taiwanluthiers Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 On the subject of Chlorine donors, I have heard Parlon or PVC is preferred. Parlon is a bit of a problem as they have to be ordered (not sure if any chem supplier has heard of this) while I think I can use PVC cement for PVC as chlorine donor. Recently I came across this "Paraffin Chloride" available as both a powder and a liquid. The powder form is a yellowish powder, description says "contains 70% chlorine, used as fire retardants". Can I use this as a substitute for Parlon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Potassiumchlorate Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 (edited) Yes, it's excellent. It burns better than parlon too, ironically. Mixed with a powerful oxidizer (chlorate or perchlorate) it will not work as a fire retardant Edited June 14, 2012 by Potassiumchlorate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taiwanluthiers Posted June 14, 2012 Author Share Posted June 14, 2012 Glad to hear that, now I won't have to order the Parlon from pyrostuff.com because that chlorinated paraffin is about $8 dollars a pound. As for "red gum" (have not really seen a formula for it yet) I got plenty of shellac around for guitar work... interesting how guitar work and pyrotechnic seems to overlap... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Potassiumchlorate Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Red gum doesn't have a simple formula, since it's a mix of stuff; resins, organic acids etc. Shellac burns slower but "cleaner" thanks to the high content of hydrogen vs. oxygen and carbon. It's also the "traditional" firework resin since centuries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Parlon is a chlorinated rubber. You might see it called pergut, chloro-rub, chloroisoprene, chlorinated isoprene, etc. An MSDS for it might have more names. Parlon itself is a brand name, but has become common terminology like band-aids or kleenex. Chlorinated paraffin may also be called chlorowax if you see any formulas for it. I've only used it briefly, but I really like it. It kind of reminds me of hexachlorobenzene. Another popular chlorine donor is saran (polyvinylidene dichloride). It's actually my favorite of the bunch. It has about the chlorine content of parlon, but it burns cleaner, and isn't staticy like PVC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagabu Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Another popular chlorine donor is saran (polyvinylidene dichloride). It's actually my favorite of the bunch. It has about the chlorine content of parlon, but it burns cleaner, and isn't staticy like PVC. I got some Saran for about half the price of PVC a few years ago and found it to just as good making colors. I did have to up the amount by 10% though... -dag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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