optimus Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 I've recently aquired some Barium Chlorate Just mixed up some 9/2 Chlorate/shellac. Holy crap - that was a nice green! Also mixed in some amorphous Boron to make some insanely vivid slow flash. Remembered reading something about the Chlorate/Shellac stars exploding if you step on them. Does anyone have any experience making stars with this? I'd like to make some microstars for fountains but I'd rather not get carried away and end up with an overly dangerous mix... I'd be happy enough just using it for coloured fire as it is the most vivid green I've ever seen by far, but I'm tempted to get some stars in the air... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 I've heard those rumors as well. I've never really wanted to find out first hand though. I have heard of shells of similar stars exploding upon lift, or hitting the ground in the case of a misfire. More often than not, the stars are made more stable by the replacement of barium nitrate, or potassium chlorate for part of the oxidizer content. 5% barium carbonate can be added for ease of mind, even with lances and other colored fire pieces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
50AE Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 From stability and price point of view, it's best to use a formula which has less Ba(ClO3)2 with some Ba(NO3)2 and KClO3 added, like Mumbles mentioned. For example: Barium Chlorate 24 Barium Nitrate 8 Red Gum 6 Dextrin 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrenaline Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 You coul also try this formula, though I never used it myself and I don´t know how sensitive it is. Barium Chlorate 3Lactose 1 I think the best way to find out how sensitvie these formulas are is to make a few stars of each comp and give them a nice blow with the hammer.If they detonate at low impact, I would keep my hands of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 That formula is going to be pretty sensitive I would imagine Adrenaline. Lactose is surprisingly sensitive with chlorates due to it's low melting point. I forgot to mention something else. Barium chlorate on it's own can be kind of a sluggish oxidizer. The replacement with potassium chlorate or barium nitrate also helps to speed it back up to "normal" speeds. I'd suggest trying some of the Hardt formulas. While it's frequently listed as containing barium chlorate and probably works well, Hardt #3 does not originally have barium chlorate in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrenaline Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Just found another Barium Chlorate formula in an old book about fireworks: Its a formula for green microstars, however it asks for Calomel, so I doubt it will be very useful for you. Barium Chlorate 24Sulfur 1Calomel 9Shellac 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausgoty Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 I made some of this by electrolisis. Strange stuff. Mixed 3:1 with sugar or lactose it burns with the most beautiful intense green but if I try any "proper" comps with red gum bnitrate and a binder I lose almost all of the green, the flame tends toward yellow/brown. I guess it is impurities in the B chlorate? Will try a bigger batch when i get some more B carb and do a better job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WSM Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 I made some of this by electrolisis. Strange stuff. Mixed 3:1 with sugar or lactose it burns with the most beautiful intense green but if I try any "proper" comps with red gum bnitrate and a binder I lose almost all of the green, the flame tends toward yellow/brown. I guess it is impurities in the B chlorate? Will try a bigger batch when i get some more B carb and do a better job. Hi ausgoty, If you're using ceramics grade barium carbonate, it's usually contaminated and needs to be purified first. If you can use reagent grade barium salts, I suspect you will have greater success. I was wondering how your cell was set up, what type of electrodes were used and if any special conditions were required to make barium chlorate? I have thought about trying to make it, but wasn't exactly sure of where to start. WSM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
optimus Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 Thanks for the input folks - I'll have a look at the Hardt formulas and go from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shagaKahn Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Have you tried making stars yet with your Ba(Cl03)2/Shellac formula? When you first mixed this did you dissolve the shellac in alcohol and then add the Ba salt and pour it all into a tube, like for a Bengal? Love the idea of a green without any metal at all--so you can actually look at it without being blinded. Thanx Opti-,s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
optimus Posted March 16, 2011 Author Share Posted March 16, 2011 Haven't tried making stars yet, no. I mixed it dry and 'settled' it in a 5/6" tube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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