8 replies to this topic

[Green_as_my_powder]

Fellow pyros,

I have a few pounds of Magnessium powder that I would like to start using. I'm hoping to make both green and purple stars with it. Ideally, I'd like formulas including parlon so that I can disolove the parlon with acetone and form the stars, this way I don't have to worry about water problems with the magnessium powder. I don't know how to coat the magnessium with potassium dichromate.

Thanks for any info!

[Arthur Brown]

http://come.to/pfp

Has some Magnesium stars but not even vaguely bluish ones! Whether you will ever get blue with a hot magnesium burn I doubt.

[seymour]

Some of the Chinese blue formulas use Magnesium to get the burn clean and faster, as well as brighter. While it is washed out somewhat, they add enough extra chlorine so it is reduced to the chloride, preventing MgO from emitting (white). I am sure the magnesium content of these stars is low.

You could try replacing Magnalium with Magnesium in tried and true formulas. For example..

Emerald green (Kyle Kepley)

Barium nitrate 50%
Parlon 18%
MgAl 12%
Potassium perchlorate 8%
Sulfur 5%
Charcoal 5%
Dextrin 5%



Pakeha Purples ( S. Burgess) Fuchsia Violet

Potassium perchlorate 47 43
Parlon 14 15
Copper oxide 9 15
Strontium carbonate 10 8
Magnalium 8 7
Sulfur 4 4
Red Gum 4 4
Gum Arabic 4 4


Gum Arabic can be removed, or replaced with Dextrin. Magnalium could be replaced with Magnesium.

[Potassium chlorate]

The magnesium chloride will not contribute to the saturation of the colour, though, just to the brightness? So even with red and green you will always sacrifice some saturation for brightness, although not as much as with blue, right?

[starseeker]

here is some to try,afraid no purple though,all using acetone as the solvent,

*7 red mag,by Dave Blesser.
strontium nitrate 55
pvc 7
parlon 10
mg 100-200 mesh 28

*8 green mag
barium nitrate 55
pvc 15
parlon 12
mg 100-200 mesh 18

*9 yellow mag
pottasium perc 45
cryolite 13
mg 100-200 mesh 30
pvc 10
charcoal 2

*10 white mag
barium nitrate 53
pottasium nitrate 12
mg 100-200 mesh 28
parlon 7

[Potassium chlorate]

I have tested all of those but the yellow. I'd guess it's as beautiful as the other three, though I still think you'll lose colour saturation for green and red, even if not so much as for blue. But the brightness, the brightness -- yes!

[pyrotrev]

The magnesium chloride will not contribute to the saturation of the colour, though, just to the brightness? So even with red and green you will always sacrifice some saturation for brightness, although not as much as with blue, right?

Not quite.... Magnesium oxide (MgO) particles emit a very bright white light which will wash out the colours we desire. If you can convert the MgO to MgCl, then this effect will go away. leaving a purer colour. You still get the extra heat in the flame from the Mg burning though, hence nice bright stars. I'm not sure how well Parlon will protect the Magnesium, but it will definitely help. Make sure though that all your chemicals and the acetone are really dry though!

Edited by pyrotrev, 21 February 2011 - 01:33 PM.

[Potassium chlorate]

Not quite.... Magnesium oxide (MgO) particles emit a very bright white light which will wash out the colours we desire. If you can convert the MgO to MgCl, then this effect will go away. leaving a purer colour. You still get the extra heat in the flame from the Mg burning though, hence nice bright stars. I'm not sure how well Parlon will protect the Magnesium, but it will definitely help. Make sure though that all your chemicals and the acetone are really dry though!

Oh, fine. I made some very interesting calculations and small scale experiments concering this. This is how barium chlorate, parlon and magnesium would theoretically react if all chlorine in the parlon was to be turned into magnesium chloride by reacting with the Mg, and the experiments seem to confirm it. If we don't count atmospheric oxygen, this would be the exact ratio:

Barium chlorate 69.25%
Parlon 14.55%
Magnesium 16.2%

This gives an enormous amount of light and saturation. Though the stars are a bit hard to ignite. The aceton is as good as water free as is the barium chlorate.

[starseeker]

I have tested all of those but the yellow. I'd guess it's as beautiful as the other three, though I still think you'll lose colour saturation for green and red, even if not so much as for blue. But the brightness, the brightness -- yes!

They certainly are bright and beutifull