54 replies to this topic

[phildunford]

If you soak the paper in cold alcohol, you're just making work for yourself. I have used newspaper to make touchpaper and it works fine. No large crystals to break off. Just dissolve KNO3 in hot water, dunk your paper for about 5 - 10 secs and hang up to dry. Incidentally if you hang newspaper on the washing line then fold it up when dry and put it in an empty washing basket, the neighbours are comvinced you are a nutter. They were convinced when I did it anyway. Lol.

Yes, you just need a reasonably absorbent paper. My method here:

Blue Touch Paper

BP type comps take fire from touch paper no problem. Also ones with REd Gum / antimony etc. Just that some of the slightly more exotic comps need a bit more heat to start. The alternative to quick match is a thin layer of (compatible) easy to light prime...

[pyrotechnist]

If all else fails thermite will work lol.

[Tinderbox]

A very old thread but couldn't resist jumping in. I remember quite a lot of the fountains had a bp based slurry prime splodged on top of the comp then the blue touch was twisted up and left to set. I know this as like most of us back in the day, I loved disecting stuff. Also, the Snow Storm fountains where open topped with no nozzle and used the slurry prime.

[Tinderbox]

I have been experimenting with blue touchpaper. I bought some 60gsm blue poster paper from Hobbycraft. A tad thick but just the right shade of blue. I bought some oxygenating tablets from an aquarium shop. These are pure potassium chlorate. One tablet and two teaspoons of KnO3 per
pint of simmering water. Leave to cool to about 40¤. Do not hang to dry as this creates build up of crystals on the bottom edges as the solution tracks downward. Instead, lay flat on clean smooth surface. Black silicone oven tray liners work great and get very warm in the sun. This makes very good touchpaper. It dose tend to tear if twisted too tightly but I don't remember seeing very tight twisted paper on old UK stuff. Pinch, half-turn and push down. Stays put.

The chlorate content may present a problem in contact with bp based comps but I've had a go at making small wraps of greenmix like fun-snap size and then whacking with a hammer. Nothing happens.

Edited by Tinderbox, 17 October 2017 - 11:07 AM.

[Rob.L.]

I remember doing tests with all sorts of oxidisers for blue touch paper or similar and found that Strontium nitrate gave the smoothest burn.

I found that KClO3 was the most erratic and unreliable. Also the instability of chlorate contaminated stuff increases over time so if you did your hammer test some weeks after you may find it to be more reactive?

 

I believe others got similar results with the nitrate based papers.

[Tinderbox]

Good point. Did you notice any hygroscopic effects when using strontium nitrate? I have 500g of the stuff. Never ever used it for anything. Looks to be damp too but I'd give this a go with touchpaper if it's goid for that purpose.

[Arthur Brown]

Blue touch paper went out of favour with the advent of the timing regulations in BSnnnn blue touch wasn't consistent enough to pass testing, so it's hardly surprising that DIY blue touch paper is not consistent now. 

[Tinderbox]

Sure. Still nice to use it on wee baby back garden fountains though. Brings it all back. The smell is just........

[Rip Rap]

Blue touch paper went out of favour with the advent of the timing regulations in BSnnnn blue touch wasn't consistent enough to pass testing, so it's hardly surprising that DIY blue touch paper is not consistent now. 

True, but touch paper, whether it be blue, red white etc, has been around for centuries and is what some of us grew up with and all we knew until the 90's   .

There was nothing like the glow and faint sizzle of touch paper on a dark autumn night, with the anticipation of whatever firework it was fusing, suddenly bursting into life (or sometimes not - hence the heightened anticipation of outcome!).

[Rob.L.]

Good point. Did you notice any hygroscopic effects when using strontium nitrate? I have 500g of the stuff. Never ever used it for anything. Looks to be damp too but I'd give this a go with touchpaper if it's goid for that purpose.

Well to be honest with you I didn't notice any real trouble with moisture as I was experimenting with various makes of kitchen towel and even jay cloths, the plastic content of some kitchen paper makes it go real good!

 

I did use a hot saturated solution but with hindsight I think with some types of paper may need a less concentrated one.

 

The advantages of a hot saturated solution are that the solution starts to crystallise on cooling making for a more even distribution of nitrate salt.

[Tinderbox]

I find a concentrated solution leaves blooms of crystals all over the surface and can make it brittle. In the case of using KNO3 anyways.

Think I'll give it a try with the Strontium though. Does it give tiny red fizzles rather than the usual orangey glow?

[samboradford]

My understanding is in fact that the original blue touch paper containd lead nitrate in the soaking solution to counteract the crytsal fomation from the potassium nitrate.  I suspect that is where you're solution ( excuse the pun ) lies rather than with the strontium nitrate.

 

Sam

[RichardH08]

Regardless of whether it was or wasn't used in the past, I wouldn't recommend experimenting with lead nitrate. Being soluble, it is all too easy for it to be absorbed by into the body. Even small quantities can, over time, be quite harmful.

 

I haven't made touch paper for years, but I recall finding that a fairly dilute solution of potassium nitrate worked better for me than a more concentrated one. With a dilute solution, it doesn't form visible crystals on drying.

[Rob.L.]

 

 

 

I find a concentrated solution leaves blooms of crystals all over the surface and can make it brittle. In the case of using KNO3 anyways.

Think I'll give it a try with the Strontium though. Does it give tiny red fizzles rather than the usual orangey glow?

Yes it did,

 

bear in mind I was using kitchen towels and disposable cloths so my experiments were not with tissue paper which is way thinner and more dense.

The cheap kitchen towels left a lot of ash.

 

The point of my experiment was to make fire lighting media as a bushcraft related gimmick. any suitable low toxicity nitrate salts were my target chemicals.

 

When the plasticised impregnated papers were rolled up tightly they made a sort of red portfire, the most colour was obtained from jay type cloth, I suspect there was some chlorinated plastic in there.

 

Sam, that is interesting regarding the lead nitrate. Do you have an actual composition for reference?

[samboradford]

Regardless of whether it was or wasn't used in the past, I wouldn't recommend experimenting with lead nitrate. Being soluble, it is all too easy for it to be absorbed by into the body. Even small quantities can, over time, be quite harmful.

 

I haven't made touch paper for years, but I recall finding that a fairly dilute solution of potassium nitrate worked better for me than a more concentrated one. With a dilute solution, it doesn't form visible crystals on drying.

 

Crikey, the world has gone mad.  Better go and have one more sniff of my Paris Green before the fun police come along and lock it away. 

 

personally, I wouldn't reccommend experimenting with oxidisers like potassium nitrate as you might get blown up.

 

Nobody knows for sure : http://www.fireworks...uchpaper.23872/

Edited by samboradford, 25 October 2017 - 03:11 PM.