Gun Powder Flash

[Two23]

In the past I've thought about trying to make some flash poweder to try with my old lenses an half plate camera. It's the one kind of flash I haven't done yet. The formula looks a little tricky, but I have had some college chemistry classes. My wife is a pharmacist, but I don't know if I could get her involved "hands on" in the project. She's the cautious sort. I was recently again inspired when I saw this photo:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1909_Victor_Flash_Lamp.jpg

Then, it dawned on me. Rather than going through all the hassle of making the stuff, why couldn't I just buy either some modern smokeless gunpowder, or some Pyrodex? Wouldn't that give me the same thing? I could carefully weigh out small amounts so I could calibrate the light output more consistency. Anyone done this?


Kent in SD

[Henry Ambrose]

Smokeless powder will be relatively slow burning and I suspect it will be impossible to get consistent exposures.
Flash bulbs might be a better way to go.

[photobymike]

I knew a guy a few years ago that took old time photos... lol Polaroid 55 with spray bottle of sepia toner... He used flash powder.... he made his own with gun powder and magnesium ... it was so bright that that you had to wonder if you got blinded by the flash. he claimed it added to the ambiance. LOL LOL it was more of a fire hazard

[Mark Sawyer]

The magnesium produces the light. I don't think you could use smokeless powder to set it off, as smokeless powder is hard to ignite without a primer and an enclosed cartridge for pressure.

[jp]

pyrodex / gunpowder is going to be lots of smoke and warm orange glow. Magnesium is what makes thing burn bright. Magnesium doesn't ignite too fast by itself, so that's probably why it's mixed with things that burn faster. I don't know exactly what makes flash powder, but I've played with magnesium and gunpowder separately. (I have used magnesium with thermite though)

[Jon Shiu]

Here's a Graflex flash gun ad I posted before, maybe can give a few ideas (source 1916 Graflex catalog at cameraeccentric.com)

Jon

72848

[Bill_1856]

You're out of your mind!

[desertrat]

I have a hard copy of this book:

http://archive.org/details/photographicfact00wall

From this page you can choose the file format you want to download. I use the .pdf files. The chapter with formulas for making flash powders starts on page 339. Some of these chemicals are a bit difficult for individuals to order because they are pyrotechnic materials. Some powdered metals can be found on ebay. The old formulas preferred magnesium powder, but the book says aluminum powder can be substituted but doesn't burn quite as bright. It's still pretty bright, though. I've seen small pieces of solid rocket propellant burned, that used aluminum powder as the fuel component. It's almost like looking at the sun. Aluminum powder is a lot easier to get than magnesium powder.

Edit to add: Needless to say, these mixtures are hazardous to work with, because if a quantity of the stuff gets lit, it's impossible to put out the fire because it has fuel and oxidizer in the same mixture. And it burns incredibly hot, that's why it puts out so much bright light.

[photobymike]

He used a cap to start the flash... i bet it was a black powder pistol cap... He kept a few fire extinguishers around for good measure....

[photobymike]

728717287272873

Agfa flash powder gun ... i found these pictures on ebay ... there is one forsale for about 15 bucks

look with "flash powder" as search words ...

[Worker 11811]

Use Goex instead of Pyrodex. Make sure you get the "FFFF" grade.

Pyrodex is not black powder. It is smokeless powder formulated to measure the same as black powder. The grain size is not as consistent.

Black powder comes in four common grades which indicate the size of the grains. The more "F's" the finer the grade. "FFFF" (or "4-F") is the finest grade. The finer the grade, the faster the burn rate. Of course, you want the fastest burn rate you can reasonably get.

You can get Goex at any hunting and sporting goods store like Gander Mountain. You might have to sign for it, depending on the laws in your locality but it SHOULD be fairly easily available.

My second idea would be to look for binary flash powder from a stage and theatrical effect supplier.
Binary flash powders come in two parts that must be mixed together before it can burn. This is much safer and is legal to transport in most areas because, technically speaking, it is not an explosive until the two parts are mixed. Once mixed, it is explosive and legality of transport is restricted. What you do is mix up only the amount you need for a specific task. What you do not use, you either burn up or mix with water and dump down the sewer.

I would recommend using binary powder if you are working indoors or near flammable substances. Black powder is smoky and can shoot sparks which might ignite things nearby. Binary powder would produce less smoke, what smoke it does produce would be less noxious. (Black powder smells like rotten eggs when it burns!)

