Jerronimo

For very good colour, ignition and big flame envelope try this one:

KClO3 60
Lactose 20
Parlon 10
CuO(black) 10

Bind with acetone.

The ideal BP substitute would be YP -- yellow powder:

potassium nitrate 55
potassium carbonate 27
sulfur 18

Though it has one drawback that is impossible to overcome: it only works when molten together and heated up. It doesn't catch fire from a fuse.

I strongly advice you not to make this compound, it will detonate when heated to long.
Also it deflagtates way to fast to be usable as a blackpowder substitute.
Shelflife will be a couple of days at best as it's ability to draw moisture from the air makes it useless.

There is no ''easy'' substitute for black powder, if there was we would already be using it.

Sounds interesting Fred, how did you discover this compound? is it used in mass production?
Would like to test it but don't fancy buying bulk, any small quantity source of the stuff?

I actually succesfully cut D1 glitter, here's my procedure:

The Al was standard alec tiranty(uk)aluminium filler powder 250 mesh to dust.
Charcoal was lump hardwood bbq charcoal which burns very slowly in bp like compositions.
Sodium bicarbonate is food grade, KNO3 is greenhouse grade, sulpher is 99% pure technical grade powder.

Everything exept the charcoal and aluminium are ballmilled together for 20 minutes, and the aluminium and charcoal are screened in.
This is then wetted with a 4% gum arabic solution in water at about 25% by weight of the mixed composition.
The wetted composition is formed into a loaf, cut and diced and primed with standard bp green mix.
The finished stars are placed on drying screens and put in the drying chamber for 72 hours, first 24 hours without heat, next 24 with heat, final 24 without heat, the stars come out rock hard and bone dry.

http://www.pyrobin.c.....0inch low.mov low break:(

Thanks for the PM
I now know I've got antimony, win39 stars are drying

I'm not sure this is the right section to post in but I've got a little problem here,

Just started pyro again after a 1 year sabbatical and was browsing true my stock of chems.
I got a bag of heavy grayish/black powder and stupidly didn't label it.
I can't recollect if this is dark pyro antimony trisulfide or silicon powder as they both look very similar in my memory, it does have very, very tiny shiny particles in it.
Anybody know how to do a simple test to determine what chemical I have? maybe someone can make detailed macro shots of both?
If memory serves me right I got the bag from Cooperman so maybe he can tell what stuff I got?