44 replies to this topic

[Richard H]

Thats a bit naughty. Hope your parcels dont get intercepted by customs :-)

[Pyromaster2003]

im sure they wont:), i should be getting a parcel any time now with some chems from US in;).

[Richard H]

Yeah, and they might be delivered by a man in a flack jacket with a Heckler & Koch MP5A3

[Pyromaster2003]

hehe maybe, maybe. will not no till it arrives next week. if i aint on for 3 days in a row, something is seriously rong:) and rich was right. but maybe not, everything could run smoothly and il be set up:D

[bernie]

That might just be what it is. Good luck though.

[Pyromaster2003]

what, set up as in its actualy police im talking to and not 'warren'?i think i no this guy pretty well now and he seems a real nice guy. he e-mailed me from my site and asked if it was possible to make flash powder in USA. so i e-mailed back telling him the details and then a few weeks later he offered to send me some of what he got and anything else i needed from over there.

[bernie]

Is that Mr. Honco has a valid point. Possibilities must be considered. In the US the FBI and other enforcement agencies are online doing what they can to try and keep grown men from taking advantage of young girls that are just goofing around online. I don't think that it is too much of a leap to think that similar things are being done on other fronts as well.
I am not saying that you are being set up. I believe that Richard H was just trying to make you aware of a possibility. I just thought it was worth consideration. In my humble opinion, pyrotechnic type chemicals should be available to at least some degree. This forum demonstrates that a heck of a lot of folks have a real keen interest in fireworks. The majority of the members seem to have a good working knowledge of chemistry. Personally, I think it really sucks that any one with at least a degree of common sense can not obtain some basic things. A lot of potential talent seems to be wasted.
As I step down off my soapbox......I am amazed by all the things that are being accomplished in spite of this.
Seems to me that colored fire compositions have only been around for a hundred years or more. That did not keep pyrotechnics from advancing in all those years prior to some of the higher temperature oxidizers.
Master the basic stuff first. Ask yourself a few simple questions. Can you reproduce this or that consistantly? Do you know how many seconds your favorite BP based driver will burn? What happens when you add 4 - 6 % of some steel filings to it? Do you loose thrust because of nozzle erosion when you add metal effects. Did you measure the oriface of the nozzle after this experiment and write it down?
The grass is always greener on the other side.

[Pyromaster2003]

yes, i did consider the fact that just maybe this guy could be a cop so i asked him a few questions, watched how he typed and just seen what knowledge he new and how eager he was to get my address and send me chems.

i have been able to produce the same BP over and over but with blisters on my hands from grinding in pestel and mortar*will soon be changed with my ball mill:).i can produce the same rockets everytime now aswel and i am trying i new technique in adding payloads. i thinks its time for me to move on to green coloured cut stars in stead of orang/silver ones.

[bernie]

I have no intention what so ever to insult anyone on this forum. Ever. I came on here a month or so ago and pestered the heck out of at least one or two people. I'm sure Mr Johnson positively believes deep in his heart that I am a complete turd. I can live with that. My sole purpose is to have pyro talk w/ guys from the UK and help when I think I can be of some assistance. I will always welcome correction from any of the guys on this site.
I would like to point out that there are REALLY GREAT fireworkers that have been making rockets for years upon years. Some travel thousands of miles just to compete against other ROCKET MEN of their stature. I would be willing to bet you that every single one still gets a lump in his throat when he/she passes a flame across the fuse.
No disrespect intended to those fine ROCKET MEN that do not get a lump.

Nuff said.

[Steve]

Wow, lots and lots of posts!
Can't really be bothered to read them all but thought i should bring up it is not always best to have basic conditions. It depends on the composition. For example a mix of barium nitrate and aluminium suggests adding Boric acid as a buffer to keep pH out of basic which could cause heating.
Always think of what the situation is and don't assume alkali is better than acid.

Steve

[bernie]

I know a fellow that had a serious problem when a alum. comp turned hot on him. It happens REAL fast. He noticed it getting warm and went to throw it in a manner as to broadcast it and before he knew it he was burnt up and spent a considerable amount of in the hospital. Skin grafts,etc. Morphine does not make burns stop hurting. Five years later he says it still hurts at times.

[Rhodri]

I don't want to elaborate on this conversation from Bernie, but being the curious - what happened?

Did he use too fine an Al with a + an oxidizer?

You can get pure, small mesh Al to heat quite well if you simply get it moist with anything that delivers a little H+ .....let alone Cl substitued hydros.

H is evolved. The heat produced is quite considerable.....

[Edited on 13-6-2003 by Rhodri]

[bernie]

I could dig up the formula if I wanted but the point is that he got himself burned. He did a no no and it went bad. I was just following along with the boric acid buffer. Wheather this would have helped him I do not know.

[Rhodri]

Yeah, best leave it. Poor guy - it myst be every pyro's nightmnare.....

Richard informed me that you can use citric acid as a substitute to boric acid.

[Richard H]

Originally posted by Rhodri
Richard informed me that you can use citric acid as a substitute to boric acid.

Don't quote me on that, but I reckon that it should work. They are both relatively weak acids. Maybe a molar comparison between the two would help when judging how much to add.

Anyone know the PH of boric and citric acids respectively?