232 lines
16 KiB
Plaintext
232 lines
16 KiB
Plaintext
Touch Paper, Self Igniting Mixtures, Percussion Explosives
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This is part of a series of files on pyrotechnics and explosives. It's serious
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stuff, and can be really dangerous if you don't treat it seriously. For you
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kids out there who watch too many cartoons, remember that if a part of your
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body gets blown away in the REAL world, it STAYS blown away. If you can't
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treat this stuff with respect, don't screw around with it.
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Each file will start with a set of safety rules. Don't skip over them. Read
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'em and MEMORIZE 'em!! At the beginning, there will be a set of general rules
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that always apply. Then there will be some things that you HAVE TO KNOW about
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the materials you will be using and making this time. Read it thoroughly
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before starting anything.
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Pyrotechnic preparations and explosives are, by their very nature, unstable,
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and subject to ignition by explosion or heat, shock, or friction. A clear
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understanding of their dangerous properties and due care in the handling of
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ingredients or finished products is necessary if accidents are to be avoided.
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Always observe all possible precautions, particularly the following:
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1. Mix only small batches at one time. This means a few grams, or at
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most, an ounce or so. Don't go for big mixes -- they only make for
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bigger accidents. The power of an explosive cubes itself with
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every ounce. (9 Ounces is 729 times as powerful as one ounce.)
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2. When weighing chemicals, use a clean piece of paper on the scale
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pan for each item. Then discard the used paper into a bucket of
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water before weighing the next ingredient.
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3. Be a safe worker. Dispose of any chemicals spilled on the
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workbench or equipment between weighings. Don't keep open
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containers of chemicals on your table, since accidental spillage
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or mixing may occur. When finished with a container, close it, and
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replace it on the storage shelf. Use only clean equipment.
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4. Where chemicals are to be ground, grind them separately, NEVER
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TOGETHER. Thoroughly wash and clean equipment before grinding
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another ingredient.
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5. Mixing of batches should be done outdoors, away from flammable
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structures, such as buildings, barns, garages, etc. Mixes should
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also be made in NON METALLIC containers to avoid sparks. Glass
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also should not be used since it will shatter in case of an
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accident. Handy small containers can be made by cutting off the
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top of a plastic bottle three or four inches from the bottom. Some
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mixes may most conveniently be made by placing the ingredients in
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a plastic bottle and rolling around until the mixture is uniform.
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In all cases, point the open end of the container away from
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yourself. Never hold your body or face over the container. Any
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stirring should be done with a wooden paddle or stick to avoid
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sparks or static.
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Powdered or ground materials may also be mixed by placing them on
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a large sheet of paper on a flat surface and then rolling them
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across the sheet by lifting the sides and corners one at a time.
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6. Never ram or tamp mixes into paper or cardboard tubes. Pour the
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material in and gently tap or shake the tube to settle the
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contents down.
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7. Store ingredients and finished mixes where they will not be a fire
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hazard away from heat and flame. Finished preparations may be
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stored in plastic bottles which will not shatter in case of an
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accident. Since many of the ingredients and mixes are poisonous,
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they should be stored out of reach of children or pets, preferably
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locked away.
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8. Be sure threads of screw top containers and caps are thoroughly
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cleaned. This applies also to containers with stoppers of rubber
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or cork and to all other types of closures. Traces of mixture
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caught between the container and closure may be ignited by the
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friction of opening or closing the container. Throughout any
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procedure, WORK WITH CLEAN CONDITIONS.
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9. ALWAYS WEAR A FACE SHIELD OR AT LEAST SHATTERPROOF SAFETY GLASSES.
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Any careful worker does when handling dangerous materials. Be sure
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lenses and frames are not flammable.
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10. Always wear a dust respirator when handling chemicals in dust
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form. These small particles gather in your lungs and stay there.
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They may cause serious illnesses later on in life.
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11. Always wear gloves when working with chemicals.
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12. Always wear a waterproof lab apron.
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13. If you must work indoors, have a good ventilation system.
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14. Never smoke anywhere near where you are working.
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15. Make sure there are NO open flames present, and NO MOTORS (they
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produce sparks inside.) No hot water heaters, furnaces, or pilot
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lights in stoves!! Sparks have been known to very readily explode
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dust floating in the air.
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16. ALWAYS work with someone. Two heads are better than one.
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17. Have a source of water READILY available. (Fire extinguisher,
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hose, etc.)
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18. Never, under any circumstances, use any metal to load chemicals or
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put chemicals in. Fireworks with metal casings are worse to handle
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than a live hand grenade. Never use any metal container or can.
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This includes the very dangerous CO2 cartridges. Many people have
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been KILLED because of flying fragments from metal casings. Again,
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please do not use metal in any circumstance.
