Nessalco Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 I've put together a tutorial on making and granulating TPA flash powder. A form of flash much less sensitive to handling, it is still an excellent report compound. TPA Flash Article.pdf A video of the production process is at http://youtu.be/3fyoMKt9CYw Mumbles OK'd posting this article in the General Section. Kevin O 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TYRONEEZEKIEL Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 I am particularly impressed with how slow burning it is in the open. In your video it looked like a white star comp. Does that stuff seriously function as flash in a salute? I have never experimented with it but it seems that it would give less of a report than the same cavity filled with BP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddewees Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 Nice video Kevin. Are you granulating it so you can store it, or just for ease of loading devices? While it certainly burns slowly, it is an extremely hot burn. Not something you'd want climbing up your arms. How do you compare it to using blue aluminum? Not as safe, but more reliable? Thanks again for the detailed article, I still haven't used this stuff, but do have some TPA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nater Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 Very nice video. Thank you for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nessalco Posted July 17, 2015 Author Share Posted July 17, 2015 (edited) I am particularly impressed with how slow burning it is in the open. In your video it looked like a white star comp. Does that stuff seriously function as flash in a salute? I have never experimented with it but it seems that it would give less of a report than the same cavity filled with BP. This comp gives an excellent report when contained. I find the report to be just as loud as standard 70:30, and some people think the pressure wave is greater. Can't say, one way or another, but it certainly goes boom. Loudly. Nice video Kevin. Are you granulating it so you can store it, or just for ease of loading devices? While it certainly burns slowly, it is an extremely hot burn. Not something you'd want climbing up your arms. How do you compare it to using blue aluminum? Not as safe, but more reliable? Thanks again for the detailed article, I still haven't used this stuff, but do have some TPA. Dan, I granulate it mostly so I can fill bottom shots solidly and not have the comp settle. An added benefit is the reduced dust - this year when I made my bottom shots, I went through 6 kilos of flash. It was nice and easy when it came time to clean up. Finally, when granulated the comp burns more aggressively in devices but burns slower in the open. I can't explain why - it seems counter-intuitive. I agree I wouldn't want this stuff going up in my face, but I wouldn't want star comp - or any other comp - to do so. To my mind the big benefit is that it is far less likely to initiate at all - the TPA seriously desensitizes the comp. I can't compare it to blue aluminum, as I've never used it. Kevin Edited July 17, 2015 by Nessalco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nessalco Posted July 17, 2015 Author Share Posted July 17, 2015 The charge in this lampara is 15 grams of granulated TPA flash. Kevin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fckiamdead Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 Thanks for sharing. Nice vid and pdf.Have you tried the other "safe®" flash comp whit pentaerythritol? (It's a common comp in the army and patented) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nessalco Posted July 17, 2015 Author Share Posted July 17, 2015 (edited) I have not. I've had no access to pentaerythritol. Edited July 17, 2015 by Nessalco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddewees Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 This comp gives an excellent report when contained. I find the report to be just as loud as standard 70:30, and some people think the pressure wave is greater. Can't say, one way or another, but it certainly goes boom. Loudly. Dan, I granulate it mostly so I can fill bottom shots solidly and not have the comp settle. An added benefit is the reduced dust - this year when I made my bottom shots, I went through 6 kilos of flash. It was nice and easy when it came time to clean up. Finally, when granulated the comp burns more aggressively in devices but burns slower in the open. I can't explain why - it seems counter-intuitive. I agree I wouldn't want this stuff going up in my face, but I wouldn't want star comp - or any other comp - to do so. To my mind the big benefit is that it is far less likely to initiate at all - the TPA seriously desensitizes the comp. I can't compare it to blue aluminum, as I've never used it. Kevin Ok, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nater Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 I have had a hard time getting blue aluminum flash to ignite reliably. So far my first few experiments with TPA flash have been positive. I have not tried granulating it, but I plan to. My next test with it will see if it can work with light confinement such as flash bags and cap plug sized reports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddewees Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 Hunter told me once it worked with cap plugs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyrokid Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 Has there been any experimentation with the addition of sulfur to the mix? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zan89 Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 http://shrani.si/t/0/6i/qs5aWrV/20150418140840-1.jpg We in Hamex do it same way, we dont use tps but nitro lacquerfor binding it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OblivionFall Posted August 2, 2015 Share Posted August 2, 2015 Why not just use Blue Aluminum powder? Saves you some time and is $12 / lb from hobbyhorse. Can't ignite unconfined. Also if you have trouble igniting it you could put a tiny "flash bag" of 7:3 normal flash at the end of a fuse to ignite it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nessalco Posted August 2, 2015 Author Share Posted August 2, 2015 Blue aluminum is fine, I guess - I've never tried it. I got started making TPA flash and never bothered with other products. The one thing I've heard about blue al is that it is difficult to ignite even when contained - the clips I've seen showed the use of lots of blackmatch to get it going. The cost is, I think, a wash. I got TPA for $6 a pound, and it replaces half the regular aluminum. Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyroman24 Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 Blue aluminum is fine, I guess - I've never tried it. I got started making TPA flash and never bothered with other products. The one thing I've heard about blue al is that it is difficult to ignite even when contained - the clips I've seen showed the use of lots of blackmatch to get it going. The cost is, I think, a wash. I got TPA for $6 a pound, and it replaces half the regular aluminum. KevinWhy can’t I download this PDF is it because I need to comment sorry admins for bringing old threads up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justvisiting Posted September 14, 2021 Share Posted September 14, 2021 Pyroman24, you have to be logged in to download the PDF. I just downloaded it with no problem. BTW, the author has since passed away. If anybody wants the video or PDF, they might want to get it now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted September 25, 2021 Share Posted September 25, 2021 More than likely it was because he had 0 posts prior to that. Some anti-spam measures we put in place a number of years ago have had some unintended consequences over the years as the software has been updated. Sorry Pyroman24, I thought I responded about this a few weeks ago when this got posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagster936 Posted September 29, 2021 Share Posted September 29, 2021 (edited) It says I do not have permission to download the PDF Oh - it worked after I posted once, lol. I've been reading this forum for years great resource Edited September 29, 2021 by jagster936 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunonpath Posted August 9, 2022 Share Posted August 9, 2022 (edited) OK, this is cool!....I see this on Ebay... NEW 10 lbs Purified Terephthalic Acid 10 lbs is way more than I would want. I will keep my eye out for it elsewhere... Edited August 9, 2022 by sunonpath Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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