rolling stars

[eb11]

hey guys i rolled some c6 stars today i usually pump them but it seems alot quicker to roll the stars so i made a bach today and i put them in the sun to dry they sat in the sun all day if i sqeeze them in my hand they still break pretty easilly and if i lite them they dont lite very well. my question is are they still wet inside or are they no good. i used 75%water and 25%iso alcohol. i also used the c6 star formula from the skylighter website. when i usally press them i can lite them right away so i am thinking they need to dry alot longer but i need help from the experts

[sparky]

Well you shouldnt dry charcoal stars in the sun they dry on the outside and then the inside has a hard time getting rid of the moisture.They will dry eventually but that could take up to a couple weeks since they have probably become driven in.

[eb11]

thanks sparky the sun this time of year is not very strong so i hope it does not take that long will see what happens have them inside now will run a fan on them to get air flow going Edited September 3, 2012 by eb11

[dan999ification]

weigh them and turn them daily, when they stop losing weight your ready to go, i weigh the water in charcoal stars for this reason ( well measure in ml and convert to g)

 

dan.

[Seymour]

I might suggest avoiding the fan too at first.

 

It does sound like you've had your first driven in batch. Even in the winter, I like to leave charcoal stars in the shade for the first few days. In summer even in the shade you can get problems.

 

If you have not primed these stars, that could help you here. Rolling a millimeter or so of BP over the stars will break down the water trapping skin, and you can start drying again from the start.

[eb11]

here is a picture of those stars

[TheSidewinder]

eb11, cut one of them carefully in half.

 

Is the center still damp? If so, they're likely driven in. Seymour's suggestion would work, or you can just wait it out.

[dan999ification]

you should feel some resistance from the outer crust when you crush one the centre will be soft if they are driven in or over wet i find that they will be brittle and porous when dry, do not waste them whatever you do if you primed them or not when they are dry if you are not happy you can re mill them and start again, providing that there is no metal or perc, etc in the prime, ive made some pretty looking stars that were primed re milled and re made, c6 with 20 percent bp iirc

 

dan.

[dan999ification]

did you roll them in one go?, for rolled charcoal stars its best to roll a few mm dry them and then roll a few more mm imho you can finish a batch in three or four days this way mine practically dry as they roll now but i hand roll and really take my time.

 

Dan.

[yvariro]

Nice job!

Personnally I've tryed to make some round stars with a "home made" stars roller,and the star comp stick to the barrel :/

[Potassiumchlorate]

Nice job!

Personnally I've tryed to make some round stars with a "home made" stars roller,and the star comp stick to the barrel :/

 

It's an art to learn to roll. I don't master it very well myself yet, though I can roll by hand.

[eb11]

i rolled a few at a time i used bird seed as a center worked really good but did not do it in steps i rolled them to 1/2inch i 1 run quess i will step them next time i cut 1 this morning and the center is still wet will set them aside and let them dry. these stars are for my 4th of july shoot so they should be dry by then. instead of using 75%water and 25% alcohol can you increase the alcohol content for quicker drying Edited September 5, 2012 by eb11

[Seymour]

Yes, but many binders, like dextrin will not fully activate if you add too much alcohol. I personally use no alcohol at all. Even 75/25 seems to me very excessive, though I know, very common.

 

Quickest drying is going to be drying in stages. If you roll a layer a day and have favorable conditions, you can easily fire them on the day you primed them, though the conditions are not always reliable.

 

Has the soft area inside the stars gotten smaller, and the dry outer layer grown significantly since you first had this problem?

[Potassiumchlorate]

I have problems with my stars not catching any composition when using plain water. I'd like to roll with SGRS, since it's stronger than dextrin, but I get "raspberries" at best

[dan999ification]

plain water for me, milled comp, homemade dextrin, if you roll by hand, agressively, its possible to keep the water on the surface of the stars, rather than letting them tumble like normal star rolling i keep the stars on the wall of the jar and use fugal force to gather the comp, it has to stick when its being pushed on by the others and the wall but more than 4mm a time and it crumbles off, not a problem when thats the way it is, the only down side is small batches( not for me) and the stages, this method is similar to rolling with two bowls and produces stars so hard you will hurt your fingers trying to crush one after a few days they are like bb's.

 

Dan.

[Algenco]

i rolled a few at a time i used bird seed as a center worked really good but did not do it in steps i rolled them to 1/2inch i 1 run quess i will step them next time i cut 1 this morning and the center is still wet will set them aside and let them dry. these stars are for my 4th of july shoot so they should be dry by then. instead of using 75%water and 25% alcohol can you increase the alcohol content for quicker drying

 

 

pyro and quick doesn't work, patience and planning will

 

want to check to see if they're dry?

place stars in a sealed plastic bag and place in the Sun for an hour, if any moisture is present it will show

 

I'm presently working on stars and comets to be used next Summer, 3" charcoal Comets take a long time to dry

[dagabu]

I'm presently working on stars and comets to be used next Summer, 3" charcoal Comets take a long time to dry

 

Me too, red stars for rockets on opening night at PGI. They are rolled and ready for prime.

 

-dag

[eb11]

just lit those stars for a test and they burned great will let them dry more but at least i know they work

[yvariro]

Hi all, Skylighter wrote a good article

for how to roll stars,and it explain a lot of problem like "black berry" forms stars

I have problems with my stars not catching any composition when using plain water. I'd like to roll with SGRS, since it's stronger than dextrin, but I get "raspberries" at best

 

Hi, skylighter wrote a good article for how to roll stars,and it explain a lot of problems,like yours

http://www.skylighter.com/fireworks/how-to/roll-round-fireworks-stars.asp

[dan999ification]

rasberrys are quite easy to fix, for charcoal stars it does not really matter, they take fire easier, if you are a perfectionist like many you'll get it with patience, trouble is instructions or not your mileage will vary, only experience will give you the eye and the feel, for small batches pump em, i rarely roll 100g now unless perfect symetry in a ball shell is required.

 

Dan.

[eb11]

quick question is there any stars that cant be rolled? skylighter has the rubber stars kits just wondering if those can be rolled or should i cut them. rolled some d1 stars yesterday had a hard time because of how stickky they where. so today i cut some zinc stars i was going to roll them but after yesterday figured i would cut them instead

[dan999ification]

most find charcoal stars hard to roll, using a solvent to roll will present many problems, it will make them stickier than d1 id say high rpm would be the way to go but i wont attempt it myself.

 

Dan.

[dan999ification]

double post and just an idea, has anyone seen jelly belly beans being made? Commercial ball mill and they are made from liquid sprayed on with a blower they dry as they roll, could one dissolve the binders and soluble chems and use that as the liquid saving the rest to add as powder or must it be mixed well before and the solvent be added seperate while rolling?

 

Dan.

[pyroind]

hi eb11,

i am new in the forum but the problem you faces is quite common. what i do for drying stars(specially rolled and cut and pumped) is to poke a pin through the middle of the star which helps in drying the core better.since i make only small batches its not an issue, but big batches require a drying chamber. there is a article on skylighter for making a drying chamber. i have made a crude one based on the same principle but from a computer fan with small plastic boxes. there is no heating arrangement as the weather where i live in india is quite hot and humid.

 

hope to get enlightened from all of u guys,

 

regards,

pyroind

[dynomike1]

Well i got a chance to try out my home made star roller this evening and everything was going fine till my reostast started acting up wide open or nothing i think the weight changing had something to do with it, but i did get some .25" stars out of it, so back to the drawing board. I am going to try to find me a variable speed drill.