84 replies to this topic

[pyrotechnist]

My personal taste is natural onion contains more nitrate.

You have to peel the skin and use the dry skin and grind it into a fine powder like i stated before.

Edited by pyrotechnist, 17 January 2006 - 12:50 AM.

[Richard H]

Why on earth are you using onion powder? What do you hope to achieve by using it?

Never heard something so bizarre in my entire life.

[pyrotechnist]

Why is it bizarre if it works? and why do you allways lecture me when i post lately? i have done nothing wrong but merly show what i have found, would you say the same if you found out potassium nitrate for the first time and someone came on and said oh thats crap and useless what on earth would we do with it? no.

Edit: ban me increase my warning has you wish for this post but i am merly stating the truth to what i see in front of me and i have a right to speak.

Also this is natural onion skin and it has some weird effects to what i have found when it burns and is good when mixed with potassium nitrate and soon i am doing another test on this to see how it reacts.

Edited by pyrotechnist, 17 January 2006 - 12:54 PM.

[Richard H]

There's no need for that attitude, so change it.

I was / I am genuinely curious. I doubt it makes a very good fuel, or a colouring agent. Why bother grindiing onions up all day when you can use charcoal or natural gums and resins?

[pyrotechnist]

Well the way you say somethings to me in posts lately sound like your getting at me for something i do not know about. Have i done something wrong?

Well it burns bright ones fully lit and release bright sparks. Try it and see but since i don' have a ball mill it took me ages due to i used a motor and pestle so it took me an hour to get a pint of fine dust that wasn't fine enougth.

And for your last question because it is messy grinding charcoal and this dosn't release alot of smoke like charcoal does. Also it won't be sensitive to other chemicals .

Edited by pyrotechnist, 17 January 2006 - 02:03 PM.

[fishy1]

Well the way you say somethings to me in posts lately sound like your getting at me for something i do not know about. Have i done something wrong?

Well it burns bright ones fully lit and release bright sparks. Try it and see but since i don' have a ball mill it took me ages due to i used a motor and pestle so it took me an hour to get a pint of fine dust that wasn't fine enougth.

And for your last question because it is messy grinding charcoal and this dosn't release alot of smoke like charcoal does. Also it won't be sensitive to other chemicals .

it MIGHT be sensitive to other chems, i think onions contain sulphur(they give off SO2 when cut i think), which COULD react with chlorates.

[pyrotechnist]

Aint fully sure yet but it is working and has some weird effect at times on the burning it like makes the flame go bright white. Also it crackles but i am going to make another batch of it and test it out.

Edited by pyrotechnist, 17 January 2006 - 07:06 PM.

[adamw]

Strange indeed! A bit whacky too!

You can get onion powder ('granules') from the spice / flavouring section of supermarkets. Don't know what's in them exactly but they are OK for cooking (just dried onion I suppose).

Maybe you should test with different varieties.

Now to perfect my blue whistling glitter oregano star...

[pyrotechnist]

Lol will do mate, since i hate grinding onion skin it takes for ever for a little pint of it.

[adamw]

Note that the outcome may be very different with the onion 'flesh'. The skin will be very different.

[Richard H]

I am still not convinced. With a ball mill, charcoal can be reduced to any required mesh size with very little mess providing care is taken and the egress of said product is conducted outdoors.

There are no compatibility problems relating to charcoal that I am aware of, perhaps with the exception of the cocoa type blackpowders.

I much prefer my onions in a salad or a nice French onion soup! Much less hard work too!

[pyrotechnist]

Hahahahaha lol i agree but if it works then why not try it. I love to try new methods never stick to one style or method progress on my friend. So that is primeraly why i am doing these tests lol but even though it seems weird onion skin acts like a chemical and in fact is very weird in qualities while burning i am yet to make a start of it and for onion flesh that may be very good to since it can contain more nutrients.

Edit: it seems to me that onions contain some magnesium since the burning is bright white on some areas but when combined burns brightly so this gives me a suspision.

Edited by pyrotechnist, 17 January 2006 - 09:02 PM.

[F?bio]

I've got to experiment this stuff...
Anyway, you guys are talking about what does onion contains. I've looked at a program that i have called USDA SR18, that is a database with the nutrients and minerals of all foods.

It has onion in many forms but the one that it is important is onion powder.

For 100g:
Sugars 36 g
Calcium 363 mg
Magnesium 122mg
Phosphorous 340mg
Potassium 943 mg
Sodium 54 mg

hope that this helps to understand how onion reacts!

[pyrotechnist]

I see why onion burns brightly now with the magnesium content but that is showing onion powder may be different in skin but looks cool plenty of stuff to play with thanks man.

[lord_dranack]

I have to admit I too have dabbled in similar things:
A few months ago I did some experiments with nitre, charcoal and various spices mixed, to see whether the smoke would smell nice.

As to the onion I doubt the magnesium in the onion will cause the white flashes, for it will be in compounds not native.

I didn't realise onions had so much potassium in!