wizard7611 Posted July 12, 2015 Posted July 12, 2015 Hello. I started to pump some comets today, but noticed they wouldn't stay uniform as I placed them on my drying rack. Instead of them staying compressed as a cylinder, they plumped out of shape. I tried to make my composition a little dryer, but when I did that, they cracked instead. What do I do?
db5086 Posted July 12, 2015 Posted July 12, 2015 Give more details on the composition you mixed and your sure to be steered in the right direction.
wizard7611 Posted July 12, 2015 Author Posted July 12, 2015 (edited) Apparently, the problem I had with my stars was that they weren't fully dried, which caused ignition problems. Here is the discussion I created that directly states the formulas: Click Me. Edited July 12, 2015 by wizard7611
Mumbles Posted July 12, 2015 Posted July 12, 2015 I suspect the real problem you are having results from that formula. The formula essentially is tiger tail with 28% metal added. You say it came from an experienced person, but there are some questionable factors that went into it. That much metal added without modifications will affect the burning properties and the binding properties. It's unfortunate you have 13lbs of it. You could try taking some and adding more binder. I'd suggest keeping it around 5 or 6%. It could be a dextrin quality issue too. Good quality commercial dextrin is incredibly sticky. Homemade or a lesser commercial grade could be making the difference at the lower end of the spectrum here. Alternatively, binding with gum arabic solution or thin wheat paste could help. They both provide more wet strength, and will contribute to the final hardness of the star or comet. If your metals are as fine as they say, it could be throwing off the fuel balance of the star and making it more difficult to burn. Air tests are key here, but I've never seen a star that would burn in the air, but not on the ground. They wont behave similarly, but not igniting at all is troublesome. Some of the formulas on the very fuel rich side can be kind of sensitive. Shimizu willow comes to mind. It occasionally takes a little bit of Nitrate:charcoal rebalancing.
wizard7611 Posted July 12, 2015 Author Posted July 12, 2015 I asked for a nishiki kamuro star formula that created a decent amount of sparks. I was going to use it for my comets, but ran into these problems. Any suggestions?
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