Here’s your link for Turbo Pyro:

http://www.turbopyro.com

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I DON’T KNOW WHETHER YOU HEARD THIS YET
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I’ve added *more* stuff to Turbo Pyro. I want to make sure you have fun with your projects, so I added a bonus Smoke Bomb Kit and project–Making Jumbo Smoke Canisters eBook (including videos).

Be sure and get online fast and place your order. Again, there are only 400 Turbo Pyro Supplies Kits available.

Grab yours here:

http://www.turbopyro.com

P. S. You get instant access to the Turbo Pyro eBook and the Smoke-Making eBook right after you order.

P. P. S. Be sure ahead of time your credit card has enough $$ left on it to make the charge. Otherwise you may miss out. (V, MC, Amex, Disc.)

Harry

Turbo Pyro goes LIVE at 12:00 Noon Eastern time today, June 19th is a post from: Confessions of a Fireworks Man

Now and then on the pyro discussion lists someone will bring up the subject of zinc stars. Usually several folks will chime in with, “Oh, man, those stars are some of my favorites, so subtle and beautiful.”

In Chapter 15 on Fireworks, of Alexander Hardt’s Pyrotechnics, (this chapter written by Barry Bush after Dr. Hardt’s death), it is stated, “Good zinc stars are blue-green with tails of delicate gold, and seem rather exotic today.”

This is a color star where the color is produced by an elemental metal, rather than a metallic salt, such as when a blue is produced with a copper oxide or carbonate. So, this blue-green color star may be among the oldest firework star colors that were produced.

Back in the early 90’s when I first started making stars, there was not much fireworking information available. I was able to get my hands on a copy of the then recently reprinted Pyrotechnics, by George Weingart. Some of my first star-making efforts were based on a few of the formulae contained in that book, and perhaps my favorite of them was the Granite Star.

An added bonus is that this is one of the easiest cut stars to make that I’ve tried.

(The percentages, because of number rounding, actually add up to 101%, but that’s OK, and they’ll work just fine. The percentages of each individual chemical in the star composition are calculated by taking the original number of parts of that chemical, say 14 parts of KNO3, and dividing that number by the total number of parts, 64.5 in this case. 14/64.5=.217, which can be rounded to .22, which is 22 hundredths or 22%.)

Note: You may be saying to yourself, “I wonder why he’s including those decimal numbers after the percentage numbers.” I’ll show ya in a minute. The decimals are much more useful than the percentages.

Harry Gilliam, in the last blog post, published the formulae that he inherited from the Kosankes when he purchased the business that became Skylighter. In that list of formulae is one called Pearl, and it is a slightly different version of a zinc star:

I always like to look at star formulae and see how they differ from each other. It can be seen that the second formula uses less zinc powder, more KNO3, and slightly more charcoal, sulfur and dextrin.

There is a formula in Hardt’s book that is similar to the Kosanke formula above, but the zinc is increased to 45%, and some Meal D black powder is used in it, as well as potassium nitrate, charcoal and dextrin.

I, personally, have only made zinc stars using the first formula, from Weingart, the Granite Star.

In a recent discussion in the Passfire.com Forum, a fellow fireworker, who has worked quite a bit with this star, recommended that the charcoal used in the formula be half airfloat and half 80 mesh. This improves the charcoal tail that the star leaves behind as it burns. Back in the ’90’s when I made the star, I’d only use airfloat, so this is another area of experimentation as an individual fine tunes the formula to his own personal tastes.

These stars light easily, especially when made as cut stars with all the corners and edges to take and hold fire, so I’ve always just primed them with a “scratch-mixed” (mixed by hand, no milling) black powder prime, simply screened through a 40 mesh screen.

Note: This is simply 75/15/10, KNO3/charcoal/sulfur (the classic black powder proportions), with an additional 5 parts of dextrin added as a binder (additional 5%). One of the few formulae that I can always remember off the top of my head is the 15/3/2/1 parts proportion of this composition. If I want to make 21 ounces of prime, I simply weigh out 15/3/2/1 ounces of each chemical and screen them together.

This is a very heavy and dense star, perhaps the heaviest I have ever made. (I haven’t made stars using gold powder yet!) A 4″ ball shell will use a little less than a pound of these primed stars. A 4″ mine would use about the same amount. In my small-scale, hobbyist fireworking endeavors, I actually like making stars a pound at a time, especially when experimenting with new formulae.

