thelawnmowermaninky Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 absolute newbie here, have no experience with flash powder, other than the fact that the more i read the more respect i have for it.very willing to trade off bang for safety, not into fireworks, interested in binary targets for rifles,something sensitive to a 22lr vs a larger caliber, my question being, would a less fine aluminum powder mixed at 70/30,be safer than flake and more impact resistant, i've seen some what appears to me some very dangerous practices on you-tube,as far as mixing, and handling, i do not want to become a member of the nine digit club... thanks in advance for any insight on this...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brightthermite Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 Could someone please explain the chemistry behind flash powders degrading? Why do they have such short shelve lives? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 It's all formula dependent. If made with quality materials, and with good techniques they don't really degrade. I know of a few instances where shells over 40 years old have been fired with good performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brightthermite Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 It's all formula dependent. If made with quality materials, and with good techniques they don't really degrade. I know of a few instances where shells over 40 years old have been fired with good performance. Makes sense. Other then it being pretty explosive stuff in larger quantities whats all this talk about it not being safe to store and can spontaneously ignite? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 Well, I would try to limit storage in the open. Once contained in a device it's quite stable and resistant to incidental ignition as long as it's stored properly (dry, protected from the elements, etc.). Being in a casing prevents the main causes for ignition; friction, impact, and static electricity. The most stable mixes are made from potassium perchlorate and aluminum. Magnesium and perhaps magnalium are known to be somewhat less storage stable. The metal oxidizes over time, and will render itself inert given long enough. These tend to be somewhat more sensitive to moisture degradation as well. Any flash capable of spontaneously ignition is definitely not using good quality or safe materials. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lincishome Posted September 2, 2017 Share Posted September 2, 2017 I know this is a old thread but I would like to ask new questions, this is my vary first thread based forum or any forum for that matter so please forgive me if im using it wrong im still trying to figure out how to navigate around, I have read many posts but still have questions about flash and safety, I have done a fare amount of research online and the information was lacking but that did not stop me from buying supplies online, yes as a novice I did chose to go for the big bang but after joining this forum I have some safety concerns that I have not see addressed I know im going to receive criticism but I just want to be as safe as possible, I will post questions if this thread is still active, thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogeryermaw Posted September 2, 2017 Share Posted September 2, 2017 Have you really read this thread? It IS 12 pages. I bet your answers are already in there. But ask. I'd much rather answer questions than read about you in the news Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrB Posted September 2, 2017 Share Posted September 2, 2017 (edited) I know this is a old thread but I would like to ask new questions, this is my vary first thread based forum or any forum for that matter so please forgive me if im using it wrong im still trying to figure out how to navigate around, I have read many posts but still have questions about flash and safety, I have done a fare amount of research online and the information was lacking but that did not stop me from buying supplies online, yes as a novice I did chose to go for the big bang but after joining this forum I have some safety concerns that I have not see addressed I know im going to receive criticism but I just want to be as safe as possible, I will post questions if this thread is still active, thanks in advance Oh my... Do you never breath? Here,have a few periods. .......... ... ... Anyway, yes, this forum is very much still active, and threads never die, they just hibernate.I support asking questions, but as the bearded man already said... this is 12 pages of random thoughts, opinions, and musings. Are you sure your questions haven't already been asked, and answered? (Rogeryermaw, that picture... Damn.) Edited September 2, 2017 by MrB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllisterF Posted September 3, 2017 Share Posted September 3, 2017 (edited) as a novice I did chose to go for the big bang but after joining this forum I have some safety concerns that I have not see addressed I hate to be blunt, but I take it you have not seen the biggest safety concern in essentially every flash powder thread, that you should not be going for he 'big bang' as a novice and/or unlicensed (region dependent)? Beyond that concerns are good as there is no such thing as a 'safe' 'big bang' flash powder, they are unsafe and the utmost care and respect needs to be given to them even in small quantities as 1-2 grams can remove fingers and/or make for a very bad day... I'm not saying they can't safely be handled and mixed, people do that all the time, but one even small mistake can turn into a big mistake quickly and way too many 'newbies' don't give flash powder the respect is deserves, as is evidenced by 1000s of videos on Youtube of people that have no business even playing with commercial US firecrackers let alone mixing and rolling their own... Edited September 3, 2017 by AllisterF 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PTFE Posted December 30, 2017 Share Posted December 30, 2017 hey guyshere is a video from a friend of mine who has made a Static-Safety test of 70/30 KClO3 based flash. Seems to be not that sensible but i think the real problem is, when flash dust is in the air as you handle it it will be much more sensitive to Static discharge. Although its nice to see such an experiment. MOV_0417.mp4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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