3 replies to this topic

[tiger tiger burning bright]

hey everybody, this is my first post.

My project for the week is to make a working one ball roman candle with both willow and tiger tail stars.

I have all the materials:

-lift powder
-dried stars
-black match
-cardboard tubes and plugs

but how do I put it together?

how much lift powder should I use?

how long should the tube be and what width?

is their any particular safety concerns involving roman candles I should know about?

what kind of granulation should the lift powder be at?

[Sparkler]

1.Build it like this http://members.aol.c...rk/acandle.html

2. Depends on the star weight and size but usally in the 1 gram range.

3.The width of the tube should be about the same with as the star. Make it about
12in for you first candle. (Assuming that your using 1/2 in stars)

The stars should be pumped or round. Cut stars have the habit of getting jammed in the tube and buring in the tube. I like to use 2fg granulation for my lift.

[Creepin_pyro]

There are different types of roman candles, and ways of constructing them. From the sawdust and visco method to a complex arrangement of felt wadding, Jaopanese time fuse, and paper discs. You are probably better off searching for "Roman candle projects" or something on Google, as there are many guides out there on the web!

The lift needed will vary depending on how well the star fits in the tube, the weight of star, quality of lift powder, length of tube, and how high you want the star to go. As Sparkler says, usually about 1 g.

Asking how long the tube should be is a little vague. This depends on how many stars you want to shoot. A ten star tube will be much longer than a one star tube. There is a table relating to this in Weingart's Pyrotechnics - I could fish it out if you really want.

[lord_dranack]

Bernie gave a good guide in the forum projects section of this site