Using the first formula, above:

Component	Decimal		Batch Weight		Weight
Potassium Nitrate	0.22	x	16 oz.	=	3.5 oz.
Zinc dust	0.62	x	16 oz.	=	9.9 oz.
Fine charcoal	0.11	x	16 oz.	=	1.75 oz.
Sulfur	0.04	x	16 oz.	=	0.65 oz.
Dextrin	0.02	x	16 oz.	=	0.3 oz.
Totals	1.01	x	16 oz.	=	16.1 oz.

Now do ya see how handy those decimals are? Of course, any final batch size can be plugged in instead of the 16 oz. A 32 oz. batch, or a 100 gram batch, can be calculated just as easily.

The charcoal can be all airfloat, or it can be half-and-half airfloat and 80 mesh, as mentioned above.

What the heck is zinc, anyway? I don’t know about you, but zinc is not one of those chemicals I’m all that familiar with. In the back of my head all I kinda knew about zinc was that it was coated onto the steel garbage cans of my youth to keep them from rusting. Galvanization they called it. Same stuff that’s on the steel ductwork leading to and from my furnace. I actually had to look zinc up to verify that it is, indeed, an element like gold and copper. Shows ya how much of a chemist I am.

An interesting thing about the zinc powder that we use in Granite Stars is that it doesn’t stay powder for long. It forms clumps. Either at the supply house, or in our storage, zinc powder will become zinc clumps, because it oxidizes in moist air.

Unless these clumps have been allowed to harden for years, they can be broken up simply by rubbing them on a 100 mesh screen. I recently received a shipment of zinc dust which had formed these clumps, and I was quickly able to return the metal to a dust through my screen.

Note: Zinc is reportedly not toxic, but I can tell you from experience that it is irritating if it is inhaled during the above screening process, or during the manufacture of zinc stars. I mean Really Irritating in the nasal passages. I’m not saying this as some kind of CYA. Wear a good respirator when working with zinc dust. Really, no kidding.

I use a good, $25 respirator, from Home Depot which is rated for fine dusts as well as fumes.

Zinc stars burn relatively slowly, and if they are made too large they will burn all the way to the ground, especially if used in a mine. Therefore, I like to make the stars a bit on the small side. For 4″ shells and mines, I like to cut the stars 5/16″ square, and once they are primed they end up being about 3/8″ square. For a more dense spray of stars, they could even be cut 1/4″ and this would work well for smaller shells as well.

I am working outdoors and away from any sources of ignition.

I have screened 21 oz. of my BP prime through my 40 mesh screen and I have it in a closed container. I always keep every flammable composition in closed containers until they are actually being used. This minimizes the amount of exposed materials in case there is a stray spark or fire.

I have screened my 9.9 oz. of zinc through my 100 mesh screen.

I weigh the rest of my chemicals into individual containers, add them all together with the zinc, and screen the complete star composition 3 times through my 40 mesh screen to completely pulverize and mix the components.

Then I weigh the composition in a plastic bucket to make sure that it totals up to the 16.1 ounces of weight that it should, thereby insuring that I didn’t make any mistakes when weighing the individual chemicals, or leave one out completely. This step can prevent a lot of mistakes and wasted chemicals.

I put a lid on the bucket and shake it to further mix the ingredients.

Then, with rubber-gloved hands, I start to work water into the composition until workable putty is developed. It’s OK to start adding water out of a jug a little at a time, until the composition starts to get dampened. But, the final increments of water ought to be added by spraying it out of a little, plastic spray bottle. This prevents the addition of too much water, which makes for a pain in the butt. It’s always easier to add a bit more water than it is to remove a little.

As I add the water, the comp will clump-up, form a hard ball, and finally, when enough water has been worked in, it forms a nice, workable ball of dough which will flatten out smoothly when patted with a hand. My one-pound batch of star-comp required 2.6 ounces of water to get to this point, which is about an additional 16% (0.16) by weight.

I have two, 14″ x 17,” 3/8″ thick, black-plastic cutting boards from Kmart or Target that I use to cut stars on. I’ll take one of the cutting boards, cover it with wax-paper, put the star dough-ball on it, and put 5/16″ spacer dowels on either side of the comp.

Then I’ll flatten the ball by hand a bit and cover it with another piece of wax paper. Then, using a rolling pin or a rocket tube, I’ll further flatten the comp until it’s just as thick as the spacer dowels, 5/16″ in this case.

Now, the top piece of wax paper is removed and set aside, and the spacers are removed, too. The tub of star-prime is opened and some of it is evenly dusted onto the pancake using a small cup or a measuring spoon.

The piece of wax paper is replaced on top of the pancake. Then fold the edges of the bottom and top pieces of paper together a couple of inches.

