22 replies to this topic

[wjames]

anyone heard of/used/seen this product ???

Its called mystical fire - http://www.mysticalf...uk/product.html

it appears to be a pouch of powder - you throw it in the fire, and hey presto - multi coloured flames.

I'd be interested to hear if any one has used, or made, a DIY version - for use on a bonfire ( fairly big one at that)

i was thinking Borax, Magnesium carbonate, Potassium chloride....1:1:1, 200 g each, placed in seperate parts of the fire pre-ignition......


any thoughts ?

Edited by wjames, 31 October 2010 - 01:07 PM.

[a_bab]

The best is copper chloride CuCl2 as it produces both green and blue flames. Very beautifull indeed and easy to make.
Yellow and orange makes no point; the wood fire is already yellow/orange

As for white, MgSO4 would (supposedly) work (never tried it).

Borax won't do shit (just yellow and NOT green - only in methanol).

For a nice red LiCl would do wonders (tested).

KCl won't work as the pale K flame color is choked by the sodium (more over, the ashes contain lots of K as K2CO3, yet the fire has no K flame color - a very nice color: http://en.wikipedia....menfärbungK.png


To me, the most beautiful is Li.

[wjames]

The best is copper chloride CuCl2 as it produces both green and blue flames. Very beautifull indeed and easy to make.
Yellow and orange makes no point; the wood fire is already yellow/orange

As for white, MgSO4 would (supposedly) work (never tried it).

Borax won't do shit (just yellow and NOT green - only in methanol).

For a nice red LiCl would do wonders (tested).

KCl won't work as the pale K flame color is choked by the sodium (more over, the ashes contain lots of K as K2CO3, yet the fire has no K flame color - a very nice color: http://en.wikipedia....C3%A4rbungK.png


To me, the most beautiful is Li.

Lithium chloride - do you think the 250g would be enough ??? the bonfire is some 12ft in dia, and 6ft tall.........

Also, just to clarify - the fumes given off by the mentioned chemicals....any threat to health....i have 50 people to worry about.

[darkfang77]

Lithium chloride - do you think the 250g would be enough ??? the bonfire is some 12ft in dia, and 6ft tall.........

Also, just to clarify - the fumes given off by the mentioned chemicals....any threat to health....i have 50 people to worry about.

depends whether you have decent ventiliation, of course, breathing in smoke won't do your lungs any good but a small amount in a outdoor environment won't kill you.
So yes, Lithium should be fine.

[wjames]

so lets go for copper chloride + Lithium chloride

250g each.

I presume i'd be better just throwing the powder on once the fire is established ??? or maybe wait until its died down, and the pallets go on ?????


Now i'm off to sort out the bonfire lighting. Last year i wasn't in charge of it....and the fool who was, tried using derv....around 2 gallons. He spent 20m trying to light it, then everyone got covered in black acrid smoke.

no petrol here, FYI

[wjames]

a quick search indicates copper chloride + Lithium chloride arn't so easy to come across.....

[phildunford]

Copper Chloride, not too bad, Lithium Chloride - Expensive!

Strontium Nitrate might work, but I suspect these effects will get a bit lost in a big fire - OK on a small fire in the hearth I should think.

Anyone tried it?

[wjames]

won't potassium chloride produce a purple flame ???/

if so thats the answer - i can get a kilo of that no problem....



failing that, i guess its gonna be copper sulphate.....green it is !

[darkfang77]

Copper Chloride, not too bad, Lithium Chloride - Expensive!
Strontium Nitrate might work, but I suspect these effects will get a bit lost in a big fire - OK on a small fire in the hearth I should think.
Anyone tried it?

I tried some copper sulphate on a small fire heap, copper sulphate will kill the flame. And make your fire stink.
Copper sulphate will also not last very long, you'll get a burst of blue, then it'll die down to green, then back to whatever colour you had to begin with.
I think next time around, a paste mixture of oxidiser and your colourant will help with the fire.

won't potassium chloride produce a purple flame ???/
if so thats the answer - i can get a kilo of that no problem....
failing that, i guess its gonna be copper sulphate.....green it is !

Potassium chloride is not strong enough.
And will kill the fire without sufficient fuel/oxidiser.

Don't try Copper Sulphate, especially if you're going to use lots of it!
It will make the fire stink of sulphur and it will also most likely kill the bonfire and not last very long.

[phildunford]

won't potassium chloride produce a purple flame ???/

The mauve/purple produced by potassium is masked by other colours, particularly sodium yellow. It's why when you do a chemical flame test, you view the flame though a blue glass if you are trying to isolate potassium.

[a_bab]

Do whatever it takes to lay your hands on some copper chloride (also called cupric chloride, not to be confused with cuprous chloride CuCl). All you really need is 100 grams for a huge fire. The green/blue flames will last as long as the fire lasts. It doesn't make all the fire blue but it looks absolutely fabulous. Think 50% of the fire is green with streaks of blue.
Dump it when the fire is the biggest, but you can also do a trick such as trowing a "treated" log in the fire (a small amount of cupric chloride in a paper bag tied to the log), just to stir the crowds.

At any rate copper chloride is THE most impressive and it's cheap and easy to make (if you can't find it). Although lithium is more beautiful it doesn't last long.

Copper sulphate will give noxious sulphuric acid fumes and you really don't want that with lots of people around.

[wjames]

any ideas on where to look ??? my normal pyro guy, tim, doesnt stock it.


scrap that. found it - http://www.silverpri...=7-8-0&Start=25

seems like these guys sell just about everything

46660 CUPRIC CHLORIDE 100g £4.95 £5.82

FYI, i found it using this site - http://www.hyperdeat...s/inorganic.php

very good information !

Edited by wjames, 31 October 2010 - 08:57 PM.

[darkfang77]

Dump it when the fire is the biggest, but you can also do a trick such as trowing a "treated" log in the fire (a small amount of cupric chloride in a paper bag tied to the log), just to stir the crowds.

I've heard that some people soak pieces of the fuel (planks of wood), into a solution of solvent with the colourant dissolved into it.
Is this what you mean when you say treated?

[Pyro.1]

anyone heard of/used/seen this product ???

Its called mystical fire - http://www.mysticalf...uk/product.html

it appears to be a pouch of powder - you throw it in the fire, and hey presto - multi coloured flames.

I'd be interested to hear if any one has used, or made, a DIY version - for use on a bonfire ( fairly big one at that)

i was thinking Borax, Magnesium carbonate, Potassium chloride....1:1:1, 200 g each, placed in seperate parts of the fire pre-ignition......


any thoughts ?

Iv used the Mystical fire, only in and oil drum fire though, 4 packs and it turned a lovely blue and green, you would need a few boxes umm maybe more for the fire you plan on doing.


Paul.

[MDH]

I remember it being copper sulfate, calcium chloride and polyvinyl chloride. If anybody would like to clarify this by reading the label it would be much appreciated. I have actually combined zinc borate, saran resin and basic copper sulfate and granulated it for fairly interesting flame effects, but I'm not sure how long it'd last in a large bonfire like this one.

Even ammonium chloride might work, as well as delaying combustion.