Aerial Shells

[nath0r]

Can you get hold of Visco? I wouldn't like to say whether paper fuse would work too well, It probably can be used but you would need to protect it with a few wraps of tape or something similar to protect the exposed end from the shells lift.

 

As for most things pyro, just try it out, if it doesn't work you know not to try it again

 

Good luck!

[Mumbles]

If it doesn't work, there are always spolettes. You could probably make excessively small ones, say 1/8" ID or less for very small shells. It would probably replicate visco pretty well at this small.

[flying fish]

Also, I was thinking...if he is actually going to try to make the shells as small as 1/4" (as mentioned), couldn't the spolette use the same casing as the shell itself?

 

I actually kinda like the idea. You could have a length of BP pressed in one side for the delay, some color microstars and burst dumped in the middle, and then capped with a plug or rising effect (such as glitter). You could have a large barrage of these in a fan cake...or else just make them for the fascination of making such ridiculously small shells. Not sure if it would work...but if it does it might be neat.

Edited August 18, 2008 by flying fish

[ST1DinOH]

Also, I was thinking...if he is actually going to try to make the shells as small as 1/4" (as mentioned), couldn't the spolette use the same casing as the shell itself?

 

I actually kinda like the idea. You could have a length of BP pressed in one side for the delay, some color microstars and burst dumped in the middle, and then capped with a plug or rising effect (such as glitter). You could have a large barrage of these in a fan cake...or else just make them for the fascination of making such ridiculously small shells. Not sure if it would work...but if it does it might be neat.

 

so lets take this idea a step further...

 

lets say you buy 100 tubes to use as a "mortar" and 100 smaller tubes that fit inside thoes larger tubes. then you pick up 100 paper plugs for the smaller ones to cap one end.

 

with that i have all the tubes i need to make a 100 shot cake right?

 

if so then does anyone see anything wrong with this combination of tubes if one were trying to make a 100 shot salute zipper cake...

 

outer tubes: http://www.pyrocreations.com/inc/sdetail/519

 

insert tubes: http://www.pyrocreations.com/inc/sdetail/516

 

the above example used a 1/16th inch walled tube for outer tube which i intend to use for the cake carcass. will that be sufficient to build a sturdy enough gun or should i "upgrade" to the thicker walled ones which cost a bit more here:

 

http://www.pyrocreations.com/inc/sdetail/748

 

now as far as process goes i'd imagine clay plugging the carcass tubes, then paper caps to plug the ends of the insert/shell tube.

 

again, one step further...

 

i'd imagine i'd just cap one end of the insert/shell, add a measured ammount of 70/30, slide another cap down into the insert (with a hole punched in it to allow for passfire to the 70/30, then glue in a pre-pressed silver comet to plug the other end (the side that sits down in the lift).

 

is this how it's done?

 

will thoes tubes work together propperly? or should i go for a loose fit?

 

i'm thinking a cake insert fits very snugly in order to project the insert as far as the cakes do.

 

am i on the right track here?

[nath0r]

Well the tubes you are thinking of using as inserts should be fine, I use them from mine/shell inserts and havent had any probems with them.

 

The way in which you plan to make your inserts is pretty much the same way as i made my inserts for the mine i posted a while back (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsyxYk-M3KE)

 

I just hot glued a D1 star into the bottom of the tube, filled the tube with 70/30 and topped it off with a paper plug. below is an image of the finished product.

 

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/1210/d1reu0.jpg

 

hope this helps.

[ST1DinOH]

Well the tubes you are thinking of using as inserts should be fine, I use them from mine/shell inserts and havent had any probems with them.

 

The way in which you plan to make your inserts is pretty much the same way as i made my inserts for the mine i posted a while back (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsyxYk-M3KE)

 

I just hot glued a D1 star into the bottom of the tube, filled the tube with 70/30 and topped it off with a paper plug. below is an image of the finished product.

 

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/1210/d1reu0.jpg

 

hope this helps.

 

yeah that helps a lot. very cool effect BTW i like that video.

 

so would you use the first or second tube i linked as the cake carcass? one is ticker than the other, i'm just not sure if i need to spend the extra cash for the beefed up tubes.

 

also i'm concerned about the fit.

 

the ID of the inserts is 5/8 the wall thickness is 1/16th. by my math thats a 3/4 OD on them correct? now with a 3/4 OD do i want to use a tube with a 3/4 ID to fire them from or should i bump that up to a 1 inch ID to make syre they don't get hung up?