You’ll see how helpful this step is in a minute. Then place the other cutting board on top of it all, press down a bit to compress the prime onto the pancake, and lift both cutting boards and flip them over, keeping the folded edges of the wax paper down so that the loose prime can’t fall out from between the pieces of paper.

Remove the top cutting board and the top piece of wax paper. Now, dust the exposed side of the pancake with prime so that both sides have been coated in the prime.

Now we’re ready to do some star-cutting. I love the knife that a fellow pyro turned me onto years ago, that I use for cutting stars. It’s a thin-bladed, very sharp, very straight edged, meat-slicing knife from McMaster-Carr. It costs $26 nowadays, and is part number 3851A11.

I cut and filed off the little plastic handle extension that hung down below the edge of the blade so that I could press the blade all the way down to the cutting board.

I start cutting the pancake of star comp into strips 5/16″ wide, sliding the strips aside and flipping them over so that the primed edges are against each successive strip.

Note: The star comp can try to stick to the knife during this process. If a strip is clinging to the knife, it’s easy to raise the knife a bit and rap its end on the cutting board, knocking the strip downward and off of it.

Then I sprinkle more prime on the strips, put the wax paper on the strips, fold over the edges of the two layers of paper again, put on the other cutting board, and flip the whole deal, keeping the folded paper edges down again. The top cutting board is removed as well as the top piece of paper, and that side of the strips is now dusted with prime.

Star prime is your friend in this process, and later on when you use the stars in a device. Don’t use it sparingly. Use it liberally. Bam. Just like that cooking guy, what’s his name? Emeril, yeah, that’s it.

The strips are now cut into 5/16″ cubes, with the rows of cubes being flipped over as much as possible to keep primed edges touching each other.

Now, it’s easy to raise the edges of the wax paper and roll the stars onto each other, breaking up any that are clinging to each other, and fully coating all the cut sides with prime.

I like to dump the whole mess into a large plastic container, swirl them around a bit, and lightly spritz the stars with the water sprayer until they have fully gathered all of the star prime onto themselves. If I get them a little too wet, I add more prime, until a nice, thick, consolidated layer is on them.

In this instance, this one-pound batch of 5/16″ stars used 6 ounces of the star prime.

Note: The above process is actually the beginnings of a simple, hand-rolled, round star production method. In a future article I’ll use 1/8″ zinc stars as the cores upon which to roll some round charcoal stars. These zinc stars make easy-to-handle, dense star cores for this procedure.

Then I spread the stars out onto a drying screen to dry in the warm air, or to be put into the drying chamber detailed in the Project Plans on the Skylighter website.

For purely scientific reasons, and not at all because I was impatient to see these babies in action, as soon as the stars were dry, which took about a week in the open air, or a few days in the drying chamber, I took a few of them out and fired them out of the star testing gun. Man, they are purty!

Note: the 5/16″ stars, which ended up being about 3/8″ including the prime, worked well in the 1/2″ star-gun tube, and required a flat 1/8 teaspoon-full of FFG sporting grade black powder to lift them. I also have some 1/2″ stars which work well in the 5/8″ tube, and require a heaping 1/8″ teaspoon of the lift powder.

Since cut stars may not drop smoothly into the star-gun tubes because of their edges and corners, I use a thin dowel to push them down into the tube and to make sure they are seated against the lift powder.

In the next blog article, I’ll be using these stars to make a really nicely performing 4″ plastic ball shell. I hope you can hang around for it.

See ya then, and Stay Green,

Ned

How to Make Wonderful Zinc Firework Stars is a post from: Confessions of a Fireworks Man

14 Great Cut Star Formulas is a post from: Confessions of a Fireworks Man

Cut stars are the simplest and easiest stars to make. They are generally also the cheapest. One can make large quantities of cut stars in a short space of time. Cut stars can be made with or without special tools or equipment. Cut stars can be used in:

• shells
• rockets
• mines
• fountains

Small cut stars can also be used as cores for making round stars. These are typically small cubes with sides about one eighth of an inch in length. Cut stars are not the best choice for Roman candles. For those, round or cylindrical (pumped) stars are better.

There are a variety of different ways to make cut stars. Some use a frame specifically designed for cut star making. Other simpler ways dispense with frames entirely. Both methods are discussed here.

The materials needed to make cut stars are dependent on the formula used and on the formula of the prime if a prime is used. The most popular type of prime used is meal powder, which is black powder in fine powder form rather than in granules. It is generally recommended that stars be primed. An exception to this rule is chlorate stars, which usually do not need priming, and are rarely primed with black powder.

