Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Boron- Skylighter

Bert - 15-10-2017 at 05:48

Skylights is going out of business. They are closing some stuff out at 75% off...

5 oz. of Boron for $35.81 US. (Technical grade? Doesn't say. It certainly burns, though).
Quote:
CLOSEOUT #8
Hey,
 

Boron Powder Closeout: 5 oz. Bottles

Retail Price $238.75
Closeout Price $35.81

You Save $202.94!


-325 mesh Boron Powder primarily used as a high temperature ignition composition in electric matches, primes, first fires and delay elements, in place of thermite, in rockets, and in green pyrotechnic flares. Shimizu reports a 75:25 mix of boron and potassium nitrate burns a brilliant green with a very high temperature. Very scarce and expensive pyro chemical.

There are a few things left at Skylighter in really small quantities... Basically, quantities too small to list on the website.

To grab these odds and ends at 80% off or more, watch for emails from me at 8:00am and 8:00pm Eastern time every day for the next several weeks.


READ THIS OR WEEP! Fine Print for Closeout Sales: VERY deep discounts (usually 80% or better).
  First come, first served, until each item is sold out.
  You must phone your order in to a live human bean, between 11:00am and 11:30am Eastern time Monday thru Friday at 540-338-3877. Sorry, no online or email ordering of Closeouts. No phone messages--you gots to speak to one of our frighteningly friendly, still barely alive, skeleton-staff, who will gleefully part you from the microscopic amount of money being asked for. When you call, tell us which Closeout number you are ordering (in the subject of the email. Look for Closeout 1, Closeout 13, etc.) Okey dokey? So watch yer emails closely. I guarantee these will all be gone by 11:05am every day (except weekends).

Yours in flames,

Harry Gilliam
Chief Cook & Bottlewasher

SWIM - 15-10-2017 at 11:08

Boron?
Bert likes the fifth element?

I should have guessed that from your mood.

Dr.Bob - 16-10-2017 at 18:45

Sad to heat that they are closing, I know Harry was trying to sell the business, but likely no takers. It takes a strong risk taker, given the CPSC's history and more. Great chance to get some boron and likely more.

MrHomeScientist - 17-10-2017 at 07:26

Sheesh I had no idea boron was that expensive. Maybe my video on making it from boric acid is a secret cash cow? :D

Bert - 17-10-2017 at 20:30

I actually have a POUND of amorphous B, a supplier I queried about availability asked how much I could use as a sample, and just SENT IT OUT!

I don't think it's quite as valuable as Harry hoped, the amateur US pyro market apparently agreed.

I will miss Skylighter, it is the end of an era. Now we are down to Firefox and whatever Aaron C. Enzer is calling his distribution company these days for amateurs, plus the various eBay fly by night sellers.

And of course, the one and only US commercial distributor who will only sell to actual manufacturing fireworks businesses, and that only by the full drum/pallet/shipping container/box car load: Service Chemical

[Edited on 10-11-2017 by Bert]

violet sin - 6-11-2017 at 17:46

About wept this morning... Been checking the skylighter emails and saw closeout #44.. 1gal methylene chloride for 14$... 7 available, Set an alarm with phone number and closeout #... On my 3 + hr commute stopped and called, got through first try, dump all the info... And... It's pickup only ;( ;( ;( sad sad way to start off the morning.

Bert - 9-11-2017 at 18:03

Well, they are sweeping the floor over at Skylighter, and Harry has put his personal stash of pyro chemicals up for sale in various lots, any lot is $60.00 + shipping.

He has some odd things. Stuff I do not immediately know of a pyro use for.

Titanium diboride, Tantalum carbide, Tungsten pentaboride. What?!?

Plus various old timey things like orpiment, Paris green, Gallic acid, gum copal. Lots more modernish ones, many types of Ti, Mg/Al, different grades of Al powders.

Anyhow, list is here:

http://blog.skylighter.com/pyro/chemical-closeouts/



[Edited on 10-11-2017 by Bert]

Dr.Bob - 9-11-2017 at 19:05

Many of the boron reagents are used for making greens without barium. Not sure if all are, but that would be my guess. Tantalum carbide seems like it would burn easily, perhaps just with friction, might be like zirconium compounds. But some odd stuff.

violet sin - 9-11-2017 at 19:30

Oh hell ya! Thank you for the heads up, looks like I have a phone call to make in the morning. Will update later if anything good comes of it.

**************

Sadness, as all the ones I wanted were gone already. Couldn't call right away cause car problems on way to work. 30 min late = 5 left. #128 had 5# silicon... ;( really hoping for it but all's well that leaves me with more $ I guess.

[Edited on 10-11-2017 by violet sin]

Funkerman23 - 16-11-2017 at 20:17

Quote: Originally posted by Dr.Bob  
Sad to heat that they are closing, I know Harry was trying to sell the business, but likely no takers. It takes a strong risk taker, given the CPSC's history and more. Great chance to get some boron and likely more.

Do you or anyone know what happened to their book sales? I hope someone else has taken that mantle but they where THE source for good texts.

Bert - 17-11-2017 at 07:49

Oddly enough, this morning he put all his books up for sale.

List is here:

http://blog.skylighter.com/pyro/book-closeouts/

I just looked through it. And except for the "Tom Perigren" authored and a few of the Kosanke items, I already have EVRYTHING?!

