frederick Posted May 27, 2015 Posted May 27, 2015 Sugar sprinkles could in theory work and I tried them once out of curiosity. The problem to overcome... with even the smallest amount of water the sugars start to dissolve and they instantly clump together leaving you with a sticky mass that is unworkable. That was my experience. With some experimenting you might find a solution to that issue but my suggestion is millet.
Merlin Posted May 28, 2015 Author Posted May 28, 2015 I am going to try mustard seed when I figure out a way to roll them. I made a small batch with my ball mill inclined but not real practical. They were not difficult. Used coriander seed. I have been tempted to try the cement mixer from harbor freight but I suspect it would corrode and rust very quickly.
braddsn Posted May 28, 2015 Posted May 28, 2015 Merlin, that cement mixer from harbor freight, a lot of guys are using those for star rollers. I have heard good things. I plan on gettin one soon.
Mumbles Posted May 28, 2015 Posted May 28, 2015 I've some concern about lead cores -they are there for ever and make a mess. I was in Kimbolton Fireworks factory and saw stars rolled by having a roller full of powder tumbling then adding a little water spray at a time to get stars to form on the top of the tumbling powder which then grew by taking on the powder underneath. No cores at all. For immediate ease I've heard of mustard seed being used in the UK. Other suitable organic material will be available in your locality. For what it's worth I've worked in a place that did this, and successfully done it. It's not hard. You just need to be willing to invest a lot of composition into it. Mass is your friend. We did it on ca. 25lb batches or larger using a large sprayer. It's not hard, but it takes a leap of faith if you're not used to it. It always helped me to remember that worst case scenario, you just have to granulate it. It won't be ruined, just a little more tedious to process.
Arthur Posted May 28, 2015 Posted May 28, 2015 Unless you need very big stars then you need to find a very small core. Otherwise the core is too much of the total star and the live comp is too little and goes out too soon. 1
clarkie752 Posted June 3, 2015 Posted June 3, 2015 I just completed a batch of orange veline stars rolled on mustard seed. It was my 2nd try at rolling and it took me 3 days to compete and the first day getting them up to 3/16" was about a 3 hour process. I do like the results though I have a whole 2 pound batch of stars that are all the same size. That is a first for me since I have always used cut and screen slice methods. As long as you have time to roll them mustard seed does work well but you must have time and not try to rush it. Also sort your stars often and you will be happy with the results.
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