Maserface Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 how much land are you shooting these on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maliveline Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 (edited) shooting on public land up in a rock quarry like 20 miles from my house. I might take video we'll see. Edited November 21, 2014 by maliveline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maliveline Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 couldn't even get it to go off with an ar-15 lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlaMtnBkr Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 It should have. Good chlorate and aluminum flash will pop from a .22 LR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jakenbake Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 It should have. Good chlorate and aluminum flash will pop from a .22 LR.Emphasis on the word "good" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maliveline Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 well it wasn't that great but it burns ok so I figured it would go off. I'm trying something different next time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyrojig Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Sounds like a particle size issue. But I am not condoning a large 1/2 kilo + flash target. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maliveline Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 ya its definitely a particle size issue. I guess my new plan is to bite the bullet and try to do KClO4 / Al / sulfur composition.I'm not really looking to do some ultra fine flash powder for exploding targets. I suppose when I get to that point I will probably start off with smaller targets. I was hoping to avoid sulfur all together but now I'm considering it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlaMtnBkr Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 If you want to use a .22 then you will need good flash. The .22 is basically just lighting the flash with heat and friction and not causing a detonation like with AN based targets. If the flash won't light and boom with a fuse, it definitely won't do anything by shooting it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maliveline Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 (edited) ya i dont know I'm going to start making perchlorate and experiment with that. My flash wasn't all that bad but I don't know. I will figure it out and when I do i will post some vids. I think I need to add more charcoal to my aluminum because I kind of thinned it out and it wasn't very dark this time. Also I'm not really sure I want to use sulfur because When i get my perchlorate I'm pretty sure its going to have chlorate contamination. Edited November 24, 2014 by maliveline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 Ah, solved the mystery, and it goes back to the good flash. You seem to be making your own aluminum. This will never allow anything construed as remotely good flash to be made in most instances. Typically you're going to max out around 30-50 micron particle size, which is about an order of magnitude too large. Also you seem to think that adding charcoal to it in some way improves it. Not the case. The charcoal present in the blackhead varieties is not simply added during milling or afterwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maliveline Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 well if you can't mill your own aluminum fine enough how do they do it industrially. Also I suppose your right about adding the charcoal afterwards but I thought if you added it before milling it makes it more reactive because it helps keep the oxide layer off the aluminum which makes it more reactive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 Just because you and I can do it effectively, doesn't mean that industry suffers from the same problems. In some preparations, it's coated onto paper, shredded and stamp milled. The paper keeps the Al from fusing back together, which is the biggest issue we tend to be limited by. From there the paper is burned off (where the charcoal comes from). This mostly arrived as a way to process scrap aluminized paper such as used to coat sticks of gum or cigarette packs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taiwanluthiers Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 I just want to weight in.... How is producing flash based targets any different than making "M-80"? What I'm asking is, is it even legal to be shooting flash targets? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlaMtnBkr Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 How is detonating a high explosive legal? Supposedly because it is a binary mixture that is mixed and used on site, just like the flash based ones. M80s would need to be transported usually and the big thing that is illegal is selling them. Most people don't make their own but buy them and then transport them. That is illegal. If you go to a convention and make a bunch of M80s on site, string them together, and light them I doubt that is illegal either and would be treated like any other hand made fireworks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maserface Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 I just want to weight in.... How is producing flash based targets any different than making "M-80"? What I'm asking is, is it even legal to be shooting flash targets? If its legal or not, is going to depend on where he is shooting them- I seem to recall a ban on explosive targets on BLM land, but I could be wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maliveline Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 (edited) Just because you and I can do it effectively, doesn't mean that industry suffers from the same problems. In some preparations, it's coated onto paper, shredded and stamp milled. The paper keeps the Al from fusing back together, which is the biggest issue we tend to be limited by. From there the paper is burned off (where the charcoal comes from). This mostly arrived as a way to process scrap aluminized paper such as used to coat sticks of gum or cigarette packs. Now that you mention it, I did notice that when I was hammering on small piles it was almost like the aluminum was clumping upand I could see it "fuse" back together. Its almost like its kind of gummy. however I was able to get it to pop a few times with a hammer so i dont know. I'm going to try potassium perchlorate I have a hunch I can make it work with that better. I read somewhere in the potassium perchlorate post that its safe to use sulfur in KClO3 compositions as long as you use it soon and dont store it which is what I have to do to be legal anyway. Is this true? Also would adding boric acid help or is that only for aluminum/NO3 comps? Edited November 24, 2014 by maliveline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jakenbake Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 The only sulfur you want to be adding to a flash comp is rubbermakers sulfur It is much lower in acidic values. Even that I wouldn't feel safe mixing. Problems with adding flowers of sulfur to any chlorate comps comes from moisture, it forms tiny droplets of week sulfuric acid and we know how that ends..The addition of sulfur also raises the sensitivity of the comp. through the roof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maliveline Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 I dont know I guess I'm probably going to stay away from sulfur Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taiwanluthiers Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 Agreed, it's sensitive enough by itself, I don't see what is gained by making it more sensitive unless you want it to be airsoft sensitive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jakenbake Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 Sounds like you could save yourself a headache Mali by just purchasing some good dark flake Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maliveline Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 I could the only problem is people on ebay rape you for prices on Aluminum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlaMtnBkr Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 (edited) Don't buy on eBay? Edit: why is my font size so much smaller? Edit 2: It appears to have grown with time Edited November 25, 2014 by FlaMtnBkr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maliveline Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 where do you guys buy yours at Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagabu Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 where do you guys buy yours at PGI, from pyro buddies, eBay isn't that bad once you know how much work goes into bagging up 110# of dark aluminum and shipping it one pound at a time. Pre order a drum for PGI and you can get it for a couple bucks a pound on a good year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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