| Flash Product Safe Handling & Storage | | Print | |
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Materials such as Phlogisticated Parchment (our own heavy duty flash paper), Phlogisticated flash Cotton (our very fluffy flash cotton), or Phlogisticated flash String (clean burning flash string) can add mystical fire effects to a performance. However, these materials require a special handling and storage to stay safe. Magic forums should be a good source of information but I found there are many misperceptions about just how to safely store flash products.
My Alchemist put together this article for people, like myself, who aren't chemists, but are attracted to fiery effects that flash products bestows on us.
Flash Product Safety Frequently Asked Questions about the Storage and Handling of Flash Paper, Flash String and Flash Cotton
What is flash paper made of?
In chemical terms, all flash products are “partially nitrated cellulose”. The final product is always a mix of cellulose mononitrate, cellulose dinitrate and cellulose trinitrate along with some percentage of cellulose that escaped any treatment. A product that has undergone “ultimate nitration” is pure cellulose trinitrate. Unfortunately, it is prohibitively expensive for anyone to make in any but laboratory amounts – including national governments. Varying only in the amount and ratios of the nitrates, flash products are basically the same material as the first motion picture films, antique celluloid collars and cuffs and the main ingredient in “airplane dope” and fingernail polish. All flash products are considered very dangerous, and rightly so. The amount of danger is, however, in proportion to the amount of flash material – a small amount is less dangerous than a large amount. Learn what you can, pay attention to what you do and plan ahead – with these rules a magician should be able to keep and use flash products very safely. Do NOT allow your familiarity with flash products to make you complacent – this stuff is dangerous in any quantity. In certain situations it can detonate as a true “high” explosive like TNT. In more ordinary situations, it can easily be a “low” explosive like black (gun) powder, but with much more power. Is flash paper chemically stable? No, cellulose nitrates are inherently unstable molecules. All the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for nitrocellulose state that the material is stable under ordinary conditions. However, the inherent instability of the molecules are well known and the MSDS doesn't nit-pick chemistry details. The ideal environment to minimize decomposition is cold, dry, dark and in a complete vacuum. Not practicable by any means and, besides, the material first needs to have been ripped to microscopic shreds in order to rid the material from the reaction materials used to make it. This ideal environment, however, still can't stop it from decomposing. The storage temperature in this ideal environment drives the inevitable decomposition; even at ordinary temperatures, decomposition is about 100 times faster for every 45 deg. F (25 deg. C) increase. Should flash paper be stored wet or dry? There is debate concerning this choice, however we recommend storing flash products wet. If you read on, we'll share our reasons for this recommendation. The debate arises from consideration of the gas that is released by the perpetually decomposing flash product. This gas is only somewhat soluble in water; the gas that does dissolve forms an acid that attacks the cellulose nitrates, feeding the decomposition faster. This “self-catalyzed” decomposition mechanism can be avoided by keeping the flash product in a very dry atmosphere where that gas can escape. The problem is that our normal air is rarely very dry; natural humidity is significant everywhere except the deserts. Further, flash products are quite incapable of ignition when damp. If it were kept very dry, to avoid self-catalyzed decomposition, it then presents an unusually hazardous fire danger. The combination of low solubility of the offending gas, elimination of accidental ignition, difficulty in maintaining an assured very low humidity environment and, finally, ease of maintaining significant water with the product lead us to recommend that flash products be kept in a significant amount of water, regularly changed, for long-term storage. How long can I store flash paper if it's wet? The answer depends on the amount of nitration of the product (more is better), the completeness of post-nitration processing (more is better) and the temperature of storage (lower is better). The very best flash products can be safely stored for years when wet and cool, especially if the water is changed regularly. The very worst flash products could spontaneously decompose in days or even hours after manufacture, whether or not they are wet or cool. Crappy flash products are at least a tiny bit safer when (not “if”) they decompose in water instead of being dry. How long can I store flash paper if it's dry? We recommend that all flash products should be stored in water – without exceptions, especially in the long term. The only dry flash product you have around should be an amount you plan to use within about 2 days (the time it takes to slowly dry out another batch for use). If you were to accept the extreme fire hazard presented by a mass of dry flash products, arranged and vented the flash products to not trap the gas released by decomposition which lead to further decomposition, maintain relative humidity below 10% at a temperature of 32 deg. F (0 deg. C), then flash product of high quality should be storable for many years. Even in those conditions, if the flash product is crappy then its decomposition could cause a spontaneous fire and an explosion is entirely possible. How can I dry my flash paper quickly? First off, do not put yourself in a position of being rushed. Plan your use of flash products well in advance so you can dry it out slowly and safely. Never use a heater of any kind to dry your flash product. That's a big NO to using an oven, hair dryer, steam radiator ... anything. Evaporation is most effectively sped up by moving air, so put it in front of a fan to dry as quickly as