Pistil vs Double Petal

[davis050594]

Is there a difference? I've noticed that golden shells with a color center are called a pistil but most color shells with color centers are called double petal. Is there really a difference in the way they are made or what they are used for?

[Ralph]

a pistol is just some stars placed in the centre (in that general area) of the ball shell just losely usually they are either a small number of large stars or a bunch of quite small stars

 

a second petal is were you have a second smaller set of hemispheres inside the shell which have stars aranged in them and all so essentially its another shell inside a shell

 

what are they used for ? as with all fireworks your enjoyment and the inspiration of others

[Megladon]

a pistol is just some stars placed in the centre (in that general area) of the ball shell just losely usually they are either a small number of large stars or a bunch of quite small stars

 

a second petal is were you have a second smaller set of hemispheres inside the shell which have stars aranged in them and all so essentially its another shell inside a shell

 

what are they used for ? as with all fireworks your enjoyment and the inspiration of others

 

K, as a newbie, i'll ask the newbie question, when you have a shell inside of another shell, how does it open? What opens first? The timing fuse goes into the outer shell and from there?

 

Thx

[Mumbles]

As ralph pointed out, the difference is essentially the organization. A petal, by definition, needs to be symmetric where as a pistil is generally more amorphous and is normally composed of brighter stars. There are a lot of ways both can be done. The easiest way to make a pistil is to put a mixture of stars and burst in the center of a shell. When making canister shells with comets or pill box stars, a loose filling of stars between the burst cannula and wall of effects can be refered to as a pistil too.

 

The main use for pistils is to provide a centerpoint to direct your vision to the center of the flower. It's rather surprising how much it enhances the effect and makes everything look rounder and more symmetric. Petals are just more concentric spheres within the shell. There is a fine line between triple petal and double petal with pistil. Only someone more experienced with the shells could really give an accurate description. You'd better be sure all three are round if you're calling it a triple petal though.

 

You don't actually make a shell inside of another shell. Anyone proficient at making ball shells will light the burst from the center of the shell. The fire gets pipped to the center of the shell and spreads from there. The petals are formed by hemispheres formed into the burst. There may or may not be an actual paper hemisphere present. IF there are actual hemispheres in the burst, they are normally perforated. You can also press the hemispheres into the burst and just line the cavity. Some of the best japanese shells are built inside out. The shell is formed inside of hemispheres that are lined with tissue paper. Once the petal/pistil is completely loaded, the hemispheres are removed and it is spiked with string. The next petal is then formed around this petal/pistil and the process is repeated. On the outer most layer the hemispheres are left in place and then pasted in.

[davis050594]

Ok, I thought that was the case. I thought that pistils were just stuck in there, but someone told me there was no difference between the two. I love watching those videos of large japanese shells with 2-3 petals. They just amaze me. Edited August 17, 2010 by davis050594

[Seymour]

VERY often you will come across single petal shells with a pistil described as a 'double petal'. This is jut a case of mistaken identity.

 

Perhaps due to ignorance, but perhaps it is also due to an attempt at a double petal not producing the true effect, but since the builder wanted it to be a double petal, they call it that regardless.