E-tech

Just considering the 'clumping' problem that the dampness can cause. Has anyone tried mixing something like Cab-O-Sil into the
chemical they are working with? As little as 0.25% by weight can pretty much stop all caking/clumping effects.

http://books.google....d Uses#PPA95,M1

Interesting book:
"The History of Grinding"
Has a lot on evolution of the science of reducing materials to powders.
No specifics, but the general info may help come up with better/more economical ways of milling whatever you
happen to have.

I have made a couple of bottle rocket tools, what sort of ID and fuel type? I have both end burner and core burner 6mm sets, and an end burner 7.5mm and 10mm set. I'll give you the dimensions if you let me know which one.

Love the "you can never have a long enough fuze" quote, Pyromaniac303!
Who said it?
Lemme guess- Guy Fawkes?

Lamp Black does not come from paper, if comes from the incomplet combustion of plastics, fat, or hydrocarbon (I'm sure there's other sources); Old news paper won't produce lamp black even when degassed in a retort is will only make charcoal.

Eckart is a pigment manufacturer so I'm guessing it's initial use was either pigments or pyro there's not that many use for a powder that fine.

As for the ratio, that depends on the paper (mostly the thickness of coating on the paper). But with out a stamp mill of a hammer mill you wont be able to acheive the 1-5 micron sizes needed.

bummer- ball mill won't do it, eh?
Ah, well. Perhaps a carbon coated Al will be good enough. Can you recommend a good starting amount for a paper/Al ratio to load into a retort? hmmm- what would be the best way to test the reactivity of powdered Al and compare it to a "Carbon black Al"?

---ah, yes- the dangers of blending foil- I've tried it, had no problems with amounts up to 50 grams at a time (heavier than that tended to strain the cheap blender motor). letting the dust settle before opening the blender seems to mitigate the hazard- along with a 15 meter extension cord, and a nearby fire extinguisher.

Thanks for the heads-up on that discussion thread, Bigtonyicu!
I notice that the presence of lampblack is a big factor in "true" German dark.
This would have to come from something other than a source of cellulose (i.e. paper). most likely, you say, a plasticized paper.
Wouldn't something like old newspaper produce something similar? What was German Dark originally made for? If it was made for the small world of pyrotechnicians- would it have been possible that a cheap source of paper (old newspapers) were used for it's manufacture?
What type of weight ratios would we have to start with in order to mimic the numbers shown by your lab work-up of 5413-H?