Star Plate safety

[Flaky234]

Hi,

 

I am going to buy a starplate which can make 10mm and 15mm stars

 

But now I have some questions about safety!

 

Can you press Tiger Tail and D1 with the same plate?

 

And can 10mm stars be used for 2" can shells and 15mm for 3" and 4"?

 

Thanks

[max]

Can you press Tiger Tail and D1 with the same plate?

 

Yes, of course.

 

And can 10mm stars be used for 2" can shells and 15mm for 3" and 4" ?

 

3/8" star size for 2" and 1/2" for 3" and 4"

Edited May 4, 2013 by max

[nater]

1/2" stars are on the large size for 3s and 4s. I would use 1/4" for 2" and 3" shells and 3/8" for 4s.

[Arthur]

If you've ever seen stars bounce on the ground you'll use smaller stars as tests and increase to a larger size if the shell design needs a bigger star

 

2" shells would likely start with 6mm (1/4") stars. Lots depend on whether you intend a peony or a chrysanthemum

 

Start with lots of lift and small stars, If the burst is right then reduce the lift to bring it down a bit.

[Flaky234]

Hi,

 

Thanks!

 

I am going to use tiger tail, d1, and chrysanthenum stars!

 

So there is really no problems when using the same plate for glitter and non glitters?

 

Thanks

[Seymour]

Well, I was about to say "no", but really, your question is far too broad.

 

The term "non glitters" happens to cover ALL stars that are not glitters, and there are some stars that you should take some care to avoid coming in contact with glitter mixes. Notably ones with Chlorates, since there is the chlorate-sulfur incompatibility.

 

In general you can use one set of tools like pumps and screens for pretty much everything that has just Potassium nitrate, Potassium perchlorate, Strontium nitrate and Barium nitrate as the oxiders, with minimal cleaning required more for preventing contamination affecting the effect than for preventing dangerous combinations.

 

The three chemicals that are commonly used and cited that you need to know the incompatibilities if you are to use them are Potassium chlorate, Barium chlorate and Ammonium perchlorates. All three of these are arguably more sensitive than necessary for many applications. Furthermore it is absolutely to be avoided having cross contamination of chlorates and Ammonium perchlorate (or most other Ammonium salts (household ammonia cleaning product...). This can lead to a fire or explosion rather spontaneously. Similarly Potassium nitrate and Aluminium, Magnesium, Zinc or MgAl can create ammonium salts during undesired reactions. Throw in the previously mentioned chlorate-sulfur incompatibility and I have covered the bare basics of incompatibilities.

[leedrill]

very good post seymour

[Flaky234]

Hi,

 

Thanks for your answer!

[Mumbles]

I agree with Nater's star size recomentations for colored stars. For tailed stars like chrysanthemum type formulas and glitters, you might find that you can go a bit larger. The tailed effects tend to burn a little quicker, so they are sometimes made larger. They make the break look fuller anyway, so you can get away with using larger and fewer stars sometimes.

 

I am talking about making star shells. The recommendations are for just roughly filling the casing with stars. If you're intending to make any comet shells, then those can be larger. I'd use 9-12mm in 2" shells, 12-18mm in a 3" shell, and possibly as large as 18-25mm in a 4" shell. Comet shells have a layer of pumped stars lining the wall of the casing. There are generally 7-12 comets per layer. The size ranges I gave are for 12 and 7 comets respectively.