My Homemade Comet Star Pumps

[joeyz]

Here is a video on one of my homemade comet star pumps. Going to send this out tomorrow to caleb at woodysrocks so he can see it, feel it, expirement with it and come up with a more commercial pro version consisting of precision quality metal components. Caleb makes quality tools!

 

Star pump overview: Most star pumps require much tinkering around with assembling and disassembling hollow shaft, rammer and pin and multi steps just to pump 1 star. This one is a fast two step process, pack & eject. Your tool resets itself and your ready to pump another. Fast & efficient. I wonder if caleb can make one for crossettes too.

 

Edited September 7, 2016 by joeyz

[Mumbles]

Rich Wolter used to sell a gang pump version of this. It's not visible, but there is a spring in there. I've seen homemade versions as well. I believe there is something similar posted to passfire, though without a spring, as a maltese star pump.

http://images1.hellotrade.com/data2/VP/MH/HTVENDOR-3859453/data2-ho-rk-htvendor-3859453-image-pyrotool_146-250x250.jpg

[joeyz]

Oh, okay. Looks expensive as hell. I bet he wants $500 LOL

That looks pretty cool but i have never seen a single star pump. The one i made could be very affordable one hand unit. In that tool you showed, i see too much steel that drives up cost. If i had that tool i would re engineer it totally. Do you remember before computers, the grocery store clerks use to dial in a price and stamp items on the shelf. I would design it that way. Less material reduces cost and more would buy.

Edited September 7, 2016 by joeyz

[NeighborJ]

On small batches of stars I use a cut off syringe which works similarly but no spring and I scrape the mound of comp from the end with a 4 mesh screen. It is a pita to work and if I'm pumping more than 50 or so, my hand cramps up. On larger batches I use a stack of PVC tubes glued together and I skreed the comp off the top and individually hand press each comet, it is much faster than the single pump. If you watch TRs videos he shows a similar pump which is a clever design but still a pain to use.

[Maserface]

I like it! I might have to build myself one for test compositions

[OldMarine]

Well, what plumber/pyro worth his salt wouldn't build himself a slew of those boogers? Excellent idea!

[joeyz]

couple of notes i forgot to mention...

 

1. the different spring diameter sizes and thickness for different size pumps i get at ace hardware or tractor for about $4. they have a wall section of different size, lengths and strengths of compression springs.

 

2. the long handle pin shaft (grinded off nail head and point) wont ever fall out because there is spring tension againts it during both directions, rest position and squeeze operations.

 

i do like that multiple star pump that mumbles posted but man that beast has to set the poor guy back on materials over labor to build it, thats one big chunk of metal.

 

back in the day, i use to use just a 1/2" x 1" copper pipe coupler and push a wooden dowel, it was a pain just do some stars. with this double action spring hand held, i breeze through pumping 50 stars without any tiredness or regrets. ive done tiger tails, gum stars, strobes, crackle etc. i did pursue a crossette but i dont have a machine and wooden dowel deformed quickly. need a steel or aluminum crosette shaft then it can work too.

[joeyz]

neighborJ, i hear ya brother. i tried the syringe thingy in the past from when my daughter was a baby and we had different size syringes to give her tylenol or motrin when she was a running a fever. syringe suction operation for me was a pain in the arsch, push, pull, push pull and tiresome on the fingers and joints. with this double action load/eject pump all the work is comfortably in the palm and not the fingers what so ever. at first i thought i would have to put a fatter nail pin because it would be murder on my fingers but I didnt have to, all the pressure/tension is on the palm knob and feels real nice in the hand.

[joeyz]

Correction to video, the copper tube was 4" and the wooden dowel was 4" 5/8" (not 8"). Sorry, was rushing in video.

[CrossOut]

I like it! awesome idea! It looks like you can get a pretty consistent stars with this as well. i imagine you can adapt this for all sorts of designs like crossetes just need to machine a tip for it.. hell you can probably make them out of delrin or something for cheap!

Edited September 8, 2016 by CrossOut

[joeyz]

cutout, i like that idea too. saving cost, work and material.

 

i guess you could buy a brass, copper, alumimum or steel stock rod from lowes, home depot, or tractor supply, cut off 1" cylinder peice, stick in vice, use a dremel or air compact grinder to make a tip, drill a hole, tap die threads, drill hole in a wooden dowel, screw it in and you would have a new line of tips to where the rammer is about 3 1/2" long wooden dowel and the tips are 1" steel. as for the hollow pipe sleeve, you can use almost any hole type metal (copper, brass, aluminum, steel) that fits the size of rammer needed if you dont have a lathe.

