13 replies to this topic

[Thudkaboom]

I've trawled the various forum topics only to be shocked that pattern shells do not get their own slot!

For me this is one of the most fascinating areas of pyrotechnics. In my experience, you can wow crowds with spherical and bouquet burst effects but with a bit of artistic vision via shells exploding into geometric shapes, asymetric patterns and recognisable objects, you can blow their minds.

Here I am hoping to spark off the disgussion of pattern shell designes, physical properties and influences and the developement of new ideas.

So.... put yer pestle and mortars away and bring out yer ready rolled stars. It's time to get creative!

example: http://www.santamari...002-08-2007.wmv

(it's a long show but keep watching)

[50AE]

Pattern shells are awesome, but sadly I'm too poor to make them. In this Skylighter article, they use an 8" shell for this purpose. My biggest shells for now are 4"

[Arthur Brown]

With larger shells becoming mandatory 1.1 then several effects will not be seen because they need the bigger casings to correctly make the patterns.

[TCblastmaster]

Pattern shells are awesome, but sadly I'm too poor to make them. In this Skylighter article, they use an 8" shell for this purpose. My biggest shells for now are 4"

While I agree that an 8" shell would be ideal for a pattern shell, particularly those rather tedious smiling faces, etc, one can still achieve a pretty good effect using a smaller shell with smaller but more interesting stars. I have successfully used 5" shells with a simple ring effect but added interest by using colour-changing stars. Such devices have a simple beauty if executed correctly. I can see no reason why the same could not be achieved with a 4". Ensuring correct orientation of the burst is the difficult thing.

TC

[Arthur Brown]

Some effects are better than others from a presentation point of view. Faces need to be seen the right way up and round or they are scrambled Hearts being flat are rather wasted if viewed from the side - looks like a line!

Cubes look OK as they are obvious whichever way round they break, as are the "electron orbital" patterns and simple rings.

Things that have a "wrong way round" are really less suited to shell use.

[Mixologist]

Regarding size,

We often use 5`` shape shells. These are plenty big enough to get the desired effects. For home making however i can see how bigger is less fidly but if the chinese can do it in 4`` and 5`` so can you!!

[karlfoxman]

Very good discussion, pattern shells can easily be made using 4" ball shells. When I go to Malta I showed the club how to make good shapes using 4" and 5" ball shells. They are now doing very well. Saint Mary's of Mqabba are very good at the shells, the projection shells are one type I have made to very good results.

Edited by karlfoxman, 30 May 2009 - 07:44 AM.

[Thudkaboom]

Very good discussion, pattern shells can easily be made using 4" ball shells. When I go to Malta I showed the club how to make good shapes using 4" and 5" ball shells. They are now doing very well. Saint Mary's of Mqabba are very good at the shells, the projection shells are one type I have made to very good results.

Are projection shells the ones bursting from ground level? As in, are they positioned so as to guarantee the busrt is in the correct perspective to the audience?

Take a look at this vid of a Yungfeng Ghost shell. It's not strictly a pattern burst but the use of composition layering in the stars is very effective.

[karlfoxman]

Thats right yes, although the exact same design shell can be used in the air. So just change the pattern into a heart or something. Yeah those Yung Feng shells are awesome, would love to get some. Pattern shells are so simple to make, you have endless choices of patterns too. Santa Marija make stickmen, maltese flags and musical note patterns. Some patterns have multiple colour changes too. Some of my porjection shells are on my youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/user/karlfoxman

[seymour]

Thats right yes, although the exact same design shell can be used in the air. So just change the pattern into a heart or something. Yeah those Yung Feng shells are awesome, would love to get some. Pattern shells are so simple to make, you have endless choices of patterns too. Santa Marija make stickmen, maltese flags and musical note patterns. Some patterns have multiple colour changes too. Some of my porjection shells are on my youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/user/karlfoxman

I agree with you Karl, they are very easy to make. Once you have shells breaking well, it is as simple as deciding on what shape to make, out of infinite choices.

I have recently fired my first shaped shell. I decided on a jellyfish shape, as it should be simple to make, as well as pleasing to the eye, and probably not seen by too many people. Additionally, because it is three dimensional and symmetrical on a vertical axis, I thought that a hemp 'tail' would be very effective in giving it a good orientation in the sky.



The jellyfish is between 1.17 and 1.27 in the video. I hope you do not mind watching a few other fireworks before it, as I do not have a video of it on the net on its own.

[Thudkaboom]

I agree with you Karl, they are very easy to make. Once you have shells breaking well, it is as simple as deciding on what shape to make, out of infinite choices.

I have recently fired my first shaped shell. I decided on a jellyfish shape, as it should be simple to make, as well as pleasing to the eye, and probably not seen by too many people. Additionally, because it is three dimensional and symmetrical on a vertical axis, I thought that a hemp 'tail' would be very effective in giving it a good orientation in the sky.

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=C8TO2NR_rqk

The jellyfish is between 1.17 and 1.27 in the video. I hope you do not mind watching a few other fireworks before it, as I do not have a video of it on the net on its own.

Perfect Jellyfish man. The hemp tail really helped. Check out the final rocket on this clip. Perfect spiraling chain of Ti salutes.

[pyrotechnist]

them rockets are excellent, if only our rockets where like that then dammm I would buy them!

[starseeker]

them rockets are excellent, if only our rockets where like that then dammm I would buy them!

Were they rockets though,? I thought that they could have been meteor shells.

[Thudkaboom]

Were they rockets though,? I thought that they could have been meteor shells.

No. They are definitely rockets. There is an initial thrust as the booster takes it up and then he uses a comet composition for the coasting phase before breaking at apogee. Man if we could only have sky rockets like this in our shops today. I remember having some awesome Weco and Zink rockets years ago almost on par with these.