Poor Flash Performance

[FlashBang]

This isn't my first post so I hope I don't get flamed for this. Although my post count is 0 I have posted in the Water Cooler before. I have a question regarding flash. In a dream I had I was using a 70/30 mixture of per/al.. However I think the al may be spherical since the burn rate is terrible. Later on in the same dream I experimented with containing it and for some reason it just keeps blowing the ends out of the salute and not even touching the card board. Both 3/32" and 1/16" walled tubes were untouched. The only thing missing were the end caps which were hot glued into the salute. Do I need some better Al or a better way to secure the end caps?

Thanks

[texaspete]

Try two layers of duct tape to cover the end caps. If it goes bang, then I'd say the glue isn't strong enough. If it burns through the duct tape, I'd say there's a problem with your flash.

[Coogan]

It might be your aluminum if your using something like 600 mesh.You should be using something over 1000 mesh. Most people get good results with something like german dark. You could try wrapping the whole thing very tightly in electrical tape and see if that helps any.

[FlashBang]

Can anyone recommend some stronger types of glue for a 100 degree glue gun? I know there are industrial glue guns but they burn at 380-400 degrees... I'd be a little worried using that around Flash in my dreams... What about any types of fast drying epoxy?

[FlashBang]

I know taping them would make it better but I Don't want my salutes to look ghetto rigged. I think the problem is that I was using Theatrical Flash because I just ran out of 70/30. Anyone agree?

[ucorky]

Did you measure by weight or volume?

[Thorr]

Well, almost all theatrical flash powders are made too slow to be of much use in salutes unless if the casing is really well contained. These flash powders are usually over fueled to produce a better/brighter more spectacular effect on stage than to produce a boom.

[FlashBang]

Over fueled YES! There is a bottle A) I am guessing KCLO4 I did a burn test with it and some sugar and it behaved exactly like my perc that I have now, and bottle B) is AL or Mag or Mag/AL not sure is there anyway to tell? Might mix well with some perc. Well a word to some people thinking about getting this because it is readily available... Don't! True it will bang and it will flash, but it constructed to burn much slower and only works with massive amounts of tape around any type of salute. It also seems to burn slower in larger amounts.

[Bert]

Theatrical flash is designed to NOT blow up the concussion mortars it is made to be used in. Standard salute type flash powder should never be used in these mortars, you will blow them up and send steel into your audience/cast.

Some formulations are designed to produce their effects from a cloud of vaporized Mg air burning above the mortar. Yes, these mixes have way more than a stoichiometric amount of fuel.

If you're trying to make salutes, don't waste time and money trying to misuse expensive binary theatrical flash- Save it for its intended use.

[FlashBang]

Compared to the 70/30 mix there is a huge difference. I am fairly new to this and was unsure... But now I see the difference is night and day. Thanks for all your replies. I will never use that stuff again. Everytime the salute went off it reminded me of a magic trick. Only thing is I couldn't find the fairy after the poof of smoke. LOL