How to Make Nitrocellulose Flash Paper
Flash paper is a common part of a magician's bag of tricks; it is specially treated through a chemical process that converts ordinary paper to nitrocellulose, which burns extremely quickly in a bright flash and leaves no ash behind. Nitrocellulose can be purchased at magic supply stores, but if you're comfortable working with volatile chemicals, you can make your own at home. This procedure is safe, but only if you are careful and heed all safety warnings.
Things You'll Need
- Concentrated sulfuric acid
- Concentrated nitric acid
- Pure cellulose paper
- Flat-bottomed glass dish or tray
- Tweezers or forceps
- Rubber gloves
- Tap water
- Distilled water
- Beakers
- Towel
- Glass stirring stick
- Baking sheet
- Fire extinguisher
Instructions
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1
Gather all of your materials in a safe working area. For this project, a safe working area should be indoors and include a large, level and cleared working surface. Make sure that a fire extinguisher in nearby -- not because you plan to use it, but simply because it's better to be safe than sorry.
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2
Put on rubber gloves.
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3
Slowly pour tap water in your glass, flat-bottomed dish until a thin layer just barely covers the entire bottom. Pour this water into a beaker and see how many milliliters of liquid there is. This is the total amount of solution you want to mix.
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4
Dry the dish completely with a towel.
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5
Take the nitric acid and slowly and carefully pour half of the total volume of solution (determined in Step 3) into a clean beaker, then carefully pour this into the glass dish.
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6
Take the sulfuric acid and carefully pour half of the total volume of solution into another clean beaker, then pour this very slowly into the glass dish.
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7
Gently stir the mixture with a stirring stick for about one minute.
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8
Carefully lay small sheets of pure cellulose paper in the mixture in a single layer. Let them soak for between 10 and 20 minutes. The longer you let it soak, the faster the paper will burn when finished.
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9
Remove the sheets with tweezers or forceps, allowing the excess to drip down into the dish, and lay them on a baking sheet.
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10
Gently rinse each sheet two times with a slow trickle of distilled water. Do not scrub or put pressure on the paper and do not pour too much water as it will tear easily.
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11
Lay the rinsed paper in a single layer on a clean section of the baking sheet and leave them in a cool, dry and dark space away from flammable objects until they dry completely. When they are fully dry, you've made nitrocellulose flash paper, which will burn quickly and completely at even the slightest spark.
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Tips & Warnings
Both liquid acids required for this project are hazardous. They can cause serious burns and can be deadly if ingested. It is strongly recommended that someone with trained experience handling these chemicals at least be present during the entire process. Even a heat source as seemingly benign as direct sunlight can cause flash paper to ignite unexpectedly, even before it as fully dried. Take care to keep flash paper away from sources of light and heat unless you intend to ignite it, and always keep it away from other flammable objects.
References
- Photo Credit Photo by B. Cleary
