Closing the shell leaving a small gap

[psypuls]

I put too many stars around the center of my shell and had trouble closing it, It now has a 5millimeter gap between the two hemispheres but I decided to tape it and go with it anyway.

How much will this affect the symmetry if I am pasting it with a large amount of layers anyway (16 layers)?

 

it's a 4 inch shell

Edited April 16, 2015 by psypuls

[Xtreme Pyro]

I wouldn't worry too much about it, most of my shells have a little bit of a gap before I close them and they turn out fine. The pasting will usually pull the hemis closer together as it dries.

Edited April 16, 2015 by Xtreme Pyro

[psypuls]

thanks Xtreme Pyro , if you say that your shells turn out great even with a little gap then I have no worries

[FlaMtnBkr]

Did you tap the shell with something like a wooden dowel to get it to close more? If not, you can tap the shell as you squeeze the halves together. This will usually get most of the gap out for future reference.

[braddsn]

You will be fine. However, have you ever pasted 16 layers on a 4 before? I cant imagine it fitting in the gun. I paste 6 on a 4 inch and its snug. Just an fyi.

[psypuls]

If I would only paste 6 layers on my 4 inch shell then there would be too much clearance between the mortar and the shell, about 10mm gap in between.

16 layers makes it 5mm between for me which is perfect.

I suppose that mortars are manufactured from many different sources and that's why they differ from eachother, Some have thicker walls and my fiberglass mortar has a very small wall.

[braddsn]

Ahh ok that makes sense then.

[Sparx88]

Did you tap the shell with something like a wooden dowel to get it to close more? If not, you can tap the shell as you squeeze the halves together. This will usually get most of the gap out for future reference.

 

What he said

 

There is an episode of dirty jobs where the guy building a 12" tapped all over that bad boy to get it closed. Either he has brass balls or it is'nt as dangerous as it sounds....wait, that's probably both though right Just don't hammer on it.

[psypuls]

here is the result of the shell that had a small gap in the center, It became fine.

(last shell of the video)

[Sparx88]

Pretty nice job! I like that color what is it?

[psypuls]

Pretty nice job! I like that color what is it?

Pink

Kaliumperklorat: 48.0

Kopparoxid: 7.0

StrontiumKarbonat: 11.0

Red Gum: 10.0

Parlon: 12.0

Magnalium 8.0

Dextrin: 4.0

 

 

Pinball prime

with a second layer of

Chrysanthemum#6+15%Ti prime

 

 

 

the next stars I make will have to have a thicker coat of chrysanthemum prime so they get a bigger spread

thinking about adding that prime in a ratio of 1:2 prime weight : star weight