white smoke composition

[dgsh009]

Hello dear friends

I make parrafin wax smoke comp(kno3+wax+sugar) and it didnt ignite and work.
Could you help me?
Do you know and test really operational white smoke composition?
thank you

[greenlight]

What method did you follow to make your paraffin wax smoke composition? 

If you include details it is easier to find errors.

[dgsh009]

hello my friend
I do that by steps of this video.
the comp is kno3:40% sugar:26.6% wax:33.3%

I melt parrafin, put composition in it and then in the cardboard tube.

 

Edited December 21, 2024 by dgsh009
edit video link

[greenlight]

The video you have linked is a different composition that is used for colour smoke.  It uses cooler during potassium chlorate and lactose with an organic dye which is atomised by the burning process.  You will not be able to get colour using potassium nitrate and sugar as it's burn temperature is too high resulting in the dye being burnt.

Back in the day when I used to make the potassium nitrate/sugar/wax mixtures I used this method:

• Potassium nitrate 60% by weight

• Icing sugar or standard white sugar 40% by weight

• Paraffin wax +40% (same weight as the sugar)

The potassium nitrate and sugar were well mixed in a bowl.  The paraffin wax was melted on a stove top and then poured into the bowl containing the smoke mixture and well blended until uniform.

Then the mixture was packed into cardboard tubes.

Now, a characteristic of this mixture is it burns terribly and barely ignites when out in the open in a pile or open ended tube  This mixture performs best when it has some confinement in a tube with plenty of ejection holes for the smoke to exit. 

The ideal container was a thick walled cardboard tube with one end plugged.  Ejection holes (abut half a centimetre diameter) were drilled along the sides of the tube before filling with a power drill.  I used to do one line of holes on each side of the tube and another along the top spaced about 2 cm apart or less if a small tube.  So looking at the tibe front on you have them at 12 oclock, 3 oclock and 9 oclock.  The bottom quadrant was not done as the tube would be laid flat when igniting with this side down.  The tube was filled with smoke mixture and then the other end plugged.   A hot burning fuse (sparklers were great) was stuck in one of the holes at an end of the tube and it was ready to go.

The three parallel lines of ejection holes in 3 different directions of the circular tube also helped produce decent coverage in all directions and quite an efficient smoke cloud/screen for a simple KNO3 comp.  The mixture burns extremely slowly with the 40% extra wax but you still must have plentiful ejection holes available to disperse the smoke produced.

 

Edited December 21, 2024 by greenlight
Fix a number

[dgsh009]

thank  for your answers.
I edit the link. and now it is true link.
working with melted parrafin is difficult. so do you know another formula and comps for thick white smoke?
i use 50/50 kn/suger mixture but color of its smoke was gery and brownish and wasnt thick and good effect smoke.

[greenlight]

Cost and health wise, the potassium nitrate formula is the best.  The main issue is the smoke is very hot, which causes it to rise instead of forming a blanket screen.  Igniting a smoke device using this mixture on a very cold (or foggy) night offers muxh better screening results.

The other thick white formulas are much cooler and heavier smoke particles which is why they form a screen and "sit" better.  The downside is they  contain more specialist chemicals and are usually quite toxic (HC, phosphorus smoke, etc).  

 

 

[dgsh009]

I saw some comps that include TPA and cinnamic acid , Do you know where can find this materials easily or product them?

[dgsh009]

I test kn/suger in cold weather ( -6 C) and it makes gray and brown smoke, do you know what is the reason?
If we add 10% sodium bicarbonate(as flame retardent) to mixture, is it good for better performance?

[greenlight]

KNO3 sugar smoke should be white to light grey, maybe you have an impurity in your reagents.

Sodium bicarbonate is used in smoke compositions as a coolant more than a retardant.

I have heard of compositions with TPA but never experimented with them.

Here is a list of some different formulas from pyrodata, I'm sure there's more out there on google:

https://pyrodata.com/composition/other/smoke-compositions

 

 

 

[countryboy7978]

The mixture I use is similar to Class C fireworks smoke and ignites easily with a visco fuse. It needs a small nozzle that can be achieved with a simple clay plug with a visco sized hole or just a fuse hole in small tube devices

50% fine KN03

40% sulfur

10% fine table sugar 

[dgsh009]

On 12/28/2024 at 6:19 AM, countryboy7978 said:

The mixture I use is similar to Class C fireworks smoke and ignites easily with a visco fuse. It needs a small nozzle that can be achieved with a simple clay plug with a visco sized hole or just a fuse hole in small tube devices

50% fine KN03

40% sulfur

10% fine table sugar 

where do you see this comp formula?
Is this mixture need a prime for ignite?
thank you for sharing your information

[countryboy7978]

5 hours ago, dgsh009 said:

where do you see this comp formula?
Is this mixture need a prime for ignite?
thank you for sharing your information

Seems like this formula is not posted in any literature unfortunately. It is an approved consumer fireworks formula for white smoke for outdoors. It had the traditional sulfur smell. 
 

I found this while searching for a formula that mimicked the Apollo of the Ozark smoke tube. I've tried it only in small 9/16" x 1.5" casings and it did not require prime. A simple visco fuse provided ignition. 

[dgsh009]

7 hours ago, countryboy7978 said:

Seems like this formula is not posted in any literature unfortunately. It is an approved consumer fireworks formula for white smoke for outdoors. It had the traditional sulfur smell. 
 

I found this while searching for a formula that mimicked the Apollo of the Ozark smoke tube. I've tried it only in small 9/16" x 1.5" casings and it did not require prime. A simple visco fuse provided ignition. 

I read this formula before in Westech Fireworks Manual book , but there is charcoal instead of table sugar.
the thicknes and volume of smoke was moderate.
Do you test your formula ?

[countryboy7978]

6 hours ago, dgsh009 said:

I read this formula before in Westech Fireworks Manual book , but there is charcoal instead of table sugar.
the thicknes and volume of smoke was moderate.
Do you test your formula ?

I have tested the formula in small smoke devices. My goal with this formula was to replicate a 1980s Class C smoke device that I grew up with. It was made by a firm in Lake of the Ozarks MO. The composition was an off white colored powder that smelled strongly of sulfur but had no sign of charcoal. I used the table sugar as a charcoal substitute as I assume the original manufacturer did the same. The composition was slightly sticky to the touch which indicated either sugar or lactose being used in the mix. 
 

Again my goal was not high output smoke but a replica of something I grew up on. 

[countryboy7978]

Just now, countryboy7978 said:

I have tested the formula in small smoke devices. My goal with this formula was to replicate a 1980s Class C smoke device that I grew up with. It was made by a firm in Lake of the Ozarks MO. The composition was an off white colored powder that smelled strongly of sulfur but had no sign of charcoal. I used the table sugar as a charcoal substitute as I assume the original manufacturer did the same. The composition was slightly sticky to the touch which indicated either sugar or lactose being used in the mix. 
 

Again my goal was not high output smoke but a replica of something I grew up on. 

 

[dgsh009]

2 hours ago, countryboy7978 said:

 

nice pyro memories !
I will test it.

Edited December 31, 2024 by dgsh009

[countryboy7978]

2 hours ago, dgsh009 said:

nice pyro memories !
I will test it.

I ground the table sugar in a mortar and pestle as did I the KNO3. Separately of course. Screen mixed the composition together using a 100mesh screen 

[dgsh009]

16 hours ago, countryboy7978 said:

I ground the table sugar in a mortar and pestle as did I the KNO3. Separately of course. Screen mixed the composition together using a 100mesh screen 

thanks, okay