calebkessinger Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Oh man.. get ALL the smaller screens.. in 1/16th increments. You are gonna be SUPER HAPPY>. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nessalco Posted November 30, 2015 Author Share Posted November 30, 2015 My two reservations about Jim's screens are first, you can only frame one screen at a time; and second, the increments are 1/16". I'm pretty sure I want finer resolution than that, since all I'm making is small shells - 5 inch and under. Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calebkessinger Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 I'm thinking he said he could cut whatever a guy wanted. I just use one size screen at a time so it's no biggie for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nessalco Posted November 30, 2015 Author Share Posted November 30, 2015 Since the screens store flat, it is really an efficient design with only one frame. There's this problem, though - whenever I can, I prefer to make things myself, even if I fail two or three times in the effort. Failure is always an option, and a learning experience to boot. I've already ruined one Lexan plate by having the depth setting on my cheap drill press slip halfway through the job. Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 In that case, a homemade design similar to Wolter's might work. http://www.wolterpyrotools.com/?page=cc_catg&cat=sieves IMO, the screens are just too expensive from him, but the design is good. You could pretty easily make your own screen inserts from PVC like Jim's screens, or purchase and cut perforated steel sheet. Personally, I like flat screening tools as opposed to the rounded bottom that Jim's has. To me, the steel vs. stainless steel issue isn't as much of a concern. Given the cost savings of steel, they can be replaced from time to time. Brass and copper are both corroded by sulfur and are incompatible with AP based stars anyway. I'd be somewhat uneasy with chlorates as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldMarine Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 I found a few sites with cheaper pieces per sq ft but all came in minimum 2'x4'pieces. Several had gradients of 1/16" from 3/16"-up. Hopefully by the time I need star sizing equipment one of you fine folk will come up with the lead pipe cinch inexpensive tooling!I'm finding that although the practice of pyro is best done step by step, the planning must skip miles ahead if I don't want to constantly run up against a brick wall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 I like the idea of two flat plates with an adjustable tapered gap between the two. then you can roll the stars down the gap and where they fall through is the diameter, collect product from your desired point and return or reject the others. If you want to sort out 5mm to 6mm then that's what you set the tapered gap to, if you want to separate 20mm from 25mm then you adjust the gap to that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Note of course that stars needn't be truly round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrB Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 I like the idea of two flat plates with an adjustable tapered gap between the two. then you can roll the stars down the gap and where they fall through is the diameter, collect product from your desired point and return or reject the others. If you want to sort out 5mm to 6mm then that's what you set the tapered gap to, if you want to separate 20mm from 25mm then you adjust the gap to that. This works a lot better with at least one roller, i prefer two.Slope the darn thing ever so slightly towards the wider end, and let the roller(s) turn so that they "lift" from the split, and the star travels down the line on it's own, until it drops through. But a screen is faster.B! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Screen may be faster til you have to make one with another size range, the advantage of the taper method is that it's adjustable. You could set it to 25mm +/-1mm or 6 - 10mm or anything else. Put a box underneath in just the right place to collect the size cut that you want or need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrB Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Nah, screening remains faster, regardless. You have your screens, and it's set in sizes, you are a lot more flexible with ranges on the roller setup, but grabbing the next screen, and putting 5000 1" stars through it, takes 5 mins. Rolling the same 5000 stars down the roller, takes a lot longer.I prefer the roller, any day. But the screens ARE faster.B! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeee Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Wolter screens are too expensive and take up room.CTPyro screen system is really nice but you need to swap screens each time.Bucket screens take up a lot of room and get stuck together when stacked. I have the perfect tool that is precision for sizing the stars and cheap enough to make everyone happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starxplor Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Wolter screens are too expensive and take up room.CTPyro screen system is really nice but you need to swap screens each time.Bucket screens take up a lot of room and get stuck together when stacked. I have the perfect tool that is precision for sizing the stars and cheap enough to make everyone happy. Dial Calipers.jpg With moving parts, that looks too high tech for some people! For only a few stars, that could be fine, but how much time would it take for enough stars to fill half a dozen 3-4in shells? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nessalco Posted December 1, 2015 Author Share Posted December 1, 2015 Funny, Mikee. I use a caliper to check the consistency of my finished stars. Not all, just a representative sample. Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldMarine Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Wolter screens are too expensive and take up room.CTPyro screen system is really nice but you need to swap screens each time.Bucket screens take up a lot of room and get stuck together when stacked. I have the perfect tool that is precision for sizing the stars and cheap enough to make everyone happy. Dial Calipers.jpgHey Mikeee, I like it!Seriously, how accurate do star sizes need to be for it to not be noticeable in the burst? Would 1/32" be the difference between an OOOOOHH! And an EEEWWWWW? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maserface Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 With glitters/streamers, there is so much "going on" in the sky that you wouldn't be able to see such a small difference in star size. But with colors and color changers, accuracy becomes more important (as important as you want). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zan89 Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 (edited) Those are my sorters.. They are 4-5-6-8-10mm. i would like to have some more (11,12,13. to 25mm) http://www.amateurpyro.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_317/gallery_19692_317_2187627.jpg Edited December 4, 2015 by zan89 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeee Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 zan89, What type of material are the screens made of? They look nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calebkessinger Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 wow those are nice!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zan89 Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 It is stainless stell, 50x50cm, bought panels with holes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyronaught Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 I made some screens like that with pre-cut perf sheets from McMaster. They were not stainless though, so they rusted. I tried coating them with Krylon to prevent the rust but they still rusted anyway. The rust worked it's way in from the edges and then kept traveling under the outer coating. My biggest issue with the screens was how heavy they were though. I think the Chinese suspend their screens on a rope from the ceiling to get around the weight problem when using them. I built a matching frame with a solid bottom on it that would lock on top of the star screens, then to remove the sorted stars I would place the catch pan on top and flip the whole thing over. This way you don't have to chase dropped stars around the room. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeLormar Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 My screens, i have listed the source for the perforated screens in the sellers section. They have screens up to 45mm holes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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