koobee

So I have been working on getting... "professional"... appearance to my fountains. I have been using parlon stars in a bp based fountain and have had decent results, they kinda look... unintelligent. You know, the kind of fountain that really functions, but seems just kinda... bad. I know I am doing a terrible job of explaining. The stars light, but I want to know how big to make the stars and how much I should put in the bp composition to give the fountain a full effect. Any small formulas for stars, or meathods would help, and if this is already a thouroughly discussed topic please refer me to the proper article and I will remove the post.
Thanks all!

I've been experimenting with small shells for a few years now with little to no success. Recently I began using a different type of star and my results have become much much better. I am using parlon based stars with a 70/30 mix of MEK and Acetone for solvent. Sprinkle a generous amount of your favorite prime on a piece of tin foil, next add the solvent to a parlon based formula untill a very thick consistency is aquired. Place this thick glob of composition on the tin foil in the center of the prime. Then add more prime (generously) to the top side of the composition and place a second piece of foil on the top so the order is as follows:
Foil>Prime>Star Comp>Prime>Foil
This keeps the very thick and friendly comp from sticking (in a very stubborn manner) to the foil. Spread evenly and cut the stars. You can also spray the topside prime lightly to ensure the prime sticks well. These stars will dry VERY fast and are very sensitive to heat. I tested some out and they caught fire almost instantaneously from a simple match, and in a shell they are extremely reliable. For others who are having the same issue, try using some magnesium parlon stars. They are very reliable and bright. I've noticed that parlon stars are also very difficult to blow out, so for really really hard breaks, try these! Any parlon star should produce similar results. Let me know if this helps anyone! Or if anyone has any questions, comments, and what not!

When the shell breaks softly it helps accent the inserts, that way when it soflty pops the inserts will have more hang time and their effect will be noticed much more. So yes, go for a softer break.

I asume that the peoples in Home Depot would be familiar with the term damp rid... Is this so?

I thought you just had this problem.... Well what are you using to mill the powder? How long are you milling it, how large are the barrels, how much do you fill them, and how much media do you use? If anything adding more oxidizer would speed up the bp. Charcoal can slow the mix if you have too much, but sulfur and kno3 would normally speed it up. It would seem to me that your bp isn't getting milled properly.