Hi all

I have used flash paper for years but recently noticed something which made me wonder how safe it is. I know it isn't safe because it does burn bla bla bla. Anyway I had a package of flash paper in the plastic bag sitting on a shelf in my pyro barn (I built a mini barn for holding my powders and such) and I had a music CD out there which was under the bag. For some reason the metal coating on the CD disappeared and it became a clear plastic disk over the area in contact with the plastic bag which held the paper.

I thought it was a fluke but I did it again. This time not by accident but I was amazed at how quickly it could eat away the CD coating. Makes me think it's worse than I thought and I decided to share

Best

I have made my own flash paper, handkerchiefs, string, cotton etc. This stuff is made by imersing the material in an acid bath (no details provided). The material must then be removed from the bath and rinsed with (soaked in) water untill all traces of acid are gone, this should be verified with litmus paper or a similar test. If this last step is not carried out to completion the product will have the properties you described.

Bill

Thanks for that description. I'm guessing that because of the way it's made that I should have it in contact with skin as l;ittle as possible.

I remember when I was a kid magician and used to hold flash paper in my mouth and light it. Now this makes me cringe. Come to think about it I don't know why I used to do it in the first place.

The stuff I use sticks to me fingers and burns me often! AGRHHH!

I keep it in a little bag so it doesn't ruin everything!

I remeber I once had som chrome paint coated plastic coins in my case with flash paer and when I held them the pint just wiped off like liquid. I also usually have all of my flash products kept in a jar which I keep open slightly but one day I closed it fully not realisnig it. after two days I found my jar. all the products had turned to oner mass of goo at the bottom of the jare which was now full of translucent gas £40 of flas products gone!

Tom

Wipe away burn marks in dove pan right after use.!!!

My old dove pan is silver but the inside and bottom of loading pan is BRONZE lol
!!

Be careful

This just happened to me today, difference is that my jar was vented so the "gas" ruined everything in my case.

Silks were a yellow color and literally reduced to strings when I picked them up, all of the film on my vanishing/ appearing candels seperated the box is a mess and smells aweful.

Loss? $300 in equipment and $100 in flash products. BE VERY CAREFUL even after 10 years of using the stuff, things can still go wrong, I learned the hard way.

Heres a tip:

Keep flash products in a metal cigarette case. This way if they ignite -- the fire does not leave the case -- but as well, you don't have the problem of the products ruining things. I have kept flash paper in this method for 9 years now -- and I have never had a problem.

Wow, that's some odd side effects of Flash paper. I have a large stash of it still in the plastic bags in came in stored in my magic box and I've never had a problem. All the flash paper/cotton/string I have came wet and that's how I store it until I need it. The unopened packets have never damaged anything I've had them stored on. Right now I have about 4 unopened packs and one opened pack on top of a number of Jokers that happened to be there and the cards are fine. They have been that way for about 2 months now.

If your storing Flash paper/cotton/string, keep is a little damp. It will have a much much harder time igniting and it's much safer. If you want to use some, just take it out 24 hours before it's needed and let it dry out.

What kind of Flash paper are you using? I only use the Theatre Effects flash products, partly because I know the guy who makes them but mainly because they always work properly without any problems (for me anyway).

Hi,
I had a similar happenstance with Flash paper ruining things. I was renting an apartment and had some stuff piled on the floor. When I moved out a few months ago, I realized that on the bottom of the pile was a package of flash paper that I didn't even realize I had...
Well, it bleached the grey carpet into an almost neon orange color in a perfect square shape the same size as the flash paper bag.
The moral of the story is: Don't leave flash paper on the carpet of a rented apartment if you want your damage deposit back!!!

I know this is an old topic but it still seems unresolved.

Flash products are nitrocellulose. They must be washed THOROUGHLY of all acidic residues or they WILL become unstable.

The "corrosive" effects you all may have experienced, is a result of oxidization... but not from acidic residues.

Flash products are basically an oxidizer (nitro-) and fuel (-cellulose). It is a strong oxidizer that will bleach colors, tarnish silver, rust steel, etc.
DO NOT store in metal containers, especially those of aluminum. DO NOT store in static prone areas or containers. DO NOT store near heat or flame including sunlight. Flash products ignite at a much lower temperature than ordinary paper or cotton.

If I had any quantity of dry paper around, I would consider a cabinet such as that used to store smokeless propellants and reloading supplies for firearms.

PLEASE.... store bulk quantities WET. Store all flash products in a cool dark place and in NON-CONFINED containers of static resistant plastic. Glass is acceptable with an extremely loose cap such as a cork stopper. Treat as a dangerous, flammable chemical. Oxygen is not necessary for combustion to take place and a tightly sealed container may explode.

Check your paper for freshness. Deterioration of flash products is noted by an irritating acrid odor. Such deteriorated product should be disposed of by burning in small amounts in an open area igniting from a safe distance.

Hazardous to handle??? It's safer than flash powder, black powder and smokeless propellants. It's also safer than gasoline, alcohol, lighter fluid and many household cleaning products. I wouldn't keep in my shirt pocket long, especially if I were really sweaty... and other than the burn hazard, it's safe to handle. If it wasn't so high in the nitrate, you could probably eat the stuff!!! Your flash cotton used to be dissolved in acetone to produced the awesome finish on our street rods and guitars... we called it "lacquer"!!! You would be really surprised in it's use today!!!