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19. Always be thoroughly familiar with the chemicals you are using.
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Some information will be included in each file, but look for
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whatever extra information you can. Materials that were once
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thought to be safe can later be found out to be dangerous stuff.
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20. Wash your hands and face thoroughly after using chemicals. Don't
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forget to wash your EARS AND YOUR NOSE.
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21. If any device you've built fails to work, leave it alone. After a
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half hour or so, you may try to bury it, but never try to unload
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or reuse any dud.
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22. If dust particles start to form in the air, stop what you are
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doing and leave until it settles.
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23. Read the entire file before trying to do anything.
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24. NEVER strike any mixture containing Chlorates, Nitrates,
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Perchlorates, Permanganates, Bichromates, or powdered metals don't
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drop them, or even handle them roughly.
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These rules may all look like a lot of silly nonsense, but let's look at one
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example. When the move "The Wizard of OZ" was made, the actress who played the
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good witch was severely burned when one of the exploding special effects got
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out of hand. The actress who played the bad witch got really messed up by the
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green coloring used on her face, and the original actor who played the Tin Man
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got his lungs destroyed by the aluminum dust used to color his face. The actor
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we know of as the tin man was actually a replacement. The point is, these
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chemicals were being used under the direction of people a lot more knowlegable
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of chemicals than you are, and terrible accidents still happened. Don't take
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this stuff lightly.
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We will be using many more chemicals this time, and some can be quite
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dangerous. Please read the following information carefully.
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Sodium Azide - NaN
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3
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This white powder is very poisonous. It is also a bit unstable, so treat it
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gently.
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Lead Nitrate - Pb(NO )
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3 2
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This contains poisonous lead and is very water soluble so your body will
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absorb it quickly, given the chance. The government has banned leaded paints
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and is phasing out leaded gasoline because the stuff slowly accumulates in
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your body and can screw up all sorts of important innards. If you are careless
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with Lead Nitrate you can do a few lifetimes' worth of damage in one
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afternoon.
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Ammonium Nitrate - NH NO
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4 3
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Commonly used as fertilizer, this stuff is somewhat dangerous in large
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quantities, particularly if it gets very hot. (Entire shiploads of this
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material have been known to go up all at once.) When heated gently, it
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decomposes into water and nitrous oxide (laughing gas). Farmers sometimes use
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it to blow up tree stumps by mixing it with fuel oil and setting the gunk off
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with a detonator. We'll have a very different use for it here.
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Potassium Nitrate - KNO
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3
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Also known as saltpeter, this is commercially used as a diuretic for animals.
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It also works as an oxidizing agent in various pyrotechnic mixtures. That is,
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when heated it provides the oxygen needed to make the rest of the mixture
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burn.
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Potassium Potassium
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Nitrate Nitrite Oxygen
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2KNO ---> 2KNO + O
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3 2 2
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Potassium Chlorate - KClO
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3
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A much more spectacular oxidizing agent than Potassium Nitrate. It not only
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yields more oxygen than Potassium Nitrate, it does so more easily. Pyrotechnic
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mixtures containing this chemical will require much less of it, and yet burn
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more fiercely. Even percussion can readily set the mixtures off. This can be
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useful, but it sometimes makes the mixtures more sensitive than you'd like.
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Mixtures containing this chemical must be handled carefully. Potassium
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Chlorate is also poisonous.
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Potassium Potassium
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Chlorate Chloride Oxygen
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2KClO ---> 2KCl + 3O
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3 2
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Aluminum Dust
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Very finely divided aluminum. When put in a glass jar, it almost looks like a
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solid piece of grey metal. In this form it is flammable. Also, it can
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seriously damage your lungs if you inhale it. Be careful not to stir up any
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clouds of dust, and it goes without saying that you shouldn't use it near an
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open flame.
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Zinc Dust
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Very finely divided zinc. Not quite as flammable as Aluminum Dust, but still
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worth handling carefully. Can also damage your lungs if inhaled.
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Lampblack
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This is very finely divided carbon, usually obtained as a soot from other
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manufacturing processes. It is much more effective in pyrotechnic mixtures
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than powdered charcoal. Tiny spots of this are almost unnoticeable, but they
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stick to your hands and smear incredibly far. If you're not very tidy you
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should expect to find black smears all over your face and hands after using
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this.
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Sulfur
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A yellow powder used as a reducing agent in many pyrotechnic mixtures. Buy
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this in the finely powdered form. You can also get it in hard lumps, but these
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will just waste extra time as you have to grind them yourself.
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Potassium Permanganate
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An oxidizing agent that's somewhat less vigorous than others mentioned here.
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Not usually used in pyrotechnic mixtures because it's more expensive and less
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effective than some of the alternatives. There are a few cases when it's just
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the |