35 replies to this topic

[adamw]

Doesn't the stump remover also have all sorts of crap in it? Check the purity of the KNO3 content, otherwise it might be a waste of time. If it has insoluble matter in it, you could always dissolve it all in hot water, filter the crud out and then recrystalise the liquid.

[delta_echo]

Doesn't the stump remover also have all sorts of crap in it? Check the purity of the KNO3 content, otherwise it might be a waste of time. If it has insoluble matter in it, you could always dissolve it all in hot water, filter the crud out and then recrystalise the liquid.

In my early days I would use "Grant's stump remover" as a source of KNO3. I do not know of its purity, but I would guess in the 95% range. It worked fine for smokes and stars. That being said, if you have a better source to obtain KN03, you're much better off. The product comes in prills, which means it must be milled down to be usuable. I also have never seen it cheaper than $8 US a pound.

[Plays with Fire]

I just got a cloud of thick smoke all at once by confining the mixture (powdered sugar + KNO3) in a fairly weak paper tube so the smoke couldn't escape until the mix had almost finish buring (?). I'm new to this hobby, and I think confinement can be bad in some mixes, so don't try until maybe one you oh-so-nice experienced pyros gives input, but it was pretty cool.

Also, Has anyone compared the results (smoke volume, etc.) of melting table sugar and KNO3, to the results of dry mixing powdered (confectionary) sugar and KNO3? Please, do tell...

Edited by Plays with Fire, 09 February 2006 - 01:31 AM.

[Karl]

I just got a cloud of thick smoke all at once by confining the mixture (powdered sugar + KNO3) in a fairly weak paper tube so the smoke couldn't escape until the mix had almost finish buring (?). I'm new to this hobby, and I think confinement can be bad in some mixes, so don't try until maybe one you oh-so-nice experienced pyros gives input, but it was pretty cool.

Also, Has anyone compared the results (smoke volume, etc.) of melting table sugar and KNO3, to the results of dry mixing powdered (confectionary) sugar and KNO3? Please, do tell...

Yeah I also found that confining the mixture somtimes makes the smoke alot weaker. Using normal Sugar rather than cane sugar is also a big advantage.

The melted comp vs dry mixed has a huge difference, the melted comp burns longer and produces quite abit more smoke.

[jcow]

I used to make sodium chlorate smokes and fuses(i know it is hydroscopic and dangerous, but it was the only oxidiser i could get my hands on). when made correctly they would burn very fast and leave only very small amount of black residue. if you use the shop bought chlorate weedkiller, half of it is sodium chloride which is a fire retardant and leaves large amounts of white residue. the chlorate can be sieved out using your kitchen sieve (the chloride crystals are smaller than the chlorate). doing this will vastly improve the quality of the smokes.

beware though, kitchen towell soaked in saturated chlorate solution will burn very fast when dry and is a very dangerous way to make smokes. stick to making the KNO3 smokes.

Edited by jcow, 15 March 2006 - 05:52 PM.

[pyromaniac303]

I also used to use sodium chlorate weedkiller when I was first getting started with pyrotechnics (and hadn't got access to better chemicals, hadn't even got the internet then). I used to mix it with caster sugar and powder small amounts of chlorate in my mortar and pestle(but seperately, not with the sugar mixed in yet as it is friction sensitive) . I also added charcoal sometimes too.

A good way of purifying the chlorate is by heating water to around 80 degrees C, and adding until no more dissolves, stir it well and allow to cool. Some crystals will be deposited in the bottom. I cant remember which one was the chlorate, but obviously one was more soluble than the other. To figure this out filter out the crystals and put them to one side, then evaporate all the water from the solution to give more crystals, then keep the two seperate and mix up 2 test batches of powder, using 50/50 chlorate and sugar. Use equal sized tubes and the one with the most concentrated chlorate will be the one with the fastest burn rate.
(and make sure that they are the exact same weight and density or your results will be useless)

This was only an idea, but I wouldnt recommend using any chlorates if you are just getting started, theyre hygroscopic and much more dangerous than nitrates. It might cost you maybe a few ?'s more but KNO3 is much safer. You can buy small amounts from sausage making sites if you just want a tiny sample to compare to other stuff, they use it as a meat preservative.

Another fuel source is glucose powder, I got mine from safeway before it closed down, its sold as an energy supplement, it still produces a good volume of smoke and mine was in a finer powdered form than normal granulated sugar.

Edited by pyromaniac303, 26 March 2006 - 07:19 PM.