cat

Well two things happened here:
1) Your Zinc had a basic reaction with the KNO3, this is well documented. Some people believe that be controlling the acidity of the formula you can prevent the reaction (such as adding H3BO3 or other weak acid). This is partial untrue this will only slow the reaction. Zinc readily reacts with water and this is increased in both alkaline and acidic conditions.

2) Lampblack has an insolating effect that is not well documented. I?ve known several people who have substituted air float for lampblack and for the first time experienced heating of drying comp.

If a comp you are mixing begins to heat it should be abandoned and destroyed. It is foolish to risk ones wellbeing to try and save any amount of chemicals. Depending on the comp it may be possible to flood with water from a distance to prevent a flare-up. Do not pick up the material and try and move it. You have no way of knowing the internal temp or speed of the reaction. Chances are it will not ignite but rather render the mixture unusable.

I personally know two people who have been burned trying to rescue a batch of reacting comp. Understand you are working with energetic materials; when you deviate from tried and tested formulas extreme caution and planning is necessary to keep you safe.

-cat

Potassium chlorate, Ball milled into a fine powder.....16
Conductive lampblack..............................3
Magnalium (50/50), 200 mesh.......................3
Atomized aluminum, 120 mesh.......................2
Zirconium, 200 mesh (optional)....................2
CMC Binder (carboxymethylcellulose)...............5

Just some quick notes for anyone interested in using this formula The Mg needs to be coated Zr doesn?t play nice with water activated binders like CMC. I?ve made this formula twice the first with CMC and it was quite apparent that the metals very quickly corroded. The second with NC worked quite well. This was intended to be a conductive dip but never worked out that way for me the resistance was far too high for what I?d planed on using it for. It should probably be said that the above formula will be friction sensitive. As for conductive dips sensitized dark flash <formula omitted> with addition of 20-30% carbon micro spheres worked well.

-Cat

Many are also capped with a piece of tissue paper, so the contents don't have  any resistance in getting out (and it should withstand the lift charge if sufficiently saturated with paste)

Using a 3/4? tube aprox 1.5? long. Press a end disk with .15? center hole to a depth of .125? wrap a small length of visco in 3-5 turns of kraft (length depends on your viscos burn time). Cut and prime visco. Insert fuses 1/2 there length; using white glue fill the 1/8? inset (coat end disk and fuse). .5g 2fg makes a nice ejection charge, cut to length your flying fish (or falling leaf) bundle together and prime (the end of the bundle) with bp/nc slurry (you may wrap with tissue). Adding no more then 1g dragon eggs to every 3rd insert. press (don?t glue) other end with 3/4" cup set. Works nicely with fast firing cake of 100-150 shots.

Also pretty, make a 10 wide fan changing fish color every 2 tubes blue-> green -> silver -> red -> purple.

For a simple raising tail (best with fast fan cakes) apply D1 3/4" pumped stars (cored) over fuse then wrap 1-2 turns of kraft over full length of shell glue to hold D1 in place (any star comp will work, alternating rows 10-20 shots wide works nice)

Excuse spelling, working on my first cup of coffee
-cat

If It's +5 mesh it works well for star cores. -10+30 mesh is good for a Mg glitter like effect with any resonably hot burning star comp. Be sure to coat your Mg. -cat

Well to put this thread back on topic for a second. I?m surprised there haven?t been any suggestions maybe I should open it up to electrical and analytical tests as well.

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Inspired by a batch if Dragon eggs that went horribly wrong (long story) I ended up with masses of Mg/Al clumped into big lumps each about 1/2" squared. When clamped over a Bunsen burner burning MAP it took about 62 seconds to ignite when it did it was quite impressive with a distinctive crackle and sustained bright flash.

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The material formed into a micro hollow core grain is the perfect test bed for simulating worst case conditions for engine ignition. Unlike some other formulas ignition is unmistakable and self-sustaining. Additional tests show that even molten slag (or reaction dross product) doesn't seam to effect or induce accidental ignition unless the grains are closer then 6?.

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I can not fathom a propellant that would requite this kind of ignition; however the test stands as worst case scenario.

The commercial igniters and igniter dips tested only pyromag was able to ignite this material, and it was not re-creatable. Several slag producing thermite mixes produced delayed, but consistent ignition. New formulas are in the works.

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Test grain formula not included.
-cat