Orders made...still need gummed kraft tape

[Sparx88]

I know, some of the places have it. Unfortunately nobody had everything I needed, I had to split my order between 2 places and neither had the right tape. And the place that does wants a $20 min order. I been looking and searching other means and I don't want the wrong tape.

 

I hope someone knows of a brand and a store, like walmart, lowes, home depot, office max etc etc that I can get the right tape from without the mail lol. I mean paying shipping for a roll of tape is

[leedrill]

they sell it at art stores for holding down the sides of water paintings but usually dont ell it in the sizes for shells they usually only stock 36mm and 48mm wide {water activated gummed tape } they stock it in white and plain kraft brown if your are keen to cut it down it is quite a cheap way to buy it and is usally an art store in most towns

[LambentPyro]

McMaster Carr has great pricing. No min order.

[Sparx88]

are there traits i should look for, I assume non-reinforced is the way to go with 2" shells, and what weight should it be 35# ?

[LambentPyro]

35# is good, the thinner you get, the more layers you need, and vice-versa.

 

I never tried reinforced as the size they have for it is too big for small shells. However, I would like to see it on a 12 or 16" shell.

Edited January 21, 2014 by LambentPyro

[Sparx88]

TY I will have it by tom night, or bust

[LambentPyro]

They also sell screens for cheap. Got myself a 4 mesh stainless 304 12x12 screen for $7.

[psyco_1322]

McMaster is where I got it from the last time I ordered. Good prices.

 

30-35# would be good. I'd say to use 1/2" tape for making 2" balls, 1" is a bit wide but can be made to work.

[schroedinger]

Sry to run this a little OT, as you mentioned different wides, is there any table which states which is the right wide for which shells size?

[leedrill]

i know there is a table of sorts like that for use with a wasp but not sure about a ledger for hand pasting for there is so many different methods

[Mumbles]

By hand you have to sort of go by feel. I find you have to go a little thinner than you would with traditional paste and paper. Broken in paper lays down better, so you can get away with a little wider. I included my experience below. I paste basically like you would a normal shell with pasted strips of paper, just using the gummed tape. Other methods may have other optimal widths. I also like my shells to look nice.

 

3" - 3/4" (1" if absolutely necessary with some forcing)

4" - 3/4" or 1" depending on how pretty I want it

5" - 1"

6" - 1" (1 1/4" would probably work too)

8" - 1 1/4" or 1 1/2"

10"+ - 2"

 

I had cases of 3/4" and 1" so I probably just made them work for as many shells as possible. I never tried 1/2", but that's what I'd probably use on a 2" shell, and possibly 3" if I wanted to make it look pretty. All of my tape either came from Papertec Inc, or from Pyrodirect. Papertec only sells in cases, and I always got mine in a group buy. I think they were around $30-35 shipped for cases of 20 500ft rolls.

[schroedinger]

Thank you.

That really sounds like a reasonable price to me.

[LambentPyro]

Wow, I use 1.5 inch for 4" shells, I guess I'll use 3/4" for now on. Can using the wrong size tape create buildup?

[Arthur]

I like the tape to lie flat round the hemis, so that gives a limiting width. For tiny shells cut 2" tape across into 4 - 15mm strips.

 

If you buy several rolls of tape keep them dry! I have a couple of solid pucks where tape has simply got damp in a store room. If you buy much tape than a plastic bag and some silica gel would be a very good idea.

[Shadowcat1969]

I found it much harder to get a 3" shell to look good and not have buildup when I had 1" tape. I bought some 1/2" and they come out much nicer. I'm using some 3/4" for my 4" shells as well. I'd probably not want to go bigger than 1/2" for a 2" ball.

 

Just personal preference, I'm like Mumbles, they need to LOOK good too...

[Col]

I use 12mm for 2" and 2.5", 18mm for 3" and 18mm or 24mm for 4". You can get away with slightly wider paper with lightweight grades, 40gsm lays down flatter than 70 or 90gsm of the same width.

[Sparx88]

Theres something I have been thinking about lately with pasting. I was sitting there filling a small star pump and was having a tuff time not having the comp stick to everything that I had a revelation. I thought, self, would'nt a medium thin dextrin slurry, a small paint brush and brown paper bag work as well. I would just have to make sure the slurry doesn't get to thick and add bits of water as I go and just paint the strips with it and paste away...seems likely that would be a reasonable alternative if one were so inclined. Something like the old days before gummed kraft tape.

