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Nikodini Regular user 195 Posts |
I used to keep my flashpaper in the fridge but then a friend suggested vacuum packing. Just put it in a vacuum bag and seal it. You can easily reseal it later on and don't have to keep it in a fridge.
BTW, what exactly is flashpaper chemically? I'm guessing it's cellulose + some additive... |
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Jordini Inner circle 2765 Posts |
I keep my flash cotton (even more likely to ignite than paper) in a glass jar.
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Glenn Alloway Regular user Edmonton AB Canada 103 Posts |
Nikodini,
Last I was told, Flash paper is actually just a paper made of cotton fibers. The paper is then left to sit in a high concentration solution of n****c acid. The acid chemicaly bonds to the cotton producing flash paper. I'm not sure of the exact reaction formula. But I have heard a lot of stories where people have tried making it on there own and having accidents happen. The most popular being spilling acid on the skin causing serious burns.
"This is madness and yet there is method in it." ~Shakespeare
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edfliss New user St. Louis, MO 58 Posts |
Flash paper is nitrocellulose (sometimes called cellulose nitrate)--the same material as smokeless gun powder. It is also the same material that movie film was made of before 1952 (what is often referred to as nitrate stock). This is why old movie film degrades and is so highly inflammable.
In the 1970s and early 1980s there were special test tubes for DNA research that were made of nitrocellulose. One new technician at the university where I worked was told to steam sterilize anything that DNA would come in contact with and she put a rack of nitrocellulose tubes in the sterilizer. Fortunately it was built into a wall and nobody was hurt when it exploded. I store my flash pads wet and in a mason jar in my refrigerator. If you store it damp or wet at room temperature it mildews. The staple rusts, so pull the staples from flash pads first if you are going to store them wet. Ed |
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cpatchett Veteran user My current prediction is that I have 337 Posts |
Quote: Doesn't vacuum packing use heat to seal the pack? Doesn't sound like the smartest idea unless you're being really, really careful!
On 2004-05-07 21:46, Nikodini wrote: I like the idea of an Altoids tin, especially if you can work it into your act. For example, you could take out the Altoids tin, mention something about how they're not kidding about "curiously strong", pull out a sheet of flash paper the size of the sheet of paper that's usually in an Altoids tin (folded double if you need more paper), and then use that for your effect. Craig
Magician: Someone willing to spend $15 to learn how to make $1 disappear.
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Miracle Man Show New user Indiana 56 Posts |
Quote:
On 2004-05-12 00:03, edfliss was right on the money when he wrote: My only difference with many of you is that I will only store the material in a Ziploc bag. Metal containers and glass jars have the nasty habit of turning into shrapnel should the worst happen. I’ve already had one of my posts deleted from the café for divulging too much information, so I’m going to be careful what I write here. Flash paper will burn poorly if it has absorbed much moisture, but my experience has usually been that drying it, by placing it in a Ziploc bag with a desiccant, will fix it. Desiccants (moisture absorbers) like the prescription gel Red_Wing_II wrote of are very necessary for proper storage of flash paper. I save silica gel packs from camera and VCR boxes, etc. Beware that desiccants will become saturated and therefore useless. The good news is that silica gel can be “dried” and used again. You can buy a humidity indicator card to tell if silica gel is still sucking up water, or if you are lucky, there might be indicator crystals in your silica gel pack. If there are blue or pink crystals mixed in with the clear silica gel, you have an indicator pack. Blue means that the pack is still absorbing moisture, pink means it’s full. Here’s how you revive a silica gel pack, put it into a 300 degree (F) oven for about three hours, or until the crystals turn blue (if yours has the indicator). This process can be repeated many times, as needed, and can make the little packs last several years. Nitrocellulose is created in an acid bath, and the things that Bob Sanders wrote are absolutely right and sound as though they are borne of a great deal of experience. The reason for the rapid decay and other acid effects that he wrote of are because some batches of paper weren’t properly washed at the end of the manufacture process. I occasionally find a packet that is yellowish in color, and try to avoid purchasing those. Most of all please remember that when you are handling flash paper, you are handling an explosive; treat it as such.
Tom McCormick
"The Miracle Man Show" There's only one Miracle Man, that's Jesus Christ; I just get to do a show about HIM. www.themiraclemanshow.com |
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Niko Special user England 599 Posts |
Can you write on Flash Paper?
And how do you 'change' it into something else? Thanks, -Niko
When you do something right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all.
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BroDavid Inner circle America’s North Coast, Ohio 3176 Posts |
Yes, you can write on Flash paper. It is best done with a sharpie, but ball points will work.
How do you "change it" into something else If you cant do some kind of switch using your favoriite pass or method of transfer under cover of a flash of fire, you may wish to consider anothr hobby. Seriously, I use a variety of falshes (som ewith Flash Paper, some with FISM Flash etc) and in the moment of the flash, you can get a lot of dirty work done. BroDavid
If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything.
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Regan Inner circle U.S.A. 5726 Posts |
I agree that flash paper should be stored in plastic ziplock bags. That the the moisture is kept out and plastic cannot create a spark.
Regan
Mister Mystery
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BSutter Special user Sitting on a pile of 582 Posts |
I store my flash paper dry in the original paper envelope in a zip lock bag. I write the date of purchase on the paper envelope. The paper envelope also serves as an indicator of quality, if the envelope turns yellow or gets brittle it is time to inspect the contents or dispose of same.
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Bob Sanders Grammar Supervisor Magic Valley Ranch, Clanton, Alabama 20504 Posts |
I do write on the flash paper in my dove pan routine. Not only is it my idiot sheet to keep me on course, it is the "page" I tear out of the recipe book. At the end, I wad it up and toss it in the pan too! Poof!
Bob Magic By Sander |
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