Edited August 20, 2008 by ST1DinOH

[psyco_1322]

They wont get hung up if they fit snug. It will either blow the launch tube from to much lift if not tuned in or shoot it out nice and hard. Its like a snug fitting aerial shell, if its goes in...it will come out.

[jadesource]

I think I've seen commercial "star salutes" before...at least on youtube. I believe the idea is that you use just as much flash as you would for a salute (meaning quite a lot), but then add some stars for enhanced visual effect.

 

Here is a good one for you to try it might what your seeing on youtube. My friend calls them snowcloud salutes . But I will make a bunch out of easter egg shells and make cakes with them. put a light coating of elmers glue around the inside of the plastic shell after the fuse is in of course. only use enough glue to coat but not run so you have to smear it around with your finger then take TI sponge the courser the better and pour it in and swish it around till coated all over the inside, now let dry . You will have to keep checking it to make sure the glue with the sponge is not migrating around and wipe the edge to keep it clean so they will snap together. when dry add your favorite flash and enjoy. When in the air it looks like flash with bright white stars inside. Avery cool affect

[psyco_1322]

Something a bit fast drying would work better, possible NC lacquer or PVC glue if it doesnt eat at you shell casings. Those btw are called Ti salutes if you did not know that. Guess you can give them a special name and such. If you have a lage container you can make a ring of glue around the inside and Ti coat it to produce a ring of sparks. I usually just throw my Ti in loose with the flash for Ti salutes as its a bit quicker.

 

Nice little insert idea nath0r. I might have to try that in something if I ever find some el cheapo tubes I need to burn up.

[qwezxc12]

I use PVC cement: I coat the inside of plastic (Polystyrene) 2in and 3in can shells with the applicator - keeping the glue clear of the can and lid seam, dump in loose Ti Sponge, shake, and pour out the remainder. Let the shell dry for ~5-10 min. before filling and assembling.

 

It's certainly easier than mixing in the TI before-hand, might actually be safer as no loose Ti is in the flash posing a potential spark hazard, and it uses a relatively small % of Ti (compared to dumping 5-7% in the mix) for a normal looking Ti salute...the Ti burst is big and full.

[Frozentech]

I use spray adhesive for the same thing on the wall of salute canisters. It dries tacky in seconds, swirl some 60 mesh Ti sponge around, and it coats the wall perfectly.

[jadesource]

yeah that helps a lot. very cool effect BTW i like that video.

 

so would you use the first or second tube i linked as the cake carcass? one is ticker than the other, i'm just not sure if i need to spend the extra cash for the beefed up tubes.

 

also i'm concerned about the fit.

 

the ID of the inserts is 5/8 the wall thickness is 1/16th. by my math thats a 3/4 OD on them correct? now with a 3/4 OD do i want to use a tube with a 3/4 ID to fire them from or should i bump that up to a 1 inch ID to make syre they don't get hung up?

 

If your not going to use a salute and are just making it for stars and comets i like using 3/4 inch pvc for my tubes there quickly relodable and have a nice inside diameter just a hair over 3/4 inch so your tubes fit nicely inside .When i now im going to use salutes in my cake . i will use cardboard tubes . But prepare your tubes first by either using a deluted waterglass bath . or just dip them in spar varnish ,regular varnish or shellac will work fine to but spar varnish seems to make them last a little longer that way your cake can be reloded over and over. i also have several cake bodies i have made that have both cardboard tubes and pvc pipe seperated by 1/4 inch wood strips and cardboard from a box then the first half can have comets and inserts and the second half can have salutes. But i never load salutes into pvc because of the shrapnel factor. Bill

[jadesource]

I use PVC cement: I coat the inside of plastic (Polystyrene) 2in and 3in can shells with the applicator - keeping the glue clear of the can and lid seam, dump in loose Ti Sponge, shake, and pour out the remainder. Let the shell dry for ~5-10 min. before filling and assembling.

 

It's certainly easier than mixing in the TI before-hand, might actually be safer as no loose Ti is in the flash posing a potential spark hazard, and it uses a relatively small % of Ti (compared to dumping 5-7% in the mix) for a normal looking Ti salute...the Ti burst is big and full.

 

PVC cement sounds like a much quicker and faster drying method. I also like the formation of the spark trail much better than a regular TI salute.

[jadesource]

I use spray adhesive for the same thing on the wall of salute canisters. It dries tacky in seconds, swirl some 60 mesh Ti sponge around, and it coats the wall perfectly.

 

See now were gettin someware spray adhesive would be even faster what is your working time before it is to dry to stick .

