[pjalchemist]

I've just built my star rolling machine. Stainless bowel @ 45* with a motor. So now need to give it ago at making some stars to test.

Whats the most basic star i should give a go at making then?

[Night Owl]

Ive had good results rolling D1, ill try uploading pics later

[dumper truck]

Something cheap to make incase you ruin a few batches getting it right, maybe a willow or tiger tail?

[pjalchemist]

Dumper Truck - I youtube and they look good!

Potassium nitrate 44
Charcoal (Airfloat) 44
Sulfur 6
Dextrin 6

% by weight

Ball mill that lot togther for a few hours then. What a good batch weight to make up?

75% water and 25% isopropyl alcohol - that the right spray mix?

What size balls should i use then?

Place balls in the mixer, spray once then add comp tea spoon at a time, spray then add more till i get the size i want?

[dr thrust]

pjalchemist, on 13 November 2011 - 06:15 PM, said:

I've just built my star rolling machine. Stainless bowel @ 45* with a motor. So now need to give it ago at making some stars to test.

Whats the most basic star i should give a go at making then?

hello have you made any star before?
yes the simplest is tiger tail which can be made into a cut star or pumped , these techniques should be fully learnt,to get a feel of working with star comps. star rollers come into there own on multilayer'd color/effect changing stars which is pretty advanced stuff

[pjalchemist]

dr thrust, on 13 November 2011 - 11:35 PM, said:

hello have you made any star before?
yes the simplest is tiger tail which can be made into a cut star or pumped , these techniques should be fully learnt,to get a feel of working with star comps. star rollers come into there own on multilayer'd color/effect changing stars which is pretty advanced stuff

Tried rolled and pumped and it just didn't happen. A roll for me is faster, cleaner, easyer

[Mortartube]

If you do Tigertail, let them dry well and don't roll them too big. If you want large TT stars make them smallish, dry then put another layer on as all that charcoal loves to hold moisture.

[pjalchemist]

Mortartube, on 14 November 2011 - 10:31 AM, said:

If you do Tigertail, let them dry well and don't roll them too big. If you want large TT stars make them smallish, dry then put another layer on as all that charcoal loves to hold moisture.

I've a drying box for them

[dumper truck]

Its trial and error mate, i would say that you do not want to dropping a full teaspoon into the roller on "virgin" star cores, it sounds way too much but that also depends on how many you are rolling. A good tip is to be very very sparing with the wetting of the stars its all to easy in the early stages to wet them too much and have a layer of comp stuck to your roller. Like i say just give it a whirl and see what issues you come across and then fix them accordingly. I used fishing weights, like 2mm lead shot to start the stars on, you need a good weight in them and a good size to make it easier at first. Now i just use the small stars that are made when rolling others for cores however obviously i keep my eye on incompatabilities. I actualy rolled some cores from straight comp work great as star cores because you get a quick flash of a colour after the stars main effect has burnt off.



Be safe

Jay

[megabusa]

Experiment with Tiger Tail. It's cheap & it's not the end of the world when it all ends in a stodgy mess !!!

I dry my TTs in the cold, damp garage for about a week. This way the moisture does not get driven in. I spread them out on a mesh frame that allows air to circulate around them.

Phil.

[Arthur Brown]

Please don't use lead cores! There is some need to be environmentally responsible.

[Mortartube]

I agree. Tapioca, Quinoa and coriander seeds have all worked for me as cores.

[MDH]

pjalchemist, on 13 November 2011 - 06:15 PM, said:

I've just built my star rolling machine. Stainless bowel @ 45* with a motor. So now need to give it ago at making some stars to test.

Whats the most basic star i should give a go at making then?

Sodium hydroxide and magnesium.





Fine, I'll stop being a smart ass. Stick to tiger tail for now. Make sure you have access to a good balanced pine charcoal. Too much reactivity or too little and the effect has no vibrancy whatsoever.

This post has been edited by MDH: 15 November 2011 - 01:07 AM

[dumper truck]

Arthur Brown, on 14 November 2011 - 07:44 PM, said:

Please don't use lead cores! There is some need to be environmentally responsible.

If you go to the fishing shops and buy what is called " Split Shot" which is also known as lead shot it is infact not lead and an environmentally safe material. And for the very little ammount you would be using i dont think it would even touch on the ammount of pollutants coming out of a shotgun with buck shot?

[Arthur Brown]

When professionals roll without cores, we should not consider using them. OK if you must, then please consider a proper biodegradable material.

Fireworks gets a bad press without us filling the land with lead shot.