Tailed stars

[Merlin]

I know this is a well worn topic and I have read past posts. I just watched a YouTube video of palm tree with silver tail. It had a long streaming tail. I have been trying to add a tail to color stars without much success using Ti. My last effort I added 5% Ti sponge 20 to 40 mesh to veline aqua and got a bit of a tail but not pure white.

I have a courser grade on the way. The effect I am after is like the tail on a blonde streamer only white. Any advice or ideas welcome.

[Carbon796]

Try coarse spherical or granular, not sponge.

[Zumber]

I know this is a well worn topic and I have read past posts. I just watched a YouTube video of palm tree with silver tail. It had a long streaming tail. I have been trying to add a tail to color stars without much success using Ti. My last effort I added 5% Ti sponge 20 to 40 mesh to veline aqua and got a bit of a tail but not pure white.

I have a courser grade on the way. The effect I am after is like the tail on a blonde streamer only white. Any advice or ideas welcome.

use atomized aluminium and titanium together.

[Crazy Swede]

In my opinion five additional percent is not enough to create a full tail. Use at least +10 %!

[Wiley]

Ned's giant palm tree shells use a fast-burning charcoal base with a bunch of added grape nuts sponge Ti, pressed into large comets. That's how you make a proper palm effect. There are a number of silver streamer formulas out there, many of which are hard to light. I like the Spanish white pearl, which uses 60 mesh atomized Al from eBay to create a nice tail. It is also highly brilliant and ignites easily.

[Merlin]

I am in the process of making Spanish white pearl. my plans are to prime with monocapa.

Since Al and Ti exist in so many particle sizes and types it would benefit everyone in the learning stages if particle size and type were always specified in formulations. Sometimes a formula just calls for Al or Ti leaving one to research or guess or ask others.

Thanks to all for directions I think I am on the right track now. I am "sort of" concluding the best approach may to to leave color stars alone and use white or blonde streamers to augment.

Edited September 23, 2016 by Merlin

[JOPETES]

I am in the process of making Spanish white pearl. my plans are to prime with monocapa.

Since Al and Ti exist in so many particle sizes and types it would benefit everyone in the learning stages if particle size and type were always specified in formulations. Sometimes a formula just calls for Al or Ti leaving one to research or guess or ask others.

Thanks to all for directions I think I am on the right track now. I am "sort of" concluding the best approach may to to leave color stars alone and use white or blonde streamers to augment.

Hi Merlin.

 

To properly primed white pearl you have several options:

 

1ª. you must add to the monolayer or imprimacion caliente (see pdf document jopetes) 7-8% atomized or granular aluminum (the same used by the white pearl mesch 60-70), this will make much more effective at high speed priming Star and finally 1-1.5 layer of black powder.

 

2ª. instead of the monolayer can use layer 0.5mm white pearl mix 50% + 50% black powder, and finally 1-1.5mm layer of black powder.

 

 

----formulas containing granular or atomized aluminum as white pearl or white willow must be primed in this way.

 

a greeting

----

[Merlin]

Jopetes - thank you so much! I will follow precisely. Your students speak very highly of you so your advice to me means. lot. Thanks

[Merlin]

I sprinkled some monocapa on a teaspoon of white pearl and I am still seeing spots. very bright and from observation it should have a great tail.

Just what I was looking for.

There were only 4 chems in the comp so I assume the red gum is meant to act as binder

However, I want to roll so I can't see any harm in adding 5% dextrin and binding with water.

What do yall think?

[JOPETES]

I sprinkled some monocapa on a teaspoon of white pearl and I am still seeing spots. very bright and from observation it should have a great tail.

Just what I was looking for.

There were only 4 chems in the comp so I assume the red gum is meant to act as binder

However, I want to roll so I can't see any harm in adding 5% dextrin and binding with water.

What do yall think?

White Pearl has five components:

 

- KClO4 50

- red gum 10

- Al-mg (63micras) 15

- The atomised or granular (200-250 microns) 15 to 20

- Dextrin 5

 

White Pearl is a very beautiful effect in aerial shells, starmines, roman candles with stars or meteors and also decorated very well if you add a meteor to the aerial shells to leave a very white tail at the ascension of the shell.

 

you have downloaded the pdf formulas jopetes?

 

José

[Merlin]

White Pearl is a very beautiful effect in aerial shells, starmines, roman candles with stars or meteors and also decorated very well if you add a meteor to the aerial shells to leave a very white tail at the ascension of the shell.

 

you have downloaded the pdf formulas jopetes?

 

I agree with you. I plan to use white pearl in shells alone or to add effects to color shells.

I also am going to use the blue formula rolled with N1 rolled over. Braddsn had a shell that really impressed me -N1 over blue.

 

The copy of the pdf that I have must be flawed some way. Binder is listed for every formula except on the page with the red, green and white pearl. My copy of pdf must have been altered at some point because you are very precise in your specifications. I could email my copy to you if you wish.

[Pyrophury]

The copy of the pdf that I have must be flawed some way. Binder is listed for every formula except on the page with the red, green and white pearl. My copy of pdf must have been altered at some point because you are very precise in your specifications. I could email my copy to you if you wish.

 

I think these are intended to be bound with acetone as the solvent. I tried the green pearl, but I coated my Mg with dichromate and used dextrin to bind them (I hate using acetone/parlon) - Cant say I was very impressed with them, they did have a slight silver tail but the green was almost completely washed out.

