12 replies to this topic

[PyroNitrate]

Calcium Hydroxide( Ca(OH)2 ) also knows as slacked lime, dissolved in water and mixed with sand. As the mixture dries, the slacked lime crystallizes out of the solution and slowly reacts with the carbon dioxide in the air to form hard calcium carbonate ( Ca(OH)2 ).

Mix the sand according to volume.
The only problem with this is you need to break up the calcium carbonate with a hammer or something very hard and then ball mill it for atleast 3 hours if you want it very fine.


Remember...
Never ball mill mixtures that could explode, and always use no sparking metals.
-Nick

[Steve]

i think i'm missing the plot somewhere along the line. why would you want to synthasis something as cheap and useless as calcium carbonate?

Steve

[BigG]

i think i'm missing the plot somewhere along the line. why would you want to synthasis something as cheap and useless as calcium carbonate?

Steve

Steve, Calcium carbonate can be used in the production of orange colours. However, I do agree to the simple point that such a cheap and widely available chemical does not worth the trouble. Much better starting projects will be Making Sodium or Strontium Oxalate, which are not widely available but are relevantly safe to make.

BigG

[Steve]

Yeah, thats a point bout the orange. Although i've never been motivated to make orange stars, considering most flames are orange they just don't cut it with me.

Steve

[Gor]

Yes but there is orange and there is ORANGE. I have used it a bit, but my 500g jar has lasted rather a long time.........

However the recipie at the top is for making lime render for historic buildings!!!!

(couldn't let that one go as I, amongst other things, restore churches for a living).

Edited by Gor, 04 September 2003 - 08:49 PM.

[adamw]

Even though the most percieved colour of 'fire' is orange, most pyrotechnic formulae burn white or a weak orange. Once you have seen some bright orange magnesium stars, you wont think they are boring.

[Steve]

Hmm, anyone got a good orange formula i could try then?


Steve

[phildunford]

I think I must be being dense too - calcium carbonate is chalk... pretty easy to get hold of surely??

[BigG]

Hmm, anyone got a good orange formula i could try then?


Steve

hmmm. I have to admit - I haven't seen many real good orange. Veline's is quite good, but you need a good chlorine donor to get the really rich colour. He uses Parlon.

BigG

Potassium Perchlorate 55
Calcium Carbonate 15
Parlon 15
Red Gum 9
Magnalium, granular, #200 6
Dextrin

Edited by BigG, 11 September 2003 - 12:33 PM.

[Steve]

Hmm, i've got the parlon, but the thing that has stopped me so much is magnallium. Think it will work with a good ally? prob not, but might give it a try anyway.
Cheers

Steve

[chim-chim]

hmmm. I have to admit - I haven't seen many real good orange. Veline's is quite good, but you need a good chlorine donor to get the really rich colour. He uses Parlon.

BigG

Potassium Perchlorate  55     
Calcium Carbonate  15 
Parlon  15       
Red Gum  9   
Magnalium, granular, #200  6
Dextrin

I've been trying Veline formula's recently (blue and red so far), I'm impressed , but have no other metal stars to compare to having done only organic fuel stars before. I only found three or posts that mention Veline, which surprised me, but 1 was you stating his orange comes to mind as 'quite good'. Do other Veline stars deserve similar praise, or is the 'cool' of the Veline system largely compatiblity(mixable colors, similar brillance between hues, etc.)?

BigG? Anyone? All opinions welcome.

[BigG]

Ah colours

Well, I am not sure this is the right thread to talk about this. Richard, any idea where should we move this?

First, one must say that there is something cool about the system. After all, not many come up with the system for mixing colours that works well, and as far as that goes, Veline system is great. As for the quality - well, generally people agree that Veline colours are good (I think Tom Prigrin state that he heard people who claim it is too pastel... but hey, it worked well in the sixties). I do take the point that on colour by colour level, there are better reds and greens then Veline - that have better colour depth or intesity - but the overall quality of his system is very high.

We for Orange - well, lots of the oranges I seen still come from metal alloys rather then orgnic fual. Some iron and ferro-titaniun mixtures give excellent strong orange - without the need for colorine donors or very energetic oxidizers. And blues - well, Veline and all the rest have the same problem, it is almost impossible to get a good intense blue - and veline formulas are resnoble good at that.

[chim-chim]

Ah colours

Well, I am not sure this is the right thread to talk about this. Richard, any idea where should we move this?

No it wasn't, sorry , maybe Star formulations?

Thanks though. Great critique.