Just Google "binary flash powder" or "A/B flash powder." You should be able to find what you need.

[Bill Burk]

I know that this thread is useful for archiving information about the real thing. But what would you get if you illuminate a mist or fog with electronic flash? Could this achieve the goal photographically and in terms of ambiance? It would be safer.

[Two23]

What if I mixed some powdered aluminum in with the 4F gunpowder?


Kent in SD

[goamules]

Kent, the guy in your photo doing flash work is Race Gentry. He's a nice young man who does a lot of unusual things, including daguerreotypes. I talked to him about a flash tray I bought once. One thing I'd get you guys off of is the idea you should use Black Powder. Nope, that will just give you a weak, yellow flash and a billowing mushroom cloud of smoke. You want to research flash powder, or contact Race. No I don't have his number anymore.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11964447@N02/sets/72157612298623479/

[Worker 11811]

Aluminum ought to work but I'm not 100% sure. I have always used magnesium for my stage effects.
I use a tablespoon full of 50/50 Goex+Mg in an old tuna fish can, touched off with an Estes rocket igniter. If I want it to fizzle instead of going "Poof!" I mix in a little less Goex and add in some Hercules Red Dot smokeless. If I want the flame to look more red, I add less Mg.

As I said, that is what I do for stage effects. (e.g. The "evil magician" who can disappear in a puff of smoke and flame.) I hide the flash pot behind some scenery and run the wire off stage to a stagehand armed with a six volt lantern battery. It works great and the smell of sulfur from the Goex adds a little "fire and brimstone" to the effect.

I don't see why aluminum shouldn't work. Al and Mg are neighbors on the periodic table.
I have heard of aluminum being used but I have always used Mg.

Goex isn't too expensive. It's about $20-$25 per 1 lb. can. At 1 to 2 Tbsp. per flash you've got a lot to experiment with.

Just experiment outside lest you fill the house up with sulfurous smoke... or worse, catch something on fire!

And, yes, I do understand about the difference between black powder and flash powder. If you notice, I did recommend using binary flash powder in my last post but the O.P. wants to experiment with gunpowder flash. I agree that black powder will billow more than it flashes but, for my purpose as a stage effect, that's exactly what I want. It's up to the O.P. to decide if that's right for his purpose.

[E. von Hoegh]

Any one reading this thread and considering experimenting, or worse, following some of the suggestions, should first learn a good deal about safe handling of the flammable and explosive substances mentioned..... so far I see several recipes for disaster.

[Two23]

.. so far I see several recipes for disaster.

That's what makes it so enticing! :D I once read about a guy who wanted to light up a steam engine at night, and put a string of flash powder in a gutter that was attached to a shed paralleling the tracks. It produced a flash well enough, but also burned down the shed. This is something I'd only do outdoors, of course, and only when the ground is wet.


Kent in SD

[E. von Hoegh]

That's what makes it so enticing! :D I once read about a guy who wanted to light up a steam engine at night, and put a string of flash powder in a gutter that was attached to a shed paralleling the tracks. It produced a flash well enough, but also burned down the shed. This is something I'd only do outdoors, of course, and only when the ground is wet.


Kent in SD

Perhaps they'll decorate your room in the burn ward with photos.

[Brian C. Miller]

That's what makes it so enticing!

"The light which puts out our eyes is darkness to us."
-- Henry Thoreau, Walden. (last paragraph (http://thoreau.eserver.org/thelast.html))
(Thanks, Heroique!)

The light that puts out our eyes, burns off our eyebrows and eyelashes, chars our hair and skin, is called, "too much flash powder."

Kent, do you have a "black box" recorder in your truck cab? Will your final words be, "Watch this!" (National news: good ol' boy dies while jumping two hay stacks and a cow while setting of world-record magnesium flash in the back of his truck.)

[E. von Hoegh]

It amazes me, that someone so poorly informed that they propose using either type of gunpowder as flash powder, believes themselves competent to asess the risks to themselves and others.

[Gem Singer]

No need to go all the way back to using flash powder.

Flash bulbs with safety features replaced flash powder a long time ago.

It's called progress.

[Kevin Crisp]

Smokeless powders don't burn all that bright, and they don't burn all that fast. And, burned in bulk, they certainly are not smokeless.

