frustrated123 Posted June 22, 2014 Posted June 22, 2014 formula from AFN:potassium chlorate 65copper oxychloride 12.5Lactose 12.5Dextrin 5PVC 5 I have a consumer size shell that I have aligned the outside with 1/4" square stars. I have inserted a 1 ply toilet tissue and then filled with GOEX cannon grade black powder. 5 stars lit while the rest ended up on the ground. I have tried without the tissue and a weaker burst using meal-d coated rice hulls with two grams of GOEX cannon in the very center and only one star lit. The stars all go up without issue in a mine shell.
nater Posted June 22, 2014 Posted June 22, 2014 In addition to needing to use a prime, are the stars dry?
ivars21 Posted June 22, 2014 Posted June 22, 2014 You need to prime them with one of the perchlorate primesThen extra meal powder on outer prime layer
nater Posted June 22, 2014 Posted June 22, 2014 No, there is no need to prime them with a perc prime. A simple dusting with green mix BP is all you need. Since the sulfur in the prime is not intimately mixed with the sensitivity of the star is not a major issue. All other precautions regarding chlorate stars still apply.
frustrated123 Posted June 25, 2014 Author Posted June 25, 2014 The 1/4" cut stars dried for two days before making the round shell.To understand correctly green mix BP your referring to 75-15-10 ratio (potassium nitrate-charcoal airfloat-sulfur)?When you prime the cut stars with green mix BP you would first cut the stars and then introduce the prime and seesaw them together? Trying to figure out what it means to you when you say not intimately. For future readers I think it's important to know:Is there some risk having cut chlorate stars coated with a sulfur prime?
Jakenbake Posted June 25, 2014 Posted June 25, 2014 Under normal conditions a light sprinkling of BP meal on a chlorate star is ok. Any other time a mix of Chlorate and Sulfur alone are incompatible. The addition of Sulfur to an already friction and impact sensitive oxidizer will yield a very unstable mixture. Plus if it is to be stored for any amount of time moisture from the air will deposit small amounts of sulfuric acid on the material. chlorate + any fuel + sulfuric acid = instant ignition. Very bad! If you plan on messing around with pyro you really need to do some homework. There are more incompatibilities in this great hobby of ours. Check here http://www.amateurpyro.com/forums/topic/87-general-safety-preventative-measures/
nater Posted June 25, 2014 Posted June 25, 2014 Once you cut a slab of comp or roll out a patty of it, dust each side with prime and cut. Once they are all cut, put them in a bowl, sprinkle with prime and roll them so each side is covered. Another option would be to cut the stars without prime, allow them to dry and add the prime last. Priming is a basic step, and I wonder if you should be making chlorate stars just yet. By "not intimately" I mean that the sulfur is not a part of the comp. The sulfur containing prime is just a layer on top. Chlorate stars are more sensitive than perchlorate stars. Per the true experts, the dangers involving sulfur were attributed to acidic impurities in earlier means of obtaining sulfur. Modern sulfur production is more pure and the risk is lowered. sulfur does increase the sensitivity of the star, however the experts believe that a simple BP prime does not greatly increase the hazards and may actually protect the stars slightly from friction against each other. Bill Ofca recommends adding a small amount of barium carbinate to the prime to neutralize any acid that may be present. I would not expect cut stars to be fully dry after 2 days, are you positive they were dry? How did you check to ensure they were dry? Did you prime them at all?
taiwanluthiers Posted June 25, 2014 Posted June 25, 2014 Yea, if your chlorate stars aren't lighting something is off, probably it's not dry. Chlorate stars are about the easiest things out there to light.
frustrated123 Posted June 26, 2014 Author Posted June 26, 2014 thank you all, I appreciate it.I am not certain if they were fully dry. I usually light the stars only after a day of drying. The stars were not primed.I will let a new batch dry for four days and test again.
taiwanluthiers Posted June 26, 2014 Posted June 26, 2014 To test to see if the star is dry, try to pinch it between your fingers. If it crumbles easily then it's not dry.
Mumbles Posted June 26, 2014 Posted June 26, 2014 That only really works if the stars are still soaking wet. You really have to cut one in half to really tell if they're completely dry.
nater Posted June 26, 2014 Posted June 26, 2014 Do you normally fire stars without prime? A simple way to tell if stars are dry is to place them in a ziploc bag and set it out in the Sun. If they are dry, you will not see any condensation develop in the bag. It seems you have overlooked some basics steps in star production.
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