Making your own flash paper

[sirdutch]

How does one make their own flash paper with coffee filters

[challenger_i]

No, but two of my hobbies seem to have cross-pollinated... :)

Digging into my model airplane stash, I use light silkspun (a webbed paper covering material for rubber band models). I glue
a sheet to a wood frame, mist it with warm water to shrink set it. Once dry, I brush on a 50/50 Nitrate dope to thinner coat, and
allow to dry. Once dry, I give it a second coat. This ensures the silkspun is decently sealed. You can add two drops of castor oil to
a 4 oz. bottle of nitrate to "plasticize" the mixture, making it somewhat more flexible.
After the silkspun is treated, remove it from the frame, lay it out on a cutting mat, and, using a patter made of stiff card stock, cut
your cartridge papers.
Doesn't "flash", per se, but it will burn completely before you are ready to insert your next rounds.

For small portions (2oz-1pt.) of nitrate dope and thinner, contact Brodak. If you are prepping for the Zombie Apocalypse and need several thousand rounds, you might want to contact Aircraft Spruce for a gallon, or so. :)

As for coffee filters, I may have to try that out! :)

[Dan Cash]

Had not heard of the silk spun and nitro coating. Interesting.
I have always used a saturated solution of Potassium Nitrate in tap water. Saturate the paper, remove from the solution and put aside to air dry. When dry, cut the stuff to the desired size, roll your cartridge and glue with what ever glue suits your fancy or use a bit of shellac. Cartridges disappear when fired but the glue line might smolder so look close.

[beemer]

I didn't use coffee filters. When I shot cap ball revolvers I would make paper cartridges. Onion skin or tracing paper would work. Dissolve the niter in water and soak the paper and let dry. I would taper a dowel the same size as the ball and wrap the paper, glue the edges very lightly pour in powder drop in a ball and fold the paper over it. The tapered cartridges load easier bust in the chamber. Duco would work for glue.

[Nobade]

There's a big difference between nitrated paper soaked in KNO3 and flash paper, cellulose turned into nitrocellulose by soaking in nitric acid like magicians use. make sure you're talking about the same thing...