MadMat Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 I recently bought a large roll of kraft paper for a very cheap price. I was so enamoured by the price I never checked into the fact of whether or not it was virgin or recycled. Unfortunately, it is recycled. Am I screwed or can I make up the difference by adding extra layers? I want to use it to make 3" can shells. My 3" gun is a bit oversized, so I have the room to make my shells with an extra layer or two without any problems. Any opinions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schroedinger Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 Yes you can, if you use maltese style construction methods.Else you have a good paper for drywrap and pasting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 It's not the end of the world. Yes, virgin kraft tends to be stronger. Not all recycled paper is created equally. A decent amount of the recycled paper I've seen on rolls is actually reasonably robust. At least compared to say grocery bags, and lunch sacks that I normally associate with recycled paper. What thickness or weight of paper did you end up getting? Build a couple of shells and see how it goes. An extra turn here or there wont hurt anything, or add much in the way of thickness. The one area that you might need to watch out is when you're pasting. Recycled paper has less wet strength due it its shorter fibers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dynomike1 Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 Stay away from the paper at home depot. I tried that a couple years ago, thought i was getting out cheap, and got a lot of flower pots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadMat Posted March 9, 2016 Author Share Posted March 9, 2016 (edited) It might sound a little OCD'ish of me to worry about this, but until now I have been getting exceptional burst patterns with my can shells. I have met a few pyro enthusiasts around my area and have gotten compliments on the way my shells burst, so I guess it's a matter of pride. Mumbles, I wetted a couple pieces of this paper and it seemed to retain a decent amount of strength, so I guess all in all, I should be OK. BTW, I got two rolls; one of 50# and one of 70# (that's what was available) Edited March 9, 2016 by MadMat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wiley Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Stay away from the paper at home depot. I tried that a couple years ago, thought i was getting out cheap, and got a lot of flower pots. I get the ~70lb paper from Lowes. It's basically the same stuff. Use it to roll cases and paste shells in. Never, ever have I had a flowerpot, and I make multibreaks almost exclusively. When there is a failure of that sort, it makes the most sense to look at the construction method before blaming the paper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dynomike1 Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 You could be right Wiley, that was a couple years ago. I have learned a lot since then. I said that because i was told to stay away from that painters paper, when you paste it it breaks down.That was why i was having problems. Since then i have been buying 50# at Hobby lobby. I think i still have some of that paper i think i will try some again. I am going to build a red, white, and blue shell for the fourth, maybe i will have enough stars left to build a test shell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeee Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 There are a number of people that use good quality recycled paper that make good breaking shells.You might need to add a layer or two of the inferior quality paper to provide the strength required for the shell wall.The application of spiking to the shell adds a great deal of strength to the shell casing integrity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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