hawaiiwerks Posted January 4, 2011 Posted January 4, 2011 Hi I am new to this forum and I was wondering if there is a place or know where I could purchase some stars already made so I could just put together a shell myself. Thanks
pyrochris732 Posted January 4, 2011 Posted January 4, 2011 i would seriously doubt it man. I think the only way of doing that would be to have a explosive manufacturing license and then maybe that would open a few doors. Why dont you just make your own? Its really not that hard.
dagabu Posted January 4, 2011 Posted January 4, 2011 You can buy consumer shells and open them up for their stars but this would be extremely expensive and the stars are generally crappy.
hawaiiwerks Posted January 5, 2011 Author Posted January 5, 2011 Thanks for the quick replies. So I was thinking of buying a star plate or star pump but I was wondering what formulas can you make stars with the plate or pump method? Some formulas are only meant to be cut, pumped or rolled right? Sorry i'm trying to learn the basics... Thanks in advance.
Peret Posted January 5, 2011 Posted January 5, 2011 You don't need plates or pumps or any other special tooling to make cut stars, which can be used for just about every kind of star except color changing. The money you save by not having to buy a star plate will pay for an awful lot of chemicals.
dagabu Posted January 5, 2011 Posted January 5, 2011 I have found that there is not a single star that cannot be pumped. The binder is best if it is water based IMHO, like Dextrin or SGRS. Even the "Rubber" stars can be pumped easily (I just did a load of them in crossette form) with the addition of some Dextrin and water.
Arthur Posted January 5, 2011 Posted January 5, 2011 The trouble with buying stars if transporting them! They are highly flammable or explosive in their own right and become dangerous goods for transit purposes. Once you ship dangerous goods legally, you might as well buy retail or trade fireworks. Most star formulae work as cut stars, so roll out the damp mix to the right thickness and cut it into cubes with a knife. If you sprinkle the table with a suitable prime then one side becomes primed as you roll it out, then you sprinkle the cut pieces and all the rest is primed. For this you need a bench and a sheet of paper to work on, and a knife to cut with! Hardly expensive tools!
Mumbles Posted January 5, 2011 Posted January 5, 2011 Most formulas will work for all forms of star forming. Course metals and charcoal can be tricky to roll, but not impossible. You have to pay attention to metal particle size when pumping to ensure they do not damage the tools. Those are about the only restraints toward making stars. Any formula more or less can be cut. Some formulas may be optimized for one method or the other, but should still work well in most any form. The one major exception I can think of are acetone bound stars. These are reportedly near impossible to roll.
Seymour Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 Near impossible perhaps, but not impossible. I've done it.
Mumbles Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 In Troy Fish's article in pyrotechnica, which is where this whole acetone binding thing got started, he actually mentions using an alternative solvent for pumping. For cutting he uses an acetone/methyl ethyl ketone mix, presumably for better solubility and longer working times. For pumping he specifically states that an alcohol/acetone mixture works better for pumping. This cuts down on the gooey-ness and stringing of the parlon. I wonder if the same sort of mix would be better suited toward rolling as well. The biggest complaint I hear about rolling is that the mix is too sticky, and the stars agglomerate too easily.
pyrochris732 Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 i have 2 star pumps. One is for 2-3 inch shells and the other is for 4-6 inch shells. They arent too expensive and if you want stars that are all the same exact size, its a good way to go. skylighter has reasonable prices on star pumps, surprisingly. i guess star plates would do it faster but im not paying in the hundreds for that stuff. I never had problems with rubber stars pumping. i think the biggest pain in the ass stars to pump are anything with lampblack in them. Everything else is pretty easy imo.
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