TheArchitect23 Posted October 1, 2011 Posted October 1, 2011 (edited) This is a new phenomenon to me.Today i walked into my "office" and decided to check on my stars, popped the lid off and noticed a very thin greenish stain on them.I smelled the tub and it indeed had some type of pungent odor.poped out my magnifying glass and took a closer look. it looks like micro mold or something.the stars also seem 30% damp. how could this happen? i usually dry with a fan while still rolling to get a good circulation going, then dump them out onto screens.they will then dry for a few hours in a shaded area, and taken outside for 2-3 hours in the shade. by this point they are dry, and make a "ting" when dropped.they were then placed into a air tight container. ( no silica pack. i was out ) i checked a similar batch which dried for less time and they were still bone dry.so i want to say that they were completely dry at time of storage. anyone else have this problem at some point? If i were to "re-dry" these, could they be salvaged and used, or am i just out of luck? ** ADD = These Were Nitrate Blues On Crackling Ball Cores ** Edited October 1, 2011 by TheArchitect23
Seymour Posted October 1, 2011 Posted October 1, 2011 Mould growing on stars is something many people come across occasionally. I suspect that they were either driven in, or that they reacted. It's very hard to comment further on possible reactions, since "Nitrate blue" mixes are quite firmly in the "experimental and exotic" side of pyro, so I cannot assume it's typical when typical does not exist. Certainly the presence of many things that come to mind as possibilities for getting a usable nitrate blue could also cause chemical instability. I would be interested in seeing the formula. Assuming that your star is moderately stable, by best guess is that your stars were "driven in" to an extent, despite the fact that you took care to dry them in the shade initially. This would account for the nice crispy outer layer of the star, making it appear dry, while the centre is not. In the airtight container, the centre continues to dry out, until the water is evenly spread throughout the lot and in equilibrium with internal humidity. So long as your stars have some nutrients and there's a suitable mould spore in the air, you know what happens! While in good weather, small stars of many mixes will dry, I generally leave stars for days and weeks before packing them away to be sure. Prior to this, I like to break a star open to directly examine the centre for dryness.
dagabu Posted October 1, 2011 Posted October 1, 2011 I agree with Seymour but add the thought of test burning one as well before packing them away. If they are rather lackluster in performance, you probably still have some drying to do. I have a very special batch of charcoal stars that were driven in two plus years ago and even though I am down to only a handful of them after testing a few every month for the past couple years, they are still over whet and will never fully dry. -dag
TheArchitect23 Posted October 1, 2011 Author Posted October 1, 2011 thank you for the help. i have them outside today again. and they seem to be doing well.i cracked one open and indeed the core was dry, but i will still let them sit for a few more hours. (its a good dry and windy day today )I had quite a few messages sent with suggestions as well, i appreciate the advice, and help. as for my formula for these stars, for now they are my secret. ( have not been able to fully test them other than ground burning )but they are a good blue with trail. i might post a video after i get my 1 3/4 '' shells on wed.
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