KNo3 Color starts

[deepakpyro]

in my country, it is difficult to get perchlorate chemicals.,

so i have tried making color starts(red & Green) with available oxidizer that Potassium nitrate.

 

this is a green star composition got from pyrodata.com.

 

Green star #10

 

35

Potassium nitrate

10

Sulfur

40

Meal powder

50

Barium nitrate

10

Charcoal

 

have anyone tried this formula .. i tried it and color is pale orange.

any suggestion to improve the color output ?.

 

 

 

[sora]

Unless some metal is added it'll not be hot enough to produce color, besides,you must add some chlorine donor like PVC

[deepakpyro]

Unless some metal is added it'll not be hot enough to produce color, besides,you must add some chlorine donor like PVC

yeah, thanks .. tried and results are good

[ronmoper76]

What did you end up changing to make it satisfactory.

[SharkWhisperer]

yeah, thanks .. tried and results are good

Deepak hey,

 

You're usually a little more thorough than this. What exactly did you change to improve your results (metals and/or Cl donor? Charcoal remain the same?) and what was the final composition/component ratios?

 

Anw what specific performance improvements did you observe from the pale orangey burn? Ignition ease? Burn rate? Priming type required, if any?

 

Tx.

[deepakpyro]

Hey,

 

I have totally changed my formula.

I got rid of meal powder.

I have user PVC powder as chlorine donor and added mgal to increase the burning temperature.

 

My modified composition is

 

Barium nitrate -40

Potassium nitrate - 10

Sulphur - 10

Charcoal airfloat - 10

PVC powder - 15

Mgal - 15

 

But I never tried to make star out of this comp. I just made star mix and light to see the color. Color was decent enough.

 

Now i have tried the below comp for red satr

 

https://www.amateurpyro.com/forums/topic/7962-the-arrangement-of-the-contents-of-my-parachute-flare-rocket/?p=105449

 

I have added dextrin to bind the stars.

 

Still exploring the red star's with out kpa

[deepakpyro]

One of the Red star formula without perchlorate is as below.

 

Strontium nitrate: 58

PVC :10

Mgal 200 mesh:12

Sulphur:15

Dextrin :5

 

Made small batch mix for test. Burn with bright red color.

 

 

People without access perchlorate can try this formula.

Used only fuse to light this mix.. as a star, step prime would needed.

Edited April 11, 2021 by deepakpyro

[AndyPyroNoob]

This is a red Composition I found that I think works nicely......

 

Strontium Nitrate : 62

Potassium Nitrate : 15

Sulfur : 19

Charcoal : 4

 

No Chlorates / Perchlorates -- No Metals

[SharkWhisperer]

This is a red Composition I found that I think works nicely......

 

Strontium Nitrate : 62

Potassium Nitrate : 15

Sulfur : 19

Charcoal : 4

 

No Chlorates / Perchlorates -- No Metals

Is all of that oxidizer necessary? Appreciate that you don't want to taint the red coloration with too much charcoal fuel, but seems this would burn up pretty quickly. And no chlorine donors--more expensive than potassium nitrate (cheap in the US at least) and probably strontium nitrate, too, but PVC or Parlon in substitution for some of your oxidizers might give a nice balance between color enhancement and burn rate, and still have no metals. I've personally don't recollect ever seeing a star formulation that used that much strontium nitrate supplemented with KNO₃... Seems fuel-poor and chlorine-negligent. But I'm sure it burns quickly. And red. Strontium is forgiving. On ground burns, do you have a lot of solid residue left over? I'd imagine so.

 

Appreciate aiming for no perc/chlorates or metals, but is this what we're looking for? Certainly somebody's tried something similar before.

 

What does it look like coming out of a stargun?

 

Have you tested this "in flight" or are you just making an educated guess? Not nicking you--just asking for additional details. Did you mix/test powder, formed stars on the ground, formed stars in motion? Stars in a completed device?

 

Tx

[AndyPyroNoob]

First up. I'm a noob.
I spent alot of time working out if I could get particular chemicals for particular comps an colours before I even started my journey into this world

I had made afew comps, BP, BM etc and wanted to go for a red and a green colour

I didn't have any chlorates or metals etc so I thought there must be something out there surely,,,,

I came across this comp that stated it was a road flare composition, The attached video shows it being lit as a powder on some paper. I didn't mill it, but i think it would be even better milled.. but haven't tried that as yet.