[leedrill]

i dont know about overseas but wheat paste is a lot cheaper than bought dextrin in aus and i have no intention in making any but when wheat paste is soaked into the cellulose fibres it becomes pretty hard {well hard enough }

[nater]

I like 1/2" tape for 3" shells. I have not been able to wrap a single strip like a WASP and end up with a round shell, I get eggs. I was using the 3 strip method, but with tape. More and more, I am getting into cylinder shells and the effects you can make with them.

 

If you are going to take the time to paint a dextrin solution onto strips of paper to make tape, why not paste in the traditional manner? In fact, there is someone here who soaks recycled kraft in paste and breaks it in before pasting the shell with gorgeous results.

Edited January 25, 2014 by nater

[Sparx88]

I think I know what you mean by soaking and breaking in. Kinda like paper machete or whatever it's called but not so sloppy. Just get the paper soft so it will lay flat and not wrinkle. But not so dripping wet that it takes a month to dry. I suppose it's in the thickness of the paste. Still sounds messy no matter how you do it. Doesn't hurt to try something like that.

 

But from all the responses it looks like 1/2" is the way to go, makes perfect sense.

Edited January 25, 2014 by Sparx88

[Mumbles]

Pyrotechnics isn't exactly a clean hobby. You might want to get used to that fact.

 

Despite what youtube will make you think, many people who don't own WASPs do in fact use pasted paper for ball shells. There are a few ways I've seen to do it. Basically you want to entirely saturate the paper with wheat paste. No brushing required, just glop it on (yes, with your hands), spread it around, crumple or fold up the paper to get the paste to full penetrate the fibers, and let it sit. The paper will change color to a dark leathery hue. If the paper dried out add more wheat paste. From there you can paste with your desired pattern. Despite being soaking wet, it dries pretty quick. I'd keep it to 6-7 layers at a time. Dry and add more later if you need to. A properly pasted shell has a certain special visual appeal that you don't really get with gummed tape.

 

This is best done with virgin kraft paper. It has superior wet strength to recycled.

[LambentPyro]

Pyrotechnics isn't exactly a clean hobby. You might want to get used to that fact.

 

Despite what youtube will make you think, many people who don't own WASPs do in fact use pasted paper for ball shells. There are a few ways I've seen to do it. Basically you want to entirely saturate the paper with wheat paste. No brushing required, just glop it on (yes, with your hands), spread it around, crumple or fold up the paper to get the paste to full penetrate the fibers, and let it sit. The paper will change color to a dark leathery hue. If the paper dried out add more wheat paste. From there you can paste with your desired pattern. Despite being soaking wet, it dries pretty quick. I'd keep it to 6-7 layers at a time. Dry and add more later if you need to. A properly pasted shell has a certain special visual appeal that you don't really get with gummed tape.

 

This is best done with virgin kraft paper. It has superior wet strength to recycled.

 

I am assuming you're talking about the way Night Hawk did it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvsY8By5NEE

[Col]

You get around 29,000ft of 3/4 "tape" from a 2ft roll of virgin kraft, Make yourself a simple glue applicator to apply a mixture of wheatpaste/pva to both sides, remove the excess and put tension on the "tape". Virgin kraft handles a lot of pull without breaking, a continuous strip can be applied almost as tight as the spiking on a cylinder shell.

 

Business end of a simple glue applicator made from 1/2" polycarb blast shield offcuts and some cheap acrylic cigarette rolling machines. cost less than £4. The tension and glue thickness adjustments are independant so its nothing like running gummed tape over a wet sponge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[nater]

When pasting shells, I just make paste and pour it into a pan similar to the video linked above. Ball shells get strips and cylinder shells get a single paste wrap. In both cases, the paste is worked into the paper with your hands. Then crumple the paper up to break the fibers, which works the paste into the paper even more. As Mumble's mentioned, the paper changes color. You can then unfold the paper back into strips or your wrap and paste the shell appropriately. I use my fingers as a squeegee to remove the excess paste as I apply each strip. The only time I brush the paste on paper is when I wet roll rocket headings, and in that case I don't break the paper either. That process is more like rolling a tube than pasting a shell.

 

 

This does work better with virgin kraft paper, it has a much stronger wet strength than recycled and does not tear nearly as easily. I only mentioned the other member here who uses recycled kraft thinking that virgin paper might not be available to the person who was suggesting to make their own tape with a dextrin solution and paper bags.

 

It is messy, but so is everything else with pyro. If you are careful and take your time, the mess is minimal and only requires washing your hands and cleaning your work area with a wet rag. Traditionally pasted shells look better than ones that are taped. For small shells, it is probably quicker to paste them than it is to apply tape. There are several different pasting methods that have already been talked about if you search for them.