Ralph Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 I have never seen molten Cu come out of a CuO/Al thermite. Always vapour/fine airborne particles. than you have clearly not made much CuO thermite in your time very small amounts often wont throw "sparks" of glowing copper but lager samples throw of glowing molten droplets of Cu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rogue Chemist Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 What particle size are you experienced with? For me it has been up to 75 or 100g total thermite using 325 Al, and finely powdered CuO, and always a red cloud lacking glowing metal resulted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Ive used from 16mesh granular Al right upto dark al with almost everything inbetween my CuO is probably on the single micron level there is the cloud of fine Cu but there are also "sparks" that fly off the reaction which I am almost certain are of molten glowing Cu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KillaX Posted January 11, 2011 Author Share Posted January 11, 2011 There is sparks. When I recorded videos and did playback at slow speed I could see there's a ton or sparks. I use 600Mesh aluminum and maybe 200Mesh copper oxide, seller didn't specify size. But it ends with a lot of sparks which of course always looks cool in exposure. I like to discharge capacitors to foils and do exposures, like in my avatar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TYRONEEZEKIEL Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Killax. I have a personal story for you. I started pyro by using some of my dads APCP rocket chems to make zinc stars. I wasnt pleased with just a teal burning color. I wanted something exciting. So I moved directly to flash/thermite. I saw some videos on youtube, and I figured "what the heck, I can do it if they can do it." I started by scraping Al or Mg from a bar, getting pretty coarse powder, so I was getting very slow reactions. I then obtained some very fine pyro grade metals and did the same thing. The first device I made instantly fried all the skin off of my right index finger. I was left with excruciating red meaty flesh for weeks to remind me of how stupid I was. I was very lucky that I only used a 2 gram batch and nothing larger. I say all this hopefully to show you that even though I "did my research" on youtube, pyroguide, and a little bit here. Refusing to listen to the good advice cost me. However it pushed me to start over the right way, and now I have made some pretty decent shells, and rockets, even a few salutes. My finger is healed up fine now, but I am just asking you to play it safe. Not so much because I want to be "that guy," but more so because I truly dont want anyone to end up in what I did or worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richtee Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 And for God's sakes, get rid of that stupid, pants down, sideways hat- gang-banger silly assed name. Yeesh. I love America. And hate what it's becoming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagabu Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Pants on the ground, pants on the ground Lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground With the gold in your mouth, hat turned sideways Pants hit the ground, call yourself a cool cat, lookin' like a fool Walkin' downtown with your pants on the ground. Giddy-up! Hey, get your pants off the ground. Lookin' like a fool Walkin', talkin' with your pants on the ground. Giddy-up! Hey, get your pants off the ground. Lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground. - Larry Platt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fly Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Kid I hope the ATF takes you away soon.This hobby has no place for people that break FEDERAL LAW.What you are doing is a felony.They won't just slapyour hands & give you a ticket.You can take that to the bank. Fly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KillaX Posted January 12, 2011 Author Share Posted January 12, 2011 It's so sad to see people who can't read *cough*fly*cough*. If you read this has been covered already. Anyways, leaving the past and returning to the current conversation, dagabu, I will give you a PM when I get ahold of the 3 main supplies I need. It will be awhile since money is a bit tight after spending a couple hundred on capacitors and digital oscilloscopes...so I can't be spending money yet on fetching KN03 and so forth quiet yet. But exactly how is a fountain constructed? Is it really just BP into a tube with iron filings? I always figured since fountains have a thrust, it was capped off with a smaller size hole to create pressure for thrust. And for the FYI, I have been a gamer since I was around 4. I have kept the game tag Killa-X since I made it in 2001. I use it on majority of forums, so it's easy to keep track of. I only use different names on forums for certain occasions, else it's Killa-X, given they allow special characters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 I hate to point this out, but Fly is right. As far as the ATF is concerned you're not creating pyrotechnics when just making salutes. Regardless if you claim they are to be aerial, they can get you for producing banned ground salutes. M-80's, cherry bombs, silver salutes, etc were all banned in the 1960's. This is indeed a felony. Many states will make it a felony to make any fireworks what-so-ever without a license regardless if you are obeying federal law. I have my doubts if the proper setback distances are being obeyed anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagabu Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 You can buy Hi-Yield Stump Remover (99% KNO3) in the yellow can, it runs about $5.00. No, you really cant make a fountain in the traditional sense but you can make something called a gerb that is a lot like a fountain but uses a tube (not a mortar) with a clay choke to increase the pressure. I'm a gamer too, Renegade, Blood Gultch Killa, do you buy your small electricals through Mosuer? I got caps from them some years ago for igniters for around $.008 each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TYRONEEZEKIEL Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 (edited) Gerbs are very good devices to play with Edited January 12, 2011 by TYRONEEZEKIEL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
