1145climber

I was curious why we use charcoal made from burning trees in the absence of oxygen if carbon is the product we desire... wouldn't the standard black powder be better if pure carbon was used instead? I mean, aside from a few complications, it seems like it would be a relatively good idea to use the carbon produced by the dehydration of starches when mixed with sulfuric acid:

C6H12O6 -> 6C + 6H2O

though the carbon produced by this would probably be slightly acidic, that is not my point. i'm just curious as to why we use charcoal instead of pure carbon...

am i missing something? maybe the other ingredients that make up willow charcoal are actually necessary for it to burn well?

Hey. A year ago, before i made the transition from pyromaniac to pyrotechnician, i wasnt aware of all the safety concerns we experienced people have. case in point, i would take apart comercial fireworks. I am pretty sure this is against the rules here at this forum and for a good reason! dont do it! but... i do have a few little containers of leftover powders from various fireworks....

anyway, i was wondering... how could i determine if one of my little bottles of powder was actually flash powder? i dont like the idea of storing flash, especially if im not aware of it as being flash. therefore, id like to get rid of it, but not just throw it away or wet it and discard it or anything... hopefully i could make a good aerial salute or something, even though i know flash isnt necessary. and i know some of you might be like 'just throw it away and make your own' but i dont want to get into chlorates and perchlorates just yet....

anyway, even though i dont believe this thread is against ukpyro's policies, if it is, please close it.

Hey. i was planning on making either tiger tails or C6 stars in the next day or two. After doing lots of research, ive come across the recipies, and a detailed way to make them, similar to the BP CIA method. not having alcohol to use as well as not wanting to deal with boiling then freezing and blah blah blah, i was wondering if it was possible to make charcoal stars with as good of an effect, but with a different process....? maybe just milling the composition together and then wetting and pumping/cutting? anything else?

the sites ive seen say that these stars need to be made using a 'wet process'... obviously the CIA method is wet, but maybe something else too?

i remember someone talking about boiling the complete composition down until there was basically no wtaer left and not having to use alcohol, but i cant find the thread anymore. also, sorry if this has been discussed, i did a few searches and couldnt find a direct answer. any help is appreciated. thanks.

p.s. - i wasnt sure which forum this belonged in, sorry if its in the wrong one

Hey, I was wondering if it was ok to use lead wheel weights for cars to melt down and make ball milling media out of...

before anyone gets mad, yes, i know its been discussed before. but there have only been a few posts on the matter in different threads, and they all seem to contradict each other... so i want to make sure, just because i dont want to have my ball mill become a cl*ymore mine... for example, someone once said:

If you do decide to Mill BP, Use ONLY L-E-A-D (Hardened Lead Is Fine Unless it's a "Buddies" home brew of melted Wheel Weights for the "Lead", do not use that either)

and yet it seems that plenty of people still use them

so, i know its possible to cast wheel weights, but my question more lies in:
1. will the media be hard enough? and
2. will the media be, most importantly, non-sparking?

any comments/concerns/verbal thrashings are greatly appreciated as always

P.S.- if any of my specific questions have been discussed and i happened to miss them when i search, you can also point me in the direction of one of those threads...

Hey all. i was wondering, can i do a variation of the CIA method, but because i dont have a ball mill, can i use a blender? i came across the 'pyroteknix' site, and the instructions are at the bottom:

http://www.freepgs.c...blackpowder.htm

maybe this would work? i dont want to buy a ball mill, as they are expensive (cant find one less than 65 dollars with media price included) and i cant make one as i do not know where i could get such powerful motors. any suggestions? hopefully i could get by with the blender method?