 

I think the problem stems from the fact that parlon is a poor fuel and doesn't burn completely, I often notice a glowing husk of slag falling back down, sometimes all the way to the ground, with stars containing over 10% parlon. Perhaps if you substitute with PVC the Ti with give more of a bright tail?

 

I'm going to try this as soon as I get my hands on some PVC.

[JOPETES]

 

I think these are intended to be bound with acetone as the solvent. I tried the green pearl, but I coated my Mg with dichromate and used dextrin to bind them (I hate using acetone/parlon) - Cant say I was very impressed with them, they did have a slight silver tail but the green was almost completely washed out.

 

I think the problem stems from the fact that parlon is a poor fuel and doesn't burn completely, I often notice a glowing husk of slag falling back down, sometimes all the way to the ground, with stars containing over 10% parlon. Perhaps if you substitute with PVC the Ti with give more of a bright tail?

 

I'm going to try this as soon as I get my hands on some PVC.

green and red pearl work very well with a white tail and very good colors due to magnesium. the problem is that you have used some kind of very small aluminum and washed the colors. For Not to wash the color, you have to use atomized or granular aluminum mesch 60-70, should only contain particles of that size, you should never use a type of aluminum mixed with very small particles, this is also applicable to titanium or ferrotitanium, if you adds very small particle titanium or a mixture of coarse titanium whith fine titanium, you can to be sure to wash the color. The advantage of titanium is 60-70 mesh that can be mixed with any formula PDF colored stars and will produce a similar line in all colors as titanium burns very well at low temperatures, so you can mix simply with black powder to create a tail of nearly white sparks unlike aluminum which produces a very white tail, but it needs a lot of heat, ie, compositions that produce very high temperature with a lot of content in KClO4 and magnalium or black aluminum in proportion to parlon and the others components of the mixture.

 

green and red pearl does not produce slag in the combustion.

 

which is the particle size you to magnesium used?

pvc slag produced more than chlorinated rubber or parlon.

 

the addition of dextrin is possible decreased slightly temperature of the mixture and can make aluminum does not burn well and produces a little yellow sparks. You must use MEK (methyl ethyl ketone) which evaporates slower than acetone and acts on the chlorinated rubber or parlon serving as binders and you can work better the mixture.

 

José

[Merlin]

Update on white pearl. I tested two 3/4 inch srars out of gun. One had Ti added the other was as Jopetes instructed. They were both excellent but I couldn't see any added benefit from Ti. Jopetes has it right in the original formula. A spectacular white streamer!

[Raceman17]

Update on white pearl. I tested two 3/4 inch srars out of gun. One had Ti added the other was as Jopetes instructed. They were both excellent but I couldn't see any added benefit from Ti. Jopetes has it right in the original formula. A spectacular white streamer!

Did you end up using dextrin and water to bind the stars?

[Merlin]

Yes 5% dextrin and they can take a hard break.

[braddsn]

I use the white pearl for rising comets for all of my shells. It is a beautiful white streamer. I prime using the following method (from Jopetes): First layer is 50/50 White Pearl comp/BP, then final layer is BP. My BP for prime contains 5% silicon and 5% diatomaceous earth. I use 20% aluminum, and the aluminum I use is Ampal 611 (multi-mesh).

[gregh]

I am going to be sad when I run out of that Aluminum Brad. You got me hooked on the white pearl using that Ampal 611. It is a really beautiful comp.

[Pyrophury]

pvc slag produced more than chlorinated rubber or parlon.

 

You weren't exaggerating were you... I just tried a small sample of ruby red and emerald green (Kyle Kepley) but with PVC instead of Parlon, not only was there more slag left over, they were difficult to ignite with a torch and burned so slowly. The colour was rubbish too, especially the green. The PVC was slightly coarse (80-100 mesh), but I don't imagine it would be much better even if it was finer...

 

Here's a 10mm pumped star (completely dry): https://youtu.be/u_oNT5JWkG8

[Merlin]

 

You weren't exaggerating were you... I just tried a small sample of ruby red and emerald green (Kyle Kepley) but with PVC instead of Parlon, not only was there more slag left over, they were difficult to ignite with a torch and burned so slowly. The colour was rubbish too, especially the green. The PVC was slightly coarse (80-100 mesh), but I don't imagine it would be much better even if it was finer...

 

Here's a 10mm pumped star (completely dry): https://youtu.be/u_oNT5JWkG8

Both are chlorine donors but the parlon is chlorinated rubber. I generally only use parlon in veline or Gary Smiths formulas and there are meant be cut. Every time I have tried substituting in a formula they turn out undesirable. I can't explain why PVC causes a problem and parlon does not in these formulas. I have made both the red and emerald green and the colors are very bright and vivid. Except for blue.

[Raceman17]

Where can you purchase the ampal 611? I cannot find any purchasing info on the Googles.

[Merlin]

You can't. They told me that they only sell to companies where the end use is established and to the military.

[Mumbles]

It's an atomized aluminum. It's made to Mil Spec Mil-A-512A, Type III, Grade F, Class 6. It's a fancy way of saying atomized Al of approximately the size we use for glitters. http://everyspec.com/MIL-SPECS/MIL-SPECS-MIL-A/MIL-A-512A_28073/

 

Type III is atomized. Grade F is nearly pure Al. Class 6 is 2% max retained on 100 mesh screen, 20% max on a 200 mesh, and 10-35% on a 325. It's really nothing all that special.

[Merlin]

Mumbles your a genius!

[gregh]

Mumbles, this is mostly large mesh. I would say most is in the 30-70 range. I also use it for waterfalls.