First attempt at mixing tannerite, (and other things) (2024)

So I bought a large amount of supplies, chemicals, ingredients, overall assortment of stuff from this cool old guy I found on Armslist. He was a retired cop from Indianapolis, (where I lived for past 10 yrs until I moved to WI) who made tannerite targets and fireworks to amuse the grandkids. He didn't do it anymore so he put it all in storage tubs and that's how we met.
Anyway, I've been wanting to try tannerite targets for some time now and thought I'd give it a shot on Saturday since it was warmer. I also printed off basically an entire "cookbook" of how to make everything from making propellants that scream to flash powder to smoke bombs. I have made 2 types of flash powder now. I have not set off the 2nd batch. I made 27 grams and made 3 9gram devices. This recipe is much more exact and has 3 ingredients. The first batch used 1 different component and the other 2 the same but in different amounts. Anyway, I did not know how much to use the first time I mixed it so I filled the little cardboard tube with 9.5 grams of mix, capped it, sealed with modeling clay, stuck a fuse in, and went outside with my daughters to watch. Lit it, tossed it about 75 feet away. And BLAAAAAMMMM!!!!!!!! like the hand of god came down, and it echoed back for the next 10 seconds. Like one of those finale salutes was set off 10 feet from you. For reference (after the fact) an M-80 used 3 grams of flash powder. The mix I just made is said to be the loudest mix possible with those ingredients.

So now the tannerite trial. simple 95%-5% mix. 2 ingredients. Simple. But my recipe said to gring the potassium pellets to make them finer to be better coated by the aluminum powder. Well, I wanted to make a couple pounds worth and I didn't feel like doing it by hand so I used the food processor. Spun it in that for awhile and it broke it down pretty nice. Weighed out what I had. Figured what 5% was of that. Weighed it out. (Dark aluminum, not silver, super fine powder). put it in a container with a lid and shook it for awhile. Scooped up an aspirin bottle full, packed tight on top with modeling clay and put on lid.
Set it on wood pile out back. Maybe 30 yards from deck. Only had the .22 mag to shoot it with, (my .308 gre legs, another story, getting 1 from here to replace it thankfully) so I wasn't sure if it would have enough velocity to set it off. Shot it. And it definitely has enough velocity to set it off. Just an aspirin bottle full sounded as loud as the 9 grams of flash powder.
I wonder if running it through the food processor did anything or the fact I used the dark aluminum or both. Either way, the .22 mag worked. I can post the recipes I've tried here if allowed. If anyone else mixes their own pyrotechnics then please share successful mixes.

I deal with explosives professionally...please, please be careful!! A lot of the over the counter/ internet recipes are wrong. Most of the stuff is unstable. I wouldn't post anything online for liability reasons. Some idiot could take your recipe, add crap, get hurt, and then blame you.

I've have literally/personally seen guys mix stuff, and it blow up on them. Nothing left to pick up....

Please be careful.