26 replies to this topic

[Potassium chlorate]

I bought some German Black that turns out to be bright in colour. It works like German Black but it's the same colour as bright aluminium. Is it German Black without coating or what?

[Potassium chlorate]

No answers? Please, people! The reason that I'm 99% sure that it is "German Black" is that it makes very powerful flash in very small quantities. But why is it bright?

[ExplosiveCoek]

Even -325# Al will be fine for making flash.. The bright Al is most of the times coated with stearine to prevent it from oxidizing. The stearine isn't as reactive as charcoal (this is what they use for german BLACK) so that's the reason why they use the charcoal more often in pyro. Both, charcoal & stearine, are used to prevent the Al from oxidizing.

Stearine Al is mostly found in painter shop's for making your own paint or something like that.

Sorry, it's kind of complicated and I not even able to completely explain it correctly in Dutch.. So you might understand that explaining it in English is very hard for me .

German Black is just a 'pyro name' (jargon in Dutch, vaktaal).. It's just a name to say it's very fine and reactive flake Alu.

[cooperman435]

Pyroswede it's definitely not german black. If it's not black, then it can't be german black. It sounds like bright flake, which can be used successfully to make flash, but definitely not as good as true german black.

ExplosiveCoek Charcoal isn't "used" to make german black. The reason it is black is a by product of the process used to make it that enables it to be made so fine. It's not aluminium and something together, it's aluminium put through a process which results in carbon "contamination".

[ExplosiveCoek]

Yep, you could probably be right about that.. I was only telling the things that I've heard about it since nobody was answering his question.

I use some bright flake Al to make flash, works perfect . Not as fast as my GD flash would be, but far less expensive..

[Potassium chlorate]

I bought it from a certain Pole...he has had complaints against him before about slow shipping. On his site it looks like German Black. I wonder if he might have run out of German Black and substituted it with very fine bright Al instead. I bought it from him just because German Black is pretty expensive in Sweden.

[dr thrust]

sorry slightly off topic, how long did it take to ship from are Polish Friend?

[Potassium chlorate]

sorry slightly off topic, how long did it take to ship from are Polish Friend?

Almost two months. And I have heard that this is the rule, not the exception. He is very cheap; about 40-60% cheaper than my Swedish supplier, but you don't expect it to take 8 weeks from Poland to Sweden. And if he substitutes chemicals without telling, it's fraud.

[cooperman435]

I bought it from a certain Pole...he has had complaints against him before about slow shipping. On his site it looks like German Black. I wonder if he might have run out of German Black and substituted it with very fine bright Al instead. I bought it from him just because German Black is pretty expensive in Sweden.

IF you bought German Black but got something else Id complain and ask for your actual order! Flake is a LOT cheaper than GB ali

[Potassium chlorate]

IF you bought German Black but got something else Id complain and ask for your actual order! Flake is a LOT cheaper than GB ali

I know. I specifically ordered German Black and it says "German Black" on the receipt. On the containers it says "Aluminium Dark Pyro 3µm ". I've already told him how much the delay pissed me off. I threatened with the cops and also to tell all pyro interested people on Swedish forums not to buy from him. But I must admit the other chemicals were very good...Well the aluminium is good too, but obviously not German Black.

I don't get his attitude. He's very eager when you buy it, but he has no hurry shipping it then, though I never heard that he tried to trick someone before.

Edited by Pyroswede, 14 February 2009 - 06:56 PM.

[MDH]

On eBay, you cannot give people negative feedback, otherwise they will give you negative feedback. Because of the fact, many sellers such as a specific lad from lithuania who recently sold me 4200 mesh aluminum which was more like 200 mesh get away with selling aluminum to hundreds of customers.

[spanner]

I haven't been on eBay for 6 months, but unless it has changed again, sellers can't give buyers negative feedback. Buyers, however, can give it to sellers. This was supposed to stop "Feedback Extortion".

Screwed up, eBay is. Sold there (as have millions of folks) but got quite dissatisfied with how sellers with good reputations (like me) got lumped in w/ALL sellers- good and bad- and was made to endure rules that clearly were not intended for me or other "good" sellers.

Edited by spanner, 15 February 2009 - 03:11 AM.

[cooperman435]

I know. I specifically ordered German Black and it says "German Black" on the receipt. On the containers it says "Aluminium Dark Pyro 3µm ". I've already told him how much the delay pissed me off. I threatened with the cops and also to tell all pyro interested people on Swedish forums not to buy from him. But I must admit the other chemicals were very good...Well the aluminium is good too, but obviously not German Black.

I don't get his attitude. He's very eager when you buy it, but he has no hurry shipping it then, though I never heard that he tried to trick someone before.

Well if it says German Black on the container and it isnt BLACK complain. Id never do that to someone! If I didnt have something Id say and let them decide not just send it

[StephF]

Pyroswede said: I bought it from a certain Pole

I'm just wondering if we are talking about the same person I'm thinking of.

I had some dealings with a site at hxxp://K****.org.pl and eventually I ended up pursuing a Paypal claim which I won successfully.

Surprisingly enough I won by default because the guy didn't even respond to Paypal's enquiries.

If we are talking about the same person I agree, he seems very lax about supplying the goods.

I often wondered if he takes the orders and then sources the goods after so he doesn't have to keep stock on the shelf ?

My own decision was to use a 10 foot bargepole and stay well clear.

[phildunford]

Ketan seems to appear in these pages quite frequently - there, I said his name, not too painful was it?

Problem is, he offers hard to get chems at reasonable prices and sometimes delivers them. That is not a recomendation to use him BTW - that must be your choice/risk.

There are very few dedicated pyro suppliers in the UK, or who will deliver to the UK. We will not have a good environment for suppliers until the hobby is clearly legal and this is an uphill struggle.

I supplied pyro chemicals for a couple of years, and nobody is going to make any money from a couple of orders a week.

We have to work as an organisation to get legal, then good suppliers will spring up - and be able to make a living, or at least a profit!