Chemistry & Science
Experiments

Flash Powder

Flash Powder is an explosive used in
all firecrackers & larger salutes such as M-80s & Aerial
Bombs.
Although there are many different formulas for Flash Powder, the
safest, (and the industry standard)
is made just from Potassium Perchlorate
& German Aluminum. It is far superior to any other
Flash Powder formula
in many respects.

The Formula

70/30 Flash
Powder

Potassium
Perchlorate

70
%

Aluminum Powder
"German
Dark"

30
%

This is the industry standard
Flash Powder mixture found in all Firecrackers & Salutes.
All firework formulas are measured ONLY by
weight.
For more information on measuring & weighing, see our "Basic Manipulations"
section.

Cautions

Flash Powders are high energy explosive mixtures and require
the utmost caution in their manufacture.
Of the Flash Powder mixtures
listed below, the ONLY one that should be used in Salutes (exploding fireworks) is
70/30 Flash Powder, made from Potassium Perchlorate & Aluminum
Powder.

Older Flash Powder mixtures containing Potassium CHLORATE
or SULFUR are VERY dangerous,
VERY sensitive to friction
and static electricity, and have exploded without
warning.

The addition of Sulfur to Flash Powder formulations increases
the possibility of spontaneous combustion by the formation of Sulfurous
& Sulfuric acid, and the composition's sensitivity to friction &
shock.
It  does not increase the report sound.

Although this particular Flash Powder is not terribly
sensitive, it will still explode with sufficient impact or
friction.
Never grind, pound, or subject any Flash Powder to friction
or shock.
Under the proper conditions, it may explode with
devastating
results.

Procedure

The 2 chemicals
used to make Flash Powder. The one on the left is Potassium Perchlorate, a fine
white powder. The other is German Aluminum Powder, a dust-like, dark gray powder
that doesn't even really look like Aluminum. Although "Bright Aluminum" Powder
can also be used in place of German Aluminum, it will only work well in large
salutes with very heavy walls and thick  end plugs. German Aluminum will
make a much more powerful Flash Powder that will produce a great report, even in
small salutes with thin wall tubes.

Begin by
weighing out 70 grams of Potassium Perchlorate.

Next, you'll
want to sift the Potassium Perchlorate through a very fine screen or strainer to
break up any small lumps. There are many strainers available in kitchen supply
shops and it's important to get the proper kind. The screen mesh (the size of
the holes in the screen) should be much, much smaller than an ordinary window
screen. You want a strainer with the finest mesh possible. You should not be
able to move the individual wires that make up the screen if you try to with
your fingers. Using a screen like this will defeat the purpose. Large clumps
will simply move the wires and make the holes bigger allowing larger particles
to go through. These type screens may cost around $2.00 to $5.00, but a good
quality Stainless Steel screen with a very fine mesh (a mesh that won't slide
around) will probably cost you closer to $10.00 or $12.00.
You can find these
type of strainers at some supermarkets, and kitchen supply stores (try your
local mall).

Weigh out 30
grams of German Aluminum powder. It will not be necessary to sift the Aluminum
powder through a screen.

Mixing

There are many
ways to safely mix Flash Powder, we're going to show you the two most popular.
One involves shaking the two in a plastic baggie, the other involves placing the
two chemicals on a sheet of paper and gently lifting opposite corners until the
composition is well mixed. This second technique is normally used with more
sensitive mixtures, but there are those who only feel comfortable mixing any
explosive mixture this way. Personally, we use the plastic baggie
technique.

Pour the 2
chemicals on a sheet of paper.

Pour the
chemicals into a Zip-Loc plastic baggie, making sure not to get any powder on
the bag seal. If you do, the bag will not seal properly.

Although
this type of Flash Powder mixture isn't very sensitive to static charge, we just
like to add this optional step for the hell of it. "Static Guard" is a spray
that you can find in your local supermarket/grocery store in the laundry supply
aisle. It works great at dissipating static charges on a variety of materials.
We like to spray it on just about everything (even our clothing) for added
protection.
On the other hand, we've fired 8" electrical discharges from a
Van DeGraff electrostatic generator, directly into piles of this type Flash
Powder and never had an ignition. Why then, do we bother to use Static Guard?
The only answer is: "why not?". It's always better to be safe, than sorry, and
why not take a few extra precautions when working with high energy materials?
There's always the possibility of some weird 1 in a million chance of an unusual
occurrence, so why not take the extra second, spend the extra $2.00 and buy some
added safety insurance.
So, with that said, spray some Static Guard on your
Zip-Loc baggie.

Shake the bag well to blend the 2
chemicals together.

Pour the mixture out, onto a sheet of
paper, and you've got a 100 gram batch of damn strong 70/30 Flash
Powder.

Other Flash Powder
Formulas

The following are special
purpose Flash Powder formulas that find use in some magic tricks (when lit as a
loose powder),
but most do not perform well in salutes (exploding
fireworks).

Potassium Nitrate
Flash Powder

Potassium
Nitrate

50
%

Magnesium
Powder

50
%

Barium Nitrate
Flash Powder

Barium
Nitrate

68
%

German Aluminum
Powder

23
%

Sulfur

9
%

Red Magnesium
Flash Powder

Strontium
Nitrate

50
%

Magnesium
Powder

50
%

Green Magnesium
Flash Powder

Barium
Nitrate

50
%

Magnesium
Powder

50
%