pyroduck7

hi i have some three inch shells ready for nov 5th but last year i did one and it bascially rolled out of the morter and went over the fence ( into a woods) and exploded there, litterally scimmed over the fence, this is my upmost fear ever since then i have put into the shells more than enough lift powder, but im just wondering - how much is too much? like what willl fllwerpot theshell#/ also i dont want to to bee too loud (naouboes probbley wont of herd that many cat4shells going off yards from there windows hahah) i know that the avg percentage ammount of bp to shell ratio is usally arround 10 - 12.5 percent but i have loaded up the shells with like 30 - 38 percent of the shells weight! ov corse safty is paramount but could my fearof putting too littlelift in a shell is a hazzord? i dont want a flour pot but nor do i want anouther innsadent of last year, i could do a dummy shell , with say - 15percent of the shell weight and just use a tenniss ball full with the respective weight in dirt?

please tell me your thoughts on this matter, and sorry if im making anouther post on what has alredddy been coverd, but i couldent find any!

now i know there not STRICTLY pyrotechnics but, has anyone ever made them? because i think that £5 each is verry deere! i used to practise oraigmi and i know how to make this like hollow ball , i fix a peice of wire onto it, and then secure a BBQ fire starter brick onto the bottom of it, (exactly like a hot air balloon) and then thats lighted and the heat compells the contraption to fly high into the air! ...or thats how its ment to work. has anyone ever made one before? or do you have any idears? il keep you posted abbout how it goes, i think that if it works thay will be quite elagent in the sky.

pyroduck7 ~

what are people doing for the 5th? is everyone just going to buy crappy rip off fireworks (with respect) or is anyone going to make anything?

im going to a show, and im makeing a few 3" shells and some rockets.

what you doing?

to anyone who wants blackmatch or quickmatch please contact me because im selling it - practually however much you need i can supply.

also selling up to 2kg of kno3

well,

iv made what i think is a mix of a sun and planets and a Chrysanthemum shell. i have 4 1" shells in the top hemi-sphere there tigertail stars and tigertail, but with some magnielum and aluminum added (for extra sparks)

and stats (tigertail and tigertail with the metal powder added) in all the gaps, then a tissuepaper ball full of bp lift and a bit of wistle mix, on the bottom hemi-sphere its just stars, (same as before) then a tissuepaper ball full of bp lift and meal, i snaped it shut (it only just mannged to fit together) the fuse is 3 peices of 2mm visco (3 peices because its a gaint fuse hole!) and then papertape round that untill its in the break, and hot guled in place.

the lift (its not going to be in lift cup yet because its hydroscopic) is going to be gold powder and black powder, its been milled and i have done some tests and im useing it as a verry fine grains and it launched a 6.3g thing (i used a tomattoe with a fuse in it) it launched that abbout 25ft - 30ft with abbout 2g so i was thinking for my 100.5g shell i was going to use 35 - 40g lift?

iv only ever done a 2" shell and thay where going up on rockets , other that the only shells iv succeffley launched are 1"' shells

my lift seems to work on them - but it is a lot different

im useing a 3" morter from pyroworx (its a profettional one)

please ANY comments or tips on how to improve would help me iv tryed to put in as much detail as i can (oh its a plastic shell by the way)