Making NC Lacquer

[AndyPyroNoob]

Hi,

 

Just a question on NC Lacquer. I see a lot of posts about making it with Smokeless gunpowder(I can't get it ) and using Celluloid Ping pong Balls.

 

From my research it appears I can buy competition Celluloid ping pong balls for around $2 each $AUD. most table tennis websites indicate if they are plastic or celluloid.

 

Should I get these celluloid balls.... Or should I make my own gun cotton with my supply of nitric and sulfuric acids and then with the gun cotton pour some acetone on the cotton to then bind some crackle stars? Will that even work???

 

Thanks for any advice you can give

 

AndyPyroNoob

 

 

[dangerousamateur]

I would forget about homemade NC, it's difficult to make it in good storage stable quality.

 

How are the gun laws where you live, can you buy smokeless powder for reloading cartridges?

 

Sometimes one can also get some kind of "Flash Wool" for magic tricks ect. Usually low nitrogen content but usable for many things, not cheap though.

[AndyPyroNoob]

I'm in Australia. No way I will get smokeless gun powder.

 

Thats why I thought either making my own "flash cotton" or getting ping pong balls..... only options at this stage

[Arthur]

Look out for guitar lacquer. Select the one that says cellulose or nitro lacquer Plenty of options on ebay.com.au don't know the value of AUD so don't see how expensive they are.

[AndyPyroNoob]

Something like this you mean??

 

https://www.guitaraust.com.au/finishing/lacquers/mohawk-classic-instrument-lacquer-gloss-quart.html

 

Will this work just like the NC lacquer made from smokeless black powder?

[Arthur]

Most/all shooting powders have a dark green/black colour otherwise they should be similar enough. Buy a small pot and try it.

[dangerousamateur]

 

Will this work just like the NC lacquer made from smokeless black powder?

It will be slower. But It's the best "civillian" stuff you can get.

 

What do you want to do with it? For making BP slurry it will be fine, I use something similar.

 

Quite expensive though, well, it's an expensive hobby

Edited April 22, 2021 by dangerousamateur

[SharkWhisperer]

Something like this you mean??

 

https://www.guitaraust.com.au/finishing/lacquers/mohawk-classic-instrument-lacquer-gloss-quart.html

 

Will this work just like the NC lacquer made from smokeless black powder?

I've used that exact brand (Mohawk/Behlen) and it works fine for igniters and is ok for crackle/DEs. It's definitely not as highly nitrated as smokeless NC, but probably a little more so than ping-pong balls. Sheesh, that stuff's expensive in Australia! I bought some 3 years ago for $20/quart, now it's $25 on Amazon in the US. But doing the conversion from Aussie dollars, that stuff's $57/quart US over there. Yipes. I forget the NC content, but it's sufficient to use as-is. There are other mixed solids in it, too, but they don't seem to affect the burn too noticeably. I didn't see an MSDS on the Aussie website you linked, but if you go to the Mohawk website and look it up, they'll have the data sheet that should tell you a little more about what's in it. I'm pretty sure but not positive, that there are other solvents included besides fast-evaporating acetone. But it'll work in a pinch, although rather costly...

[AndyPyroNoob]

My intention is to use it has a crackle binder to start with but yeah it is very expensive

[Arthur]

However expensive it seems, it's cheaper than making a kilo of NC from cotton balls and expensive chemicals which are not usually retail. Plus the quality will be better. Buy a small bottle and a bottle of the right thinner or it will harden in the tin before you use much.

[SharkWhisperer]

However expensive it seems, it's cheaper than making a kilo of NC from cotton balls and expensive chemicals which are not usually retail. Plus the quality will be better. Buy a small bottle and a bottle of the right thinner or it will harden in the tin before you use much.

That Mohawk product has a fitted lid similar to a typical paint can. So long as he keeps the can tightly covered after extracting the calculated volume needed for a batch, it should remain in its original state for quite a long time.

 

But Arthur's correct insofar as you probably want to have a bottle of acetone or MEK on hand when making formulations. With pure acetone (though I recall this product had other slower-evaporating solvents in addition to acetone), comps can dry out quickly and need rewetting during handling. I learned this the first time I made hand cut crackle and the rolled out sheet was drying on the air-exposed surface before I could get a layer of prime incorporated. This is not a real issue, so long as you have a spray bottle of acetone nearby. A few sprays and the surface is sticky again and binds prime (crackle needs good priming; I use two-step). That said, many plastic spray bottles are attacked by acetone--you want polypropylene. Keep in mind that, although the bottom of the spray bottle might have the recycling symbol/number for PP (not sure how that works in Australia), the actual spray mechanism might contain other plastics that are less resistant to acetone and you will quickly get a permanently clogged spray unit. So best to test it first. Another common drying issue is when you're mixing the comp with the NC lacquer--handling the dough a little too soon makes a sticky mess, but waiting just a little too long can leave you with a hard doughball that is prone to cracking. So having some acetone to rewet and thin your comp dough is useful (spray or liquid). Acetone is probably easy to locate there. Here, the dollar stores sell it as fingernail polish remover, but it's essential to read the ingredients to be sure it is acetone and only acetone--the Chicoms have no problem diluting their product with water, and some polish removers are not acetone-based at all. Otherwise, home improvement centers probably sell acetone by the liter or gallon like they do here. Remember that acetone is very hygroscopic, so keep it sealed tightly to protect it from absorbing atmospheric water. If, for any reason, your comp dries out to the point of misery working with it, you can redissolve it in acetone and start all over. Crackle is a bit impact sensitive, so you probably don't want to bash hard chunks back into powder (especially with the metals in it), and the chunks do get hard.

 

The biggest issue I've noted with first-time crackle/DE makers is that they make the stars too big. You can break chunks up some, but it's best to start small. You've probably seen the tiny perfectly round 1.5-mm crackle balls inside some consumer products. Those are a pain to replicate, but you can easily hand-cut or screen cut crackle that's about 2.5-3 mm. Squared or pointy-edged cut crackle squares will turn round(ish) when rolled in the heavy prime that they usually require, and edges might assist ignition anyways. The second biggest issue I've noted is that folks new to crackle don't prime them adequately. There's plenty of threads on the topic here, but I err on the heavy priming side. If you take a torch to an unprimed crackle star, it will blow, but there will be a delay that good priming easily takes care of for you--even more important when DEs are ignited in motion.

 

Last, when planning crackle devices, keep in mind that DEs are one of the heaviest/most dense stars that you'll ever be working with, so weight might be a design consideration.

 

Crackle is fun stuff. Static burn tests fly all over the place so do them outside and please wear glasses. Have fun!