6 replies to this topic

[Zmann]

Has anybody seen those crackling blue stars.Iwas wondering how they make them.

[JamesH]

Do you have a video clip or photo of them in action?

[JamesH]

There is a winokur dragons egg formula in the passfire formula database that contains 18% saran resin. Maybe this formula will give a blue colour, but im not sure since I have never tried it due to lack of some of the required chemicals. Here it is:-

Magnalium, granular, -200 mesh 40
Saran Resin 18
Copper(II) Oxide, black 17
Lead Tetraoxide 12
Potassium Nitrate 10
Sulfur 3

Edited by JamesH, 14 September 2005 - 05:55 PM.

[JamesH]

The other option would be to make a blue matrix star with crackling microstars.

[completebeginner]

Blue star #10
Source: PML, posted by David Abate <daveab@ix.netcom.com.
Comments: Crackling stars can be made with this composition. The poster used large pistol primers (idea from Best of AFN II), coated with 70%KClO4/30% Dark aluminum for cores, and rolled these into stars with the star mixture. The stars were hard to ignite and needed priming. The color is a bit pale blue.

Potassium perchlorate.............................61
Copper carbonate..................................12
Parlon............................................13
Red gum...........................................9
Dextrin...........................................5

[Pretty green flames]

They could be just simple crossetes. I mean one star that bursts into smaller ones, that's exactly what a crossete does.

[pyrotrev]

Do you mean blue stars that crackle at the end of their flight? They would be made with an outer layer of blue star comp and a flash core of aluminium (or magnalium) and oxidiser, lately the fashion is to put a bit of flake titanium in as well to make more sparks. If they crackle all the way, then it would be microstars as James H suggested or titanium flake for a soft crakle.