ok i've been looking for about an hour and i seem to remember seeing a comp. for a magnesium/ potassium nitrate based flash. can anyone give me the scoop on the sensitivity compared to the AL/ KCLO4 and also if it is a safe comp to store for say a week.

Mg/KNO3 is safer, but you should also add some boric acid to be on the safe side.

As long as you store them free from heat, light and humidity, you can store either almost indefinitely.

perfect ty moko

Thats how I made my first flash powder, it doesn't actually work very well. I just had a tiny bit of it and put into improvised salutes like film canisters it made more of just a flash than any noise or anything, it works well for flashes but thats it.

^^ you must have screwed it up works good for me

I love that flash comp for 2 reasons
1. easy to get
2. the reagents dont have to be finly powdered

wow havent been here in years good to be back.

What mesh was your magnesium? I was under the impression, especially with KNO3 comps, that the metal had to be at least 600 mesh, and flake.

I prefer to use chlorate and perchlorate myself, as they are more the 'standard compositions', I have a good source of chlorates, and I can find the aluminium a lot cheaper than I can find the same mesh magnesium.

EDIT : sorry for going off track

Mine wasn't that fine but I have also heard the same thing from lots of people. KNO3 just isn't a very good flash oxidizer I guess. I'm sure it can work but you probably need everything alot higher mesh than if you where to do some perchlorate flash.

KNO3 is great oxidizer, but it's very slow. Making it exquisite for balancing lift mixtures, and awefull for flash/burst compositions.

the magnesium i used was sanded off a block with like a 250 grit drum sander in a cordless drill (not very fine) worked great im my opinion alot stronger than any bp ive used.

Well i hope so! Your comparing a flash comp to a black powder. Thats like comparing ANFO TO ETN

You seem to be rather in love with ETN there eh mate?

I love? Boy, you have smoked your self retarded.