Skycastlefish Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 I’m planning to start with charcoal streamers (formula generously provided by Mumbles ) and stick with those for a while. Once I’ve got a feel for making shells, you know I’m going to want to start mixing stars. What are some other beginner stars that would mix well with the charcoal streamers (artistically speaking?) How fancy can you get with small shells? Maybe some flying fish fuse would be cool? Skycastlefish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seymour Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 Personally I think that blue always goes well with charcoal streamers. You will need to prime these though, which may be a new process. Another effect I have made using small shells with charcoal streamer shels is adding coarse titanium to the burst. Here is a photo from a 2" shell I made using Tigertail stars: http://pyroguide.com/index.php?title=Image...anium_Burst.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skycastlefish Posted September 21, 2009 Author Share Posted September 21, 2009 (edited) Another effect I have made using small shells with charcoal streamer shels is adding coarse titanium to the burst. Here is a photo from a 2" shell I made using Tigertail stars: http://pyroguide.com/index.php?title=Image...anium_Burst.jpg That is beautiful! What kind of bursts are ok to mix with titanium? Edited September 21, 2009 by Skycastlefish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEskimo Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 Ti can be put in with any burst, however, it will increase the sensitivity of mixtures such as flash. For adding Ti to burst, make your shell as normal, and put in a gram or two of Ti into the middle of the burst. Another good starting star is to add Ti to charcoal stars; it will generate a huge tail of brilliant white sparks, and is quite beautiful. If you mix plain streamer stars, and Ti streamer stars, it looks very pretty; I have done it before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seymour Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 For such small shells there is no need to do anything like putting the titanium in the centre. In my two inch shells I filled them completely with stars, then filled the gaps with riced black powder, and then dumped in two grams of strong flash and half a gram of titanium, before closing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 Your shells are only limited by your imagination, and patience. I've seen shells every bit as complex as the big multibreaks at PGI transformed into 2" varieties. There are no pyro laws that say you can't make 1.5" 5 break shells or a mini-drawouts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 There are no RULES or Laws to govern the effects in a small shell. However there are limits in practise. A 1.5inch shell will rise to about 250feet then you have a burst. From the burst you have about 1.5 seconds for all the effects to happen. If it lasts more than that then either the burst will be too well spread and look sparse or the effects will start to get too close to the ground causing danger and perhaps damage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
50AE Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 I have a question about canulles in small shells, like 1.5 or 2" - it is worth it to use a canulle ? I did once, and the break wasn't perfect as I expected, so could I just fill the burst charge with stars like shaking the can, so the burst charge will fill the gaps ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 Thats what I do 50AE. I don't begin adding canullas to shells until 3". I found I couldn't get very good star packing if I used one. The stars were just too big in comparison with the star area. If you're expecting perfect breaks out of shells these small, you may be in for a lot of disappointment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagabu Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 Thats what I do 50AE. I don't begin adding canullas to shells until 3". I found I couldn't get very good star packing if I used one. The stars were just too big in comparison with the star area. If you're expecting perfect breaks out of shells these small, you may be in for a lot of disappointment. I just popped a handful of 2" rocket headers last night and found that a cannula of 3/8" is perfect for 2" cans. I used whistle (70/30 Benzo), Mil Spec 7 BP, a mix of the two and coated vermiculite (works just like rice hulls). Whistle made a really nice pop and small flash and only one of my stars lit. A mix of BP and whistle still was too much and around a third of the stars lit and I got a spray of sparks (shattered stars). Straight BP was ok but it took a whole lot to do the job. Coated vermiculite was perfect. It looked as iff all the stars lit and the spread was nice. I found that 1/4" stars fit perfectly around the cannula and an extra 1" of tube left the void filled with enough burst to fill the top as well leaving a nice solid shell. BTW- I spike heavy with filament tape, first around top to bottom and then wrapped around the can. I have it on video but I cant get my camera to talk to my PC. The JVC chip is retarded. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seymour Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 Your stars do seem to be blowing blind pretty easily. I know whistle is strong, but I cannot seem to blow mine blind in a 2" shell without adding 50g flash. What binder do you use? What prime, for what stars? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skycastlefish Posted September 25, 2009 Author Share Posted September 25, 2009 You guys are awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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