Aerial Shells

[pudidotdk]

Are you mad!? That shell was awsome, looks really professional. Made it yourself or did you test a commercial shell?

[Karlos]

pudidotdk: This shell was homemade. Problem with stars maybe forcing type of stars, because I was try small quantity of composition and I had making pumped stars. I usually making round stars and round shape is maybe better. I mus add more Aluminum and rosin for retarding burning in the next time.

 

Next video is from 2006, and stars have a better burning time, but avery

star have a different burning time.....poor guality of video.

 

http://n-joy.cz/?uiqurl=eieW80LvIcPgZvIW

 

bye.

[aquaman]

Those shells are awesome! Do you mind if you share the comps for those stars?

[Mumbles]

Just out of curiosity, why do the shells have chinese or other oriental letters on them?

[Karlos]

aquaman:

first shell(2007): 47% KClO4, 47% Al, 6% dextrine (pumped cores)

 

second shell(2006): 47% KClO4, 47% poor Al, 6% synthetic shellac (ribetak), (round cores)

 

I adding next video from 2006. It is a 70mm (2,7inch??) green peony, but shellac in the prime caused poor ignition and small percentage of stars fell down. Cameraman had a black and white mode.

 

http://n-joy.cz/?uiqurl=hyOP5g26rFOL3mWG

 

mumbles: I´m maniac to the japanese style of fireworks(hanabi):-)

I was found this letters in the dictionary:-) translation: silwer chrisanthemum. Only small improvement.

 

bye.

[leosedf]

Here is a shell i did shoot for easter (3 inch)

The stars formula is:

50 KNO3

30 -325 bright flake Al

20 S

 

The burst was just BP.

 

http://www.apcforum.net/files/wshell.wmv

[ULTRABUF]

Hey guys, I just got done testing my lift powder with a dummy 3 inch shell, and I think I need some help. I wanted to figure out how high the shell went so I timed it, and I'm not sure if I can use the equation I have to figure that out. The shell itself weighed about 150 grams, and I used 12.5 grams of lift, which is 1/12 the weight of the shell. I wanted to see if I could get away with using less than 1/10th the weight in lift. My lift was balsa BP pressed to around 1.4-1.6 g/cm^3. A pile of it will burn Holy Crap Fast.

The time it took for the shell to go up and come down was about 4.73 seconds. I used the equation

H final= -16T^2+Velocity initial*T+H initial.

I used 0 for the final height so I could try and find the initial velocity.

0= -16(4.73^2)+4.73V+0

0= -357.9664+ 4.73V

357.9664= 4.73V

75.68= V

I assume that this was the velocity right before it hit the ground, and since the height vs time graph of an object going up and coming down is a parabola, I also assume that the end velocity is equal to the initial velocity. I divided the final time by 2 so I could approximate the time it took to reach the apex and got 2.365 seconds. I then used the same equation using the apex time and the velocity to find the shell's height at apex.

H= -16(2.365^2)+ (2.365*75.68)

H= 89.49 feet

I don't really think this is right because it didn't look like 89.49 feet. There are a few sources of error here that I think I should mention. I didn't factor in the weight of the quickmatch which went up with the shell and added 10 grams to the total shell weight, or the weight of the tape i used to tape the shell together. It was a plastic ball shell. Next time I do a test of that sort I will factor those variables into the weight of the shell so I can have a more acurate ratio of lift, and I will probably just stick to the standard 1/10th ratio. I was hoping for better performance out of my lift, since I don't think 89 feet is high enough for a 3 inch. I would really appreciate some help with my math or any input you have at all, and I'm sorry about the long post.

[Mumbles]

The problem is a sign error. The velocity final which you calculated, is in one direction, and the intitial velocity is in the complete opposite, so the sign has to be opposite.

 

With the correction you get 268.5 feet which is completely acceptable for a 3" shell.

[ULTRABUF]

Holy crap thanks mumbles! I can't believe it went that high, it looked nowhere near that high but of course I'm probably a horrible judge of distance. Thats awesome I'm so happy. Now I just gotta make some stars and I'll have a three incher in the air, hopefully I'll get video.

[qwezxc12]

I usually post vids over in the other thread, but this is probably more appropriate here; I finally converted the video of my first 6" shells from a few weeks ago:

 

http://www.apcforum.net/files/6inshell2.jpg

http://www.apcforum.net/files/6inshell5.jpg

http://www.apcforum.net/files/6inshell6.jpg

 

First shell: Outer petal stars were TT rolled onto 1/2" pumped Emerald Green. Inner petal was 3' dia and had ~1/4" Emerald Green stars. I think I made the outer petal stars too big - they were 7/8" or so and the break was too sparse. Rolling onto pumped cores made the color transition ragged, too. Burst was KP on puffed rice, boosted with ~9g of granulated Copper Oxychloride catalyzed whistle. Rising effect was seven 1/2" D1 stars. Final weight was around 1270g, lift was 110g. The TT didn't show up well on camera at all.

