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Posted (edited)

There was some interest in the formulas I used in a video posted over in the Aeriel Shell section so I figured I would do an actual post on them in the 'right' section.

 

Like I said I wasn't too happy with some of them so I am open to suggestions. Others, like the pink or purple, worked great. The whites/glitters/charcoal were a variety of things, including Spanish Whites, some willows, some lampblacks, a PTFE/Mg/BaN luce forte, etc etc. I used a lot of Ti alloys, MgAl, Alcoa 120, and large firefly flake Al.

 

>>All Magnalium (-325) must be treated with Potassium Dichromate.

 

For the most part I rolled these onto crackle cores. Primed with a superprime and then BP dust, a thin layer worked fine. The one percent dichromate is added loose, not part of the magnalium; I was hoping to use it as a flame envelope expander but I didn't notice anything so I wouldn't bother with that.

 

Oh, and as for the answer to "How much lift did you use?!" It was three quarters of one tenth of the shell weight in 4FA 2FA plus about a tablespoon of 2FA 4FA. The shells were plastic hemis and the finished lift-and-leadered weight was between 1100 and 1500 grams.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2ni1kyFfBk

 

Red (From EH Lacquer Red)

41...Ammonium Perchlorate

22...Strontrium Nitrate

12...Hexamine

11...Dechlorane

08...Magnalium (-325)

03...Red Gum

03...Sulfur

01...Potassium Dichromate

+10...Nitrocellulose Lacquer

 

Orange (From Independence Tangerine)

40...Strontrium Nitrate

16...Dechlorane

12...Magnalium (-325)

10...Potassium Perchlorate

07...Red Gum

03...Lampblack

01...Potassium Dichromate

+04...SGRS

 

Yellow

26...Barium Nitrate

18...Strontrium Nitrate

16...Dechlorane

12...Magnalium (-325)

09...Potassium Perchlorate

08... Red Gum

05...Sulfur

01...Potassium Dichromate

+04...SGRS

 

Green (From Emerald Green)

51...Barium Nitrate

15...Dechlorane

12...Magnalium (-325)

08...Potassium Perchlorate

05...Sulfur

05...Lampblack

02...Red Gum

01...Potassium Dichromate

+04...SGRS

 

Blue (From Pihko AP Blue)

60...Ammonium Perchlorate

20...Copper Oxide (Black)

12...Sulfur

09...Dechlorane

03...Hexamine

01...Potassium Dichromate

+08...SGRS

 

Purple

50...Potassium Perchlorate

16...Copper Oxide (Black)

11...Dechlorane

10...Strontium Nitrate

07...Red Gum

05...Hexamine

01...Potassium Dichromate

+04...SGRS

 

Pink

50...Potassium Perchlorate

10...Potassium Nitrate

08...Antimony Trisulfide

06...Dechlorane

06...Strontrium Carbonate

05...Lithium Carbonate

04...Red Gum

03...Hexamine

01...Magnalium (-325. dichromate treated)

01...Potassium Dichromate

+04...SGRS

Edited by AzoMittle
  • 3 weeks later...
Posted (edited)

i would like to see how you got double breaks out of plastic hemis. That is mostly what i shoot.

Edited by dynomike1
Posted (edited)

i would like to see how you got double breaks out of plastic hemis. That is mostly what i shoot.

 

A couple different ways. I used crossettes as rising effects; one or two of them were shells of shells (or filled one hemi with stars and the other with 3-4 small shells); I can't find pictures online but some of the hemis I have there is a top cap instead of just the small ring, instead of gluing that cap on we glued a small shell on, almost like a peanut shell but with a 6" first break and a 2" second break. I suppose you could always cut a hole out if it doesn't come with the cap. Also double/triple petals add a layer.

edit: You can also 'simulate' an extra petal (or more) by using extra large stars so as to create a gap in between stars, this can then be filled with extra small stars. Look up unequal sphere/circle packing patterns, there are a lot of different methods. Some quicklinks: wikipedia, and look specifically at the 8-fold cubic pack in this one. Doing this will cause the smaller and larger stars to ignite at the same time but burnout seperately.

 

So you can actually get quite a few breaks out of a plastic shell: Rising effects --> Main shell break --> Inner shells --> Outer shells

 

If you make the stars inside the shells crossettes you can multiply the effect. Same thing with making the rising effect into a scattering one, see page 234 §15.6 of Shimizu's FAST for details; these can be indefinitely stacked and chained outside of the shell assuming you have both physical space inside the mortar and timing space before the main break. Again, you can multiply the effect by using a full sized peanut shell.

 

One last note, when making a shell of shells I've found it is easy to get some stars/comets/inserts to fit in between and underneath (as well as above) the smaller shells. Make use of dead space and remember that pyro is like language, the rules are descriptive not prescriptive meaning whatever works, works and if you have a different way of doing things then do it however you want. I hope all this helps, if anyone has any other ideas I would love to hear them and try them at the next shoot.

Edited by AzoMittle
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