53 replies to this topic

[Jerronimo]

Oh oke I will email them about that.

But do you know if they also sell other usefull chemicals?(bariumnitrate/chlorate
strontiumnitrate,ammoniumperchlorate) .

[maxman]

We should be so lucky! potassium chlorate, Red phosphorus ?3.35/25g Potassium dichromate ?6.25/500g (if you dont mind getting sick for the rest of your life) ammomium nitrate ?2.99/500g Sodium silicate (waterglass) for those of you that want to make stinger rockets the right way (used to heatproof the side vent hole) and plenty acid nitric/sulphuric at ?4.99 ltr

They also sell luminol at ?6.10 per 1g I think thats the stuff forensic use to find blood isn't it? could be ok to locate those missing fingers after grinding up the potassium chlorate hehe!

[Arthur Brown]

lumonol is the active ingredient of lightsticks add NaOH and it gives off light

a light stick is a glass tube of NaOH inside a plastic tube of luminol soln bend the plastic tube, the glass tube breaks, activates the luminol

[adamw]

Well I hope nobody will be wanting red phos or any acids - no need for acids in -this- form of pyro... (if you get my hint)

[WizardofOz]

Wasn't this topic about different flash powders? Andy Krywonizka's PFP Database is the place to visit. Enjoy!
[URL=http://members.shaw.ca/gryphon223/PFP/]

[BurlHorse]

Can someone enlighten me as to the problems/laws regarding getting chemicals over there, sounds like it's a ....Pardon the pun, Royal pain. It's got me so interested that I may have to go into the supply business. Seems you can't find alloys at a reasonble price, AL at a reasonable price, all Mainstays of the pyrotechnist. I guess I just need to investigate the laws regarding shipping. All the work you fellows put into getting suitable materials makes me cringe. Crucibles to melt Magnesium (Nearly impossible to extinguish) etc, etc. etc. I hope yall stay safe in the methods you use to produce your chemicals........

I have a good stash of all the metals, Antimony Tri-suphide included, AL, FE/Ti, Magnisium, Madnalium, 50%/50%, 60%/40% Etc........ If I can get shipping info, it will certainly make your lives easier...... Just a though, Stay Green

Bear

[The_Djinn]

BurlHorse,

It appears that one of the main issues with obtaining certain chems over here is not so much that they aren?t available or are illegal but more the fact that they are only used for specific areas such as pyro etc hence when Joe Bloggs of the street requests these items they tend to have to answer a lot of questions that the suppliers tend to ask due to the legalities of hobby pyro etc.

Having lived most of my life in South Africa where chems were very readably available I have also found it a bit of a pain in the UK. AL tends to be quite costly over here as well due to the fact that I think it is nearly all imported where as in South Africa there was an abundance of AL to the extent that you could get it from your local hardware store and most other chems could be obtained from your corner pharmacy (Boots equivalent for the UK lads) with the odd exception which could soon be sourced from one of the many lab suppliers.

I think if you look into the legalities of shipping chems to the UK you will find that there will not be much of an issue except for chems on the Gov's list which mainly appears to be ammonia based nitrates / chlorates / per chlorates.

Up to a point it appears that chems could quite readably be bought in from the States but since 9/11 most suppliers have put a stop to that with the exception of some of the very basic chems.

I am sure that if you were able to ship some of the more sought after items, many members on this forum would really appreciate it as sourcing suppliers can be a bit of a nightmare.

Mark

[bernie]

A quick peek at Skylighters site should answer any shipping questions.. ' US shipments only'. Actual shipping costs add up very fast.

[The_Djinn]

Bernie,
I stand to be corrected, but not so long ago Skylighter would ship KCIO4 as well as many of there other products which now all show US shipment only or must collect at warehouse as you say.
This is probably only due to the increased level of security in the States and many of the suppliers not wanting to be responsibly for the supply of products that may fall into the wrong hands and be used for... well you know what I am getting at.

Mark

Edited by The_Djinn, 17 January 2004 - 01:44 PM.

[lord_dranack]

I was under the impression that to export hazardous chemicals from the US the companies need a licence that is quite costly, preventing most of the pyro suppliers doing so when it was brought in???

