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Author: Subject: Think before you act. Then think some more. NaNO3 + Mg Flare comp
Herr Haber
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[*] posted on 3-9-2019 at 04:18
Think before you act. Then think some more. NaNO3 + Mg Flare comp


Hey there,

Last Sunday I gave myself a good scare with a flash / illuminating composition.

After several days ballmilling almost 1kg of NaNO3 and drying it in the oven I began preparations to make some illuminating flares.
I dissolved incense (why ? because it's a resin and it smells good !) in IPA to bind the composition and began to think about ratios.

70% NaNO3 and 30% Mg sounded like a good starting composition since I would add more fuel(s) such as coarser Mg.

And there I was, NaNO3 bottle in hand, wondering what container to use and how much volume would 300 grams of Mg take.
I was stopped in my thoughts when I realized I was just about to mix 1 kilogram of flash composition.

What was I thinking ?

This gave me a good pause before finally proceeding to mix 10 grams of the composition. I was very surprised I did not think before of the nature of the composition.
I used a chopstick for mixing, waited for the IPA to evaporate then lit the few miligrams on the tip of the chopstick.
As expected I was blinded for a few minutes that I spent wondering what could have happened.

Though no accident happened I was reminded that accidents usually happen when you become complacent.




The spirit of adventure was upon me. Having nitric acid and copper, I had only to learn what the words 'act upon' meant. - Ira Remsen
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j_sum1
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[*] posted on 3-9-2019 at 04:59


Close call.
So easy to overlook the properties of something you've gotten familiar with.
Thanks for the reminder.




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