Sodium Nitrate in California?

[Militoy]

Is there some legal state restriction on the sale of sodium nitrate ( nitrate of soda; saltpeter ) in California? I have been surprised at the lack of availability of such a basic fertilizer (16-0-0) at garden centers and hardware stores in the highest - producing ag state (by a factor of about 2:1 to #2) in the USA. I have also noticed several online sites that won't ship nitrates to California. Pretty surprising - considering that I can buy big cans of black powder at any good gun store! I can find 24-0-0 almost anywhere - but that blend is invariably also loaded with 24% sulfur. Have I just been shopping at the wrong nurseries - or am I bumping up against another ridiculous California E-law?

 

[Militoy]

I have figured out a solution to my own problem - and maybe an answer to my own question. It seems that California's labeling laws require specific language to be affixed onto packaging of any substance that is even remotely suspected of causing cancer in 0.000x% of lab rats that are mega-dosed with that substance. There are restrictions on shipping / transporting any substances with those CAS numbers into the "golden state". It seems that sodium nitrate is classified as a food additive that has been (questionably) associated with some minute risk of cancer when force-fed to lab rats. So - even fertilizer with the same CAS number gets restricted; California makes it a pain to ship it into the state.

Without going into all the details of the legalities - I purchased four (4) 16 ounce bottles of granulated 100% Potassium Nitrate from Lowes Home Center today. About $6.00 a pound - kind of high - but not too bad, compared with 16% 16-0-0 Sodium Nitrate fertilizer. I estimate the NPK rating should equal 13-0-44. Californians - look for Spectracide Stump Remover granules. I might actually stock up on a few extra pounds - as I have some stumps I've been meaning to pull out!

 

[jaythenutz]

wow 6 buck that is high!! Where i was able to find with a ton of searching was at a place called clay planet for a year i was getting it for $1.00 a pound but they raised priced to $2.50 i gave them a little hell and so now if i buy 25 lbs at a time i get it for $1.75 per pound. This is a pottery supply store (hand made clay stuff ) and it its used for glaze/color in the firing possess they have many chems most every thing hard to find. there in Santa Clara ca, i miss the buck a pound but i guess its not that bad. i get a better break on a 50 lbs if any one want to split one.

 

[Militoy]

wow 6 buck that is high!! Where i was able to find with a ton of searching was at a place called clay planet for a year i was getting it for $1.00 a pound but they raised priced to $2.50 i gave them a little hell and so now if i buy 25 lbs at a time i get it for $1.75 per pound. This is a pottery supply store (hand made clay stuff ) and it its used for glaze/color in the firing possess they have many chems most every thing hard to find. there in Santa Clara ca, i miss the buck a pound but i guess its not that bad. i get a better break on a 50 lbs if any one want to split one.

"High" is what I would call it as well - but thankfully, the 4 pounds should last a few months as I'm only planning on running small test batches of poor man's AR for now. We're trying to perfect our techniques without wasting too much of our "gold reserves" - most of our processing will be with AP / acid-Clorox on electronic parts - and I'm experimenting with solvent (butyl diglyme) recovery, to improve our final results. I'm planning a trip to Arizona in a couple of weeks - and I may bring back a few chemicals that are giving me fits in California.

 

[jdsteel82]

If you have any issues with the KNO3, just know that it is not 100% pure even though they advertise it as such. It is easy to purify through recrystallization. Don't know if you you will run into any issues with poor mans AR, but I did with it and pyrotechnic use.

 

[goldenchild]

I have figured out a solution to my own problem - and maybe an answer to my own question. It seems that California's labeling laws require specific language to be affixed onto packaging of any substance that is even remotely suspected of causing cancer in 0.000x% of lab rats that are mega-dosed with that substance.

That's Cali for ya. Possibly the only place worse than NY when it comes to these things.

 

[Militoy]

If you have any issues with the KNO3, just know that it is not 100% pure even though they advertise it as such. It is easy to purify through recrystallization. Don't know if you you will run into any issues with poor mans AR, but I did with it and pyrotechnic use.

Their MSDS identifies it as pure potassium nitrate - so I would be very surprised that you would have had any problems using it as a simple oxidizer in fireworks. What kind of issues did you experience?

 

[LSBDINYA]

AFTER THE FED. BUILDING IN OK. AND 911 ALL IT TAKES IS 30% DEISIL BY VOULUME AND A DYNO CAP TO SET IT OFF .... CANT EVEN CELEBRATE OUR GOD GIVIN RIGHT TO INDEPENDENCE HERE ANYMORE WITH FIREWORKS !!!!! I WISH I COULD FIND HEAVEY EQUIP JOB IN ANOTHER STATE... I HATE CALIF. IVE LIVED HERE ALL MY LIFE..48 YEARS

 

[Harold_V]

AFTER THE FED. BUILDING IN OK. AND 911 ALL IT TAKES IS 30% DEISIL BY VOULUME AND A DYNO CAP TO SET IT OFF .... CANT EVEN CELEBRATE OUR GOD GIVIN RIGHT TO INDEPENDENCE HERE ANYMORE WITH FIREWORKS !!!!! I WISH I COULD FIND HEAVEY EQUIP JOB IN ANOTHER STATE... I HATE CALIF. IVE LIVED HERE ALL MY LIFE..48 YEARS

I trust you understand that using all caps is considered shouting? (rude)

Please use lower case when appropriate.

Harold

Edit: corrected spelling---changed loser to lower.

Thanks, Nick, for the heads-up!

 

[Irons]

AFTER THE FED. BUILDING IN OK. AND 911 ALL IT TAKES IS 30% DEISIL BY VOULUME AND A DYNO CAP TO SET IT OFF .... CANT EVEN CELEBRATE OUR GOD GIVIN RIGHT TO INDEPENDENCE HERE ANYMORE WITH FIREWORKS !!!!! I WISH I COULD FIND HEAVEY EQUIP JOB IN ANOTHER STATE... I HATE CALIF. IVE LIVED HERE ALL MY LIFE..48 YEARS

It takes more than a cap to set it off. Even one of the military caps with a built-in booster won't do it. I used to work in a Demo range testing IEDs for the Govt.
Most of the Urban Legends are just Bull.
The State is just trying to protect idiots from hurting themselves and others.