7 replies to this topic

[Potassium chlorate]

I have some barium nitrate that is very hard caked. The easiest way to pulverize it would be to run it in my ball mill. However, my "replacement" drum is smaller and much less efficient than my "regular" drum, that I use for BP and BP based compositions.

Would the small amount of sulfur present in the "regular" drum present a hazard? I intend to mix the barium nitrate with potassium nitrate and parlon and use it for white magnesium stars; parlon will be used as the binder.

This is not the barium nitrate I talked about the other day, the batch with traces of nitric acid. That barium nitrate is ironically free-flowing though has to be dissolved in water and neutralized and then dried and milled again as well.

Edited by Pyroswede, 13 October 2010 - 11:21 AM.

[pyromaniac303]

If there is only trace amounts of sulfur, I can't see a problem, as the fuel/oxidiser mixture inside of the mill is never going to reach a stage where a fire or explosion could occur. Bare in mind though that if this is to be mixed with perchlorate or chlorate, this will greatly sensitise the composition.

I prefer to coffee-grind mine with some Cabosil, that way it never cakes in the first place.

Also why not just clean your mill jar?

Edited by pyromaniac303, 13 October 2010 - 07:35 PM.

[Potassium chlorate]

Oh, you can't remove the sulfur completely with less than toluene or something like that. Water can't dissolve it. And the lid and bottom of my jar are made of wood, which might rather absorb any solvent together with the sulfur.

But I understand that it's an absolute no-no with chlorates anyway.

[a_bab]

Neah, don't worry. Barium nitrate is not such a great oxidizer, and there is no danger at all in having some sulphur around it. There are many formulas including both sulphur and barium nitrate such as Bleser strobe and glusatz delay.

I'd be more concerned about contaminating my BP drum, and treating the "made of food ingredients" BP as such afterwards, although a good wash would be fine.

[Potassium chlorate]

I managed to break it up without using the ballmill.

Though I milled the other batch, the neutralized barium nitrate, after drying it in the oven for several hours.

Yes, I thought about "poisoning" my "eatable" BP as well, though I will wash the drum before I make a new BP batch.

[GalFisk]

To be extra safe, give the drum a rinse with a sulfate solution afterwards. Any remaining barium compounds will be converted into harmless barium sulfate.

[Steve]

When I wanted to convert a bunch of old suphur media to milling star mixture (with the KClO4 to be added after milling) I ran the mill twice for an hour with some spare KNO3 (which will get chucked on the bonfire next week). By grinding the KNO3 up it appears to 'collect' the sulphur, and rinsing the jar leaves it incredibly clean. I am quite confident that the star mixture that is subsequently milled will not have traces of sulphur.

[Potassium chlorate]

I washed the milling media (brass) with 25% acetic acid and then lots of water. The drum was washed with water alone and then thoroughly and carefully dried.

I have noticed that thing as well with the potassium nitrate "collecting" not only sulfur but also antimony trisulfide from the drum.

I'm planning to make a very old-fashioned red composition with strontium nitrate and no chlorine donor just out of curiosity. That's another reason to get rid of every trace of barium, of course.