Some kraft paper is needed to line certain types of star frames. One gallon zip-lock bags are useful if one is mixing just one or two pounds of star mix.

Another useful material is a roll of waxed paper, the type normally found in the kitchen.

The barest minimum one needs to make cut stars is:

• mixing bowl
• mixing spoon or spatula
• rolling pin (if a frame is not used)
• knife
• mallet
• scale for measuring quantities

A 20-mesh mixing sieve is nice to have when mixing the dry ingredients. Although most firework makers consider a mixing sieve to be absolutely essential, I beg to differ with them. A good mix can be got without a sieve but normally takes longer. Sieving can also cause certain very fine powders such as lampblack and bismuth trioxide to agglomerate into tiny balls.

A star frame (or set of frames) is a good investment if you are planning to make large quantities of cut stars. The process is quicker and more accurate with a good star frame.

Before describing the steps in making cut stars, an important consideration needs to be borne in mind: Small is beautiful.

Whether you are a beginner or a pro the clever way to make cut stars using a new untried formula is to make very small quantities in the beginning. These small quantities of stars are tested to determine how well the stars perform before larger quantities are used. One way is to make a small quantity of star mix and burn it in a small lance tube. Another way is to make a very small batch of stars without a star frame, then dry and test these. This method gives a better test but takes a lot longer because the stars need to dry out before use.

Add the solvent by slowly pouring or spray-misting it into the dry mix while stirring continuously, or working it in with your hands. Both these actions are important to ensure good mixing. If the solvent is added too quickly or the mix not stirred thoroughly, separation of the ingredients can occur. Here lighter materials will tend to float on the surface of the solvent and soluble materials can be dissolved and separated from surrounding materials.

The trick in making good cut stars is to ensure that the wet mix is neither too dry nor too wet. The consistency should be that of putty or modeling clay. To get to this point, slowly add the solvent while continuing to stir the mix. If too much solvent ends up being added, add some dry material to get the mix back to its proper consistency.

Cut stars are often primed just after they are cut. Many prefer this method because it simplifies the operation. You do not have to prime your cut stars at this stage. You can prime them after they have dried.

So much for the general discussion on cut stars. The above is put into practice by actually doing a cut star project. Here is how you go about it.

Weigh out the dry ingredients to yield approximately one pound of dry mix.

Mix the dry ingredients by first sieving (if you have a sieve) and then by stirring them together in a bowl. When the dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed place about 75% of them on a one gallon zip-lock plastic bag. A one gallon freezer bag is ideal. Keep the other dry 25% to one side.

Measure out the solvent used by weight. If you know its density you can measure it by volume and then convert this volume to weight. A rough guide to the amount of solvent needed is between five and ten percent of the weight of the dry ingredients.

Add the solvent to the dry materials in the zip-lock bag.

Knead the materials inside the zip-lock bag by squeezing them with one or both hands as shown in Figure 1.

When the material inside the bag is thoroughly mixed take out a small handful for testing. Close your hand around it, and squeeze it. It should hold its shape, and no water should come out between your fingers. If the sample crumbles add more solvent. If it is too wet add some of the dry ingredients you set aside. Note the sample shown in Figure 2 is a bit too wet.

Star frames enable you to make cut stars more accurately and can yield stars that are physically stronger because you are able to compress the mix more. However, you can make adequate cut stars without a frame by doing the following:

Take the mix out of the plastic bag and place it on some wax paper on your working surface (table, workbench, etc.).

Knead the mix with your hands and form it into one solid lump.

Press down on the mix with the palms of your hands until it forms a large patty about an inch thick.

Roll the mix flatter with a rolling pin until you reach the desired star thickness.

One way you can more accurately get a consistent thickness is to get two strips of wood the thickness you desire and place them on the work surface spaced apart about two inches less than the length of the rolling pin. Place the lump of mix midway between the two strips of wood. Then flatten the lump first with your hands and then with the rolling pin running along the two strips of wood.

Some hardware stores sell square strips of wood in sizes like 1/4″ and 3/8″ often in the wooden dowels section.

When you have flattened the mix to the required thickness cut the stars according to the instructions in step 4.

This section describes how to use the star frame shown. This star frame has a compression lid that enables you to press the mix by putting pressure on the lid. Star frames that differ from this design will require slightly different methods. But the same basic principles apply to all star frames.

Cut two pieces of kraft paper into squares to fit the inside of the star frame. Remove the lid from the frame and place one of the pieces of paper inside the frame so that it lines its bottom. I have used very thick kraft paper here, almost as thick as thin cardboard. If you are using thinner paper then use two sheets to line the bottom.