[The_Djinn]

From what I have found from various pieces of information, this would depend on the hazard classification of the material which all appears to revolve around UN numbers etc.
A large portion of the chemicals used in pyro do not fall into very high hazard classification areas but would do once combined with other chemicals. It looks like the grading is based on the stability of the single product and not mixed product.
Within this forum you will find the odd person that has had KCIO4 posted to them from outside the country without any issues even when packaging has been opened and examined at its point of entry into the UK.

( leaves me with a mental image of a customs inspector snorting a line of KCIO4 to find out what the white powder substance is that he has just found)

Most carriers, whether by air or sea will have different surcharges for the different hazard bands and yes I have no doubt that the higher the classification the more they would charge and all this probably relates back to their insurers.


Mark

Edited by The_Djinn, 17 January 2004 - 06:19 PM.

[BurlHorse]

Lord Dranack,

OH NO..... Not another license......I have too many to keep track of now. :-) I wonder how the E-bayers are doing it? They seem to ship anywhere, albeit with a heavy postal charge. I dunno, I'll make some phone calls and see what is required from my end. Since I worked for Skylighter for awhile and Harry and I are good friends (12 Years now), I know some of the requirements as far as Haz Mat Packing goes, and the basics of shipping requirements. It's the UK laws and shipping regs I need to investigate. Questions that come to mind:

1) Will a "Hold Harmless" agreement that originates here cover me over there?

2) Who do I talk to over there as to postal Regs, is there a postmaster for each area, are the laws different for various townships or Boroughs?

3) How do I know who I would actually be selling to, obvious reasons such as 9/11 etc, etc, etc.

4) Ages of buyers, what are the laws there as to minors purchasing lab supplies and chemicals. I.E; What would Mum and Dad Say......

5) What are the most problematic and expensive chems over there? Obviously metals are a problem, what else?

Hmmm, I think maybe I better start a new thread in a different area, Sorry Staff.....

Thanks for the E-mail Rap....Very Helpful

Regards all, Stay Green

Bear

[The_Djinn]

Ha Ha.. Welcome to License Central BurlHorse

Lets see if I can give some light to your queries..

1) Hold Harmless Agreement. This should hold no matter where it originates as it almost like a contract between supplier and end user.

2) Postal Regs. I haven?t had chance to look around but I guess Royal Mail must have a web site which should give guidance to what they will or will not carry. I think there is guidelines on HSE's web site (www.hse.gov.uk) as well. Might have to look at certain couriers.

3) Who the end user is. That will be difficult as many people on here are somewhat anonymous. Possibly limit sales to members area or channel sales through a known respected forum member who would have an idea on who the individuals are.

4) Age of buyers. Another difficult one, lots of young ones on here that readily use mom or dads credit card for web transaction, then again, mom / dad must know what is going on from reading the statements at the end of the month. ( Glad my kids are still to young for that but my wife try's hard)

5) Difficult Items. Another hard one, the other members will gladly give you a long list. Only one that immediately comes to mind in KCIO4, as you will see through out the forum this is the forever illusive item that people are willing to trade in the family's for.

I am sure that there are a few others on here that can add to this to give you the information you are looking for.

Mark

Edited by The_Djinn, 17 January 2004 - 07:06 PM.

[Phoenix]

_Sorry I put this post here. I forgot you'd said you'd start a new thread _

Chlorine donors are not easy to find here. However, they should be easily shippable. (Skylighter apparantly ships them to the UK, so they aren't necessarily unobtainable, but nowhere in the UK has them).

Visco and time fuse are also highly sought after, probably more so than perchlorate, but I guess you would need a very thick licence to ship them across the pond.

I get the impression it can be had in the UK, although my brief searches have been without result, but a convenient source of "pyro grade" lampblack would be nice.

Antimony sulphide is hard to find to find too, and would probably be a useful addition to many pyro's workshop shelves.

Barium nitrate is difficult to get here. Personally I wouldn't want to use the stuff as its toxicity scares me, and when I get around to trying my hand at colours (probably some time in the summer) I'll use the readily available carbonate.

At present chlorates are cheap and easy to prepare from weedkiller. However, should this situation change then KClO3 woud be good too, but if I was having to buy it from the US I'd get perchlorate instead.

Edited by Phoenix, 17 January 2004 - 07:59 PM.

[brightonben]

Does anyone on this forum have an idea of the going rate for perchlorate? Not a lab supplies price or a US price, but a proper UK price? If some one was able to get hold of a 25kg drum how much would it work out on the kg? Surely someone somewhere in the UK can get it? And if so how much should we all be prepared to pay?