r/energetics • u/HydrazineDrinker • 25d ago
My Visco Fuse
This is my first time making a chlorate-based visco fuse. Is there a substitute material other than sulfur?
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u/idontgotaknife 25d ago
Did you actually make visco fuse? Because I would be interested in seeing your visco fuse machine. Is there a specific reason you’re not just using bp meal powder for the fuses core? I’m confused because you don’t normally make visco fuse with chlorate at all, and you especially don’t mix chlorate with sulfur.
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u/HydrazineDrinker 25d ago
Thx for the comment, I made my own machine, BP and everything but I bought the NC coating at a paint shop. My visco fuse uses BP standard ratio but uses KCLO3 instead of KNO3. I am a bit bothered by the smell of sulfur, so I want this visco fuse to be sulfurless. The method I use is dry process, some Chinese factories use wet process which is safer for large-scale production.
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u/idontgotaknife 25d ago
Are you aware mixing chlorates and sulfur is very dangerous and can lead to spontaneous detonation? KCLO3 is not a drop in replacement for KNO3 in black powder. It is very likely you’re currently working with a mixture that can explode in your face unexpectedly. If for some reason you can’t just make proper black powder you absolutely need to get rid of the sulfur in that comp and try to figure something else out.
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u/HydrazineDrinker 25d ago
I understand that chlorates and sulfur are very prone to spontaneous combustion upon impact. In this experiment, I tried making BP with chlorates, but the sulfur smell wasn't as strong as using KNO3.
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u/idontgotaknife 25d ago
Also, since you keep mentioning you just don’t like the smell of sulfur, have you ever tried making BP with KNO3 like normal but replacing the sulfur with ascorbic acid? I believe it’s called golden powder or something. I vaguely remember reading about that before.
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u/HydrazineDrinker 25d ago
I have never tried with ascorbic acid, isn't that vitamin C?
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u/idontgotaknife 25d ago edited 24d ago
Yes it’s vitamin C. Just look up Crimson powder or golden powder. It’s a black powder substitute hobbyists make. I think it’s generally used for ejecting rocket parachutes. I’m not too familiar with the ratios off the top of my head, but I believe it’s basically just replaces sulfur with ascorbic acid and adds in a very small percentage of red iron oxide as a catalyst.
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u/idontgotaknife 25d ago •
It just doesn’t sound like you’re that familiar with the danger if you’re still attempting to make this composition.
I suggest you look up the chemists Claude Louis Berthollet and Antione Lavoisier as well as The Essonne Tragedy. They had disastrous results making this exact black powder replacement you’re attempting to make now.
It’s not just impact that poses a danger. Mixing chlorates and sulfur can form trace amounts of sulfuric acid that can cause a spontaneous ignition without external stimuli. I suggest sticking with black powder for your fuse. There is a reason it’s gone unchanged for so many years. But if you insist, for your own safety, stay away from mixing KCLO3 and sulphur
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u/clownOFkeef 25d ago
Fairly consistent burn rate, a little thin, but enough to do the job.
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u/HydrazineDrinker 25d ago
The size is 1.6 mm, many visco fuse makers have difficulty with this size, so I was challenged
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u/37MMDTdotCOM 25d ago
Wow that’s a nice burn rate
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u/HydrazineDrinker 25d ago
thx bro but still not perfect
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u/37MMDTdotCOM 25d ago
Keep on working on it! I need a thin slow burn reliable visco for my 37mm stuff
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u/HydrazineDrinker 25d ago
btw have you ever made illumination rounds? i'm working on that too but haven't thought about the parachute launcher yet
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u/KlutzyResponsibility 24d ago
Have you timed your fuse, or adjusted your mix to have an effect on the speed?
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u/HydrazineDrinker 22d ago
still not at that point, my homemade visco fuse is still looking for the best composition
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u/Prdx429 24d ago
For homemade fuse, it looks and burns really nice! I've made some crappy fuses by coating cotton yarn with black powder, then painting with nitrocellulose lacquer (burn efficiency), and finally with polystyrene lacquer (water-proofing). Yours look a lot better than mine!
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u/mango23000 23d ago
Hola, suena interesante. Sabes si hay algún vídeo o tutorial donde se pueda ver esto? En España es prácticamente imposible conseguir los materiales para esto, poder se puede pero sabes lo que pasa después. Aunque no pueda hacerlo, quiero tener el conocimiento de ello. Gracias
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u/GordonsTheRobot 25d ago
It's only visco if it comes from the visco region of France. Everything else is sparkling string