Basic star making

[SamGurdus]

Are there any star types that don't require many chemicals, but produce decent color? I can only cut stars or pump them one at a time currently. First I am going to try tiger tails, but looking for recommendations for what to move onto next.

Edited November 17, 2018 by SamGurdus

[OldMarine]

You must tell us what chems you have to start with and what type of things you plan to build.

Don't be like me and just buy every damned thing.

[Arthur]

Cut stars are perfectly suitable for fireworks. The list of chemicals available to you will dictate what you can make.

[SamGurdus]

You must tell us what chems you have to start with and what type of things you plan to build.

Don't be like me and just buy every damned thing.

I don't have anything yet, just some tools and supplies. I am going to put in a big order soon. Ideally, the chemicals involved can be used for multiple things, or at least doesn't require too many.

[OldMarine]

Get a Veline star kit. You can make many colors with fewer chemicals since Veline formulated them that way.

https://fireworkscookbook.com/product/veline-color-star-system/

[Sulphurstan]

Sam. If I may suggest, browse through this wonderful forum and you'll make up your mind yourself about what you wanna start with. IMHO only tough and extensive reading is useful to begin with pyro, get you a copy of fast-shimizu and fpp-lancaster, and you'll see that it answer lot of your questions.

[Embertine]

There are also several websites that will provide you with an appropriate list of ingredients depending on the type of star or color you wish. Though I'am somewhat of a noob to this hobby, pyrodata.com has been quite helpful.

[CityPigeonPyro]

I did Veline stars this year. The color combinations are endless. I used the RGB method. Made a big batch of Red, Blue and Green comps. Looked up colors I wanted to make online for the RGB code and did some math to figure out how much of R,G and B I needed to make it. Most all of my colors were spot on. Stay away from dark colors. A little messy making them and be sure to use some nitrile gloves.

[rellim]

Butyl rubber gloves are best. Acetone (or was it MEK) ate through my nitrile gloves and left me with composition coated fingers.

[CityPigeonPyro]

Must have been MEK because my nitrile gloves held up fine. And they were the thick disposable ones. I have to have them for the work I do with liquid chemicals and I get them free. I know the acetone killed my spray bottle. Hard to find a sprayer that will stand up to acetone.

[BetICouldMake1]

Acetone will definitely eat nitrile gloves. Thick ones or double gloves will usually hold up long enough for a batch of cutting for me, but if you want to reuse, butyl is the way to go.

[justvisiting]

One method I've come up with for making cut stars is the bag method. A Ziploc brand large freezer bag is used to contain the screened comp while the liquid is kneaded in. After kneading, the comp becomes a blob that can be formed fairly easily. Holes are poked in the bag at the edges to allow air to exit. The ball of comp is rolled out with a heavy rod like a rolling pin, until it fills the bag evenly. It is now a rectangular patty that is of fairly uniform thickness. The edges of the bag are cut away, leaving a well-consolidated patty that can be cut into strips and then stars. This method works with parlon-bound star-mixes dampened with acetone. The acetone is kept from evaporating while the comp is being kneaded. The bag is a little tricky to peel away from the patty, kind of like how a label can be tricky to peel off of a jar. A film of comp will usually adhere to the bag, but it leaves the surface of the patty a bit rough, which is perfect for accepting prime. The patty is cut into sub patties and then stars with a very sharp knife. Depending on the thickness of stars I want, I make batches between 500 grams and 1 kilogram. The acetone usually constitutes about 10% of the batch weight.

 

I use this method to cut charcoal-based stars with or without metal as well. In that case, I use SGRS as the binder, and prime with scratch mix as I cut them.

 

This method is ideal for the newbie pyro that wants to make small batches of stars with a minimum of equipment. This description is an overview. If there is any interest, I could add more detail.

[CityPigeonPyro]

Justvisiting,

 

I do the same thing. I don't have a very large knife that makes it all the way across the patty. I have been using a pizza cutter to slice through it especially when they are separated out. Been thinking of a long piece of thin metal that I could sharpen on my grinder. What are you using to cut with?

[justvisiting]

CityPigeonPyro, I use a very thin-bladed Santuko knife. I cut through the large patty halfway across, turn it, and cut the other half. Then I split the two halves in half. Sometimes I make six sub-patties, depending on my mood. Some people think you have to rush when cutting parlon-bound stars with a knife. The opposite is true. Letting the patties stiffen up and flipping them like burgers occasionally helps with the cutting. Made properly, they are not stringy, and not sticky. The knife gets a film, that's it. The stars dry as hard as rocks.

 

I like to push the knife straight down when cutting. I find that if I use a 'paper cutter' action, I end up with stars that are less uniform.

[CityPigeonPyro]

The problem that I had with a knife is that you still have to rock it to get a cut. I know what you mean about the edges flaring do that. The pizza cutter allowed me to make it in one motion across. I did find letting them sit for a bit made it easier to cut. Also adding prime to them while they were still a little damp created a buffer between the cutting tool and the patty. It did not take long for them to be rock hard. I also mixed them in a ziplock bag to get a good mix with out them drying out too fast. Was able to knead out any clumps.