---------

And a bunch more chemicals. Lots of Silicon, someone wanted that, It's available again.

http://blog.skylighter.com/pyro/chemical-closeouts/

Odd things like solid camphor, lead chromate. Plus tons of Mg, Ti, Al

[Edited on 17-11-2017 by Bert]

Texium - 17-11-2017 at 08:03

Hmm, trying to call about a couple of the closeout lots but it isn't going through.

Bert - 17-11-2017 at 08:39

Yeah, I gave up a while ago. Whatever they are doing on their end doesn't work for me.

Texium - 17-11-2017 at 09:12

The ones I want are probably already gone anyway... they looked too good to be true. I'll still try again later though.

Edit: Yep, call finally got through but the two lots I was interested were gone. :(
Probably for the best from a budget perspective...

[Edited on 11-17-2017 by zts16]

violet sin - 17-11-2017 at 12:26

I got through each time, everything I wanted long gone though. Last check around 10am Pacific time only two lots of books left, 210$ guy and another one that was a stack of papers/articles not really books. Everything I wanted gone = sad, but not poorer me. Lol

Bert - 28-11-2017 at 18:48

Well, FRAK.

Harry just offered up seventy 55 gallon drums of Mg, about 4,000 lb. weight for FIVE HUNDRED USA $s. That's probably less than scrap metal value.

You would have to go and pick it up, but still.

violet sin - 28-11-2017 at 21:06

I'll pony up if you get a driver Bert. That's a lot of Mg, and it's pretty far from California.

Dr.Bob - 29-11-2017 at 12:17

That would run a lot of Grignards... If I knew where to store it, I would be tempted...

Bert - 29-11-2017 at 12:22

I didn't get it, someone an hour away from where it is stored in Virginia beat me to it. I was still out getting freight quotes.

But I got referred to the source of the material. We shall see-

Loptr - 30-11-2017 at 05:22

They still have magnesium up for sale on their website. I went ahead and bought 5lbs of it, add that to the pound I already have, and that still makes a lot of Grignard reagent. Not as much as 4,000 lbs, but a lifetime supply for me.

Bert - 30-11-2017 at 07:46

The Skylighter Mg chip material is from the trimmed off risers and machining scrap from a Mg casting plant. Is it pure Mg? I don't yet know. Do you care about small ammounts of allowing materials in a Grignard?

Loptr - 30-11-2017 at 08:43

The magnesium needs to be reasonably pure, but as Chem Player demonstrated in their ghetto Grignard video, it can be made to work.

Zombie Skylighter is back from the grave!

Bert - 10-1-2018 at 15:41

So this was in my email today:
Quote:
Skylighter IS BACK,
....well, we are coming back soon!
Hello fireworks makers, my name is Mike Gerson. I'm a fireworks maker and member of the PGI and WPA and now the proprietor of Skylighter.

Like many of you, when I heard that Skylighter was closing its doors I was very upset.

Skylighter's projects got me started, and when I got stuck on a project calling Skylighter would also get me the advice I needed to get back on track. I know from my conversations with fellow fireworks nuts, I was not alone. Skylighter has been a wonderful resource to many of us in the pyro community.

So when I found out this great fireworks lifeline was going away I knew I had to do something.

I flew out to toxic central and we formulated a plan to keep Skylighter, all of the projects and resources available for everyone. Now it will be a little while before we are fully restocked but we have already started adding some of the most critical fireworks supplies such as: Potassium Nitrate, Potassium Perchlorate, Sulfur and Fuse as well as many others. And lots more chemicals and supplies are coming soon.

We even have a brand new website in the works! (more on that in a few weeks)

Even with all the changes on the way, one thing that will not change is Skylighter's commitment to our customers and sharing fireworks making information.

So if you depleted your fireworks chemicals readying your New Years show, why not drop by our website, say hello and pick up some Nitrate or Perchlorate. We are feverishly packing chemicals and restocking the shelves for the grand re-opening.


  http://www.skylighter.com/mall/chemicals.asp

Potassium Perchlorate

Potassium Nitrate

Sulfur

Potassium Chlorate

Indian Aluminum

Red Iron Oxide

Thanks,
Mike Gerson
Skylighter.com
  Please share this with your fireworks friends. Also, get free fireworks making info on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and our Blog.  


Thank you for supporting Skylighter. 
We strive to provide a community for people who want to learn the art and science of making fireworks. Your participation is what fuels the small, tight-knit community of fireworkers in the US and around the world. 
We are a family-run business, and emails are a crucial way for us to contact our friends and fans. We regularly provide coupons, free content, and updates on Skylighter and its products.

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From Harry and everyone at Skylighter, thanks for your support!


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Skylighter, Inc., PO Box 480, Round Hill, VA 20142

Dr.Bob - 12-1-2018 at 05:24

Bert,

Thanks for posting that, Skylighter is legendary in the fireworks world, and a great source of chemicals for hobbyists. If you were not familiar with Skylighter, now is a good time to check it out and help keep it alive.

RogueRose - 12-1-2018 at 16:32

So does anyone know where they are going to be shipping out of? What state? I see there is a VA PO at the bottom of the posting, but IDK if that is the warehouse location or what.

Also, I was told that the brother/sister/cousin company in Idaho that sounds like a web browser was part of this company though I never had any confirmation. Is this true and does anyone know about the state of affairs for FF?

Bert - 12-1-2018 at 19:05

Firefox has nothing to do with Skylighter.

Have not ordered anything from Firefox for a couple of years, heard they had a medical issue in owner's family and were out of internet contact for a while. Check before ordering-