optimus Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Pants on the ground, pants on the ground Lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground With the gold in your mouth, hat turned sideways Pants hit the ground, call yourself a cool cat, lookin' like a fool Walkin' downtown with your pants on the ground. Giddy-up! Hey, get your pants off the ground. Lookin' like a fool Walkin', talkin' with your pants on the ground. Giddy-up! Hey, get your pants off the ground. Lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground. - Larry Platt ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagabu Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Its a Minnesota Vikings thing, you wouldn't understand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KillaX Posted January 13, 2011 Author Share Posted January 13, 2011 Heh. More like American Idol hehe. That was funny when it was on TV and they said people would make a song out of it. People on YouTube remixed him. You can't get my capacitors for 8 cents. Not my big ones. My big ones at mouser, digikey, Newark, are worth $230-$300 new. I got them for $5 at a surplus place. They are old and dented, but work just as well. You can't get 400v 2400uF caps cheap at all. I can resell these for $40 easily. Won't though...they are like gold to me. As for powder it ignition use, my NST 12kv 60mA is good for small mixtures. I use long fuses when it comes to actual fireworks that are custom made. Sometimes for fun I'll set the fuse off 20ft away using my high power laser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagabu Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Sorry, no I was wondering about the where not so much the what part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mabuse00 Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 a 50# bag. Trust me, if you start making shells, fountains and the like, you will go through it fast!! I wish I had that much time for my hobbys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KillaX Posted January 16, 2011 Author Share Posted January 16, 2011 (edited) So, What is it that makes the crackling and popping sparks in fountains and other fireworks? What type of metal/powder is used for that? Not sure how else to describe it, but what is used to actually get that rapid-pop sound in a firework? Lot of fountains seem to have this. Edited January 16, 2011 by KillaX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 they are called dragon eggs or crackling micro stars do a search and you will find heaps of info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverLabRat Posted October 31, 2023 Share Posted October 31, 2023 I like the safety first tone of this forum. I am new, I just joined. Pyrotechnics and other high energy reactions have always been an interest of mine. I am retired from the US Army where I learned flame fuel devices and other improvised explosives. I also have a degree in Organic Chemistry and have tested / used with proper safety precautions especially learning chemistry and material characteristics before I even think about a trial test using appropriate PPE and any other safety devices (blast shields) deemed necessary from a hazard examination / risk assessment I tend to be a bit paranoid at my preparations - I am 65 YO and have not lost any body parts so maybe just the right amount of paranoia. This is is done before even considering if this reaction would be a useful (what teaching point?) for safe demonstration at proper scale (small as a rule if at all) for in class use in Chemistry lectures. Many reactions do not pass this safety screening and are only done if at all by video to show in class. Back to safety, failure to understand a reaction and overconfidence are how I have seen several severe injuries and near misses happen even with the so-called knowledgeable person. Poor research of a reaction led to a second year medical student losing parts of fingers from both hands, getting face full of glass shrapnel - goggles saved his eyes, and putting a hole through one a inch Bakelite counter. If he had asked any of the Faculty about his planned experiment - PhD Chemists - they would have asked if he had a death wish. Never a good idea to mix strong oxidizers with readily reduced materials then heat. Always run the first time small with "excessive" safety precautions as the reaction / or distillation may turn the glassware into a 360 degree fragmentation grenade - seen with a very skilled technician - fortunately the room was empty at time of detonation. After the after action investigation showed incomplete washing out of a trace of formic acid had led to an explosive polymerization of crude anisyl formate - licorice flavoring. I can site many more examples like Basic Trainees on Fragmentation Grenade range not giving proper respect and causing their death along the death of the Drill Instructor in pit with them. Once the pin is pulled you must hold on tightly as if your life depends on keeping constant pressure to prevent actuation of an unplanned deadly five second countdown because it does. Sorry to ramble on but one can never be too safe or too knowledgeable about dangerous materials. It will save your life and that of others around you. Looking forward to learning a lot here. Thank you. Michael Fields Major US Army Retired and PhD Chemist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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