These recipes have been tested by us many times over, and we can vouch that they work. Be extremely careful when mixing Flash, its very sensitive(See Warning below). All recipes are shown in %/% formulas, with a formula generator as %= percentage of 100 base, and need to be measured by weight, NOT by volume. You can also use any derivitive of this recipe base, such as units
Example - Black Powder : 75/15/10 ~ 7.5/1.5/1 units(grams, miligrams, ounces, etc)
There are many more recipes out there, but we will only add ones we've tried ourselves, and are sure that will work when used as designed. Any questions, please feel free to leave a comment on our Contact or Feedback page. Thanks, and enjoy!
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Flash Composition #1 : 70/30 Potassium Perchlorate/Aluminum Powder
Flash Composition #2 : 60/40 Potassium Nitrate/Magnesium Powder
Flash Composition #3 : 60/40 Potassium Nitrate/Aluminum Powder
Smoke Mix : 60/40 Potassium Nitrate/Sugar (Can be slow melted to produce 300% more smoke by volume)
Thermite : 75/25 Iron Oxide/Aluminum Powder
Black Powder : 75/15/10 Potassium Nitrate/Softwood Charcoal/Sulfur
Smoking Fountain Composition : 20/20/40/10 Magnesium powder/Zinc Powder/Potassium Nitrate/Titanium Sponge(Reduce Zinc Powder to 5% instead of 20% for a low smoking mixture)
Flash-powder mixtures pose the serious risks of burn, amputation, blindness and death. They are shock, friction, and electrostatic discharge sensitive, and sensitive to some types of contaminates, such as strong acids and bases. They should not be handled by the untrained or inexperienced. Flash powder and flash-powder devices pose exceptionally high risks to children who typically cannot understand the danger, who may be less adept with safe handling techniques, and who tend to suffer more-severe injuries than adults.
Certain formulations, notably those containing Sulfur and Potassium Chlorate, become less stable over time and may combust with little or no warning. Modern pyrotechnic practices call for never using sulfur in a mix containing chlorate salts.
Some flash powder formulations (Those which use single digit micron flake aluminum powder or fine magnesium powder as their fuel) can self confine and explode in small quantities. This makes flash powder especially dangerous to handle, as it can cause severe hearing damage and amputation injury even when sitting in the open. Self confinement occurs when the mass of the pile provides sufficient inertia to allow high pressure to build within it as the mixture reacts. This means that the pile acts as a "casing", and it is not to be confused with a detonation.
Flash powder of any formulation should not be mixed in large quantities by the amateur pyrotechnician. Beginners should start with sub-gram quantities, and should refrain from making large devices. Producing more than 0.05 grams (50 milligrams) for one device is considered a federal offense in the United States and is punishable by up to 6 years in prison.