possible. What can I use to glue small pieces of flash paper together? There are some products in the market formulated for gluing flash paper. They are, quite conveniently, extremely flammable like flash products themselves. In fact, they are generally made from flash cotton dissolved in a specific mix of solvents. It is possible to effectively use rubber cement, but care must be taken to use it sparingly or else the combustion of the flash paper will be slowed. Rubber cement will also leave some amount of gooey black ash. Could you please tell me how to make my own flash paper, pretty please? No. Even if you think you want to try it, you don't. Really, trust us, you don't. How hot does an igniter have to be to light flash cotton? Clean flash products of the very highest quality have an ignition point close to 365 deg. F (185 deg. C). If the flash product is crappy – contaminated, old, low nitration, decomposing or not adequately post-processed – then the ignition temperature could be 320 deg. F (160 deg. C) or less. Will flash paper ignite by itself in my parked and sun-heated car? It is possible, if you have crappy flash product. The more crappy it is, the more likely this is to happen. If the product is really crappy, you'll probably notice that it smells dangerous before you take it anywhere – you'll have a chance to avoid the burning-up-your-car scenario. If you do not have anything that would act as a magnifying lens on your flash product, then just being in a hot car should not ignite decent-quality flash products. In Yuma, Arizona, on June 21st with the windows rolled up and a glass sunroof, you might get your car up to a stifling 180 deg. F (82 deg. C) inside. But that falls pretty short of the ignition temperature of decent flash products. On the other hand, if your flash product is definitely crappy, and you've left it on the dashboard during your summertime lunch gig in Yuma you might return to a car full of choking red-brown smog or, arguably worse, to a charred lump that used to be your car. How can I tell if my flash cotton is acceptable or crappy? First, if it was really cheap then that's your first clue it's probably crappy. Next, look at it. Flash cotton, being such a light diffuser, should look quite white. Flash paper, string or cord are considerably more dense and should show the true color of cellulose nitrates, a pale yellow. Of course, that test isn't usable with color dyed flash papers. If you see a dirty brownish color, dispose of it as quickly as possible – it is probably decomposing and will only get more dangerous. We say “probably” because it is possible that the brown color is just iron oxides from contaminated chemicals used to produce the flash product. Thirdly, smell your suspect flash product when dry. A high quality product will, at most, have a faint smell not unlike fresh laundry. If, instead, what you smell reminds you of a bad, smoggy day in L.A., it's either decomposing or it didn't get sufficient post-processing when made and it will start decomposing soon. If it isn't showing brown color yet, you might be able to save it. Finally, if it passes the tests just mentioned, you can get a final determination by testing the water it is packaged with (or that you wet it with) using “pHydrion” or litmus indicator paper. If it shows any acidity (pH < 7), or is excessively alkaline (pH > 9), then the product should be made safer before storing, using or transporting. How do I make crappy flash paper safe enough to store and use? If you have a significant investment in flash product that isn't decomposing, but you suspect is crappy, you can render it safer with some simple washings and neutralization. What you would do is most of the post-nitration processing the manufacturer should have done. The following isn't the complete process, but is sufficient to “safe” your questionable flash products for a while without involving hard-to-get chemicals. This process applies to flash cotton and flash string just as it does to flash paper. First, gently wash it by hand for 15 minutes in clean water – use at least a gallon of water for every 10 grams (1/3 ounce) of product. Pour off the water, and refill with the same amount of fresh water. Now boil it for 30 minutes to an hour. Do NOT leave this unattended since any splash-over or boil-dry can result in a dangerous, albeit quick, fire. Pour off the hot water, refill with fresh water and boil again – then do it once more for a total of three boilings. Make a solution of washing soda by dissolving 2 ounces of powder in a gallon of water. Put the flash product into this solution and let sit for an hour, agitating occasionally by hand. Wear rubber gloves as this is fairly caustic. Refill the water container used before with fresh water (a gallon for every 10 grams of flash product), put the flash product into it and wash by hand for 15 minutes. Drain off the water and repeat the washing once more. If possible, use an indicator paper to assure that the pH is between 7 and 8. If it isn't, wash again with fresh water until pH is acceptable. Once you've done all that, you will probably have a greater appreciation for quality flash products and their prices. You have now washed and neutralized the product as best as you can, greatly extending it's safety. Manufacturers should always do a more intense version of this process, including a final step we didn't outline for you, in order to assure the most stable and long-lived flash product possible. How do I dispose of crappy flash product? In small quantities, it's recommended that you set fire to it using remote ignition. The pile should be no more than ½ inch (12 mm) high. In larger quantities (we trust there isn't a magician out there with such larger quantities), you are expected to hire a hazardous materials disposal company. What chemicals do I need to keep away from flash cotton? The Material Safety Data Sheets for cellulose nitrate, or nitrocellulose, products generally list strong acids, strong alkalies and strong oxidizing agents as “incompatible”. Various levels of danger accompany the exposure of flash products to these sorts of materials. Some chemicals can cause little or much decomposition, some can cause outright