Need help

[pyrojoe78]

All right guys im going to be placing a big order of chemicals this is my first attempt at making stars so my question is what comp/stars are the easiest most forgiveable most satisfying ones to make im gonna be getting some star pumps to for hand ramming. This will be for 3 and 4inch shells on top of 1lb rocket motor ive been using starsfrom a friend thanks for the help

[starxplor]

Any of the BP/charcoal stars are usually a good place to start, and if you want color, check out the veline system for chemically and visually compatible stars with a combined set of required chems.

 

Be sure you have a good scale, and work out a good, repeatable process. This includes not double-dipping (using a scoop in one chem source followed by the same scoop in another). Also included is weighing each chem on its own, then combining in a different container, so if you put too much on the scale, it can be pulled back without risk of contaminating the source.

 

Get some good PPE, no synthetics/all cotton based, and a mask of some sort. I like the full face respirator so I do not get charcoal dust in my eyes.

 

Any chems that come in a bag you should consider moving to a sealed container when you open the bag. This helps keep out moisture and animals. (I had rodents get into my rice hull bag and wish I had gotten this advice earlier)

Edited February 18, 2018 by starxplor

[Merlin]

There are many Winokur comps that are simple but look really good. Look at W 20, 38, 39

[pyrojoe78]

Thank you gentlemen... Keep it coming

[starxplor]

Thank you gentlemen... Keep it coming

 

You could also just search/browse the site. There are many threads about this exact topic.

[Arthur]

There are so many star formulae that use only regular BP ingredients, or BP plus one or two chems that you could have a lifetime of stars with no special chems, just having several charcoals in several mesh sizes.

 

After that there is the Veline system for several colours with few ingredients.

[OldMarine]

Here's a good way to start with the Veline colors. A kit with enough for 5 lbs of stars: https://fireworkscookbook.com/product/veline-color-star-system/

[cevmarauder]

I'll be honest, my first stars were based off Skylighter's cut rubber stars. Worked out pretty good--especially since I had an excess of 1/4" hardware cloth that worked perfect for cutting 'em. Easy to mix, easy to prime, work great in mines and small shells.

[OldMarine]

I just cut a bunch of the rubber stars a week ago. Love them for gumball shells.

[Mumbles]

I like a lot of the suggestions in this thread.

 

Charcoal streamers are probably both the easiest and most forgiving stars. Their main downside is that they can take a while to dry. Barring that, they're a simple yet very elegant effect. You can kick them up a notch with coarse titanium or flake aluminum. Adding coarser charcoal or lampblack can extend the tail, but that might be pushing it in 3 and 4" shells. The hangtime can be an issue sometimes. The coarse Ti, Al, or charcoal also make great single fire comets and rising effects.

 

Glitters are a nice next step. Still pretty simple and easy to light, but adds another dimension to your work. I wont sugar coat it, there are a lot of glitter formulas out there. You might want to find some videos of ones you like and seek out those chemicals. There are some good suggestions in this thread already. Winokur 20, and 39 are both really nice. Buttered Popcorn glitter is great. I'm a personal fan of Lancaster Yellow glitter. D1 is popular. Tremalon and Miller gold are also both really nice. These kind of run the gammit of various metals (atomized Al, MgAl, though some can be done with flake Al) and various delay agents (BaCO3, NaHCO3, Sodium oxalate). Pirotex yellow glitter (also here) is a unique formula an effect too.

 

For colors I'd third or fifth or whatever, the recommendation for Veline. It's an easy system to start with. Many people move on to other formulas, but they're a really wonderful starting point. The Spanish formulas which can be found in a pdf here also contain great formulas.

 

If you're looking to make shells or mines, don't discount inserts. They're usually simple in composition but have a vast array of effects.

[pyrojoe78]

Thanks guys for the great suggestions ill definitely start out with some charcoal base stars the veline kit is not available i think its missing 1 or 2 chemicals but thank you again ive learned a lot from this forum if there is anything to watch out for lmk im extremely excited an will let you know how it turns out keep it coming tho 😎

[Arthur]

If you have BP then use those ingredients for stars and you get some willows and charcoal streamers, then add one or two chems at a time. It gets expensive if you try to buy every possible chemical to make all star formulations. This is a hobby best done in small progression steps.

 

Two things to note, work small and work clean.

[pyrojoe78]

Im gonna be doing tt and willow stars to start off with is there any tips an tricks you guys can think of so i get good results ive been trying to read every tutorial i can find...

[pyrojoe78]

Chrysanthemum 6 also

[rogeryermaw]

my first 4 inch shell was just a sped up tiger tail with about 15% 100 mesh titanium. the effect was pretty awesome! the chems are cheap except titanium and they lit super easy...there are a lot of schools of thought on priming and i agree that many charcoal comps work fine with little to no prime but, it is cheap insurance. in that spirit, i prime everything. on these charcoal stars, when cut, just sieve some mill dust over the patty before cutting and done!

 

that said, i couldn't really recommend many comps cuz i tinker and can't leave anything alone. there are few i have just "gone by the book" on. but i can say that one of my all time favorite effects is glitter or flitter...or tremalon...or whatever it's called these days.

Edited February 21, 2018 by rogeryermaw