Exploding Micro Balls?

[yt2095]

whilst doing my usual extraction of chems from shop bought fireworks i happened to notice some totaly insoluable (in boiling water) micro balls in my sludge.
they came out the payload in crackling effect rockets.
they`re about the size of a pinhole in paper.
rusty orange brown color, closer to brown tho.
and explode violently when heated (one ball will blow a cigarette apart!)
they are not hollow ecapsulating another chem and are tough little ba$ts to crack open.
they`re not hammer/hard place sensitive either.

that`s about all the physical data i can give :(

yes i have done a search here and on Dogpile, they either don`t know or i can`t word it sucinctly enough?

do any of you have any ideas as to what it is?

and another thing, when finely powdered, it won`t detonate, it seems to want to be a complete solid before it explodes?

[vulture]

Probably Pb3O4/Al, usual composition for crackling stars.
Behaves a bit like CuO/Al thermite.

[Arthis]

So small balls, being just a kind of termite, could blow away a cigarette ? What is the size of your pinholes, yt2095 ?

[mr.evil]

sorry vulture, but i'll have to correct you.

Magnalium alloy is used in combination with Pb304 and Nitrocellose laquer to form (2mm is the best size) dragon eggs.

the safer alternative is to use Bismuthtrioxide instead of Leadtetraoxide.

the compositions burns that fast that it'll explode with a sharp crack.
somethimes they are loaded in big aeriall display shells, but than in little bags containing about 30microstars per baggie. (so it will result in a giant KRSSSSSSS )

[kingspaz]

Arthis, some thermites explode. it depends on how unreactive the metal whose oxide you use is aswell as how reactive the fuel is. CuO and Al explode for example.

[IPN]

Would it be safe to use Pb3O4 in something like flash because I don’t have any chlorates :( and I really would like to do something else than explosives (In my dreams of course) all the time..

[mr.evil]

a_bab uses Pb304/Al as a bursting charge in his aerial shells.

i can imagine it should work fine in salutes, a bit toxic, but hey...:rolleyes: :p

[yt2095]

i`ve found when powdering these balls up (sounds sadistic) :D
to an airfloat fineness that it COULD be used in a flash type mix, but only as a percentage as it takes quite a bit of heat to initiate a reaction.
and even then it still wants to make a crackle type of effect.
perhaps just left whole and used as-is in a typical flash mix would look quite interesting as an effect. i`ll have to wait and see (Nov 5`th ish).
also, i should imagine, that since these little critters are sold comercialy and subject to all manor of laws etc.. that they`de have some sort of stabilising compound in the mix?
perhaps "homemade" would be more efficient than these shop bought things?

thnx for your replies so far all :)