Plastic vs Paper

[ghost808]

I was thinking about buying some plastic ball shells.. 1.75 inch.

But i was wondering there has to be some downsides to the plastic shells compared to the paper shells right?

Can anyone help and describe the complications i may face!

Thanks

[Xtreme Pyro]

I was thinking about buying some plastic ball shells.. 1.75 inch.

But i was wondering there has to be some downsides to the plastic shells compared to the paper shells right?

Can anyone help and describe the complications i may face!

Thanks

 

There are both good and bad things about paper and plastic shells. When a plastic shell breaks it usually breaks into sharp little fragments which can hurt someone in the case of a low break or the like. The nice thing about plastic shells is the ease of construction, there is no pasting needed, they can be snapped together and taped with a few wraps of strapping tape. With the right burst charge you can get acceptable breaks with them.

 

The downside of paper is you have to paste the shell to build up the diameter of the shell so it properly fits the mortar. However pasting gives it better confinement which in turn, gives you a better break. I prefer paper though, because unlike plastic, paper is biodegradable, and in my opinion you get better breaks from paper. If it were up to me I would go with paper. It is really just a personal preference, just go with what you feel comfortable with. Hope this helps!

Edited November 2, 2010 by Xtreme Pyro

[ghost808]

There are both good and bad things about paper and plastic shells. When a plastic shell breaks it usually breaks into sharp little fragments which can hurt someone in the case of a low break or the like. The nice thing about plastic shells is the ease of construction, there is no pasting needed, they can be snapped together and taped with a few wraps of strapping tape. With the right burst charge you can get acceptable breaks with them.

 

The downside of paper is you have to paste the shell to build up the diameter of the shell so it properly fits the mortar. However pasting gives it better confinement which in turn, gives you a better break. I prefer paper though, because unlike plastic, paper is biodegradable, and in my opinion you get better breaks from paper. If it were up to me I would go with paper. It is really just a personal preference, just go with what you feel comfortable with. Hope this helps!

 

Thanks )

Yeah i am really lazy when it comes to pasting. I just never got around to buying the plastics. Perhaps i'll just stick with paper. Now that you mention the fragments too... I'm a bit scared to use plastic haha. Even though the chances are slim of someone getting hurt its always a possibilty and i really don't want that on my conscience.

[Arthur]

Plastic makes small shards which you should clear up, paper makes shredded paper which rots into the ground so it's easier!

The technique of bursting the plastic shells is different from bursting paper ones so you need to perfect one of them.

[WSM]

Plastic is easy, BUT paper is aesthetically pleasing, biodegradable, doesn't leave sharp plastic trash on the ground for eons, easier to manipulate, less expensive to produce, easier to DIY from scratch and overall a nicer option. I divested myself of most of my plastic casings a long time ago, but have been collecting paper products for a lot longer. Obviously, I vote PAPER!

WSM

[dagabu]

Paper for me, once I made my first canister shell, I wondered why I ever used plastic in the first place.

 

-D

[50AE]

I've never used plastic, but by viewing the results other people get from it, I'm quite disappointed. Most excuse themselves because of the less labour, but this is not an excuse for me. Make something spending no matter what time, but make it correctly, or make nothing. Edited November 2, 2010 by 50AE

[davis050594]

I saw a bunch of 3 and 4" plastic shells shot the other night and they broke better than a lot of the chinese paper shells that were shot. The maker just used good glue to close them up. He broke them with bp on hulls and a booster.

[dagabu]

I saw a bunch of 3 and 4" plastic shells shot the other night and they broke better than a lot of the chinese paper shells that were shot. The maker just used good glue to close them up. He broke them with bp on hulls and a booster.

 

Whats good glue? Even MEK will cause the shell to break at places other then the seam.

[pyroguy1960]

I started on plastic because of ease of construction, I was able to get decent breaks with BP on hulls and a 70/30 flash boost. However the results were very inconsistent, even with shells made the same exact way, some would break nice others wouldn't, probably because of minor variations in the amount of boost.

 

I've switched to all paper now and am much happier with the consistent results I'm able to achieve with KP or other perchlorate burst. I hate working with flash and it was alot of extra effort to keep having to add something to the burst to get decent breaks.

 

A member of my audience did get hit with a plastic shard as well, it wasn't a big deal as it was just falling, but still doesn't instill much confidence in audiences that already think I'm a crazy idiot for building what they call "Bombs".

 

Seems like everyone's general consensus is if you build your own fireworks you're asking for trouble. Even though you know there are many safety precautions that are taken to make the process relatively safe, probably the idiots building pipe bombs on you tube that are giving legitimate amateur shell builders bad press.

 

 

[Algenco]

Paper! I even enjoy pasting, and I do it the old fashion way with pasted paper

 

I made 15- 3" and 5-4" over the weekend, they look to good to shoot

[dagabu]

Paper! I even enjoy pasting, and I do it the old fashion way with pasted paper

 

I made 15- 3" and 5-4" over the weekend, they look to good to shoot

 

Pictures? Please?

[davis050594]

Whats good glue? Even MEK will cause the shell to break at places other then the seam.

I want to say it was something cement. I think he said rubber cement, but I'm not 100% sure. He said he coats his hulls with a booster, I assume that is a major factor in the good breaks.

[NightHawkInLight]

I'm a paper guy. That said, go for plastic for those tiny shells. It's a waste of your time to be pasting 1.75" shells. Buy paper hemis when you start building 3"+. Edited November 3, 2010 by NightHawkInLight

[WSM]

I'm a paper guy. That said, go for plastic for those tiny shells. It's a waste of your time to be pasting 1.75" shells. Buy paper hemis when you start building 3"+.

 

Well, I guess doing those ity-bity shells must be a Zen thing; I find it relaxing .

 

WSM

[Algenco]

Well, I guess doing those ity-bity shells must be a Zen thing; I find it relaxing .

 

WSM

 

 

So do I! I enjoy pasting shells.

30lb kraft wheat paste w/ sodium silicate & a little sodium salicilate, I can set and do it for hours

[AdmiralDonSnider]

I´ve never tried plastic, but heard that a different break setup is necessary for best results. I figure that it´s hard to adjust the casing when using plastic parts, like you do it in case of paper with just optimizing the amount of layers used for a specific charge.

 

I don´t like the fallout either.