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photognat

How bad is orange marine smoke for nylon?

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I had a planned water landing with a can of smoke (3 minute marine smoke, photo included) attached to my foot that didn't release quickly enough and ended up getting a few fairly large orange stains on my canopy and a little bit on my MLW. Once submerged it bubbled up and quickly coated the surface of the water with orange residue. I washed everything well and it's mostly on the outer 2 cells on one side (top and bottom surface), you can only see the light orange discoloration because it's a white canopy.

But does anyone know how bad the pyro chemicals/dye in these are for ZP/F-111/webbing?

ikaros-mca-approved-buoyant-orange-smoke-flare-(2-pk)-biggest.jpg

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Potassium Chlorate an nylon compatibility

Quote

C. Moderate Effect, not recommended for continuous use. Softening, loss of strength, or swelling may occur



The orange dye who knows but it's used to dye all sorts of plastic. Nylon wasn't listed in the references I looked at.

But who knows about the combustion products.:o

Your a test dummy. Let US know what happens. I'd pull test the canopy routinely. If it's a high value canopy you might want the panels replaced. If the harness is ringed I'd replace the webbing contaminated. But I'm the picky rigger.:)

If I had to guess, and that's all it is even though I am a chemist, it probably would be okay. But it may depended on what other agents it's exposed to. The acid mesh issue from the 80's was NOT just the fire retardant. There was some other factor to do with the nylon that made it susceptible.
I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

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Good call I am one of those old farts that can’t see well and I type with two fingers hence the phone call and talking to a person. I like the part where it says handle with thick leather gloves. I think that might be a little overkill but I’m no chemist. It doesn’t say anything about long term effects of the die on material. It’s Molecular components seems to be focused on the aerosol side of the product, or is that gas’s. My buddy had gotten some on his wing suit I’m pretty sure that he is still jumping it after five years.

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I think that's the chart I quoted. What the best way to think of that chart is whether or not you should put that chemical in a bottle made of nylon. And that's compatibility with the nylon polymer itself. Once you had dyes finishes zp coatings and other environmental contaminants all bets are off.

During the acid mesh issue in the 80s I found one canopy that had two white panels next to one piece of mesh in a modification. One white piece of material was completely degraded to 2 pounds of strength and the other piece of white material that had seen the exact same conditions and the exact same acid mesh since they were sewn together was full strength.
I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

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