I have an abundant supply. I use 99% pure potassium nitrate and sulfer. How long you mill the BP mix makes a difference. I grind the charcoal in a hand grider then ball mill the mix for about 4 hours. Adding dextrin to granulate slows it down some.

I use my homemade powder as a lift charge for gas mines. 40 grams with a pinch of titanium powder works great in 6" tubes. Im getting ready to start testing a couple 10" tubes to determine how much is needed.

There are several charts availible online that tests performance of different types of charcoal used in BP mixtures. Google "best charcoal for homemade Black Powder." Its a interested read.

Very informative Oki. Thanks. I do have a question though.
Have you ever tried Goex black powder for lift charges? If so, how does it work? Fine or course grain?
Thanks again.

[Okimarine]

I have not tried any commercial black powder for fireworks. The blackpowder I've made has solely been used for gas mines but I use alot less than the instructions on Dave's video http://www.pyrotalk.com/fireworks-at...-club-2019.php 9min 16 seconds has a price/ quantity breakdown. For example, i use 40 grams in 6 inch gas mines and 130-140 grams in 12 inch. Without going back to watch again, I think the formula he uses calls for 18 oz black powder in 12 inch which comes to 510 grams. About triple what I use of the homemade black powder.

I have read alot on manufacturing and have purchased tubes, tools, hydraulic press, and much more but haven't actually got into manufacturing yet so hopefully another member can chime in and help with your question.

[TheSandmanIsMe]

you need to activate the Dextrin in hot water for 15-20 minutes. this will make hard granules. adding dextrin to the powder mix before adding water, will only slow down the BP.

[Arclight]

If you just want to make smoke bombs, it doesn't matter that much. As others have said, you want as close to commercial-quality as possible if you want it to function as a propellant.