18 replies to this topic

[Strobe]

I discovered this weekend that I have a bit of Strontium Chloride. It's used as additive for salt water fish tanks to maintain strontium levels in the water. I dont have it in front of me now but I believe the product name is Turbo Strontium made by Kent. I was wondering if there was anything else I could use it for.

Would it burn red similar to the way Copper Chloride burns green/glue?

I've been experimenting with colored fire recently, though with mixed results. I've gotten some nice green/blue flames by burning Copper Chloride on top of cotton balls soaked in denatured alcohol. I tried isopropyl alcohol but it didnt work quite as well as the denatured alcohol.

[pudi.dk]

I've got a few grams... It's waaaaay too hygroscopic to be used in pyro, composition where it is used will not burn very well if at all.

[Richard H]

Well of course Strontium chloride is responsible for the good strong red flames, but the compound is typically formed in the flame itself. For example many compositions use strontium nitrate in combination with potassium perchlorate (to speed burning) and a metal fuel with a chlorine donor. This aids the formation of the strontium chloride species.

Similarly this technique, with barium salts substituted for the strontium ones are used for green flames.

[Strobe]

I was wondering why it didnt work. I soaked a pinecone in a strontium chloride solution for a few hours, dried it and tried to get a red flame out of it but was unsuccessful. I also tried just applying a butane torch flame to the salt directly without any red color as well.

I noticed a previous post where lithium chloride was listed for red flames along with several other salts for colored flames (copper chloride, sodium chloride). I was wondering why strontium salt was omitted from the list.

I've been looking for a way to make either colored flame candles or perhaps something like an alcohol lamp. Basically something that would burn for a long time at a low tempurature versus something like a lance comp.

Is there any way to convert Strontium chloride to something more useful?

[Creepin_pyro]

HAve you tried making a Methanol flame with it? I use Lithium Chloride for red alcohol flames, but I can't see any reason why Strontium Chloride wouldn't work...

[Strobe]

I havent tried it in an alcohol yet. I have been soaking a few sweet gum tree seeds (similar to pine cones in a way) in a solution of it for about a week and will give one of those a try in the next fews days after drying them out. I'll try some out in denatured alcohol this evening if I get a chance and post the results.

On a side note, is denatured alcohol the same thing as methanol? I've been to the local hardware stores but have seen any product specifically labled as such.

[Strobe]

As a follow up, I tried out the sweet gum seed which had been soaked in Strontium Chloride solution for about two weeks. I dried the seed out and then coated it in as much of the powdered Strontium Chloride as I could followed by dipping the seed in candle wax. It burned well but I really didnt get any red out of it other than when I pointed a butane torch lighter at it. When burning on its own I got a rich orange color.

I didn't get a chance to try disolving some in alcohol and burning it but I suspect I will get similar results. I'm thinking it may require a higher tempurature than alcohol or something like wax and a pine cone would provide since it did produce some red when I put the butane torch lighter to it.

[Thudkaboom]

Hi,

I'm new to the forum. I was looking on the net for recipies in colouring flame/fire and stumbled upon this old thread.

I have recently been messing with Boric Acid disolved in methanol with excellent results for green fire. I am however finding it difficult to obtain strontium chloride so I may try getting the same quality red fire as the green.

Does anyone know of a supplier for strontium chloride and do you know which alcohol it will desolve in ?

Kindest Regards

[dr thrust]

hi, if you look at the first post, there is a source there, turbo strontium, google it

Edited by chris m, 22 May 2008 - 07:19 PM.

[Bonny]

Denatured alcohol is ethanol with some methanol or other stuff added to make it undrinkable, and not taxable as a beverage. see here:
http://en.wikipedia....natured_alcohol


On a side note, is denatured alcohol the same thing as methanol? I've been to the local hardware stores but have seen any product specifically labled as such.
[/quote]

[Pretty green flames]

Denatured alcohol is ethanol with some methanol or other stuff added to make it undrinkable, and not taxable as a beverage. see here:
http://en.wikipedia....natured_alcohol

Heh, something always puzzled me, howcome they add Methanol to Ethanol to make it undrinkable as Ethanol is given to Methanol poisoning victims.

Other than that, two other typical chemicals that added to ethanol are Diethyl phtalate and t-Butanol. Just thought i'd mention.

[Arthur Brown]

Methanol is poisonous and attacks the optic nerve CH3 OH
Ethanol is a dutyable beverage CH3CH2OH attacks the ability to stand up!

Ethanol in pure form is only sold with huge excise duty as a taxable drink so it would be £30 a litre, Add some methanol and perhaps Pyridine (makes you sterile!) and you make methylated spirit or denatured alcohol for sale for a more reasonable price untaxed!

[marble]

Luckily its not to hard to make your own ethanol

[dr thrust]

Luckily its not to hard to make your own ethanol

how's it made? if you dont mind be asking

[Thudkaboom]

The term 'Blind Drunk' originates from optical nerve damage via drinking the wrong booze. You probs know this already tho.

cheers.