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Bengal Flares


OblivionFall

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Hi there,

 

I want to try to make a bengal flare but I have a few questions.

 

I am looking into the mixture of strontium nitrate, potassium chlorate and shellac.

 

The problem is is that I have no idea where to get Shellac powder. I have Dextrin. I'm wondering if there's an alternative to using Shellac powder to make a Bengal Flare?

 

Thanks

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Here is a list of Bengal fire composition which a Dutch guy Wouter Visser posted a long time ago.
His site is long time gone aswell. I found this on canonfuse site. I doubt some of the compositions because of the lack of chlorine donors for instance Bariumnitrate, Potasiumnitrate and sulfur should give green fire.........well I don't think so no chlorine to give Bariumchlorid green effect in the flame.

 

Shellac is not easy to obtain but if so it's guite expensive.

 

I made some Bengal red fire pots with Buell Red

KCLO4 35

Strontiumcarbonate 25

Magnalium (-200 mesh) 14

Redgum 7

Parlon 13

Dextrine 5

25% alcohol/ 75%water

 

 

Bengal fire #1
Source: Chemical abstracts[14] 122, 595944
Comments: Improved color, larger sparks and increased scatter radius for sparks.
Preparation:

Zr................................................2-5
Cast iron shot....................................18-23
Fe powder.........................................20-25
Al powder.........................................2-5
Corn dextrin binder...............................3-6
Potato starch binder..............................0.5-1.5
Barium nitrate....................................balance

Bengal fire #2
Source: Chemical abstracts[14] 122, 59595
Comments: Increased combustion time
Preparation:

di-Buphtalate.....................................3-5
Fe-powder.........................................20-29
Al-powder.........................................4-7
Polyvinylbutyral binder...........................11-17
NH4NO3 inhibitor..................................1-4
Ammonium perchlorate..............................balance

Green bengal fire #1
Source: rec.pyrotechnics. Posted by Sweden <sweden@synchron.ct.se
Comments:
Preparation:

Barium nitrate....................................80
PVC...............................................10
Red Gum...........................................10

Green Bengal fire #2
Source: "Mengen en Roeren"[6] , page 223
Comments:
Preparation:

Barium chlorate...................................90
Shellac...........................................10

Green Bengal fire #3
Source: "Mengen en Roeren"[6] , page 223
Comments:
Preparation:

Barium chlorate...................................23
Barium nitrate....................................59
Potassium chlorate................................6
Shellac...........................................10
Stearic acid......................................1

Green Bengal fire #4
Source: "Mengen en Roeren"[6] , page 223.
Comments: Burns nice and slowly leaving little residue, but not with a green color.
Preparation:

Barium nitrate....................................6
Potassium nitrate.................................3
Sulfur............................................2

Blue Bengal fire #1
Source: "Mengen en Roeren"[6] , page 223.
Comments: This is a dangerous mixture since it contains a copperammonium complex and a chlorate.
Preparation:

Potassium chlorate................................6
Copper ammonium sulphate..........................8
Shellac...........................................1
Willow charcoal...................................2

Blue Bengal fire #2
Source: "Mengen en Roeren"[6] , page 223.
Comments: Burns moderately fast with a blueish-white color.
Preparation:

Potassium chlorate................................40
Copper sulphate...................................8
Colophonium.......................................6

Edited by Rocketier
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Here is a list of Bengal fire composition which a Dutch guy Wouter Visser posted a long time ago.

His site is long time gone aswell. I found this on canonfuse site. I doubt some of the compositions because of the lack of chlorine donors for instance Bariumnitrate, Potasiumnitrate and sulfur should give green fire.........well I don't think so no chlorine to give Bariumchlorid green effect in the flame.

 

Shellac is not easy to obtain but if so it's guite expensive.

 

I made some Bengal red fire pots with Buell Red

 

KCLO4 35

Strontiumcarbonate 25

Magnalium (-200 mesh) 14

Redgum 7

Parlon 13

Dextrine 5

25% alcohol/ 75%water

 

 

Bengal fire #1

Source: Chemical abstracts[14] 122, 595944

Comments: Improved color, larger sparks and increased scatter radius for sparks.