[goamules]

I'm going to keep posting that you should not use black powder for this. BP is classified as an explosive, because it can be set off with low heat, static sparks, pressure (like dropping a rock on a few grains. And again, all it makes is a big puff of smoke and a dull yellow flame. But if you get a spark into a large amount, say an open can you forgot to put the lid on, it will more or less detonate. Remember all those cartoons with the cask of powder blowing up the Coyote? You don't want to mess with that. I'm sure flash powder is just as sensitive, but at least you buy it in small amounts, not a pound of black powder. I have quite a bit of experience with BP, going back 30 years.

[E. von Hoegh]

I'm going to keep posting that you should not use black powder for this. BP is classified as an explosive, because it can be set off with low heat, static sparks, pressure (like dropping a rock on a few grains. And again, all it makes is a big puff of smoke and a dull yellow flame. But if you get a spark into a large amount, say an open can you forgot to put the lid on, it will more or less detonate. Remember all those cartoons with the cask of powder blowing up the Coyote? You don't want to mess with that. I'm sure flash powder is just as sensitive, but at least you buy it in small amounts, not a pound of black powder. I have quite a bit of experience with BP, going back 30 years.

I'm right with you. Unfortunately, it's hard to get through to ignorance...

E. "using black powder without incident since 1972" von Hoegh

[E. von Hoegh]

You're out of your mind!

My sentiments as well.

[E. von Hoegh]

It amazes me, that someone so poorly informed that they propose using either type of gunpowder as flash powder, believes themselves competent to asess the risks to themselves and others.

And again....

[E. von Hoegh]

Use Goex instead of Pyrodex. Make sure you get the "FFFF" grade.

Pyrodex is not black powder. It is smokeless powder formulated to measure the same as black powder. The grain size is not as consistent.


What you are calling "goex" is a brand name. Gearhardt & Owen Explosives Co. It is true black powder. Other brands of black powder are available.
Pyrodex is most assuredly not smokeless powder. It is a black powder substitute with a higher ignition temperature, so it is shipped under different regulations. It can be used volume for volume instead of black powder.

Smokeless powder is a nitrocellulose based propellant.

[Leigh]

All physical characteristics share a common attribute... They are bounded at one end.

When there are no photons, it is dark, and can get no darker, yet brightness can increase without limit.
When there is no motion, it's quiet, and can get no more so, yet loudness can increase without bound.

Thus we are forced conclude that human intelligence is limited, since human stupidity obviously is not.

- Leigh

[E. von Hoegh]

All physical characteristics share a common attribute... They are bounded at one end.

When there are no photons, it is dark, and can get no darker, yet brightness can increase without limit.
When there is no motion, it's quiet, and can get no more so, yet loudness can increase without bound.

Thus we are forced conclude that human intelligence is limited, since human stupidity obviously is not.

- Leigh

"With stupidity, the Gods themselves struggle in vain" (Mit der dummheit, kampfen Goetter selbst vergebens)- Schiller, from The Maid of Orleans.

[Worker 11811]

What you are calling "goex" is a brand name. Gearhardt & Owen Explosives Co. It is true black powder. Other brands of black powder are available.
Pyrodex is most assuredly not smokeless powder. It is a black powder substitute with a higher ignition temperature, so it is shipped under different regulations. It can be used volume for volume instead of black powder.

Smokeless powder is a nitrocellulose based propellant.

You're right. I mixed my metaphors, so to speak. Goex (a brand of black powder) is a synthetic substance that is classified as "smokeless" but it is not true smokeless powder.

Secondarily, shorthand gets me again. When talking of the fineness or grade of powder, we often refer to "FFFF" or "4-F" but often leave out the fact that they are actaully "FFFFg", the "g" standing for "graphite." That means that some graphite has been mixed with the ingredients as the cake is being made, before grinding, so as to make it flow better and to prevent accidental ignition from static electricity and stuff like that.

Yes, black powder is not a toy and should not be taken lightly. Yes, you can really do damage if you're not careful. Yes, you can start accidental fires, end up in the hospital or get yourself or somebody else killed. However, I'll say three things:

1) We're all adults here and, as such, we should all be able to weigh the risks of the things we want to do and, if we believe they are dangerous, we shouldn't do them or else get help from somebody who knows what they are doing.

2) As photographers, we should all have some idea about handling dangerous or potentially dangerous substances. We work up to our elbows in chemicals.
(All the while wearing rubber gloves, aprons, face shields and respirators, no doubt!)

3) I've been working with Goex black powder since I've been old enough to go hunting. I don't think it's nearly as dangerous as some people think it is. Too many people believe what they see in those Wile E. Coyote cartoons. Somebody who understands the risks, understands how the stuff behaves and is willing to work carefully, should have no trouble at all. I've been using black powder and magnesium to make stage effects since eighth grade. I don't do it often but, when I do, I always take my job seriously.

