Coloured smoke flash composition

[Pyroflash]

Is there any good coloured smoke flash compositions such as yellow or brown smoke flash?

[Arthur]

Flashes are usually instant, but smokes take time. Maybe you are hoping for a smoke that rises into a plume then is lit by a flash??

Making devices that are sequential sometimes makes the effect easily sometimes less so.

[cmjlab]

Do you have a video example of what you're looking for, or something similar?

[Crazy Swede]

Bismuth trioxide in a thermitic reaction with aluminium magnesium, magnalium or titanium goes off with a bang and thick bright yellow smoke. You need very fine particle size of the metal fuel!

 

Ordinary copper thermite also acts like flash powder, producing brown smoke.

[Pyroflash]

Do you have a video example of what you're looking for, or something similar?

[Pyroflash]

I saw this super beraq multibreak shell from Maltese pyrotechnics with coloured smoke brown flash

https://www.facebook.com/StCatherineFireworks/videos/337914811864429/

[Crazy Swede]

Most probably copper thermite as I suggested above!

[cmjlab]

I wonder if they aren't using a gilsonite based flash to achieve the wide spread ring of black smoke clouds. They look more black to me than copper thermite flash smoke makes (vs. brownish smoke from the copper). But I have zero experience using either as inserts for a shell like that.

[cmjlab]

I was doing some research because you got my interest up with a black smoke daytime beraq shell. Over on FW.com there are a few threads about black smoke inserts for a shell, like seen in the video you posted above.

 

Unfortunately, it would appear it uses a more sensitive formula which contains Gilsonite or Asphaltum according to some of the more knowledgeable folks over there.

 

I think k I'm going to grab a pound and try some out.

[cmjlab]

So thanks to you OP, I'm now down the rabbit hole of "colored smoke" shell inserts (like the Maltese beraq shell in the video above).

 

So far I've learned that the Gilsonite/Asphaltum inserts don't produce a black smoke cloud, it's me re of a grey(ish).

 

Then I was referred to Ellern's Exploding Smokes (yellow, orange, brown) which are much like Crazy Swede suggested above, mainly using Goldshmidt reaction like comps, which produce smoke color based on the oxidation stage of the reaction product - yellow for Bismuth Trioxide, Orange for Lead Dioxide, and Brown for Cupric Oxide). (Reference: PGI Anthology Vol I)

 

So after asking a question about Mg mesh size (metal called for in composition), someone said they tried those and they didn't work - but did make an impressive shockwave. They said they tried it with just the metal / oxide (minus Potassium Dichromate) and it worked great.

 

I'm low on Bismuth and don't have any Cupric Oxide, so I will be ordering more to try both (I'm not interested in the Orange / Lead smoke). However, where I'm at now is that I'm going to try both Ellern:s original Yellow and Brown exploding comps, then try the suggested method of removing the Potassium Dichromate for both colors.

 

I will post Ellern's comps in a separate post along with notes of how I plan to make them.

 

Reference:

- Ellern's Civilian and Military Pyrotechnics, Exploding Smokes.

- PGI Anthology Vol. I., p.83

[cmjlab]

 

As stated on P. 84, left column, I plan to prepare them like small normal beraq inserts but w/ TF instead of the poke / slather with b.p. slurry method.

Edited November 14, 2023 by cmjlab

[Guest]

 

 

I saw this super beraq multibreak shell from Maltese pyrotechnics with coloured smoke brown flash
https://www.facebook.com/StCatherineFireworks/videos/337914811864429/

The day I achieve a shell with a final break like that will be the day I call myself………I don’t know….something.