Hand Flares and Parachute Rockets

[Celtick]

I got 40 red hand flares and about 30 Parachute Signal Rockets mostly from Comet Pyrotechnik see <a href="http://www.ship-technology.com/contractors/survival/comet/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.ship-technology.com/contractors/survival/comet/index.html</a>
I also have some from IKAROS at their site (http://www.hansson-pyrotech.com/ikaros_hand-held.asp) You can see a nice diagram
<img src="http://www.hansson-pyrotech.com/ikaros_hand-held.gif" alt="" />
, But can someone tell me what kind of Chemical Compositions are in these flares/rockets?

P.S. There are also some interesting Ignition systems; in the flares some kind of pullout ignition and in the rockets a sort of percussion-cap.

<small>[ April 08, 2002, 10:11 AM: Message edited by: Celtick ]</small>

[mongo blongo]

blasting cap?

[mr.evil]

i think you mean friction ignition, if it contains an blasting cap there wouldn't be much left over from the flare :)

Cya

[Celtick]

Yes I mean some sort of Percussion-cap...

have a bit of a translation problem <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

[Arkangel]

There are a few types of hand flare ignition, in the old days they were a type of match composition on top of the magnesium flare, usually with a compressed BP layer to get it going.

Nowadays, there's a percussion cap, just like in the back of a standard (7.62 often) cartridge in the base of most handflares. You strike the base, which pushes a firing pin into the cap, the flame flashes through a tube to the BP at the top of the flare, et voila! (some, like the ones you probably have, are initiated by a string that you pull. Most of the ones I've seen like that have a small percussion setup in the top, although I've no doubt some still work by friction)

Rocket flares are interesting in that they have a similar arrangement, only the flare is fired by a neat spring loaded (you load the spring as you're firing it) percussion cap. The flame flashes through a plastic tube into the rocket nozzle which ignites and blasts it's way out of the launch tube. The rocket motor is usually steel, inside a thin aluminium body, which houses the flare and the parachute above. The flare body is made of thick waxed cardboard, and the base is in contact with the top of the motor. The base of the flare composition is again compressed BP. On ejection by the overpressure of the rocket motor, the flare ignites and is then dangled on a 2 foot wire to prevent heat damage to the small cloth parachute.

It's fun to fire these at tanks :D , don't forget to tell you pals in the tanks to keep the hatches shut, a few people have been killed this way. I've also taken out the flares and filled the body with saltpetre/sugar. These rockets go to about 1000 feet and give light for about a minute. Don't use them for initiating ambushes as you give yourself away with lots of smoke and noise about 10 seconds before you see light. Do, however, save the launchtubes to "harvest" the initiators for later use in booby traps. Same goes for tripflare bodies, they have very robust little ignitors that can be easily re used.

BY THE WAY, how much did you pay for them, and how easy are they to get hold of? (Mail me if you want to sell any) <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

<small>[ April 08, 2002, 11:14 AM: Message edited by: Arkangel ]</small>

[Celtick]

A buddy of my works at a marine safety company. They test fire extinguishers and more. He can get a hold of these flares very easily. The easiest ones are those who are brought in by ships (hundreds of them) because they’re out of date or because they may not store them for more than a few years. But a lot of these are still not expired. (I don't know what’s wrong with the ones who are, but they work fine in conventional ways) But maybe the Chemical Compound decomposes over time.

[Arkangel]

I used to have a similar position, disposing of flares for people. I'd say, "oh dear mate, WELL out of date, you'd best buy these new ones and give me those old, dangerous ones to dispose of carefully, safely and responsibly"

:D

Had a lot of fun with 'em, although a couple of parachute rockets exploded a few yards from the launcher, probably because of rusted rocket body - be careful if they are REALLY old.

[Celtick]

But can someone tell me what kind of Chemical Compositions is in the main body of these flares. Maybe some kind of Strontium or Phosphorus Composition ?

[DarkAngel]

Yes probably Strontium or Lithium as they produce the red colour.
Why would you think that there's Phosphorus in them?

If you get the url working you can find a large colection of pyrotechnic mixtures here <a href="http://www.come.to/pfp" target="_blank">www.come.to/pfp</a> otherwise you can download the pfp database from the forum FTP.

<small>[ April 09, 2002, 06:56 PM: Message edited by: DarkAngel ]</small>

[vulture]

Check the manufacturers MSDS, they should have it at their site. A typical red flare composition contains strontium nitrate, potassium perchlorate, sulfur and sawdust/oil binder.

Has anyone ever made a flare which you can hold in your hand without losing your fingers? I was thinking about those flares that are used during soccer matches.

BTW, if you want a bright flare composition use KNO3/S/Al burns extremely bright and produces a hell lot of smoke! A week ago I burned a 200g 4cm diameter one of these...very impressive <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" />

<small>[ May 04, 2002, 12:04 PM: Message edited by: vulture ]</small>