a newbs progress and question thread

[RiderX]

Half inch stars are a bit large for those size shells. I'd go with 3/8" max on those otherwise your break will be so sparse you'll be wondering if all your stars lit. I actually just got me a ¼" plate so I could get fuller bursts from my 3" cylinders. I started with a ½" and it was too big.

would half inch still be to large for 2.5 and 3 inch cyls? i think thats going to be the way i go when i run out of hemis

[OldMarine]

Yeah, ½" is large for those and actually in the case of most stars too large for a 4". I'd go with a 3/8" plate for starters and cut your smaller and larger stars. Try cutting some ½" stars and some ¼" stars from the same batch of comp and then make a couple of bag mines from both. You'll see quickly what I'm talking about on the density of the burst pattern. I used D1 glitter in my test and it was night and day.

[RiderX]

Yeah, ½" is large for those and actually in the case of most stars too large for a 4". I'd go with a 3/8" plate for starters and cut your smaller and larger stars. Try cutting some ½" stars and some ¼" stars from the same batch of comp and then make a couple of bag mines from both. You'll see quickly what I'm talking about on the density of the burst pattern. I used D1 glitter in my test and it was night and day.

i cut my last batch into aprox 1/4 - 3/8's 1/2 and some 3/4 for tails so i could test the different sizes , after cutting i actually rolled them a bit in my fingers to make them round

 

never heard of a bag mine before , same thing as a regular star mine?

[OldMarine]

Great article by Ned Gorski here:

http://blog.skylighter.com/fireworks/2010/06/making-1-75-inch-bag-piston-mines.html

You can scale them up very easily!

[RiderX]

Great article by Ned Gorski here:

http://blog.skylighter.com/fireworks/2010/06/making-1-75-inch-bag-piston-mines.html

You can scale them up very easily!

thank you for that those are quite easy to make after reading threw hat real fast , the only issue is i dont have any 1.75 or 1.91 tubes , my smallest tubes are 2.5 x 12inch , would that be excessive for a bag mine? i like the look of the taller narrower mine shot so i guess the tube height will work

 

edit

nm just noticed u said u can scale them up

Edited July 24, 2017 by RiderX

[OldMarine]

I recommend using the piston method since it gives a tighter pattern. It's my favorite way to test stars and get a quick pyro fix. I actually had coworkers request another 3" purple and glitter mine for the upcoming company picnic!

[RiderX]

I recommend using the piston method since it gives a tighter pattern. It's my favorite way to test stars and get a quick pyro fix. I actually had coworkers request another 3" purple and glitter mine for the upcoming company picnic!

i just looked threw my stash , and i have 10 mini mortars for launching 1 1/8 od tubes ill start out with those i was going to use those and the tubes to practice making a shell with delayed star inserts i could just launch those out of the mortars one at a time instead of filling a shell with a bunch of them to see if they work

 

 

the tubes are 1/4 id x 6 inch

Edited July 24, 2017 by RiderX

[OldMarine]

That won't give you a good representation. Just use a 1.75" consumer mortar and only put one tube ID height of stars in the mines. Count the number of stars of each size it takes to reach that fill level and you'll see what I'm saying!

[RiderX]

this is the non reinforced gummed tape i bought

http://www.pyrodirect.com/Item/068-0050

 

is this the right stuff for pasting shells ?

the reinfoced stiuff i have is to strong

 

what i was thinking though is a maybe a final layer ill use the reinforced stuff cause it looks nicer and im thinking a single layer of it wont make it to tough

[Sparx88]

Even 1 layer can mess up the break. The fiberglass strands are stout and will break at different points sometimes causing sloppy looking breaks. If you want a bigger break you need more "push" from the inside.

[AzoMittle]

The biggest issue is that hexachlorobenzene is the best chlorine donor for this. More common chlorine donors don't really work and just make it burn continuously.

 

 

Any idea why that is?

[Mumbles]

Not a clue. I've read some theories that it's just a poor fuel as it contains no hydrogen. This prevents it from sustaining a flame quite as well as other chlorine donors. I have some ideas, but haven't gotten to try them out.

 

If you get the non-reinforced tape a little wetter, it lays down quite nicely. I paste all of my shells with an odd number of layers. This is because everything underneath is a double layer, and the top most layer is a single layer partly for appearances. After burnishing it against a hard surface the outside layer is quite smooth.

[Wiley]

1/2" nominal cut Tiger Willow and the like are a good fit for 5" cylinders. The same size stars in common color comps work well for 6" cylinders.

 

For 2.5" or 3" shells. I wouldn't go bigger than 1/4". 3/8" cut colored stars are a bit sparse for 3" shells, but are just right for 4" cylinders.

[RiderX]

got 20 hemis prepared with time fuse last night and also got a batch of bp screen mixed , ill granulate it after work today , only thing left to do is make one more batch of stars and i should be ready for the weekend

 

did tried filling a hemi with those recomened star sizes and yes deff a big differecnce 1/4 inch star plate and a 3/8's star plate are on my list now

[RiderX]

i want to do some ring shells this time around , last time i tried i put a lil drop of hot glue on the bottom of each star and stuck them around the equator of the shell , the shell damn near worked if it wouldnt have shattered 65% of the stars.

