Flash Powder General Question

[Knightmare]

I have a question and thanks in advance.

When flash powder is used in consumer fireworks are the devices stable? This is including overloaded consumer fireworks. I was curious about this so I figured asking other people with more experience might be best here.

I figured the reason our fireworks here in the states have such unnecessary restrictions regarding flash powder usage is because of reactivity and sensitivity.

Thanks again everyone here.

[PGH_Pyro]

i'd say yes, to that question . these fireworks are the norm in other parts of the world and are not considered 'overloaded' as they are, here .

[jknepp1954]

from the small handful of stuff i have seen - i would have to answer YES as well.
AS these flash loaded stuff is specifically for the other world market - they would have to be safe for them.

[PGH_Pyro]

furthermore , you have to remember that they came over in a container on a ship in sweltering heat and they didn't pop/ignite all that time ...

[Knightmare]

Why can't are products be flash broken then? That is really weird.

[PyroJoeNEPA]

Why can't are products be flash broken then? That is really weird.

Because we live in an Orwellian Nanny State run by bureaucrats that only care about their own agendas--not the will of the people.

[Knightmare]

Because we live in an Orwellian Nanny State run by bureaucrats that only care about their own agendas--not the will of the people.

And they also want your money.

You're taxed so much it's unbearable and your freedoms are taken away everyday anymore.

[PGH_Pyro]

yeah , what Joe said .

[Dion]

OOooo Please Big Brother "SAVE ME FROM MY SELF"!! Don't let me have some flash powder!?!?!??!?!? HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!

[drtoivowillmann]

Dear Knightmare:

The only question is: which Flash-Powder has been used in those devices?
* The most common: only Potassium Perchlorate and Pyro-Aluminium, but nothing else is indefinitely stable. If, for example tho Old Egypciam Pharaos would have known (in deed the didn't), several thousand years ago, their flash powder would sitll work today.
However with additives like sulphur, Antimony Sulphide, Nitrates and they are no longer stable and undergo slow degradation.
* Chlorate-Flash-Powders are internatinally prohibited, but nevertheless Chinese use it clandestinly in their devices. These may decompose and either undergo spontaneous combustion or simply degradation, after which they simply will not work any more.
* Nitrate-Flashes, generally they use Barium Nitrate, are unstable. Rarely they do spontaneous combustion. But after some time, may be a couple of months up to years they simly do not work any more.

How can you know that, as a customer? You cannot!
If you have discovered a reliable brand of manufacturer, just never change it!

Yours truly: Toivo

[chris v]

Comsumer flash powder as in black cat firecracker are a fairly weak flash comp generally made up of a coarser metal and class b fireworks metal partical size are usually in the 1-5 micron range. If im understanding your question you stated why doesnt fireworks break with flash as in artillery shells some shells do have a "flash" booster but is a slow flash which is made of a oxidizer that will not react with the other chemical or is just put into a flash bag as far as breaking with just flash the burn rate and expansion of flash is to great and would blow blind (fail to light star)

[Kenny East]

I would say most canister shells on the market today have a weak flash powder as opposed to traditional bp coated rice hulls... Even the cheaper ball shells don't use bp rice hulls any more... Its usually a fluffy white powder that kinda looks like weak whistle mix... There are some rockets that make use of a flash bag... They put stars by the pass fire... Then a bag of flash over that... China will put whatever they want in the shells... As long as we buy it... Give the guy at the factory making your brand of shells a envelop of cash... You could prolly get a few cases of canister salutes...

[countryboy7978]

The reason our fireworks can't be flash broken is more than likely this reason. It's much harder to reverse a law than it is to pass one. Most of these consumer protection laws a were passed in the late 1960s and early 1970s when the liberal groups started getting a strong hold on society and insurance companies (interested in their bottom line) worked hand in hand with safety groups and lobbiests to ban salutes. During that time period consumer fireworks consisted of domestically produced Roman candles, Sky rockets and salutes. The aerial bombs were almost all salutes rather than flash broken color effects. That stuff came from China in the late 80s through today. So the law was put into place to ban salutes and allow aerial reports to only consist of small paper firecrackers incorporated into headers or shell payloads. 2 grains (approx 130mg) was the standard load for a 1.5" firecracker after 1966.

As far as stability of flash powder goes...commercial flash powders made with standard oxidizers like potassium chlorate, perchlorate and nitrate should have no problems in storage provided they stay dry. Chlorate, perchlorate and nitrates do not degrade over time provided proper storage. Remember that some European countries don't allow perchlorate and therefore use nitrate based flash composition. I have some old commercial Class C crackers with nitrate flash that fire just fine.

[PyroJoeNEPA]

Very good insight into the "why" countryboy.

[RalphieJ]

"I have some old commercial Class C crackers with nitrate flash that fire just fine."

Cherry salutes made by New Jersey Fireworks from 1965 still work perfectly.

[Pasternak]

I'm pretty new here but I have a question about some flash I made. When I light it, it makes more of a puff with a lot of smoke, rather than a bang. Is it a problem with my aluminum, or is my ratio off? I'm doing my best to mix 7:3 but I'm using a postage scale only accurate to the gram.

[displayfireworks1]

I hope we are not leading you into danger, we will start with a few questions. What type of aluminum and oxidizer are you using, my money is one of them is wrong. You need to be more descriptive in your post. I am also concerned it is your first post. But go ahead and tell us.

[Pasternak]

I am using German dark 5413 that I purchased on amazon ( I know, I know, but they're the only place that would take my credit card.) and potassium perchlorate from pyrochemsource.com.

[Pasternak]

Another thing is that the flash looks a little darker than I thought it was supposed to, wich makes me think I may have weighed something wrong and not put in enough perchlorate, or maybe have the wrong aluminum. Would plus or minus half a gram in either direction make a big enough difference to cause it to deflagrate instead of explode?

[yoshisbar]

I can answer that, but I won't, if you have to post a question about it not being right don't do it SIMPLE. IT WILL HURT YOU trying to figure it out!! The correct mixture will go boom every time even if it is 50/50 mix, when you buy online you can't tell what you are getting just because it says 5413 doesn't mean it is.. my 2 cents

[displayfireworks1]

I heard enough, time to shut it down