 

Video

 

Second shell: It was supposed to be a double ring shell: 1" granite double ring, with D1 inner petal. The damn granite comets blew blind, but the glitter petal looked great...so not a complete waste. Other constructions details were pretty similar to the first shell:

 

Video

 

We were filming from ~450 ft away. While neither was spectacular, I don't think they were a complete failure and I certainly learned a lot building them.

[rocket]

Nice shells, sham about the stars blowing blind.

[Tweetybird88]

I liked your shells. The D1 on #2 looked really nice. I liked your green on the first one. I also liked the honking in the backround.

[Ignes]

@BS: the microstars look cool indeed How small are they? and of what composition?

 

2" shell picture and video

 

Some time ago I shot this spherical 2" tailed shell, unfortunately the comet burned out too quickly (resulting in missing the break on video). Also wasn't the break that symmetrical, probably due to slight variations in star size. Nevertheless I still liked it myself

 

Both stars and tail composition consisted of a BP-like mixture enriched with 8 mass% Al. About 40g pumped stars, BP-break no flash. Total weight 58g. Lift 5g BP.

 

I know it looks kind of ugly, working on that thoug

[crazyboy25]

i plan on making a 2" aerial shell soon using this tutorial as a rough guide2" tutorial and i have ALOT of questions. i realize some of these questions may seem stupid or annoying but i have never build an aerial shell befor and i figured this was the logical place to start.

1. does 2" refer to the ID of the mortar or the diameter of the shell?

2. which shell matches which mortar there are at least 4 tubes with a 2" ID here but some of them refrence plugs caps and disks which one do i want?

3. what shell do i need here? i belive it is the #100 PL2040 because i am using standard visco not time fuse

4. how much lift do i use? i am using granulated BP the united nuclear way (wetting and straing through a screen) even thouh i know it produces low quality lift

i realize i have a lot of annoying newbie questions but i want to be sure and

i dont really have any place to get this information other than internet tutorials. god i wish i knew a professionla pyro who could teach me these things

[tentacles]

1. shell sizes are the ID of the mortar you shoot them from. IE a 2" shell is 1 3/4" or 1 13/16" OD - you need enough room for the leader so it'll slide down the tube.

 

2. I'd suggest HDPE tubes from pyrogear.net - they're spendier, but you also don't have to buy 25 at a time. Nothing wrong with paper, but the longest 2" tube they have listed on that page is 10", which is a bit short IMO - especially after plugging, and with poor BP. I'd suggest a 15" mortar - better height with the same BP as a 12", or use slightly less BP (but more shell leader fuse, oh the irony!). Tube lengths are the length from the top of the plug to the business end.

 

3. PL1020 COULD be used in a 2" mortar... But you would need *tiny* visco or electronic firing. The #100 shells would be for 2 1/2" mortars. I don't see a 2" shell listed - they are 1 3/4" OD

 

4. It's all about the charcoal... With my crappy firefox charcoal, I had to use about 15-20% of the shell weight in a 12" long tube, with the balsa BP I recently made, 10% or possibly even less. A longer (15") tube will need somewhat less lift for the same shell, generally.

 

How tight your shell is in the tube makes a huge difference, too. I was using 10g of (crappy) BP firing my 1 3/4" OD easter eggs from a 2" tube - I dropped one in my 1 7/8" FG tube and it sounded like a cannon! Complete with 12' column of fire and thunderous echo. I found 6g to give better effect than the 10g in the larger tube. And 3g of balsa BP better yet.

 

You should check out ladykate's site, if you haven't... If you read EVERYTHING on the site, there are gems sprinkled all over. There's even a lift chart for BP. wichitabuggywhip.com/fireworks

 

You can press BP pucks with a bench vise, or even a C-clamp (which is what I use right now).

 

You might check out cannonfuse - they have some nice 1 7/8" plugged fiberglass guns for a pretty good price. And 2" canister shells that would work in them, if you use 1.8/2.2mm visco for your shell leader. Their prices on the plastic shells are much better than skylighter, also. They have some 2 1/2" cardboard guns and plastic shells that fit, too.

