Which copper makes a better BLUE!?

[Livingston]

Im making Royal Blue and it calls for KP KIO3 Lactose parlon CUCO3 and Dex. I've read that copper oxide makes for a better blue. I have both coppers.

 

I'm just wanting to know which copper will make a better blue?

 

Any help will be much appreciated.

[TYRONEEZEKIEL]

I believe the oxide is a better blue producing color. The carbonate tends to be washed out. In my opinion, royal blue is a pretty crummy blue to begin with. Try hardt sulfur blue

[enanthate]

Oxide.

Pyro science blue(water), or Pihko KP #2(acetone) is my favorite, and is the one used in my vids with blue stars.

 

Pihko:

Kclo4 63

Copper oxide 13

Parlon 14

RG 10

 

Edit: Pyro blue is pretty much the same, just add 4% dex.

Edited January 28, 2015 by enanthate

[Arthur]

Hexamine used as fuel was my eureka moment for blues. It's a cooler flame and it's bigger so the blues look good. Something based on Pihko with 10% of hexamine was my liking.

[Mumbles]

I've used both and find them basically interchangable in my experience. I prefer copper oxide, but have gotten good results from both. There's a case where one of Shimizu's blue formulas was transcribed wrong where copper oxide and carbonate were mixed up. By the time the mistake was corrected many batches of the wrong one had already been made. Upon fixing the mistake, no one could really tell the difference.

[pyrojig]

I believe it is the Cu oxychloride that works better for perch, and Cu oxide/ or carb for the chlorates . Either Shimizu or Hardt is where I recall these notations.

[WSM]

I believe it is the Cu oxychloride that works better for perch, and Cu oxide/ or carb for the chlorates . Either Shimizu or Hardt is where I recall these notations.

 

That sounds right.

 

From a theoretical standpoint, I would guess either red copper oxide (cuprous oxide or Cu₂O) or copper powder could make the best blues because there's more copper there. An argument for cuprous chloride has also been made.

 

Chlorine donors are required and cool burning fuels help, but whether all of these combined will make a decent star is the bottom line.

 

WSM

[Differential]

Here is a gram and a half of anhydrous CuCl2 and Al, mixed 7.5 to 1. Not a great blue, but simple and easy to light.

Apologies for the long fuse. You won't see much of anything until 20 seconds.

 

http://youtu.be/x4OpBsco4V4

[pyrojig]

I can account for testing the Cupric oxide as a good blue producer. I used a kclo4 comp , but would presume that a kclo3 comp would be as good if not better . Blue seems to be a hard color to get clean and " bright" . Many comps offer a "washed out " blue and not a distinct one. I prefer , hardts kclo3 blue( in the round stars section).

Edited February 2, 2015 by pyrojig

[50AE]

I've had much experience with chlorate organic comps, especially blue. Somewhat I achieved a better subjective blue with copper oxychloride, it was also much cheaper than using othe oxide. I've developed my own blue chlorate formula I can share if you wish so. It uses PVC as the supplemental chlorine donor. And because PVC tends to slow the burn rate, the resulting mixture burns with a somewhat medium speed - something I find most valuable in small to medium shell sizes.

 

Edit: you can find it here: http://www.amateurpyro.com/forums/topic/5882-50ae-chlorate-colored-stars/

Edited February 2, 2015 by 50AE

[pyrojig]

Did you notice a more "ashy " burn with the pvc? I have found that some comps produce a heavy smoke tail and ashy effect that tends to wash out or take away from the blue . I guess this is why AP comps are so attractive for "distinct " clean colors ( as the byproducts are gaseous Hcl)Less smokey to be put in short.

[50AE]

Pyrojig,

 

In my opinion, if the comp is properly balanced, little ash should outcome. Ash to ash quantity, parlon didn't differ much from PVC I think.

[pyrojig]

I believe that your correct in your findings. A balanced formulation will indeed have less ash .; But I have found that some comps just burn ashy or smokey regardless of formulation balance . I think it is more the smoke that washes out the color. Ash is more a fallout by-product. But it is nice to get input from another who indulges in kclo3 formulations / .