Canister Shell drawing (Section view)

[GermanPyro]

Hello,

 

I search a drawing (section view) of a horsetail canister shell and a weeping willow canister shell.

 

Hope you can support me here please.

 

Thanks a lot!

 

Greetings

Stefan

[cevmarauder]

A horsetail isn't hard to make--many people just use plastic canisters for them, since they tend to blow open at one end, but you can also just score around the top spiking with a knife to make it burst only at one end. Load your stars into the end you want to blast open; maybe pad the other end with a bit of burst charge in addition to the core.

Here's a good thread: https://www.amateurpyro.com/forums/topic/6201-looking-for-the-best-way-to-make-a-horse-tail-canister-shell/

[Arthur]

As a cylinder shell- call it a mine that rises first then breaks like a mine

 

As a cylinder shell, put the break directly over the time fuse right against the hemi wall, hold it there with paper or thin card, fill the rest with stars. This way the break is totally one sided and the stars horsetail out the other side. This is similar to a Poka shell.

 

Horsetail shells work well when not too big, say probably half of the max size in the show. -Partly because horsetails are usually fired in groups so that the odd shape looks intentional!

[kingkama]

Easy job, roll two layer of craft paper on the shell former (a tube of the right size) close the paper with a tongue ply, fill the canister bottom with two row of stars filling also the center of the stars row, add two spoon/inch of break mix. Close the shell with disks and time fuse. Spike the shell with the half of vertical turns and add the turns to the orizontal (ie. 3 inch 6 vertical 12 orizontal). Try and let me know horse tail are pretty with charcoal star long burn time and some metal inside.

[dagabu]

KK, do mean to say that he should make a standard Italian style shell, paste it in, etc but reduce the vertical spiking?

 

From my perspective, just make the shell in the standard configuration and cut all of the spiking strands except for 4 in an X formation at the top of the shell but load all the stars in the top of the shell and the burst in the bottom where the black match is shown in this cutaway.

 

Easy job, roll two layer of craft paper on the shell former (a tube of the right size) close the paper with a tongue ply, fill the canister bottom with two row of stars filling also the center of the stars row, add two spoon/inch of break mix. Close the shell with disks and time fuse. Spike the shell with the half of vertical turns and add the turns to the orizontal (ie. 3 inch 6 vertical 12 orizontal). Try and let me know horse tail are pretty with charcoal star long burn time and some metal inside.

 

Edited November 9, 2018 by dagabu

[kingkama]

Fantastic section of a shell, yes my idea is to reinforce the orizontal and weak the vertical, but much important is to full the shell bottom of stars, no cannula between stars.

[dagabu]

Normally, making a 3" dump cylinder shell, I like to use time fuse and cross match it to make more room for stars and break. I like to use BP coated rice hulls (CRH) to break these shells as it is seems to to be quieter than using 2FA but lighter in weight than scratch made BP.

 

At the fuse end, put about 1/2" or 12mm of CRH in and spread it evenly. Use a single ply of a facial tissue, cut a circle to fit inside the shell to keep the stars and RCH separate, add your stars on top of the disk and add some fine BP to help spread the flame to all the stars.

 

Close the shell with pleats to cut down on burst resistance, spike with 12 verticals and closely spaced horizontal strings 1/2 way up the shell from the fuse end and cut ALL of the vertical strings right at the edge of the bottom disk (opposite end of the fuse) with a razor blade.

 

Finish the horizontal pattern normally. Paste wrap should be only two turns of #30 kraft, lift and leader normally.

 

This shell breaks softly, it spits all the stars out one end and if you cut your timing short on the fuse, so the shell breaks on the way up, you will get a horsetail effect which, by design, should arc up a little before coming down such as an Arabian horse tail appears.

 

http://s3.amazonaws.com/cms-ahaa/files/photos/377/images/original.jpg?1323196933

Edited November 10, 2018 by dagabu

[kingkama]

Fantastic explanation, many tanks!

[dagabu]

Yes, that was my question several years back. I have discovered since that "willow" is actually the shape of the shell as it displays and not so much the color of the stars. I saw a "red willow" this fall, it had all ruby red stars with some Ti mixed in and the shell didn't break hard, the stars all propelled away from the center to a pleasing distance. It was one of the very few true "willow" shells I have seen in a while outside of commercial displays that really hung properly in the air giving it a willow appearance.

 

I have not seen a "willow" canister shell perform well, not once. I believe a ball shell is the best choice for them.

 

 

 

Hello,

 

I search a drawing (section view) of a horsetail canister shell and a weeping willow canister shell.

 

Hope you can support me here please.

 

Thanks a lot!

 

Greetings

Stefan

[GermanPyro]

Thank you @all for your support, all these things are very helpful!

 

I build some 3" Blue Waterfall canister shells, shooting is in 2 weeks!

 

Greetings

Stefan