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[sasman]

Hi
I have just started playing with some Home made Ammonium Perchlorate... i have recrystalized it 3 times I started with about 600 grs each time i recrystalize i loose about 60 or 70 grams..I read in best of AFN IV page 118 that if you recrystalize a solution of potassium perchlorate with 10% sodium contamination you end up with 99.1% pure Potassium Perchlorate..From one Crystalization.

So even tho Ammonium Perchlorate is a bit more soluble i would think that 3 Recrystalizations should make it pretty pure?.. For now i want The Ammonium Perchlorate for making A good Blue and Good Red.. I have tried Both Blessers New Blue( Best of AFN II page 92) & Sam Bases Red (Pyrotechnica IV page 22)..

I have no idea how good the Colours should look? ..How do i Know if My blue or Red is good or Bad..I was hoping for a really dark blue and a really dark red ..But The blue was a light blue and the Red looked like it had a tinge of Orange?..I mixed Both of the comps together and Got a nice Purple..But yet again how do i know if it was as good as it should be?..I am using Ammonium Perchlorate simply because all the books i have read state that it makes some of the purest colours..I have not used any Chlorates yet but i am now tempted to try some Chlorate Reds & Blues ...

Also i have Looked at my strontium carbonate it came from a pottery supplier it states on the package Min 97% . That leaves a possible contamintion of sodium?.. how small amount of sodium is needed for it to effect the Colour.. same goes for my Barium Carbonate..Is it worth the hassle for me to make my chemicals purer..I intend on making some large Ball shells and want the best colours possible..

Hope some one can shed some light on this subject..

PS.. Yes i have tried to do a flame test in which i used nichrome wire loop dipped in to Hydrochloric acid and then dipped into my chemicals and held in a butane blow torch to look for the Sodium yellow..My test looked Ok?.

[pyrotrev]

How close are you viewing the colours from Rob? OK, my eyes are getting a bit old (too much looking at girls ), but i find unless you view from 25m+ pretty well all pyro flames look whitish, I guess they're so bright the retina gets overloaded and everything goes whitish. Sodium contamination is a pain, because the Na spectra are so strong, something like 60,000 compared to 3,500 for the lithium red band or CuCl blue from my tables.