Where Should Flash Powder Be Worked With?

[SSHPyro]

What area is best to work with flash powder? Is it ok to work on the ground? (Concrete) or should I be working on a wooden surface to reduce the chances of the flash self combusting from static?

 

[MicroGram]

Seems like kind of a strange question. The answer is simple common sense. Just a place where there's a safe, clean, uncluttered surface that's at a proper working height. You know, like a desk, or table etc...Having shit all over the ground is just a bad idea. Things can get spilled, tripped over, stepped on, or worse have thinks accidentally knocked ONTO them.

 

Ground yourself if you're that concerned about static. Yon can get a wristband used in electronics.

[cmjlab]

If you have to ask that, I wonder how much experience you have with flash and if it's a good idea to make it by yourself the first time you do.

 

However, as I'd rather you not kill yourself, I'll give you some safety tips (whether you want them or not) and some info to your question.

 

Avoid:

- Metal surfaces or spark producing surfaces such as spoons, bowls, etc.

- avoid plastic containers, twist containers, or other containers which cause friction to open/close, or generate static

- work on humid days to avoid static

- use anti-static spray on your self and surfaces

- don't grind, rub, scrape, or any other friction or impact creating methods

 

Where?

**Away from any flammable or other pyro materials

Away from your house, or attached garage. Preferably outside and away from anyone else so if you have an accident, you are the only one who is hurt. Outside in your yard away from everything is a good start. You can set up a mini pop-up canopy and work off a picnic table. I probably would rather work off the ground on a piece of newspaper or Kraft paper, rather than a plastic table (due to static concerns). If it is a low humidity day, use copious amounts of static guard spray on you and working surfaces.

 

Please be safe - consider joining a club or finding an experienced pyro willing to help you

Edited September 3, 2023 by cmjlab

[Mumbles]

CMJ gave good advice. I will add one extra thing. Only make as much as you need, and get it loaded into whatever casings you're using. Also, some mixtures are more sensitive than others. Make good choices.

 

People treat flash like the boogey man, but it's not without cause. It's simple, yet one of the more sensitive things we work with. I don't like having it out for any longer than I have to. The chances for potential accidents go down when it's sealed up. At a certain scale, it doesn't matter as much. Dead is dead, it's just the collateral damage.

[Richtee]

At a certain scale, it doesn't matter as much. Dead is dead, it's just the collateral damage.

Sobering statement there. Think I’ll have a bourbon and NOT mix anything tonight.

 

On Edit: Several years back when I was more “active” I mixed a 150 gram batch. No chance for static..I was covered in sweat But that is a “pink mist” amount to be in arm’s length of. Be safe.

Edited September 5, 2023 by Richtee

[Guest]

CMJ gave good advice. I will add one extra thing. Only make as much as you need, and get it loaded into whatever casings you're using. Also, some mixtures are more sensitive than others. Make good choices.

 

People treat flash like the boogey man, but it's not without cause. It's simple, yet one of the more sensitive things we work with. I don't like having it out for any longer than I have to. The chances for potential accidents go down when it's sealed up. At a certain scale, it doesn't matter as much. Dead is dead, it's just the collateral damage.

People do treat it like it's the world's most sensitive nitroglycerin, but if your standard flash was that sensitive, all us older folks would be walking around without our private parts due to all the black cats and those little red or silver tube things we carried around in our pants pockets on a daily basis as kids.

 

Of course like just about any pyro comp, safety and respect should always be applied.

 

I would like to add one note on your standard 70/30 combo.

 

People say it self contains at 30G.

That's BS!

 

The amount is way less than that.

 

Being the humble sort that I am, I'm not free of mistakes, nor admitting them.

 

I once had an aerial salute fail to ignite, worse than that, I couldn't find it after it landed.

 

The shell had been in storage for about six months, and I recall reading that some compositions degrade after time, but I'm still not certain to which comps that applies.

 

Weeks later while looking for a failed experiment I found it. I brought it back to the lab for some forensics and opened it up.

It appeared the fuse had made it to the charge, but for some reason it didn't ignite.

The comp looked just fine, but I didn't want to mix it back in with a freshly made batch, so I decided to just try burning it off.

It was roughly 8G's.

 

I poured it into an open paper souffle cup, stepped outside and stuck a fuse in it.

It was a bit windy that evening, and I didn't want the wind to blow it away before I lit the fuse, so I decided the wheelbarrow would protect it from such.

 

I lit the 20 seconds of fuse and stepped way back.

 

 

 

 

 

I felt pretty stupid the next morning as I had to explain to my wife why there was a silver dollar sized hole in the bottom of our contractor grade wheelbarrow.

Edited September 7, 2023 by Bbqjoe

[Richtee]

5G in a Dixie cup took the top off a deck post.

Edited September 6, 2023 by Richtee

[Arthur]

The first concern is should you work with 70/30 flash at all. Understand that 10g will possibly remove a hand or fingers. MANY -probably most- western world professionally made salutes contain another flash powder -likely nitrate based, for which the confinement (tube and end caps etc) is what causes the real bang.