 

im on the right track for holding the stars in place or is there a better way , the only thing that sucks is there so much room in the shell left for burst it takes up alot of bp

 

this was the shell i did last time that almost worked i tried adding flash booster to the shell since i was using reinforced tape which i wont do again this time

Edited July 26, 2017 by RiderX

[Wiley]

It should be very difficult to smash stars in a shell that small. I've put 7g of hot 7:3:1 loose in a 3" cylinder, and while it was "too much", the stars did not shatter. If stars aren't dry they are much more susceptible to this kind of thing.

 

Another way to put stars in a line on a piece of tissue paper, then roll it up to make a little "cigar." Partly fill your hemi with burst, then mold the cigar or cigars to fit the equator.

 

A variant of the effect is a ring and bow tie. Use colored stars for the ring, and some sort of streamer for the bow tie. Put a little cluster of streamer stars in the "bottom" of each hemisphere, then add the ring at the equator.

[RiderX]

It should be very difficult to smash stars in a shell that small. I've put 7g of hot 7:3:1 loose in a 3" cylinder, and while it was "too much", the stars did not shatter. If stars aren't dry they are much more susceptible to this kind of thing.

 

Another way to put stars in a line on a piece of tissue paper, then roll it up to make a little "cigar." Partly fill your hemi with burst, then mold the cigar or cigars to fit the equator.

 

A variant of the effect is a ring and bow tie. Use colored stars for the ring, and some sort of streamer for the bow tie. Put a little cluster of streamer stars in the "bottom" of each hemisphere, then add the ring at the equator.

is the tissue paper a better way then a lil dab of hot glue?, and thanks for the tips

[MrB]

is the tissue paper a better way then a lil dab of hot glue?, and thanks for the tips

 

Define better?

It is, in my opinion, easier to work with the tissue paper. It also doesn't spread hot melt glue in the nature.

[RiderX]

 

Define better?

It is, in my opinion, easier to work with the tissue paper. It also doesn't spread hot melt glue in the nature.

im going to try the tissue paper route, when i did my first one i was like man is that lil bit of glue to much to keep the star form freely moving outward

[Wiley]

Probably not. I think the tissue paper is "nicer," certainly.

[RiderX]

Probably not. I think the tissue paper is "nicer," certainly.

im going to try some tonight if my whole dry batch of stars isnt junk, if it is ill have to wait a few more days for the next batch to dry grrrrrrrrrrr

 

but apparently i was using the wrong formula so maybe now that somone pointed that out maybe i can get a handle on the glitter stars like i did my bp , which would benice cause then i can make larger batches so i dont run out so easy

[Wiley]

If you're making pressed stars, and you follow the formula AND procedure outlined by Ned in that Skylighter article, you should get some very nice comets.

 

I should note that Ned doesn't make the BP base the same way today. After talking with him about it, I now use 75:15:10 (no binder) wet with 7:3 isopropyl alcohol into a putty, then riced through a 12 mesh Walmart kitchen strainer. I dry it thoroughly, then gently work it through 8 mesh to bust up whatever clumps may have formed. I use that powder, including the fines, in the formulas on Ned's site which call for BP base.

 

You really should join Fireworking.com. It's only 40 bucks a year, and some of the most talented folks in the hobby post regularly. There's also a good-sized articles section that makes for good reading.

[RiderX]

If you're making pressed stars, and you follow the formula AND procedure outlined by Ned in that Skylighter article, you should get some very nice comets.

 

I should note that Ned doesn't make the BP base the same way today. After talking with him about it, I now use 75:15:10 (no binder) wet with 7:3 isopropyl alcohol into a putty, then riced through a 12 mesh Walmart kitchen strainer. I dry it thoroughly, then gently work it through 8 mesh to bust up whatever clumps may have formed. I use that powder, including the fines, in the formulas on Ned's site which call for BP base.

 

You really should join Fireworking.com. It's only 40 bucks a year, and some of the most talented folks in the hobby post regularly. There's also a good-sized articles section that makes for good reading.

im cutting them and then rolling in my fingertips to make them a lil rounder , eventually ill sign up over there

[RiderX]

so taking this formula

 

Potassium Nitrate - 53(!)
Sulfur - 18
Charcoal airfloat - 11
Aluminum atomized, 325mesh - 7
Sodium Bicarbonate - 7
Dextrin - 4

 

 

and just to dbl check since some of the fomulas ive come across are in different types of measurements

the numbers listed are in grams correct?

so that would be a 100 gram batch ?

also i see where some guys are using solevents ive been just using the water can i do that with theese?

[Wiley]

Those numbers are percentages, because they add up to 100. Some formulas are in parts nt weight, and don't add up to 100, typically.

 

If cutting stars, I wouldn't roll them to make them round. They shouldn't really be dough-soft, and trying to roll them to make them rounder could undo the effects of consolidating the comp into a slab.

Water is a solvent, and in the case of the formula you posted, activates the dextrin.

 

EDIT: I put off signing up for FW for a long time, and was amazed at what I found when I finally did. I would do it NOW, and start using that resource immediately.

Edited July 27, 2017 by Wiley