Flaming

[keeperx]

well i have put together some videos from youtube based on a conversation i had with Steve (MixedGas)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAoQw7DIpTc&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k304aglPEug

These 2 are for those that are more interested in DIYing this.. (there are more in this series)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8hpU...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJvS4uc4TbU&NR=1

[tocket]

Very effectful. I've been wanting to build something like this. All you need is actually a decent pump and a suitable nozzle. I wonder how they switch colors so quickly though.

Unfortunately I don't have the facilities to play with fire like this. To anyone who decides to make a flame projector I feel I should just point out that you really should keep a fire extinguisher or two at hand and don't do it close to anything flammable. Sounds obvious, but it's very easy to underestimate just how dangerous solvents are from a flammability point of view. I'd say it's easily the biggest danger in chemistry labs.

Making the colored flame liquids is pretty easy, except for blue. You just dissolve some salt in methanol. For blue you need copper with a chlorine donor (without chlorine it burns with a green flame). I typically use dichloromethane (DCM) as chlorine donor, but a burning methanol/DCM mixture gives off very nasty (corrosive) fumes that will make anything exposed to them rust.

In the fourth video I'd say he mixes lithium and strontium up. Lithium gives a crimson red flame while strontium is more to the orange.

Here's me spraying a solution of copper(II) chloride in methanol:

[keeperx]

I believe that the fast color switching is a matter of having multiple solutions run thru hoses to a single nozzle assembly so you could control the system with computer controlled valves

[tocket]

Oh, erm... here's getting rid of a little organic waste. Apparently there was some copper in there as well. I wouldn't recommend this kind of flame projector to anyone unless you really know what you're doing. It's kind of a one shot thingy as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SdfeqQ6hTY

[allthatwhichis]

I wonder if you can use Pango to control your solution jets... like blanking.

[keeperx]

no but DMX is an option...

[allthatwhichis]

Why not? You'd just make a "driver" for your solution excreeter... and have it's pressure "modulated" by 0 to 5 volts...

[keeperx]

well its beyond overkill . but i guess it would work

[allthatwhichis]

O yea, of course, WAY overkill, but have you seen Christmas lights controlled by Pango? WAY overkill there too, but awesome to watch.

[mixedgas]

we found the patent for the sigman systems colored flame pots, they use compressed air and propane and a pressure boosting ram to get 2000-4500 psi. They do sell the color flame oil in small amounts and I want to know how they get that saturated blue with no sodium contaimination and no parlon additives. (i'm not into home pyro, but I like purdy colors)

Steve