comets

[joker5]

i am looking for compositions and instructions on how to build comets, not comet tails that are hooked on to shells. i want to make 1/2 inch up to 3 inch comets. i did a search and didnt find any info. any help would be nice.

[Draco_Aster]

Yah, I've been thinking about making comets for a while now. 1/2" TT would be nice and burn a fair amount of time for its size.

 

Heres one of the only sites I can recall with a tutorial.

 

http://pyroteknix.freespaces.com/comets.htm

 

I don't think I would use his methos of firing it though, I would just load it like a shell or large stargun.

[Tse-Tse]

Yes, comets are very nice effect, and it's quiet easy to make them.

My favourite compisition is

KNO3 52%

charcoal 25%

sulfur 8%

Titan 20%

+Dextrin/Red gum...etc-about 5%

 

this is very nice composition with beautiful white sparks tale.

Very nice are also comets with electron filings or cracling microstars.

 

The bets way how to make them is to use special pump, but there is another primitive way how to make them. Just put your composition into a plastic bag and press it with your hands to spherical shape. Then open the bag and let your comet dry...

 

My 1" Ti commet (you can see white Ti sparks and orange sparks produced by charcoal)

[weknowpyro]

I have made some comets before spider star compostion make nice comets because of there long last tails, this is the compostion for it FORMULA 1

Commercial Meal D - 20

Potassium nitrate - 15

Air Float Charcoal - 15

Sulfur - 2

Dextrin - 4

 

Formula 2

Potassium nitrate - 15

Air Float Charcoal - 9

Sulfur - 2

Dextrin - 2

Forumla two from my experience is better because it has a longer tail because it produces more ash.

 

Personally i think anything under 1" is not worth the trouble of making because it would burn just like a small cake insert essipically 1/2". But thats my opinion not yours, so its your choice.

[Mumbles]

I can vouch for the spider stars. I use them all the time. They are beautiful, and have a big bushy tail. Just to warn you they are fairly fast burning, and must be ball milled. Just dry mixing tends to really slag up for me and produces much less sparks. Even on the ground they are fairly clean burning for a charcoal star. A 1/2" star will throw sparks 2-3 feet just on the ground. For 4" shells I would recomend 3/4" stars due to their burn speed.

 

Another favorite of mine is Tenny L Davis' Snowball sparkler. It is intended as a star, but makes a beautiful comet as well. I use -325 mesh spherical Al, but on my next batch, I think I will substitute in about 3 parts -50 mesh flitters to make a longer tail. I think substituing in 4 or 5 parts of a coarser charcoal would make a nice tail in addition to the silver.

 

Potassium nitrate 64

Barium nitrate 30

Sulfur 16

Charcoal dust 16

Antimony sulfide 16

Aluminum fine powder 9

Dextrin 16