I've used magnesium ribbons before as well, but the sparklers work much
better ... at least for me. I've also considered making more of the
flash powder to use as starter material since the normal flint starter
should set that off pretty easily. I haven't had a need for making
thermite welds for a while, though, so haven't done so.
I do find it odd that sparklers (and in recent years even fireworks)
have been legal in Arizona given the wildfire issues here as well, but
then again July 4th is typically (but not this year) within our monsoon
season .... and of course our cities are urban wastelands of concrete
and asphalt. ;)
73,
Dave AB7E
On 8/14/2023 10:58 AM, Jim Lux wrote:
On Sun, 13 Aug 2023 09:50:52 -0700, David Gilbert <ab7echo@gmail.com> wrote:
<snip>
The powder is available on eBay. The powder comes in pre-measured
containers depending upon the size of the mold it was intended for, and
there is always a bit of fine powder at the top for easier ignition. If
you lose that fine powder, it can be difficult to fire off the shot
because it is a reduction (versus oxidation) reaction, but a cheap 4th
of July sparkler will do the trick quite nicely.
<snip>
I've used a piece of magnesium ribbon as a "fuse" - Getting sparklers (legally)
can be a challenge in fire prone states (For instance, I'll bet it's hard to get them in
Los Angeles or Ventura County)
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