[Richtee]

See now were gettin someware spray adhesive would be even faster what is your working time before it is to dry to stick .

Try it for pasting plastic hemis sometime :{) Shells in 15 min.!

[Karlos]

Hello. please, look this video: http://vinz.jp/video/Fireworks/2007Tsuchiu...76_80_5_1ch.wmv

 

In this beautifull video you can see small micro shells in the shell, but most of shells aren´t big....medial.

Small micro shells contain cca 17 - 20(short time burning) stars. You can´t add this quantity to the 30 mm shell in classic distribution, it is a few(stars). Maybe 20mm, but who will make this micro hemispheres? Maybe, this micro shells are small easy-paper-capsule, full stars, with Burst-priming, like flash capsule....

What do you thing about this?

[psyco_1322]

Sometimes small shells are made in a poka style and the stars are just thrown in and mixed with some kinda of burst powder. It gives a dense burst with horrible simmetry. They may also be small cannister inserts. They canisters are way easy to work with and make rather than small hemispheres.

 

As for stars they probably have micro stars or stars around the 1/8" or about 3-4mm. A color star that size can burn a bit of time. But the in the video those shells are probably 8" shell of shells and might have about 30+ 1.5"(38-40mm) shells in them. Im not sure how metric shells are measured, if they are exact inch for cm conversions or if they are rounded to random sizes or if they too are in inches.

[Chris]

That's a very cool display! I think those were 'shell of shells' being fired continuously whit different effects, matching the mines. A 'shell of shell' is a larger shell with smaller cluster shells inside. What do you base your size asumption on? Those shells could easily have been 5" or 6" with 1-1/2" to 2" cluster shells. The shells seem to contain be 'scatter stars' in the beginning.

 

If I understand you correctly, you are asking where to get small hemis for this use. It will get more difficult to build these as the size decreases. I think 1-1/2" is the lower limit for comfortable working. However, no need to use round hemis. You can ofcourse roll up your own tubes and caps, and since the smaller breaks do not strive for a round pattern, the effect could be very similar.

 

 

Edit: Psyco, shells dimensions go by the inch no matter where they are made or used. It sure would complicate things if we here in europe would use different sizing, as most of the standardized stuff comes from china.

Edited August 27, 2008 by Chris

[Karlos]

Chris. Maybe yes. Thank you. Stars are scattered, and their number is different(shell to shell). But making small hemisphere like 1-1/2 is maybe problem for amateurs. Japanese have full carton of these mini bowls. I must try this.

Bye.

[FREAKYDUTCHMEN]

Edit: Psyco, shells dimensions go by the inch no matter where they are made or used. It sure would complicate things if we here in europe would use different sizing, as most of the standardized stuff comes from china.

Profs in europe use the metric system not in inches. The Japanese measures in "gou" I believe, I do not exactly know how much one gou is.

In sciense they always use the metric system, way more logical than inches or feet or whatever.

I believe in china they use the metric system also, maybe America is a big purchaser.

I've ordered a vieuw thousant tubes in china and they've asked me the measures in milimeters.

Edited August 28, 2008 by FREAKYDUTCHMEN

[Mumbles]

Yep, I've seen them both ways, but there are standards which correspond to each other. What we call a 3" shell here, they probably call a 78mm shell in Europe or something like that. I have heard that when you get toward the big ones, there are some odd sizes that do not have commonly used counterparts in the US, perhaps europe too. Seems to be a Japan only thing from what little I've heard. 14" shells for instance.

[Bonny]

In Canada, the regulations for shell sizes etc... are metric (mm) Working at shows, although mortar sizes are in inches and we refer to shell sizes in inches, most of the shells I've seen are sized mm.

[nath0r]

Yeah in the UK when talking we refer to shells in inches but on show plans and shell labels etc they are labelled in millimetres. 3" - 75mm, 4" - 100mm 5" - 125mm and 6" - 150mm

[Chris]

Yeah, but arn't they still same in size, even if labeled and measured differently? I meant that shells from China for example all come in standard sizes 3", 4" and so on.

[TheSidewinder]

Yes, they're the same athough, as Mumbles pointed out, Japan may use shells of a size not used elsewhere. There's no reason you couldn't get a mortar sized to fit the oddballs, though. It all depends on how resourceful you are, and whether HDPE/Steel/Fiberglass pipe manufacturers make one of the correct size. We generally jump 2 inches at a time above 4-inch shells, but I've seen 5-inch hemis. And I'm pretty sure you can get them in 7 and 9 inch as well.