C8 Stars

[BlastFromThePast]

I can't seem to find a thread for chrysanthemum 8 stars...Anyhow, can these be rolled? I've never rolled stars before but I don't feel like hand pumping 1/4" stars one by one like I did for my D1 glitters today.

 

edit- more of what I'm asking is whether this comp is going to be a relatively easy comp to roll for my first time.

Edited April 5, 2013 by BlastFromThePast

[Shadowcat1969]

I personally have had good luck rolling any charcoal based stars I've tried.

 

I haven't specifically done C8, but Slow Gold, Improved Snowball, etc have all worked well for me.

[californiapyro]

if you were to roll it, I'd wet and screen it without binder first, then let dry and roll. really makes it a lot easier.

[pyrokid]

To add to what californiapyro said, some charcoal comps can give you trouble if they have a lot of airfloat charcoal. Granulation, while reducing dust, helps to alleviate these problems.

 

Rolling takes practice.

[BlastFromThePast]

Thanks, I'm not expecting anything too great from these first rolled stars but I guess you have to try doing it at some point!

[dynomike1]

C-8 is easy, the problem i had was with glitter in stainless they want to slide instead of roll.

[BlastFromThePast]

C-8 is easy, the problem i had was with glitter in stainless they want to slide instead of roll.

 

Do you think this can be remedied with plastic tupperware?

[dynomike1]

Maybe, never tried plastic. It's just aggravating starting them after they get some size they get better.

[BlastFromThePast]

I need some help with rolling these stars. I can't get them started for the life of me. Does anyone have any tips on how to get them started. Some just clump up into this mess of 6 of the lead balls and others won't even take the comp.

[BJV]

I need some help with rolling these stars. I can't get them started for the life of me. Does anyone have any tips on how to get them started. Some just clump up into this mess of 6 of the lead balls and others won't even take the comp.

Rolling stars heavy with charcoal is sometimes a challenge.

First you need a very fine atomizer. I would start with at least

40 to 50grams of lead shot. Do not over wet the cores and use very

small increments of your comp. to get them started. All I can say it take time.

BJV

[pyrokid]

I wasn't very successful when I tried to roll stars with a spray bottle. A perfume style atomizer is better suited to rolling small cores.

 

I can't speak for lead, I use millet. When starting them off, I give them a spray or two and roll them so that they take up the water. They respond to the first addition of powder.

 

I've found that constant motion is very helpful and possibly even crucial to prevent clumping.

[BlastFromThePast]

Well I had some luck. I took my BM and elevated it on one side and was just extremely patient. I only had about 100g of comp and got a good handful of cores to take. I used up all the comp and got them pretty even at around 1/8". I'm letting them dry now and later I'll finish them with another 100g. The elevated ball mill worked pretty well all in all.

 

- how long should one dry rolled stars for?

Edited April 8, 2013 by BlastFromThePast

[BlastFromThePast]

I did a ground test of a 3/4" comet I pressed using C8 formula and it burned so fast that it kind of blew itself apart into a huge pile of smoldering sparks. I was under the impression C8 was supposed to burn relatively slowly. I did ball mill it however for 2.5 hours, 30 mins less than what the formula said but I also started with coffee ground chems. I know ground tests aren't as good as testing in a star gun but regardless of where it's burned I don't think it should be that fast.

[Shadowcat1969]

I can't speak for lead, I use millet.

 

 

Just remember to bake your millet before using it. Coating it in, essentially, rich fertilizer and water can have detrimental effects to your stars when the seeds sprout.

 

I use "acini de pepe" which is a pasta (little cubes about 1/16th of an inch) that I found at the Safeway supermarket 99 cents for a pound. I just have to be careful not to wet it too much with the first layer to keep the pasta from expanding.

 

to Blast: I have been able to use my stars after only a couple days of drying, but it will depend on what the humidity is like where you are. They should dry pretty quickly though, also assuming you are not over-wetting while rolling. You can always "sacrifice" a star or two and cut them open to see if they are still wet in the core or not.

[Mumbles]

I did a ground test of a 3/4" comet I pressed using C8 formula and it burned so fast that it kind of blew itself apart into a huge pile of smoldering sparks. I was under the impression C8 was supposed to burn relatively slowly. I did ball mill it however for 2.5 hours, 30 mins less than what the formula said but I also started with coffee ground chems. I know ground tests aren't as good as testing in a star gun but regardless of where it's burned I don't think it should be that fast.

 

Charcoal streamers and tailed stars tend to burn much faster on the ground than they do in the air. I had a batch of 3/4" brocade stars that burned up in about a second on the ground, but took close to 7 seconds in the air. If the glowing slag isn't blown off of some stars continuously, the speed increases tremendously.