By the way, I still think binary flash powder would be safer and work better. ;)

[cabbiinc]

I can remember my brother finding some sort of black powder in our basement or somewhere (maybe he broke open a whole bunch of firecrackers, it was quite some time ago). He decided that it would be a good idea to pour a line on the ground and light it and watch it burn across the ground (like in the movies) to a bigger pile not too far away. His plan was to light, step back and watch the big poof.
His eyebrows did grow back and he never tried it again.

[Paul Ewins]

http://www.totse2.com/totse/en/bad_ideas/ka_fucking_boom/areliableguide174260.html

Note that this is filed under "Bad Ideas" since the chance of hurting yourself is very real.

[Leigh]

Gunpowder is classified as an explosive for one very good reason...

IT EXPLODES!

- Leigh

[Worker 11811]

No, it doesn't. Only the container which confines it explodes.

[Tim Meisburger]

Yes, Randy is right, and all the other gunpowder experts are wrong. If you throw a match on a pile of gunpowder it will burn, not explode.

[Tim Meisburger]

Here is a link to another thread on this issue: http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?14252-Outdoor-Lighting-with-Flash-%28Boom!%29

[Two23]

Kent, do you have a "black box" recorder in your truck cab? Will your final words be, "Watch this!"


I like to photo trains at night, using flash. I'm getting bored with my White Lightning X3200 monolights. I was thinking that a tidy little pile of flash powder going off as a train approached would impress the hell out of the crew. They're pretty used to my monolights already. Could wait until winter, when the ground is covered with snow. Nothing to catch fire then, and the white snow doubles the amount of light!


Kent in SD

[Worker 11811]

If I have allowed you to believe that using gunpowder has no risk then I have misled you. Guilty as charged. Using gunpowder for ANYTHING included the intended purpose IS risky and you CAN get hurt or killed but life is full or risk.

What about riding a motorcycle? That is risky and it can get you killed just as easily. However, I find your admonishments about using gunpowder to be as fallacious as you would find me if I told you that you should never ride a motorcycle.

If I told you that you could ride a motorcycle from "Point A" to "Point B" you would think about it, judge the risks of doing so and either take precautions accordingly or you might decide not to do it at all. Further, you would not yell at me simply for talking about motorcycles.

Even if you did decide to ride a motorcycle, you would automatically assume that there are precautions to be taken before and during any motorcycle ride. You would assume that a helmet and proper clothing is required. You would assume that a person must be an able-bodied, sound-minded adult. You would assume that the would-be motorcyclist has the proper license and has taken a course in motorcycle safety. If I told you to wear a helmet and ride safely, you would say, "Of course," and you might even thank me for reminding you.

Now, if I suggest using gunpowder for a particular purpose, don't I have the right to assume that you are an able-bodied, sound-minded adult who will take precautions when experimenting with fire? Do you think it would be wise to experiment outdoors, to wear safety goggles, to have a fire extinguisher on hand and to study up before beginning? If I reminded you to take these precautions, wouldn't you say, "Thanks for reminding me," and follow that advice? If you didn't follow that advice, don't you think I would be right in saying "I told you so"?

Well, I have talked about using gunpowder. I have told you my experience with it. I have warned you to take precaution. I have even suggested alternatives to using gunpowder.

Yes, yes, yes! Gunpowder can be dangerous! VERY dangerous! I have said that at least twice, now. But, no, gunpowder will not explode if you throw a match on a pile of it in open air. It will deflagrate. (Burn very quickly.) It will not explode unless it is confined.

Just to tweak you off, I took a teaspoon full of Goex black powder outdoors and touched it off with a lit cigarette. It did not explode and I'm still in one piece.
(Oh, my God! He smoked a CIGARETTE!)

I did not try to tell a consenting adult who understands the risks that he should never use black powder. I also reminded him of some of those risks. Furthermore, I have suggested an alternative.

On the other hand, I also gave thought to the idea that our original poster might be attempting to do some "period correct" photography, in which case, binary powder would not be used. Fine grade black powder might be called for in that instance.

I'm sorry if I upset you by suggesting that everybody in the world should always be 100% safe in everything they do, never venture outdoors, always eat the right food, get eight hours of sleep at night and be good little citizens every day of their lives.

