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Star Roller


Star_Roller

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  • 3 months later...

Why not just use an old cement mixer? If you can't easily cut out the lifter bars, or if the tub is just too far gone, you could remove it and install a big stainless or Aluminum mixing bowl from a resturant supply. Or maybe contact a pharmaceutical equipment manufacturer and get a replacement tub for a pill panner, which is basically identical to a commercial star roller.

 

In the 'States, Harbor Freight Tools will sometimes have the mixers on sale for around $100. That's enough capacity for anybody, although if you're making 18" shells you'll probably need a whole gang of them to make enough for a show without taking a month to do so.

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  • 5 weeks later...
I constructed a similar roller a couple of years ago and never had any success with it so i gave up and put it in the back of a cupboard. Seeing yours which are practically identical makes me think that it might not be completely useless. Can you reccomend an easy to roll composition for someone who has never successfully rolled stars.
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Perc/redgum/parlon/dextrin (with something extra like CuO for blue for example) are very easy to roll compositions, they'll never spike or anything like that. The only problem is that its a little expencive. Use water/alc as solvent, or you could use sgrs instead of dex and leave the alcohol out your spraybottle.
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With a formular asking for NC could you use the Toro Method? Is that how it is normaly done? Or a formular that has parlon in it and you want to use the parlon as the binder so you use acertone, is that possible to roll that kind of comp?
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I've rolled stars with parlon as a binder, and while it works fine, you do have the problems ofd parlon's stickeyness, and the stars druying while you roll. Do-able, but annoying.

 

With NC bound rolled stars, I have used the toro method. Since most NC comes as a solution or as excruded granules, there is no other option easily avaliable. I'm in no mind to throw smokeless in any mill. However if you already have finely divided NC, the world of regular rolling is open to you.

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For my NC I just use smokeless powder mixed with acertone, I would normaly cut these stars, but I rather making larger batches and rolling them seems to be alot easyer for big batches.
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Perc/redgum/parlon/dextrin (with something extra like CuO for blue for example) are very easy to roll compositions, they'll never spike or anything like that. The only problem is that its a little expencive. Use water/alc as solvent, or you could use sgrs instead of dex and leave the alcohol out your spraybottle.

 

I tasted that while trying to cut/press a similar composition using KClO3 instead of KClO4. I understood that it's very good to roll, but a nightmare to cut and almost impossible to press.

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I think if anyone wants to biuld a nice star roller, the best one would have to be PF's tire roller (check my DP) all the stars come out as a average size, aka, they are all about the same size, so there is really no star screening needed. It is fairly easy to biuld also. Just gota find a tire that has the little groves on the inside of the tire.
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  • 2 weeks later...
Got it. The SGRS thing was not mentioned, so I presumed it still contained dextrin. I really don't find SGRS difficult to cut, but I agree with the pressing thing. You just have to be patient while preparing to cut it, it's easy to over wet because the SGRS takes so long to activate. If overwet, it is hard to cut. The stars stick to the knife.
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  • 2 years later...

My new star roller design. :)

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/157/image034es.jpg

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/9290/image041tu.jpg

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/1180/image039sd.jpg

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/4650/image043q.jpg

http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/3645/image040y.jpg

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/842/image044o.jpg

http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/5203/image047h.jpg

http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/8625/image048m.jpg

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/7466/image049z.jpg

Edited by pyrogeorge
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My new star roller design. :)

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/157/image034es.jpg

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/9290/image041tu.jpg

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/1180/image039sd.jpg

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/4650/image043q.jpg

http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/3645/image040y.jpg

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/842/image044o.jpg

http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/5203/image047h.jpg

http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/8625/image048m.jpg

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/7466/image049z.jpg

 

some updates :)

http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/1607/image052y.jpg

 

http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/1114/image054fc.jpg

 

http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/3457/image053xn.jpg

 

Next time i will roll stars :) :)

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Looks nice. My only question is: Will the rod (shaft) between the first bearing and the tub be strong enough to support the tub when it's loaded with star comp? It just looks to me that that would be a easy spot for it to bend. What's that tub originally made for?
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Looks nice. My only question is: Will the rod (shaft) between the first bearing and the tub be strong enough to support the tub when it's loaded with star comp? It just looks to me that that would be a easy spot for it to bend. What's that tub originally made for?

 

 

your not going to have a lot of weight (star comp) , should be ok.

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Looks nice. My only question is: Will the rod (shaft) between the first bearing and the tub be strong enough to support the tub when it's loaded with star comp? It just looks to me that that would be a easy spot for it to bend. What's that tub originally made for?

As Algenco wrote,i will use 500gr max of composition for making stars,so no problem for the shaft.

This tub is used for taking out the clothes from washing machine.It is hard plastic.

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You are a darn good carpenter. I wish I were. If I tried to make that it would be pitiful looking. :)

 

What is in the spray can? Was that something used in the build? Maybe some sort of spray on wood sealer?

 

Other than the part that has been mentioned, it looks like it should do really well to me.

As long as the bowl never gets too heavy it should be a sweet little roller.

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Lol,i am not carpenter.It is a simple design.

The spray can is wood varnish.

Edited by pyrogeorge
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Varnish, that was what I thought it might be. :)

 

If you aren't a carpenter, I don't even have a word for what I am as far as this sort of thing goes other than, "Ugh" cool2.gif

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