Kilo_G Posted March 1, 2006 Posted March 1, 2006 Ahhh, I see. I was gonna say. LOL I wouldn't have believed it if you let someone else light it. Electrical ignition of shells you've made is a waste. Half the thrill is being next to the mortar and lighting the fuse yourself and feeling the thud as it leaves the mortar.
justanotherpyro Posted March 1, 2006 Posted March 1, 2006 I like being farther away from the shell for the effect and I prefer to be the one holding the camera anyways. In the videos I have uploaded, a friend has lit the shell while I taped. It goes both ways I guess. I like the professionalism of an electric system, and the timing it to the second. I love the thrill of lighting a fuse and hearing the quickmatch soar down the tube just before launch too though.
PyroPicasso Posted March 1, 2006 Posted March 1, 2006 Excellent shell, I can only imagine what it looked like in person. I wonder if someone will ever find the rising shell that did not light.
Kilo_G Posted March 1, 2006 Posted March 1, 2006 Good point pyropicasso, that could be a seriouse safety hazard to the everyday moron that walks by, unless it was on private property, even still I'd try to find it if you havn't already.
al93535 Posted March 1, 2006 Posted March 1, 2006 Well, there is no way it came off the main shell. And I am sure the main shell destroyed the thing when it went off.
Givat Posted March 1, 2006 Posted March 1, 2006 al, I'm on a computer with no sound, but the shell looks very impresive.Were the rising shells so no impressive like they look in the movie? or it's just the camera ruing(sp??) the movie? The 6" shell is breathtaking! very good work. By the way, any assumption on the hight of the shell?
al93535 Posted March 1, 2006 Posted March 1, 2006 The shell reached 650-700 feet in height. And no, the 40 mm rising shells were not supposed to be that impressive, nor long lasting, as they would take away from the main shell. But they did look better in person, as did the 6" shell. Much more vivid colors, and alot louder.
Chris Posted March 1, 2006 Author Posted March 1, 2006 Incredibly nice shell! The outer petal stars seemed very bright. Can you tell what comp you used for them?
i.k88s.f.u Posted March 1, 2006 Posted March 1, 2006 WOW that thing is huge!!!! Good work al93535 Very impressive shell!!! What was the diameter of stars you used for the main shell?
BigBang Posted March 1, 2006 Posted March 1, 2006 So you finally decided to shoot it. All that hard work has gone into this minute of breathtaking awesomeness. Can't wait till my computer starts moving so I can see it ( kicks computer....OW that hurt!)
justanotherpyro Posted March 1, 2006 Posted March 1, 2006 Incredibly nice shell! The outer petal stars seemed very bright. Can you tell what comp you used for them? He said that they were red to green to dragon egg. I'm curious if this was a muck up, or if your camera actually didn't pick up the color and shows them as white. Brilliant either way.
BigBang Posted March 1, 2006 Posted March 1, 2006 Yes, finished loading and it is wonderfull. I do wish I or any others could have seen it in person. That video just doesn't do it justice. But still, crappy camera but a magnificent shot. I liked how it nearly filled the field of view
Frozentech Posted March 2, 2006 Posted March 2, 2006 Incredibly nice shell! The outer petal stars seemed very bright. Can you tell what comp you used for them?He said that they were red to green to dragon egg. I'm curious if this was a muck up, or if your camera actually didn't pick up the color and shows them as white. Brilliant either way. You can tell when the color changes happened by a slight change in the brightness. I've found with my video camera ( and it's a fairly high quality ) that it can't record colors accurately if they are very bright, almost enough to saturate. You can definitely make out the great 'on-time' shower of Dragon's Egg's all going off in a shower. I bet it would have looked just fantastic in person.
aquaman Posted March 2, 2006 Posted March 2, 2006 Al- You should enter your 6 in. shell video in the aerial shell competition tonight.
justanotherpyro Posted March 2, 2006 Posted March 2, 2006 Random thought. Has anyone attempted to use a standard 12 FL OZ (355ml) soda pop can as a shell casing? Cut in half it could be loaded and capped with a thick paper end piece with the timefuse in it. Any incompatability with metal could be solved by lining the shell with something. The only negative to it really is the shrapenel. With thin metal though, I don't know if it would be an issue.