[crazyboy25]

thank you i greatly appreciate the help. i just have some simple questions. I belive i have found the products you specified 2" ID 15" long HDPE mortar and 1-3/4" plastic shell i was just wondering if these two would fit well and that i could use standard visco rather than timefuse as specified in the previosly posted tutorial. i was also wondering if the mortar came with a bottom plug or if i had to buy it. i am using charcoal from firefox so i will use 15%-20% BP of finished shell. thank you for all your help

[Mumbles]

For those specific shells, I would go with consumer 1.91" mortars. They are kinda loose in a full 2". However you can paste with paper to get them up to size.

 

I'll be the first to say that tutorial kinda sucks. First of all, he used fast visco, which is dumb, as it makes the fuse too long. Secondly, the stars were too big. Third, there isn't enough burst.

 

Those shells need visco, and the tutorial used visco too. I suspect he had 3/32" fast visco, and needed a little tape to make in snug. He doesn't say he used fast visco. If you tried to use normal visco, that thing would be going off on the ground as there is a 6 second delay on it. You want more like 2 seconds with is 2/3" normal visco, or about 2cm.

[crazyboy25]

damn...well i guess i will just wait a while befor making a 2" i probably need more expirence anyway. when i feel a little more confident i will atempt one of these. maybe if my rockets and starmines go off without a hitch i will come back and attempt one of these. BTW do you have any good 2" tutorials? where did you learn to make aerial shells?

[Mumbles]

I just kind of strugled through it on my own when I started. Reading this and that. Passfire really helps as well. I'd really suggest a membership. I can't think of any other sites specifically that help. There are some books and such, but they mainly focus on larger shells, 6"+. There are definatly some good ones for smaller shells. Some of the technique in fire series are good. 4" 3-Break Color Shell with Report by Louis Semenza. Try looking through the AFN site.

 

I've been trying to document my stuff lately to help out some beginners. I have a 6" double petal tutorial about ready to post. Not exactly a beginner shell, but it's a start. I'll probably make a 3" shell tutorial soon. I have them pretty well dialed in.

[crazyboy25]

There are some books and such, but they mainly focus on larger shells. There are definatly some good ones for smaller shells.

yeah i noticed that that is why i am considering a 4" shell using this tutorail 4"-8" shell tutorial i realize a 4" probably isnt the best place to start but looks to be a good tutorial. i will probably just have to scale it down ie. use whistle instead of flash use less flash less burst. since they use a 8" shell in the demo. my main problem other then detrimining how much whistle burst to use is getting the products. would these two work together well and work for the tutorial?4" shells4" mortar i dont plan on doing this right away because i still need some things and need to work out some problems with my stars (my starobe stars didn't light i plan to make a D1 glitter becasue they are easier to light and i probably need to roll them in lots of meal prime anyway)

[Mumbles]

Yep, those two products are totally compatible. Plastic shells still arn't my favorite, but yes, it will work, and it definatly is an easy place to start. You can tweak the shells by adjusting the whistle amount, or by using plastic strapping tape, as seen in qwezxc12's last post. I'm not saying you need to use as much or the same pattern, but just pointing out the product.

 

Paper shells are still what I like best, so I have more experience and can help you more with those.

 

If you get a subscription on passfire(well worth it), there is a good 4" plastic shell article on there. There is a central flash bag, stars are filled completely around in the shell, and some granulated BP added to fill in spaces, and help with flame propagation. I've heard only good things about the end product.

 

Actually I feel 3 or 4" is actually an easier place to start. The difference between 1" or 2" and 3" shells is amazing. But between 3" and say 6 or 8 is just a matter of scaling and tweaking. Also D1 is probably a much better star comp. It lights easily, and is easy to tell symetry.

[crazyboy25]

You can tweak the shells by adjusting the whistle amount, or by using plastic strapping tape

 

 

There is a central flash bag

i was wondering how much burst to use the tutorial says to use 1/2 tablespoon of whistle or flash for each hemisphere but that is for a 8" shell how much would i need for a 4" originally i thought i could jusr use 1/4 tablespoon but i just wanted to check because these things don't allways maintain proportions. i realize whistle is a better choice for beginers or that it is probably beter for novices to stay away form flash/whistle breaks for a while but i am following the tutorial and i want to stick to that plus i have no knowlage of BP breaks.

[Mumbles]

Well, an 8" shell is actually 8x the size of a 4" shell as far as volume. I would start with more like 1/2 a teaspoon. It's about 1/6 what the 8" calls, but it's not directly scalable. I think the smaller the shell goes, the harder burst it needs.

[Tweetybird88]

Speaking of burst, what would be the ideal burst for a 2 inch shell? H3?

[Wyvern]

For my 2 " shells i use granulated bp with either a flashbag in the centre of a whistle booster of 2-4g