Preparation:

Zr................................................2-5

Cast iron shot....................................18-23

Fe powder.........................................20-25

Al powder.........................................2-5

Corn dextrin binder...............................3-6

Potato starch binder..............................0.5-1.5

Barium nitrate....................................balance

Bengal fire #2

Source: Chemical abstracts[14] 122, 59595

Comments: Increased combustion time

Preparation:

di-Buphtalate.....................................3-5

Fe-powder.........................................20-29

Al-powder.........................................4-7

Polyvinylbutyral binder...........................11-17

NH4NO3 inhibitor..................................1-4

Ammonium perchlorate..............................balance

Green bengal fire #1

Source: rec.pyrotechnics. Posted by Sweden <sweden@synchron.ct.se

Comments:

Preparation:

Barium nitrate....................................80

PVC...............................................10

Red Gum...........................................10

Green Bengal fire #2

Source: "Mengen en Roeren"[6] , page 223

Comments:

Preparation:

Barium chlorate...................................90

Shellac...........................................10

Green Bengal fire #3

Source: "Mengen en Roeren"[6] , page 223

Comments:

Preparation:

Barium chlorate...................................23

Barium nitrate....................................59

Potassium chlorate................................6

Shellac...........................................10

Stearic acid......................................1

Green Bengal fire #4

Source: "Mengen en Roeren"[6] , page 223.

Comments: Burns nice and slowly leaving little residue, but not with a green color.

Preparation:

Barium nitrate....................................6

Potassium nitrate.................................3

Sulfur............................................2

Blue Bengal fire #1

Source: "Mengen en Roeren"[6] , page 223.

Comments: This is a dangerous mixture since it contains a copperammonium complex and a chlorate.

Preparation:

Potassium chlorate................................6

Copper ammonium sulphate..........................8

Shellac...........................................1

Willow charcoal...................................2

Blue Bengal fire #2

Source: "Mengen en Roeren"[6] , page 223.

Comments: Burns moderately fast with a blueish-white color.

Preparation:

Potassium chlorate................................40

Copper sulphate...................................8

Colophonium.......................................6

These are all very helpful, but I each one has an ingredient that I can't seem to get a hold of or is expensive. The Barium Nitrate/Potassium Nitrate/Sulfur one seems like one I could try out. I don't really care if it has a certain colour, to be honest with you, I'm just trying to make a flare that lights up the area around it.

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A Barium Nitrate, Potassium Nitrate and Sulphur mix will burn white due to production of Barium Oxide in the flame. For Barium to produce a green colour, as Rocketier says, chlorine must be present in the flame for the production of the Barium Monochloride species.

 

That said, it sounds like a fairly friendly mix to work with if you're starting out making Flare or Bengal Fire devices.

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If you want to light up an area and aren't concerned with a particular color, look at flare compositions instead. There are some that produce a lot of light in long burning compositions or ones that burn almost instantly that the military used for nighttime photography and closer to an artificial sun in a bomb than a firework. Be aware that metals, especially magnesium, will produce lots of UV light and to protect your eyes.

 

Shellac is supposed to give some of the best colors, especially with barium chlorate. But other fuels can be used such as red gum, resins such as vinsol and phenolic, and lactose. Even dextrin or sulfur can be used. But different fuels have different fuel values and the proportions may need to be balanced and adjusted. Some of these fuels can also denature colors a bit and cause some colors not to look as good or pure as with other fuels. Red gum is a popular fuel but known to give a reddish tinge to colors. If you aren't concerned much with color then that shouldn't matter. I also wouldn't use expensive or hard to get chemicals if you don't care about color and are just looking for a source of light. Simple BP chems can be adjusted and may accomplish what you want especially if you add some aluminum to increase light output. Lance formulas might also be worth looking at, though they usually are colored and don't put out a lot of light.

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There is a chain of stores in the Midwest called the Woodworking Store. They are a high end woodworking retailer, that caters to pro's. They sell shellac flakes by the pound for making finishes for wood. If I remember correctly it was less than $20.00 a pound for it. They may even ship.
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Hello, I would like to know if any of the above compositions can be made into cut stars using shellac as a binder

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Why not find a proper star formula that uses shellac? Some may work when cut into stars but flare formulas aren't designed to move quickly through air and may get blown blind/not light or not be very bright.

 

Also, hardware store shellac can contain lots of other fillers and contain very little actual shellac. Shellac powder from a pyro supplier or perhaps a high end wood working store as mentioned above will be what you want to use for best results. Shellac is also an older fuel that is becoming expensive to buy when you can even find it and has been replaced with other things in more recent formulas. You might do better with a different fuel and formulas all together. Look around or ask if looking for a particular effect.

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  • 1 year later...

I have all the bengal fire (coloured fire) compositions with decent colours now except for blue.

Does anyone have any formulas for a decent blue fire using ammonium or potassium perc or anything that isn't too washed out or is this not possible?

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