moof Posted May 8, 2009 Posted May 8, 2009 Hello. I'm trying to get started in building aerial shells and I thought it would be good to first learn by making small canisters. I was thinking of either using 1.5" or 1.25" diameter mortars which use to be sold by pyrogear.com. They no longer sell those sizes and I don't have a former for these 1.91" mortars. Anyone know where I would be able to find HDPE or fiberglass mortars of these small sizes? Thanks.
FrankRizzo Posted May 8, 2009 Posted May 8, 2009 Moof, 1-1/4" PVC pipe has an OD of ~1.7" which would be perfect for using as a former for shells to fit normal Class-C mortar sizes.
Seymour Posted May 8, 2009 Posted May 8, 2009 While there is a lot of sense in starting with smaller shells, there is no need to start that small. I'd say that 2" canisters or 3" balls are much better starting points. With something smaller you will not be able to learn techniques such as spiking or pasting as effectively.
TrueBluePyro Posted May 8, 2009 Posted May 8, 2009 Well I started with a 3" shell, These are what I think is the way to go, because as Symour said, you will be able to learn spiking and pasting and stuff, but a 3" shell could be a problem, as in do you live in town? But If I where you. Start your shells with some nice 3" shells
Bonny Posted May 8, 2009 Posted May 8, 2009 I started with 1" cannister shells myself...quick and easy to make as well as easy on the materials. I still make them, but now they are mostly salutes or the odd dragon egg or flying fish shell .
TrueBluePyro Posted May 8, 2009 Posted May 8, 2009 yeah a 1" shells are great.....or in my case a film canister.......cause they as you said salutes and you can use them for testing a new colour or something, or if you just need a pyro boost and quick .
50AE Posted May 8, 2009 Posted May 8, 2009 I may recommend kinder egg shells for beginners, they are easy to do and can break hard, especially when gluing them with epoxy glue.
TheSidewinder Posted May 8, 2009 Posted May 8, 2009 All good advice so far. But don't mess with flash yet. Stick with BP-based lift and break, and no salutes until you get a lot more experience. And it's actually easier to build larger shells than smaller ones (to a point). 3" would be a great starting place. If you simply can't go that big, the standard "Class C" is fine, too, although the problem there is that I've seen "Class C" mortars range from 1-3/4" (so-called "festival balls") up to 1-15/16", and damn near everything else in between. Start small and simple, and work your way up from there. Good luck!
moof Posted May 11, 2009 Author Posted May 11, 2009 Thank you all for answering. I hadn't thought of using PVC pipes as formers so I that solves my small aerial shell problem. I would still like to get some 1" and 1.5" HDPE or fiberglass mortars for shooting large comets one day so I hope someone knows a vendor or company I could purchase them from. The closest I got was paper mortars from firefox and skylighter, but I would like something more permanent.
nick2354 Posted May 11, 2009 Posted May 11, 2009 I would recommend you start with a 2" canister mainly for safety reasons, but also you can learn all the basic techniques needed for making cannister shells. I don't think its safe start making and lighting a 3" shell without having any experience in shell making. For a 2" shell you want a 1.5" former, which is not to hard to find. good luck.
Mumbles Posted May 11, 2009 Posted May 11, 2009 Keep an eye on Pyrodirect.com. They just bought pyrogear and pyrotube. They should hopefully have the mortars in stock again soon. You will also want a former larger than 1 1/2". 1 1/2" will leave a shell that is around 1 5/8" OD. I use a 1 3/4" former for my 2" shells. My mortars are 2" ID to, not that 1.91" stuff.
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