When my father taught me how to load a muzzle loading rifle, he did it with a lit cigarette in his mouth. I kid you not! He died of cirrhosis.

[Brian C. Miller]

IIRC, powdered aluminum is the ingredient in radiator stop-leak. From what I've been reading, aluminum doesn't burn as bright as magnesium, but at least you can easily get it down at the auto parts store. Look for the stuff that is a powder and comes in a clear tube, like AlumaSeal. Take a kerosene lantern, take off the mantle, and light it. Using a long PVC pipe as a blow gun, put some of the powdered aluminum in one end, and your mouth at the other end. Blow the powder over the flame. Should be good.

For other flame-throwers, search YouTube or Vimeo for flour flame-throwers. (When an aunt of mine was taught in grade school home economics that you should keep flour away from pilot lights and open flames because it could explode, she went home and tried it. She built a fire in the back yard, and then from about three feet away tossed a handful of flour in the air over it. Nice fireball. Experiment succeeded.)

[Worker 11811]

For other flame-throwers, search YouTube or Vimeo for flour flame-throwers. (When an aunt of mine was taught in grade school home economics that you should keep flour away from pilot lights and open flames because it could explode, she went home and tried it. She built a fire in the back yard, and then from about three feet away tossed a handful of flour in the air over it. Nice fireball. Experiment succeeded.)

How about Lycopodium powder? You would have to devise an apparatus to aerate/disperse it and ignite it but it sounds interesting on an academic level, anyway.

[Leigh]

Powdered aluminum is also the major ingredient in thermite.

Flour is one of the standard explosives used by special ops folks.

- Leigh

[E. von Hoegh]

You're right. I mixed my metaphors, so to speak. Goex (a brand of black powder) is a synthetic substance that is classified as "smokeless" but it is not true smokeless powder.

Secondarily, shorthand gets me again. When talking of the fineness or grade of powder, we often refer to "FFFF" or "4-F" but often leave out the fact that they are actaully "FFFFg", the "g" standing for "graphite." That means that some graphite has been mixed with the ingredients as the cake is being made, before grinding, so as to make it flow better and to prevent accidental ignition from static electricity and stuff like that.

Yes, black powder is not a toy and should not be taken lightly. Yes, you can really do damage if you're not careful. Yes, you can start accidental fires, end up in the hospital or get yourself or somebody else killed. However, I'll say three things:

1) We're all adults here and, as such, we should all be able to weigh the risks of the things we want to do and, if we believe they are dangerous, we shouldn't do them or else get help from somebody who knows what they are doing.

2) As photographers, we should all have some idea about handling dangerous or potentially dangerous substances. We work up to our elbows in chemicals.
(All the while wearing rubber gloves, aprons, face shields and respirators, no doubt!)

3) I've been working with Goex black powder since I've been old enough to go hunting. I don't think it's nearly as dangerous as some people think it is. Too many people believe what they see in those Wile E. Coyote cartoons. Somebody who understands the risks, understands how the stuff behaves and is willing to work carefully, should have no trouble at all. I've been using black powder and magnesium to make stage effects since eighth grade. I don't do it often but, when I do, I always take my job seriously.

By the way, I still think binary flash powder would be safer and work better. ;)

"Goex" is not a synthetic black powder. It is real black powder. The grades, 1F and etcetera, do not have anything to do with how much graphite has been added. The grading is based on granule size, nothing more.

[E. von Hoegh]

Just to tweak you off, I took a teaspoon full of Goex black powder outdoors and touched it off with a lit cigarette. It did not explode and I'm still in one piece.
(Oh, my God! He smoked a CIGARETTE!)



When my father taught me how to load a muzzle loading rifle, he did it with a lit cigarette in his mouth. I kid you not! He died of cirrhosis.

Please, stop trying to give advice. You don't know what you are talking about, not even close.

[eddie]

okay okay.

here is a video!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIo8OtKX0GI

[E. von Hoegh]

okay okay.

here is a video!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIo8OtKX0GI

Blinding. (sarcastic smiley)

[Worker 11811]

If you use modern smokeless powder it will not burn fast enough or consistently enough to use as flash powder. That was established in the second post to this message thread and it was not me who said that.

The video uses smokeless powder but the question at-hand is about black powder. Since we have already established that smokeless powder behaves differently from black powder, the video proves nothing.

