"Jennings-White"- Blue Stars

[Pyro09]

Hey Pyrocommunity,

 

two weeks ago I made a small batch of Jennings-White Blue Stars (Kclo3, CuCl, Red Gum, SrCo3).

 

After having dried the pumped stars I tested them, but they burn with a nearly invisible, yet-like red flame. My first idea was that I mixed something wrong, so I made a batch again.

But there's still the same problem! Sometimes it burns for a split second bright blue, but that's all.

 

Do you have any experiences with this compositon? Any advices?

Here is the vid of a burning test:

 

Burn-off (Right click->save target)

 

 

Thanks a lot,

Greetings

Pyro09

Edited April 9, 2010 by Pyro09

[Bonny]

I'm assuming you are making Jennings-White blue #2, and are subbing the red gum in for shellac? IIRC ,that is a purple formula... with both SrCO3 (red) combined with CuCl (Blue).

Maybe the red gum is changing the comp (for the worse in this case).

I made that comp a long time ago, and don't remeber how it looked, but seeing as I never made it again, it probably wasn't one of my favorites.

[Pyro09]

I'm assuming you are making Jennings-White blue #2, and are subbing the red gum in for shellac? IIRC ,that is a purple formula... with both SrCO3 (red) combined with CuCl (Blue).

Maybe the red gum is changing the comp (for the worse in this case).

I made that comp a long time ago, and don't remeber how it looked, but seeing as I never made it again, it probably wasn't one of my favorites.

 

I used this formula:

 

65% Kclo3

20% CuCl(I)

5% SrCo3

10% Red Gum (original: Shellac, but I substituted it with Red Gum).

 

I tried this comp since I need a nice blue based on Kclo3 and I couldn't find any other Kclo3-blue!

[Bonny]

I used this formula:

 

65% Kclo3

20% CuCl(I)

5% SrCo3

10% Red Gum (original: Shellac, but I substituted it with Red Gum).

 

I tried this comp since I need a nice blue based on Kclo3 and I couldn't find any other Kclo3-blue!

 

there are a few listed here:

 

www.pyroguide.com

 

wichitabuggywhip.com

 

You could also try looking in the archives/old newsletters at www.skylighter.com

[swervedriver]

I've seen this one, it looks good-

 

65 KClO3

15 CuO

10 Saran or Parlon

05 Red Gum

05 Dextrin

[Mumbles]

This one is my favorite. It's from Dave Stoddard, and is a modification of one of Shimizu's formulas.

 

Blue Star

 

Potassium Chlorate ........ 64.5 %

Red Gum ................... 9.9

Cupric Oxide .............. 13.4

Parlon .................... 5.4

Charcoal .................. 2.0

SGRS (Binder) ............. 4.8

 

Lights easily, burns fast, good blue color.

[Cookieman]

This is one of my favorite organic blue's.My link

 

Potassium Perchlorate 65

Black Copper Oxide 14

Parlon 9

Red Gum 7

Dextrin 5

[frosty90]

Hey Pyrocommunity,

 

two weeks ago I made a small batch of Jennings-White Blue Stars (Kclo3, CuCl, Red Gum, SrCo3).

 

After having dried the pumped stars I tested them, but they burn with a nearly invisible, yet-like red flame. My first idea was that I mixed something wrong, so I made a batch again.

But there's still the same problem! Sometimes it burns for a split second bright blue, but that's all.

 

Do you have any experiences with this compositon? Any advices?

Here is the vid of a burning test:

 

Burn-off (Right click->save target)

 

 

Thanks a lot,

Greetings

Pyro09

 

 

Hi, I have EXACTLY the same thing happen if I light a blue star that is not fully dry, or I try to light a dry one with a 'cool' flame: it just glows red and smoulders, without a flame. But then if you heat it a bit stronger, suddenly a blue flame will appear! It really weird, they just smoke and glow red, and sometimes flicker with a blue flame. Were they fully dry before you tried them? Try blasting it with a gas torch or something to light it. When they are primed Ive never had this happen.

I have only ever noticed it with copper 'oxychloride' never with copper oxide, I see you use copper chloride: perhaps copper chloride is to blame? I doubt its the redgum, since I use shellac and get the same thing. Also regarding strontium in the blue formula: Recently I made some 'purple' stars, with copper oxychloride and strontium carbonate, but not much strontium, more copper, and once dry and in star form, it does burn much bluer than just copper salt alone: not purple but a good blue. It seems that a small amount of strontium carbonate really helps the blue at least in this case. Most purple formulas seem to me at first to be heavier on the strontium than the copper, I wanted a more 'violet' purple than 'pinkish' purple, so I went heaveier on the copper, but it simply made a really nice blue!

 

Jesse

[Pyro09]

Hey, thanks a lot for your advice!

 

@swerve, mumbles, cookieman: I'll give these formulas a try!

 

@frosty: I thought about exactly the same thing! I haven't primed them yet, but I'm gonna do that today.

 

Greetings =)

[Mnemotron]

Hey Pyrocommunity,

 

two weeks ago I made a small batch of Jennings-White Blue Stars (Kclo3, CuCl, Red Gum, SrCo3).

 

After having dried the pumped stars I tested them, but they burn with a nearly invisible, yet-like red flame. My first idea was that I mixed something wrong, so I made a batch again.

But there's still the same problem! Sometimes it burns for a split second bright blue, but that's all.

 

Do you have any experiences with this compositon? Any advices?

Here is the vid of a burning test:

 

Burn-off (Right click->save target)

 

 

Thanks a lot,

Greetings

Pyro09

 

Hi,

In my opinion the problem is that this stars are very hard to dry.I had your same problem.

Now after several weeks this is the result:

What do you think?