Name: Zinc "Flash"
Source: Alan Yates
| percent | component |
|---|---|
| 63.00% | Zinc (dust) |
| 32.00% | Potassium Nitrate |
| 5.00% | Sulfur |
Ball mill the Potassium Nitrate and Sulfur together then screen or diaper in the Zinc.
Derived from this stoichiometric guess:
2(KNO3) + S + 6(Zn) => K2S + N2 + 6(ZnO)
Could probably use a touch more oxidiser for optimum speed, but it works just fine stoichiometric.
It burns fairly slowly and generates copious amounts of zinc oxide smoke, it would probably make quite a good white smoke star or "smoking cap stick" composition.
Like all Zn based compositions it is very dense. This actually makes it a joy to work with, it screens easily and works well during moistening.
Add 3 parts dextrin, moisten and pump or cut quite nice stars. Prime them with meal while they are still damp. You can granulate it like pulverone and use it as a greenish-flash report charge not unlike micrograin. It makes quite good "zinc match", which burns steadily and hot enough to ignite most compositions. It has very good adhesion and working properties for making match compared to conventional black powder slurry.
It might make an interesting propellant, but its density would be a major handicap.
It is not very sensitive to friction or shock in my experiments, but treat as you would micrograin for best safety.