Mumbles Posted March 2, 2006 Posted March 2, 2006 The interior is already covered with wax. I wouldn't be worried about shrapnel, more sharp fall out.
justanotherpyro Posted March 2, 2006 Posted March 2, 2006 Those were my original thoughts, but I didn't think that I was the first person to think of it. Has anyone tried it? If not, I guess I'll give it a shot. It may be hard to get glue to stick to the metal. Well, unless I rough up the metal first.
Draco_Aster Posted March 2, 2006 Posted March 2, 2006 Als not allowed to enter that shell in the comp, you can only enter things you've made from midnight tonight. How bad must that feel
evilgecko Posted March 2, 2006 Posted March 2, 2006 I made some Pearl Streamer Stars the other day according to the formula: 40prts Zinc Powder35prts Potassium Nitrate15prts Charcoal Airfloat5prts Sulphur5prts Dextrin They were cut into 10mmx10mm cubes I lit one today which was held in long nose pliers, flame colour was good and it burned for about 2 secs. Only once it burned I was left with a glowing mass of ember. This could be a serious fire risk if I'm letting these off in the paddock. Is this a worry of does the star behave differently when shot out of a shell? Downloading your 6'' shell now Al by what Ive read it is great.
Frozentech Posted March 2, 2006 Posted March 2, 2006 I made some Pearl Streamer Stars the other day according to the formula: 40prts Zinc Powder35prts Potassium Nitrate15prts Charcoal Airfloat5prts Sulphur5prts Dextrin They were cut into 10mmx10mm cubes I lit one today which was held in long nose pliers, flame colour was good and it burned for about 2 secs. Only once it burned I was left with a glowing mass of ember. This could be a serious fire risk if I'm letting these off in the paddock. Is this a worry of does the star behave differently when shot out of a shell? Downloading your 6'' shell now Al by what Ive read it is great. In most cases, the behaviour of a star on the ground (or held in pliers) is totally unlike the characteristics it will have in the air. Streamer and glitter stars especially. You should take a tube that your star will fit into, and make a star gun for testing them. Just put 2 grams of BP in the bottom, ( side fused ) drop in the star, and if it is a little loose perhaps put in a small wad of tissue paper pressed down on it. You will learn several important things about the star that way. How well it will take fire, or will it blow blind, how long it burns while flying through the air ( different than stationary) and especially, how will it look in flight. Does your streamer 'stream' and your glitter 'glitter' ? That mass of ember you saw when the star was stationary will likely form a delicate tracework of glowing fire behind the star in flight and be totally consumed before it falls 30 feet. Good luck, take pics, and stay green !
al93535 Posted March 2, 2006 Posted March 2, 2006 Na, I don't feel bad! I made a thousand of those stars, maybe more!! I am making more hemi's for more 6", more 4" and some 3", and I am going up to 8" soon. List of expected shells:6" ball with the same stars, and 6-8 TT stars in the middle. (building now)6" ball shell with charcoal streamers OR aluminum streamer. (soon)4" ball glitter shell, two different glitters two different shells, D1 and winokur 39. (building now)4" ball shell white strobes. (soon)4" Can shell with hummers, and reports. (building next)3" assorted colors. (soon) 6" or 8" shell of shells, and 8" color shells. (in a few months)
Kilo_G Posted March 2, 2006 Posted March 2, 2006 Quite the lineup there al, I'm excited for video's. Are you making all of your own Hemi's? If so, I assume from pictures you are using the press method, care to post pictures of the setup?
al93535 Posted March 3, 2006 Posted March 3, 2006 Yes I make all my own hemi's. But I don't press. I simply cut out paper sheets along the pattern I have made, and paste them over a plastic shell. I find that a rather thin hemi, but still strong enough for use, makes for a better shell. After pasting in, its more like one solid piece because my hemi's are only 3 or 4 layers thick! About all I can really post is the pattern, http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v242/al93535/pattern.jpg I would like to say, after making a mould and press for a 6" hemi I didn't like it. There was no guide to cut the edges of the thing. It made a good solid product, but I didn't care for that method.
Pretty green flame Posted March 5, 2006 Posted March 5, 2006 Hello all I followed roosters advice and made something a little bigger. It's a 3" insert canister shell ( i followed Chris's tutorial so it's basicly the same but the stars are different + it has a comet) http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a374/AVP2/3canister.jpg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a374/AVP...nchinmyhand.jpghttp://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a374/AVP...nchbymortar.jpg Honestly i'm a little scared of the thing i built but on the other side i'm just excited. If all goes well i'll be amazed
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