[joeyz]

Team, i also forget to mention in the video why i have a long pin. If sometimes i dont like the position, i slide the pin down and turn the comet star pump into a gun position. See photo.

 

 

Also, for people that already have any type of traditional comet star pump, you can retro fit the existing one by measuring and drilling the two metals (shaft and rammer) forward and rear stop points, measure half inch oval slot on rammer, move your pin, add a a spring on end, drill, tap threads on end, add a drawer knob of choice on end and you have a full double action retro fitted star pump.

Edited September 9, 2016 by joeyz

[NeighborJ]

Wow now all you need to do is make it fire in full auto. I'd buy one in every size.

[joeyz]

me too, id buy the metal version as well, eliminating the wooden dowel. im no machinist or have a lathe but caleb does wonders on his metal sets. according to pump pictures, current ones he has can be easily upgraded/retro fitted, relocate the pin, add a stronger 10 pound spring and end cap. some of the cool pumps he has have two holes. i guess this allows you to have a short and tall comet star. adding another hole on outside sleeve tube would still give you that capability too. who knows, he might be able to streamline a socket set series where the plunger rammer doesnt change and you just swap out 1" long tips like you do a drill bit on drill or a socket on a socket wrench. that could keep material cost down to a minimum and affordable for all to buy. imagine the new lineup of crossete tips, (4 point, 5 point, etc). it would be pretty cool to have a comet, star crosette socket set in a carrying case like you buy the socket sets at lowes/depot. lol

 

Food for future thought

Edited September 9, 2016 by joeyz

[NeighborJ]

I have a couple deepwell sockets with a bolt inserted backwards in the socket. This allows me to pump hexagon shaped stars, they pack awesome into round shells and create a geodesic dome which has great symmetric breaks. The only problem is you are limited to certain size stars otherwise they don't fit rite and you can only use stars w/o prime at least on the sides.

I was at Lowe's yesterday looking at star bit keys for use as crossettes. They have a short shank any would also need to wedge a small cylinder of stainless into the tamper proof hole at the tip for the passfire, but I think it would work. If only I could find a stainless one.

[joeyz]

yeah, i love your thoughts on it. i think with careful thought out engineering, this could really take off into a totally new lineup of tool tips if the backside of the tool is a set standard so you dont have so much metal and milling costs. tips can be changed out for about $20+ each or whatever it costs for the socket bit and hours to mill it. the back side rammer and sleeve is a lot of metal and drives the cost up. i think if this concept is somehow mastered, end bits can be the focus, it would be affordable and sell like hot cakes. Edited September 9, 2016 by joeyz

[NeighborJ]

It doesn't take a big investment to make your own tools, heck all of mine are turned on a drill press and shaped with a grinder and sand paper. Each tool represents countless hours of testing and workmanship. I like my tools and even though I'd love to have all of Caleb's tools, you'd need to pry these out of my cold dead hands. Here's just a few and without their drifts, there are many more which didn't work but I save them so I can make them into something else.

[joeyz]

Wow! Thats incredible amount of tools.

[Mumbles]

You can make crossettes with round cavities as well. It's the oldest and most traditional design actually. No need for shaped cavities. The biggest issue with round cavities is that they don't always break into 4 equal pieces, which is a deal breaker for some people. In a shell full of them, you don't really notice though.

[Paradise]

Beutiful tools NJ. Your effort shows

[Paradise]

Seems quick and easy to take apart for cleaning each time too. You don't need a mallet when pumping stars?

[Zmuro]

My gang pumps work in the same manner, you can pump stars really quick with them.

Edited September 13, 2016 by Zmuro

[Mumbles]

Seems quick and easy to take apart for cleaning each time too. You don't need a mallet when pumping stars?

 

The less pressure you apply, the wetter the composition needs to be. If you choose to use a mallet or arbor press or something, you can use significantly less water.

 

Nice looking pump Zmuro. I was trying to find some pics of a friend's similar setup, but those nailed it and look significantly nicer too.

[schroedinger]

 

 

Nice looking pump Zmuro. I was trying to find some pics of a friend's similar setup, but those nailed it and look significantly nicer too.

 

They also work great. Would never swap back to using star plates in the size up to 8 mm.

 

Also he made a semi automatic version:

https://youtu.be/8BqEz8iR1RU

[dagabu]

THAT is very cool!