MadDokK Posted July 6, 2021 Posted July 6, 2021 Hello everyone, I few months ago I became fascinated with Fireworks; I don't even remember what sparked my initial intrigue. I'm between 25 and 45 years old and am the kind of guy who reads the manual before operating new equipment. Consequently, I also read the employee handbook wherever I work which is surprisingly beneficial. I LOVE the fact that the rules here specifically require proper grammar. While at first glance my title may appear to violate the rules, the content does not. What really ignited (I swear, I'm not doing this on purpose) my curiosity was the fact that home-made fireworks offer fantastic displays that'll outdo any commercial product from China, though I've read Mexico has a fantastic fireworks culture. I wanted to know how I decided to set myself to obtain those goals over time. I researched more and more to discover the complexity required in this skill-set. I love the knowledge required on how certain chemicals react with each other. I'm also VERY fortunate to have done so much research before starting (I haven't "started" yet). I recently discovered the complexity with star formation due to the interacting chemicals, some of which require a filler in-between them otherwise they can spontaneously combust!. Unfortunately, I jumped the gun in buying the chemicals from Skylighter. I'm going to partially save this by making my own charcoal for BP and using the Skylighter charcoal for stars. I've got the materials to make a ball mill. I took apart a fan and plan to attach the shaft to a copper pipe (about a half inch) which will serve as the axle. I'll use two small wooden wheels on the axle with rubber bands for grip to spin a 5lb barrel. My concern with the barrel is the potential for static electricity. I may construct a wooden insert using multiple flat boards to make a kind of octagon (or more) to reduce static, keep the material from sliding, help with noise, and reduce the volume so I won't need as much medium (5lb bucket is large!). I know using an exposed brushed motor may not be the best idea. I'll have the bucket opening on the other side and the lid will be closed during operation. For star formation, I will simply tilt the ball mill at an angle and keep it open. I will always use this outdoors. I just wanted to introduce myself and let you know where I'm at so far. As I continue, I plan to search this forum specifically for thoughts on my project. In the end, I may buy a different motor and buy a drum intended for ball-milling. There's so much to learn! ~MadDokK
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