I've not shot it or made it into a star etc as yet. But I know the video doesn't do the colour justice. Its much nicer in real life.

I also tried some Barium nitrate and also some parlon and I did get a nice green too but that will need some work

Since this video I now have been making myself some KCLO3

Is all of that oxidizer necessary?

As a noob I can't answer this. Maybe I could try it with more charcoal and less nitrates..... see how it performs and what differences there are....

Thanks

Edited April 13, 2021 by AndyPyroNoob

[deepakpyro]

It's pretty good red color..

[deepakpyro]

Since this video I now have been making myself some KCLO3

 

 

Thanks

How you are making ?

Are you in need of chlorate that much and making yourself.

Why do you want to make chlorate by yourself.?

 

Is it safe ?.

Chlorate is sensitive chem and personally i don't use it even if it is available. With nitrate only you can make many effects.

Edited April 13, 2021 by deepakpyro

[ronmoper76]

First up. I'm a noob.

I spent alot of time working out if I could get particular chemicals for particular comps an colours before I even started my journey into this world

 

I had made afew comps, BP, BM etc and wanted to go for a red and a green colour

 

I didn't have any chlorates or metals etc so I thought there must be something out there surely,,,,

 

I came across this comp that stated it was a road flare composition, The attached video shows it being lit as a powder on some paper. I didn't mill it, but i think it would be even better milled.. but haven't tried that as yet.

 

I've not shot it or made it into a star etc as yet. But I know the video doesn't do the colour justice. Its much nicer in real life.

 

I also tried some Barium nitrate and also some parlon and I did get a nice green too but that will need some work

 

Since this video I now have been making myself some KCLO3

 

 

 

As a noob I can't answer this. Maybe I could try it with more charcoal and less nitrates..... see how it performs and what differences there are....

 

Thanks

i like how slow it burns

[deepakpyro]

Here is the nitrate based red star

 

Strontium nitrate - 60

Dextrin - 5

Sulphur - 14

PVC - 9

Mgal - 12

 

Color and time of burn is good..

 

Barium nitrate can swapped with strontium to get green..

 

More version of nitrate bases star under testing

Edited May 7, 2021 by deepakpyro

[deepakpyro]

Testing

[PRANAB]

Nice colour Deepak.....

Great job....

[deepakpyro]

Here is the nitrate based red star

 

Strontium nitrate - 60

Dextrin - 5

Sulphur - 14

PVC - 9

Mgal - 12

 

Color and time of burn is good..

 

Barium nitrate can swapped with strontium to get green..

 

More version of nitrate bases star under testing

Tried this particular formula and formed cut star, primed by "step prime" method.

1 layer 1mm 50 hot BP + 50 color comp

2 layer 1mm 75 BP+5%mgal + 25 color comp

3 layer 1mm 90%green BP + 10% mgal

 

I have used 4% dextrin for all layers.

 

Color on the sky is not bright enough. Its look like color changing star on sky (orange to red) orange due to BP and color comp mix. Tested in 3 inch shell. Stars were burning till it hit the ground.

Overall not upto the expectations.

P.S missed to record the video.

 

Changed the above composition little bit by adding dark aluminium and output is decent.. fast buring mix on ground. Color is vibrant. Yet to test the star

 

Strontium nitrate -55

Sulphur - 5

Mgal 200 mesh - 10

Dark Al- 10

Dextrin - 5

PVC - 15

 

 

This time swapping the step prime with hot prime (BP+Si).

 

Any suggestions on prime ?. 2mm prime is enough to ignite the star ?.

 

Anyone tried similar formula?

 

Critic/comments/suggestions welcome

 

Thanks

DN

Edited June 6, 2021 by deepakpyro

[deepakpyro]

Update ....

 

Made rolled stars with above composition 1/4 inches or little less than that. I have primed the stars with hot prime -green mix + 5%si +5% mgal +5% dextrin. I have coated 2mm layer on the star.. So the final size of star is approx 7mm to 8mm. I will test my shell/star gun over the weekend.

Edited June 18, 2021 by deepakpyro

[SharkWhisperer]

Tried this particular formula and formed cut star, primed by "step prime" method.