Read the grade on the label of a can of Goex. It says, for instance, "FFFg." The F's refer to the grade, specifying the grain size which, in turn, tells you how fast the powder will burn. The more F's the finer the grade and the faster the burn. However, the "g" at the end of the grade stands for "graphite." That means that the powder has been mixed with graphite. Graphite does at least two things. It prevents caking, improving flow, thus making it easier to use. Graphite also helps prevent static electricity from igniting the powder as easily. Powder can still ignite from static and over compression. The graphite only reduces the chances.

Yes, I know Goex is real, honest to goodness, black powder and not synthetic. I know that it can be dangerous, in almost every post I have made here, I have said that. Further, I have given two different alternatives to using black powder that I believe might be safer, better, easier to obtain and subject to fewer legal hassles.

[Two23]

I live in South Dakota, and there's at least four shops in my small city alone that sell reloading supplies, maybe even six. The binary flash powder probably does come closer to what I want. At any rate, I'm respectful but not afraid of things that go "boom." I used to make pipe bombs in my high school chem class, using potassium chlorate and powdered sugar. My friends and I would blow up abandoned sheds with them, or just see who could make the biggest crater in the mud on the river flats.


Kent in SD

[Worker 11811]

:D :D :D

It was nitrogen triiodide, here, with an occasional soup can filled with black powder thrown in for good measure but, being a theater techie, I had a lot more fun making special effects.

There was also one time when we made a "magic campfire" by placing an Estes rocket igniter underneath a pile of logs and tinder.

While mayhem for its own sake is fun, it's more fun when you do things that other people can watch, too. ;)

[E. von Hoegh]

Nitrogen tri iodide, perhaps the most contact sensitive explosive available and soup cans of black powder....the mind boggles.

Then, a magic campfire with an Estes rocket ignitor, which is a bit of wire coated with someting flammable, used in the nozzle of the engine to start it.

I'm calling you full of $hit.

[Worker 11811]

Yes, NI3 is very sensitive. It will detonate if a fly lands on it and I have known it to go off all by itself for no apparent reason. It is tricky stuff. That's why I only made a teaspoon full of it at a time. I know a guy who has made it in bulk, using 500g of iodine and a bucket full of ammonia. Then, again, he makes nitroglycerine just for the fun of it.

The campfire was started by placing the igniter and a small, size A engine in a coffee can stuffed with newspaper and charcoal starter. On top of that was more newspaper and dry tinder, then the kindling wood and, finally the firewood. I assumed that people could figure that out.

Soup cans full of powder were small potatoes compared to the guys who used to go dynamite fishing in the creek behind the house. People would hear the explosions and say things like, "The Luciano boys are at it again!" One of them now has hooks for hands. No $hit.

[goamules]

Can someone get this thread back somewhere in the neighborhood of photography?

[eddie]

Can someone get this thread back somewhere in the neighborhood of photography?

why?

[goamules]

Can someone get this thread back somewhere in the neighborhood of photography?


why?

Oh, no reason. Keep talking about these flash in the pan ideas if you like.

[Nathan Potter]

Years ago I made my own flash powder for night time animal photography. Don't ask me why - I've always been an inventive type. I used Potassium permanganate (KMnO3) and colloidal aluminum. I could buy the KMnO3 at the time and the aluminum came as paint which I refined using gasoline to remove the solvent complex then dried. The KMnO3 was ground in a morter and pestle to a fine powder then mixed with aluminum dust at about 50:50 ratio by volume. The mixture is percussive so one must avoid any sharp blows. About a cm^3 provides a bright flash and 10 cm^3 is blinding. The duration is almost instantaneous - maybe 50 msec. Color temperature of the burn is high - suitable for daylight color film balance.

Also could use Ammonium Nitrate as the oxidizer but nowadays that stuff is highly monitored and generally unavailable. It was the composition used in the WWI amatol explosive. I suppose other high oxygen bearing oxidizers could be tried, say like Potassium Chlorate or Ammonium Perchlorate, etc.

A number of these would be percussive so very dangerous if one is not familiar explosives manufacturing. A really foolish activity for the uninitiated. In my case I was brought up on a farm and we used black blasting powder for stump and boulder removal and my grandfather had developed an almost fanatical degree of caution in the use of the stuff.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

[Worker 11811]

If Kent has already been playing with potassium chlorate, substituting magnesium for the sugar would produce a viable flash powder.
However, watch out! It's not stable and can go off if you look at it wrong.

Another type of flash powder can be made from magnesium and potassium nitrate. It would be slightly more stable. Slightly.

Black powder is approx. 75% potassium nitrate already.