mikeee Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 Here are some of the case former bodies with the ends trued up with a recess machined into the end for the end caps. This provides more surface area for the glued in end caps and provides a mechanical support at both ends. The wood end caps will have about 1/2" to 3/4" inserted into the recess and the larger diameter will glue to the flat surfaces on the ends of the staves. The end caps will be turned to the same diameter as the rest of the former. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeee Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 (edited) Got most of the end caps and handles turned for the 6", 7", 8" and 10" former.Next step is gluing them together so I can put them back on the lathe. Edited January 18, 2016 by mikeee 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldMarine Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 Made up a pound of KP burst comp for gerb prime prior to trying my first blue gerb. Like Ned suggested, I'll just use it for step prime on all my fountain comps. Next up? Maybe getting me a little former from Mikeee.I was dead set on rockets next but my son is just as dead set on mortars. I told him if he helps we'll do both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seymour Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 Make both and once you have both reliable you can start putting shells on rockets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memo Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 mikeeeeeeee those came out nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeee Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Getting a little closer to putting a finish on the tools.They came out amazingly light weight for the sizes.These were made out of light weight economical pine wood.6" = 4 pounds7" = 4.5 pounds8" = 5.5 pounds10" = 10 pounds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparx88 Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Extended Thrust Curve 4 oz BP motors. (3.5 sec) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memo Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 yesterday I made 150 grams sodium nitrate, today made 100 gram test run of yellow stars 3/8s rammed. they are in the dry box . give them a test tomorrow. memo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memo Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 I couldn't wait for the morning, the stars had been in the dry box for 8 hours and they seemed dry, very pleased with the out come. they burn very fast , bright yellow and strobe a bit. I am a happy camper. memo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schroedinger Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 What formula did you use?Do you know was the strobe due to coarse mgal or ot fully dried core? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memo Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 its the formula I got from maxim on this forum, I used some course mag/al . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memo Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 this is the formula I used, it was from pirotex not maxim . he had another fomula Name of composition: Sunrise yellowComposition Type: Color metallicCreator: PirotexColor/Effect: Bright yellow Precedure/Preparation: Pump with water or 25% alcohol in water. NaNO3 - 55% Magnalium - 25% S -10% Charcoal (airfloat) - 5% Dextrin - 5% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lloyd Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 It's my opinion, of course, but my opinion is that NO sodium yellow is any color except "vomit". If you want really nice, 'tunable' yellows that you can make ANY shade you want, try an 'additive' yellow made by combining green and red flames. 55 parts barium green + 35 parts strontium red (with otherwise the same formula) create a truly pretty "sunshine yellow" you'll immediately appreciate next to those barf-colored sodium ones! Lloyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldMarine Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 Lloyd, I'm starting to think sodium yellow has done something to you in the past! Lol! You are both vehement and consistent in your hatred across all the forums I can find. I'm just glad I'm not sodium yellow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memo Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 Lloyd I know you don't like this yellow, I have no barium or strontium. I can make my own sodium nitrate so now I have yellow. all my chemicals that were coming into the country last November was taken by customs and I was told I needed a chemical importers license for each chemical I wanted to bring into the country at a cost of around 500 bucks and that does not include the lawyer..... sooo its puke yellow for me. memo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lloyd Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 (edited) "You are both vehement and consistent in your hatred across all the forums..."-----------Patrick,I'm only hateful of sodium yellow. I LOVE people! But no. Nothing 'bad' ever happened to me, either building nor shooting shows, concerning sodium yellow. It's just that the first time I compared an additive yellow to the sodium, the Na version ended up looking like a sodium vapor street light -- UGLY, dingy, pukey orangish-yellow, even when lightened by a great excess of metal. The only effect that ever caused me personal insult during a show was a green strobe that burnt clear to the ground, and put two nice holes in the roof of my Suburban (parked way too close to the shoot site!). Lloyd Edited January 21, 2016 by lloyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueComet24 Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 My first priority in pyrotechnics is safety, which includes toxicity. For this reason, I am not ready to handle barium nitrate, carbonate, or chlorate. Do you think there is a way to get a more "true" yellow (less orange) by adding enough boric acid or barium sulfate to a sodium-based comp? I've never made yellow stars, but the sodium ones look fine to me anyway. I'm just curious if it's possible and feasible. Also, I'd really like to make a decent green with boric acid or barium sulfate, but I don't think it's been done so there are no formulas. I'll try to stay somewhat on-topic here. Today I started to draw up some blueprints for a 1/4" set of coreburner tooling. I'm not sure if I'll make the tooling, but it would be my first coreburner set and good practice for larger coreburners. I think for the time being I'll continue to attempt to get my 1/2" semi-endburners to not CATO. Maybe I should not use my hot ball milled BP. I guess I'll try green mix, and if they still CATO, then I'll try 60/30/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lloyd Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 (edited) Comet,I won't ridicule you for your concern, but its sorely misplaced. Ordinary hand washing hygiene is sufficient to protect you from barium compounds. Barium is not a 'cumulative' poison, so even if you were to ingest enough of it to create ill-effects, it would be transient. And you'd have to ingest a lot, compared to so many other toxic substances we come into contact with every day! You CAN'T get enough barium into your system to harm you if you practice even the most basic care in handling and hand-washing afterwards. Please move up to "the next level". You can't do much in fireworking without barium compounds. And no... adding green(ish) to sodium results in a more puke-colored flame than before. So... if you were thinking about adding boron green or barium (sulfate) green to anything, why wouldn't it be a strontium red? LLoyd Edited January 21, 2016 by lloyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nater Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 Lloyd, one of the reasons I prefer Potassium Benzoate to the Na salt in whistle rockets is the sodium yellow flame. I find the slight lavender tint from K more pleasing if every thing else is equal. Fortunately, a little charcoal or Ti can cover up the Na yellow. I have never tried a Sodium Nitrate star even though I have a few pounds of it stored. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueComet24 Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 I'm glad to hear that I'm just being paranoid. If it's not a cumulative poison, then it sounds like it's not so bad. I've heard the acute symptoms of barium poisoning are extremely unpleasant, but it takes a ridiculous amount to actually kill. Perhaps I'll get some strontium and barium nitrate or carbonate in the near future. I'd love to make some of the comps that use barium nitrate, but have been avoiding them for a while. For now, I'm focusing on getting my stars to light reliably and I'm planning on making glitters soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lloyd Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 "I'm planning on making glitters soon."----------I've got one I named "Buttered Popcorn Glitter", when you're ready. Some other guys here have tried it. I'll let them comment, since my opinion would be biased. Lloyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueComet24 Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 So far I've heard one of the best (and one I really like the look of) is N1. How's yours compare? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldMarine Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 Lloyd's sodium star review.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lloyd Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 "So far I've heard one of the best (and one I really like the look of) is N1. How's yours compare?" ------------Ned's formula is good. I like mine better... larger "puffier" glitters. What works best is what works best for you. But if you try N1, try mine, too. You might like them both! Lloyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueComet24 Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 It looks like your glitter contains antimony trisulfide, which I'd rather avoid for now. It is a nice glitter, but I think I'll stick with N1 and maybe D1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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