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Pcwizme wrote: flash materials should only be done by people who know want they are doing!

Mandrake wrote: I've only tried the flash wool so far and it is very swift and effective. I'm told that my right eyebrow won't take too long to grow back again so that's OK.

Pitto wrote:I may be wrong but I don't think Flash Paper should be kept in a metal container as it's explosive?

In September 2004 Michael Jay wrote:I would suggest keeping any kind of flash product out of air tight containers. Flash products are considered "low" explosives because their burn rate is slow and therefore, they do not explode. When kept in containers that do not allow for expansion, however, they will explode and in a glass container will throw shards of glass as shrapnel - a dangerous combination.

One such example happened to a professional magician (pro pyro too, by the way) here in the states. He kept his flash powder in a small tin container (formerly a cigar sleeve). For reasons still unkown, the powder ignited and, being in a container that did not allow for quick expansion, an explosion occured. The magician lost the fingers of his hand and this was during a formal kid's show...

Flash cotton and flash wool should be stored dry in a cool, dry place. They have a low flash point, therefore heat is your enemy. So is dampness. If stored damp, the chemicals involved in the material will break down over a period of time. Even if stored dry, the chemicals will eventually break down anyway. No flash product should be used after a year of storage (if you need to store it for more than a year, you bought too much anyway). While the products will last for over a year in storage, there is a good chance that the burn rate will be affected - could be quicker, could be slower.

Powders must always be kept dry and in plastic containers. The reason for the plastic is that it will burn off, which allows for expansion. Any container, like metal, that doesn't allow expansion during an accidental ignition will explode.

Flash paper can be stored dry, but may also be stored wet. As advised in a post above, just use a mister and lightly mist the paper - you don't need to have it soaked. Flash paper is technically nitrocellulose, which isn't a "paper" at all. The process of making flash paper is highly unstable and, even if you know the chemical breakdown, you should never attempt to make it yourself. Once the paper is finished, it is stable (but with a very low flash point), however, the process itself allows for easy explosion if anything is slightly wrong (like room temperature).

When handling flash paper, the tightness of the ball will affect its burn rate. A loosely balled piece of flash paper will burn fast enough that you can actually ignite it in the hand. You will feel the heat, but you won't get burned because of the speed of consumption (unless you are using a piece about the size of a bed sheet). However, if you ball it tightly, it will take longer to consume. Kept in the hand, a tightly wadded ball will, in fact, burn the skin. However, if you are throwing it into the air and want it to last a while before burning out, then use a tightly wadded ball. A good suggestion for throwing the paper is when balling it tightly, leave a small piece sticking out from the ball - much like a fuse. When ready, you can light the fuse piece, which will give you a fraction of a second to launch the ball into the air before the main part of it ignites.

As with anything that burns, never forget that burns to the skin are among the most painful of maladies and, if bad enough, will leave scars on you for the rest of your life. Skin has a low burning point and as a result will burn easily. One reason is that body temperature, 96 degrees, is already hot and, as a result, is already half way to the burn point for skin. Hair ignites extremely easily and has a way of getting into flame, especially if you have long hair and use hair spray (which is highly flammable). Excercise extreme caution when working with flammables and never forget that when using a flammable you have all kinds of stuff around you that is also flammable (you probably have some flash paper in reserve, too, which will easily ignite if you get careless).

Never believe that you are 100% in control of flame. Treat it as you would a rattle snake i.e. when handled with care and caution, you are fairly safe, but when you think that you are fully safe, you get bit (or burnt).

Good luck with your flash products and please, stay safe.

Mike.