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titanium for salutes


pyrochris732

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I have a pound of spherical titanium and i was thinking of adding it to salute shells for those nice bright sparks. Only thing is, im not sure how to mix it in and how much to use. I've read that adding ti to various comps requires about 10% of the comp.

 

The mesh is 80-150. Do I just mix it evenly throughout the salute composition or dump some on top? Will this increase the sensitivity of flash powder?

 

Regards,

 

Chris

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Normally a much coarser mesh is used, 10-30 mesh or so. There are a few ways to do it. The first of which you mention, where it is screened or stirred into the comp. Another way is to just toss it on top, and the handling will distribute it. The last way is probably the safest. Spray your tube with contact cement or spray adhesive and fill and shake with Ti. It will coat the walls. You still get the Ti spark cloud, but it's really no more sensitive than straight flash.

 

If the Ti is mixed with the flash it most definitely is more sensitive.

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I add 10 to 12 percent of 30 mesh sponge titanium to my flash aerial reports. I suggest mixing it into the flash well rather then just dumping the Ti into the flash. When I just dumped it in and hoped handling would mix it well I could easily see the Titanium on one side of the break. When it was mixed in well it was a nice ball of sparks. I take a plastic baggie (sprayed with anti static then dried) put it in a cup to support it and fill it with say 12 grams of ti, then I add 100 grams of flash. Hold the bag so all the flash is in the corner, squeeze out excess air, tape the bag and cut off excess. mix the flash and ti in the bag and load it into your shell.

 

Of course if you are really paranoid you can put 12 grams of Ti in your shell, then add the bag of flash seperately. it won't be a perfect ball of white Titanium sparks, but....

 

Your spherical titanium will work just fine though, but I would only expect a ball of sparks about 10-12 feet in diameter.

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I am WAY to cheap to use good Ti for flash, I use Ti turnings and mix it intimately with my Al so that it fully mixes with the Pot-Perc when doing a binary mix.
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  • 2 weeks later...

I am WAY to cheap to use good Ti for flash, I use Ti turnings and mix it intimately with my Al so that it fully mixes with the Pot-Perc when doing a binary mix.

 

I also use turnings for salutes to save my sponge for other stuff.

I just add all the ingredients to the salute case (can) and a pinch or 2 of corned BP to help mix (maybe not, but I do it anyway). I leave about 1-4 to 1/3 of the case empty. Close up and mix gently.

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I suppose if I still had to buy my chemicals I would do the same. Is sponge titanium still unshippable? I used to use flake titanium and it worked very well! In fact I saved some -20+200 mesh flake Ti for my titanium glitter.

 

How large are your turnings if I might ask?

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Big turnings occasionally give some very cool effects. I've seen some swim after the initial burst. Very appealing, but I have no idea how big the turnings were. I'd imagine pretty big.
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Turning Ti usually makes pretty small turnings due to the incredible amount of heat that cutting Ti makes. I have not seen any larger then this but who knows?
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  • 1 month later...

The titanium will give go nice effects but will dull the report.

 

*SIGH*

 

Not true, just not true.....

 

HELP!!!!!!

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Adding titanium.

First diaper your flash powder as you normally would. Then add the titanium. The titanium will give go nice effects but will dull the report.

 

pyrochris732 is not stupid I think he knows adding it will give a nice affect (after all he wouldn't be adding it as a filler LOL) as for dulling the report making flash fluffy generally sharpens the report not that there would be an audible difference

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Mumbles. I know I dont post here much (I'm starting to though) but I think it would be in everyones interest/health if she? got banned!

 

Dean

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I agree - I've wasted a good half hour catching up on today's posts and they're all the same. But I comfort myself that it will quieten down when he has to go back to school in September.
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Don't even bother arguing with her. I tried so many times and even after heinous comments she wouldn't get the idea. It's simply ridiculous. She never thinks she's wrong, that's the problem.
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Anyka,

 

Tell you what, I will make three headings for my 1# hybrid rockets and will video them with three variations and will post them online for everyone to view and hear.

 

1. Straight 70:30, no Ti

2. 5% Ti added

3. 30% Ti added

 

All Ti will be 20 mesh Ti turnings, no sponge or others.

 

If the consensus is that there is no noticeable difference in sharpness or if the additional Ti adds to the sharpness, you will back down and stop using antiquated recipes that no one uses, stop doing tutorials on every posting and be a good little N00b.

 

If the consensus is that the report is dulled due to the increased Ti, I will NEVER bother you, I will kiss your back side and will concede the N00b crown.

 

-OR- You could just try to be a part of this community, stop trying to climb over the top of us and take some lessons from the old snorts here. I try to back up all my claims with video or pictures, please follow suit.

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What? I should be banned? God, if that be true then I am sorry for everything!

 

LOL! just kidding, I think Dean was saying that you are a little overwhelming and that your absence would let us return to a more normal existence.

 

Actually, I have tried it, several times. Listen, come to PGI, you gotta make boat loads of money so it should hardly be a bother. Come to the manufacturing tent, show us what you have in mind and lets see for ourselves what all this is about.

 

Don't worry, I'm not some old pervert, my wife and two of my kids will be there and we will all be too busy making and shooting shells to leer appropriately at you.

 

Now, settle down, take a breath and lets do some pyro.

 

BTW- To quote Mike Swisher, "Diapering is for babies."

Edited by dagabu
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Anyone seen the videos of those big cylindrical salutes with the sponge Ti stuck to the inner walls?

 

'instant galaxy' or something similar? I always wondered whether this would reproduce well at a slightly smaller scale...

 

Amyome know what I'm talking about?

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You mean where they take the paste Ti to the walls of the cylinder? Yeah, they're pretty cool. I imagine that with smaller ones either a) you'd want to make them explode closer to the ground/audience, or b)use larger Ti.
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  • 1 month later...
Has anyone bought and used the Ti that is for sale in the back of the July PGI bulletin(pg 75-76)? It's $11/lb for a mix of flakes,chips, curls and shavings. I'm torn between getting this or the Ti sponge that is currently on sale at American Pyro. Is there an application that one or the other is better suited for?
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Has anyone bought and used the Ti that is for sale in the back of the July PGI bulletin(pg 75-76)? It's $11/lb for a mix of flakes,chips, curls and shavings. I'm torn between getting this or the Ti sponge that is currently on sale at American Pyro. Is there an application that one or the other is better suited for?

 

I am sorry but if the add was from Bob Rinaldi, he is currently in custody and will not be available to sell Ti for some time to come.

 

As far as sponge goes, there are a lot of things it should not be used in while there a few better places for sponge then flake and turnings etc. I buy turnings, screen them to 20 mesh, put the larger turnings in a dedicated ball mill jar and mill them into *flakes of different mesh for tails, reports and such.

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