ignition. Make sure your flash products cannot come in contact with bleach, drain cleaners (acid or lye), battery acid, hair peroxide or pool acid. If you're in doubt, don't let your flash product get touched by it. There are many more chemicals that are incompatible with flash products, but most are not encountered in ordinary life. Won't flash paper get soft and mushy in water like regular paper? No, in fact we promote keeping your flash paper in water as the safest way to store it for long periods. All flash products are made of a material that cannot dissolve in water. They are not simply paper, cotton balls or string with some sort of burnable coating or impregnant – they are actually made of a type of waterproof (but very flammable and dangerous) plastic! What's that unusual smell after a flash paper burn? Flash products produce some unusual gases when burnt. Mostly, what you smell are oxides of nitrogen. The same stuff as makes brown smog in large cities. In any significant quantity, it is dangerous to breathe. At its simplest, the gases can form nitric acid on wet surfaces. Your lungs, by the way, are made of wet surfaces. Luckily, you can easily smell and identify these gases and back away from their “cloud” before they exceed a tolerable concentration in the air. Please take care to always burn flash products with adequate ventilation – that means “plenty”. Should I keep my flash products in a metal container? Flash products should be protected against accidental exposure to ignition sources or contact with incompatible materials. Just prior to use, the flash products dried for an imminent performance should also be protected from excessive humidity or moisture in order to assure the material will work when and how you need it to. It seems reasonable, then, to believe it should be stored in something like an ammo box, office safe or some such container. Please don't. We strongly recommend that flash products, wet or dry, be stored in fairly lightweight plastic containers or bags. Most common bag plastics are effective at heat protection, resistant against most incompatible materials and act as a barrier against water vapor. Flash products are explosives, no “ifs” or “buts” about it. While there are conditions that could actually cause a flash product to detonate like TNT (high explosive), it's much more likely to explode by pressurizing a strong container until it ruptures violently, like black-powder (low explosive) does. The predominant mechanism of damage from a low explosive is shrapnel of the container it was in. Metal shrapnel is much more dangerous than thin plastic shrapnel. Since the constant decomposition of flash products is unstoppable regardless of product quality, and flash products can generate far more pressurizing gas than black powder even if only through flame-less decomposition, then storing it in a strong container is pretty well the same as keeping unstable black powder in a piece of steel pipe (get it?). Pyrotechnics have often been assembled in flimsy structures, sometimes using Styrofoam walls and a loosely attached ceiling. Explosions are never desired, but are expected to happen occasionally. When the inevitable explosion would occur in the shed, the workers inside and the people and structures adjacent outside would survive with only minor injuries or damage because they were protected from deadly over-pressure from strong containment and shrapnel by the insubstantial, loose lightweight materials enclosing them. The same accidental explosion within a reinforced steel room would assure little if any survival. Please consider applying the lesson of this anecdote in storing your flash materials. Don't innocently turn your flash product storage into a bomb. Does humidity affect the burning of flash paper? In short, the answer is definitely yes. Even on a comfortable day at 65 deg. F and 80% relative humidity, flash products will contain up to 1% water. You would notice a difference from fully dehydrated which would burn with greater ease. Air holds water much easier when it's warm than when it's cold. At a relative humidity of 90%, air in summertime Houston could contain 20 times the water (grains/lb dry air) that air in wintertime Chicago would contain. You can expect the Houston gig to be a challenge - more difficulty igniting the flash product, especially from embers, and slower burns. Of course, these are conditions found outside. Air-conditioned (DX, not swamp-cooler) and heated interior spaces have fairly dry air. In fact, the cold stream of air from an air conditioner should be a safe, quick and convenient way to dehydrate your flash products. To assure reliable performance from your flash products during those wet or humid and warm days, you might consider putting a desiccant in the dry plastic bag holding your dry flash products. Dehydrated silica gel would be a good choice, but any number of materials could be used for this purpose. Just keep it in the bag, with or without the optional desiccant, until as late as you can – a very muggy day could take only minutes to make your just-dehydrated flash products not respond as you would like. The flash product will be subject to the same decrease in performance if it's held in a sweating hand or is stashed very close to skin for too long. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= For any sort of normal shipping, flash products must be shipped wet. Defined in the Code of Federal Regulations, they are considered Class 4.1 Flammable Solids. The amount of water used for shipping must weigh at least 25% of the dry weight of flash product to be classed as “UN 2555 Nitrocellulose with water with not less than 25 percent water, by mass ”. Your flash product, when dry, is Class 1.1D and known by “UN 0340 Nitrocellulose, dry or wetted with less than 25 percent water (or alcohol), by mass ” and is strictly prohibited from being shipped by common carrier in or from the United States. You might have heard of some other Class 1.1D materials like: TNT, desensitized nitroglycerin, PETN and “det cord”. Don't allow any “oopsies” when you work with your flash products, ok? Ms. Petrea Rasmussen Updated 2007 July 15
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