1 layer 1mm 50 hot BP + 50 color comp

2 layer 1mm 75 BP+5%mgal + 25 color comp

3 layer 1mm 90%green BP + 10% mgal

 

I have used 4% dextrin for all layers.

 

Color on the sky is not bright enough. Its look like color changing star on sky (orange to red) orange due to BP and color comp mix. Tested in 3 inch shell. Stars were burning till it hit the ground.

Overall not upto the expectations.

P.S missed to record the video.

 

Changed the above composition little bit by adding dark aluminium and output is decent.. fast buring mix on ground. Color is vibrant. Yet to test the star

 

Strontium nitrate -55

Sulphur - 5

Mgal 200 mesh - 10

Dark Al- 10

Dextrin - 5

PVC - 15

 

 

This time swapping the step prime with hot prime (BP+Si).

 

Any suggestions on prime ?. 2mm prime is enough to ignite the star ?.

 

Anyone tried similar formula?

 

Critic/comments/suggestions welcome

 

Thanks

DN

That's the first time I've heard of tri-layer priming. Your revised approach should work ok. Too thick of priming and you're going to have that orange effect interfering with your red as the colored core starts up while there's still a lot of charcoal-based prime burning off.

 

Stars burning until they hit the ground is of course not desirable. Are you positive your strontium nitrate is dry? I religiously oven dry my strontium nitrate (after a run of crystals through the coffee grinder) and keep it with desiccant in storage. I also never dextrin-bind strontium nitrate comps because...water.

 

Strontium nitrate is hygroscopic enough already that you need to worry about atmospheric water vapor absorption. But when you purposefully add water to get it damp, it simply will not give back all of that water. Your cores will be damp. Maybe you would be able to "cook off" the water from the cores in a drying box, but if you then moisten the surfaces with water to prime, you are probably going to add back more water for the thirsty nitrate core to absorb during priming. Damp stars are slow burning/cold burning stars.

 

You already have PVC in that mix. Why not use an organic solvent so that the PVC can form a water-resistant protective shell and still be available to donate chlorine?

 

I pretty much only use dextrin as a binder for charcoal-based stars (and expect long drying times with large ones/comets) & their primes, lift/burst BP, and blackmatch.

 

I'm a big fan of fast & simple rubber stars for brilliant reds. My inner prime for red rubber contains a little less Si (3% I find sufficient) and a little more MgAl (perhaps 7-10%) to get the Si hot enough (quickly) to actually oxidize, melt, and do it's molten glass slaggy heat-transfer action. If you don't get Si hot enough, then it's just going along for the ride as an inert freeloader. Si's melting temp is about 2600F. That's hot. BP burns at 2500+ F, but takes a moment to get there. So the metal is important to get up to temp fast (MgAl 50:50, starts melting at around 850F; http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2192&context=open_access_dissertations).And MgAl burns hot super hot, >3000F, so they Si and MgAl work together nicely.

 

Looking forward to the results of your star revisions.

Edited June 20, 2021 by SharkWhisperer

[deepakpyro]

Hey SW,

 

Link is broken it seems.

 

Yes, i had to break couple of my stars which i followed tri-layer prime, where prime is about 3 mm including all layers and its slow buring which made the Orange color more visible.

 

I don't have a oven with me, i used to store my strontium nitrate in air tight container and i used to feel its hydroscopic nature whenever i am making rolled stars. It used to pick up lot of water. Even one puff of spray will make good round stars to mushy one.

 

Last week i have made both nitrate based green and red star and left it dry in shade for 5 days. Its kind of humid here due to starting of mansoon season so red took entire 5 days to dry, where green is dry as marble with three days.

 

Again priming the red star with water is where i made mistake.. after 4 days of drying cores are moist and prime has hardened.

My prime is Si and Mgal based prime. where my Si is 6% and mgal is <5% coated about 1mm and another 1mm of green prime.

I have checked my log book.. i used less mgal.

 

Lit the green and red stars in star mine, where all stars lit beautiful and color is good. Video in attachment.

 

When i tried it by shell, the stars went dark. In shell i have used green star. silicon based prime..

 

Any suggestions, does it went blind due to hard break?

 

I have IPA and acetone in my stock. Both are cheap enough.

Edited June 20, 2021 by deepakpyro