How to make a 3" paper ball shell.

[50AE]

I decided to make videos that show how I make my 3" ball shells. I don't want to overrate my videos, but I've seen many crap tutorials on youtube. And because my shells have always broken symmetrically without errors, I thought it could be helpful to make my own tutorial. You will see that the techniques applied in the video aren't something special, I have learned them from books, articles and people.

 

Note that I have part 4 video to make, I will inform you when it will be published.

 

Part 1

 

Part 2

 

Part 3

 

Part 4

 

 

 

All remarks and questions are wellcome.

[TheSidewinder]

I merged the followup post for ya.

 

We have a time limit on editing posts.

[jwitt]

Very nice tutorial! Thanks for making it!

 

Since I am preparing to make 3" shells, I counted the strips of 30 pound kraft paper you used- about 30 strips per turn.

 

By my calculations, one shell takes about 37.5 feet of 3/4 inch strips (should be about the same for tape)

 

This means that a 500 foot roll of gummed tape should be enough to put 10 layers of paper (5 turns of "3 strip method") on 12 shells, with a bit left over.

 

Maybe this information would be helpful for others who need to know how much material to buy.

Edited April 14, 2010 by jwitt

[PersonGuyDude]

Man, that is the best ball shell video tutorial I have ever seen! Very proffessional, clean, and traditional! It's sad that part 1 has only been viewed 500 times, it deserves alot more... Lots of crappy tutorials get hundreds of thousands of hits

 

 

[handymanherb]

Lost me with the music, maybe I'll come back and try it again later and turn the sound off

[Alchemyst]

I agree very good one Mr 50AE. Thank you a lot from all the newbee around for making this. This tuto really gonna help me. The things are very clearly explain great job.

[handymanherb]

Good job, I made it through it today

[TYRONEEZEKIEL]

Great job man. I refer to this tutorial all the time. I get in and out of the hobby because of school, and this always brings me back up to speed! Thanks!

[NightHawkInLight]

I must have either missed this the first time around or forgot about it. Really good job. Knowing a little about video tutorials myself I can imagine what a pain in the arse it must have been to make. Even so, no corners cut. You can see everything you need to in great detail. Very nice.

[guntoteninfadel]

Somehow like NHL I missed this tut and boy would it have come in handy for NYE. I got about 60% success rate using my convoluted method. Thanks 50, pretty sure I know what I did wrong. We will see.

[taiwanluthiers]

You must be a big fan of joe satriani...

[50AE]

While I like his work, my music repertoire is huge and it gets bigger with time. I have many favorite bands, singers and compositors so I'm not really a "fan", just trying to choose a suitable music for my taste.

[taiwanluthiers]

I sort of got tired of Joe Satriani after a while because while he's an excellent guitarist, the music does feel cheesy at times, feels like commercial music sometimes (he seems to have done that sort of work for a while)

[StrikeAnywhere]

Very nice tutorial, I´ll definately bookmark this one!

[FRCHQ]

Nice. Just got through the first video. Would you recommend this to a raw newbie?

[50AE]

Maybe not to a very raw one, but to one who has a bit of basic knowledge about compositions, chemistry, safety and how fireworks work in general.

[AirCowPeacock]

Make sure you have a good shoot site. One that is large enough that a missfire isn't going to hurt anyone.

[MWJ]

Very Nice. Thanks, this answers some questions.

[zombiesDONTwipe]

This is an amazing tutorial! I wish more tutorials on YouTube were like this. I will be attempting to make a ball shell using this method, I have pretty high hopes right now. Anyway, thanks for making this awesome tutorial!

[Asaster420]

Part 1-3 I followed. Part 4 .. Irritated me that I watched first 3 only to find my time wasted.

[dusty56]

I don't care what thechnique you use or how many shells you have made, this tutorial is great.Looks like spring is here and I'm in the pyro shed getting ready for the Fourth. This really helps my concentration. Thanks

[SKC]

Hi, 50AE.

When I click the link of part 1,2,3 & 4 it appears that videos aren't available in youtube.

Can you please provide alternative link to see your tutorials, it'll help me much to construct my 3" shells.

 

Thanks------SKC

[unsilentninja29]

So sadly, the videos where taken down and this is what im interested in making. IT will be my first time making them, and was looking for more info on the process.. Does anyone have some info they wouldnt mind sharing with me?

 

Hoping for a beginner guide

 

Formula, Constructing the ball, and fuses.

 

Thank you.

[Mumbles]

Have you made any somewhat simpler devices like star mines, fountains, etc? If not, you may want to start there. Shells are actually a little complex, and it's important to know some basics and be able to have some reliability in your lift, burst, and stars.

 

One of the best resources on making ball shells is a book by Takeo Shimizu called Fireworks: The Art, Science, and Technique. It's often abbreviated F.A.S.T. if you see that around. I'll think about it a bit and try and find some other good resources/videos.

 

Hope to see you around the forum more. Plenty of great shell builders around to help out.

[vendrite]

50AE, So sorry I didn't get to see your videos before Youtube took them down. Please consider making them available on another site like Fireworking.com where they will be appreciated and enjoyed by all. Thanks