dagabu Posted July 30, 2010 Posted July 30, 2010 I know that I have posted this reply in the past but I have willow (similar to TT) stars that are still drying after 10 months.
pyroguy1960 Posted July 30, 2010 Author Posted July 30, 2010 I know that I have posted this reply in the past but I have willow (similar to TT) stars that are still drying after 10 months. Well that's discouraging, what could I have done differently to avoid this issue? I'd hate to go back to having to cut stars....I mucked that all up and my stars were all different sizes...plus it's messier.... Sounds like perhaps I should have tried to dry them before priming?
dagabu Posted July 30, 2010 Posted July 30, 2010 Its a difficult question to answer. The problem as I see it is that the binder dries from the outside of the star and effectively seals the star off from drying. The solutions I have found so far are these: 1. Dry the stars in a cool dry area with NO fan. They take longer to dry but keeps them from locking in the excess water.2. Use an non-aqueous binder such as NCL*. You may have to use more charcoal to delay the burn or use Sodium Bicarbonate.3. Use the least amount of water you can use to activate the binder and substitute alcohol for the remainder of the whetting agent.4. Pre-activate the binder into water (blender mix, add extra water and use a spray bottle to apply) and apply by water weight. *Oatey PVC (gold can) cement, Welder cement, single or double base, ping-pong NCL can all be used to achieve this effect.
jimbo Posted August 1, 2010 Posted August 1, 2010 the first batch of tigertail stars I made seemed crap when burnt on the ground, I didn't think they'd even work,because on the ground they were just a smouldering pile of ash,different story in the air though,they worked perfectly without a prime as well,maybe you might have to mill your nitrate if its not fine enough
50AE Posted August 1, 2010 Posted August 1, 2010 Just to inform you, yesterday I opened my box with C6 stars. These were stored for months. They burned ok, very quick. But I realised they were still slightly damp in the inside. I remember these were dried for 5 days. They are 6mm big squares.
pyroguy1960 Posted August 7, 2010 Author Posted August 7, 2010 By the way, just an update on this, I think the commercial BP prime did form a crust preventing them from drying, I tried a few from the star gun tonight with no luck. They seem to burn a bit better with a torch on them now, but looks like I'll have to bag em and try em in a year Lesson learned, let them dry before using this prime....
jimbo Posted August 7, 2010 Posted August 7, 2010 (edited) yeah the graphite on commercial b.p grains might seal it all in,why don't you put a bit of sodium hydroxide in a separate open container in the same bag to suck the water out of them,might work. Edited August 7, 2010 by jimbo
pyroguy1960 Posted August 7, 2010 Author Posted August 7, 2010 Good tip, I'll give that a shot, nothing to lose at this point.
bigminty Posted October 16, 2012 Posted October 16, 2012 i also need help. i made the exact same mix for TT and it wont light. it just sparks a tiny bit then smolders as if i were list lighting a lump of coal.it was hand screened...was it suppose to be ball milled? i tried to light it before i wet it in its powder form and that was also very poor - didnt realy burn. Thanks if anyone can help
Xtreme Pyro Posted October 16, 2012 Posted October 16, 2012 (edited) i also need help. i made the exact same mix for TT and it wont light. it just sparks a tiny bit then smolders as if i were list lighting a lump of coal.it was hand screened...was it suppose to be ball milled? i tried to light it before i wet it in its powder form and that was also very poor - didnt realy burn. Thanks if anyone can help I usually ballmill my TT for an hour or two depending on how fine my chemicals are. Also, TT doesen't really burn that well on the ground in powder form. Testing stars on the ground is not really a good indication on how they will perform in the air, so form it into stars and shoot a few stars in the air, they should work just fine. Edited October 16, 2012 by Xtreme Pyro
nater Posted October 16, 2012 Posted October 16, 2012 i also need help. i made the exact same mix for TT and it wont light. it just sparks a tiny bit then smolders as if i were list lighting a lump of coal.it was hand screened...was it suppose to be ball milled? i tried to light it before i wet it in its powder form and that was also very poor - didnt realy burn. Thanks if anyone can help Was this a test on the ground? Earlier this year I found out that is what TT stars look like burning on the ground. Here is a video of a burn test. In the air they looked like they are supposed to. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5WT3Ejujmg
Peret Posted October 17, 2012 Posted October 17, 2012 50:50 TT doesn't have enough oxidizer to burn on the ground - it needs atmospheric oxygen from moving through the air. The effect that you see with TT is not the star burning, but the ejected carbon burning in the air behind it.
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