Remove the material from the plastic bag and spoon it into the star frame. Disperse the material evenly around the frame using either a spoon or a spatula as shown in figure 3. When the materials are properly dispersed, place the other square of kraft paper on top of the material.

Replace the lid of the frame and press down on the frame by leaning on it as shown in Figure 4.

Hammer on the lid with a rubber mallet to compress the material even more as shown in Figure 5.

Remove the lid from the frame and then separate the frame from its bottom. The star mix will be compressed to a flat plate as shown in Figure 6.

Slide the slab of star mix onto a cutting board as shown in Figure 7.

Fireworks makers have their individual preferences when cutting cut stars. Some prefer to immediately slice the slab into strips; others prefer to mark out the strips as equally-spaced lines on the slab before cutting. This second method helps you to get better consistency in star sizes, and is the method shown here in Figure 8.

Continuing the strip marking method, mark the slab into cubes before cutting as shown in Figure 9.

Finally, cut into individual cubes as shown in Figure 10.

The above method describes using the star frame with about a pound of mix. This is about enough to make the single slab shown. Using more mix, such as four to five pounds gives you a brick rather than a thin slab. Here you cut the brick into slabs first. This procedure is described in more detail in a later section.

For most applications, it’s best to prime your stars. This section describes the preferred method on how to prime stars. It is the “preferred method” because it is the safest method. It is called the “diaper method.”

Place the stars in the middle of a large sheet of paper as shown in Figure 11.

Note: Newspaper is often used for this purpose.

Pour some prime mix over the stars.

Pick up one corner of the sheet of paper and move it towards the other corner, rolling the stars over in the prime mix in the process as shown in Figure 12.

Repeat this process with the opposite corner and then with the two other corners until the stars are thoroughly coated with prime.

Having got this far, taking great care to do everything properly, it seems a crying shame that one’s cut stars can end up being a dismal flop. Unhappily they can, due mostly to that very common human weakness – impatience. Having made presentable looking stars, you now want to try them out. It can take days to properly dry out stars and there is the natural tendency to want to speed this process up.

Most speed-up drying processes have a tendency to degrade the performance of the stars or dry them on the outside while trapping moisture or solvent on the inside. Others are downright dangerous! Do not try to dry stars near an open fire, in an oven, nor in a microwave oven. Do not dry them in direct sunlight, which can trap moisture inside (“driven-in” moisture). Ultraviolet radiation and heat from direct sunlight has caused some star mixes to spontaneously ignite!

The best way to dry stars is to place them on a screen in a shady, well-ventilated area outdoors. What you want is air moving over the stars; heat is not necessary.

Warning: Locate your drying stars in a safe place. If they were to ignite spontaneously, where would you want them to be? The best practice is to try and anticipate what the worst case situation would be and take preventive measures accordingly. I cannot overemphasize this enough: drying stars can and do self-ignite!

Figure 13 Stars Drying on Window Screen

How Not to Dry Stars Do NOT place stars in a microwave oven Do NOT place stars in a conventional oven Do NOT place stars in toaster oven Do NOT place stars near an open fire Do NOT place stars on a hot surface Do NOT blow hot air on the stars Do NOT place stars in direct sunlight

Patience is the key to ensuring that your stars dry properly. Typically stars take a few days to dry out. Some large stars that absorb a lot of moisture while being made can take a few weeks of drying before they are properly dried.

How do you know when the stars are dry and ready for use? One way of finding out is to weigh the stars. The total weight of the stars plus any left over dry material and pieces of star scrap should weigh approximately the same as the original dry mix did. While some might put a lot of faith in this method, the real world dictates that this will only get you into the ballpark. Inaccuracies are inevitable because some material will always be lost in the star making process. Another factor is that some pyrotechnic mixes tend to retain a small percentage of the solvent used. A typical example is black powder that can retain between 0.3% and 1% of water. Commercial black powder that I have tested has contained between 0.4% and 1.2% of water.

The above two inaccuracies work against each other and it is possible that in certain circumstances they cancel each other out.

A simple way you can test a star to find out if it is dry or nearly dry is to try and crush it between your thumb and forefinger. If the star crumbles easily it is far too wet. If it crumbles only with difficulty or does not crumble at all, the star is either dry or close to being dry.

If your stars have passed the second test, the next step is to place a star on a hard surface and hit it lightly with a hammer until it breaks. Do NOT use a steel hammer as this can cause sparks that could ignite the star. Use a mallet or a hammer made from leather, brass, aluminum, rubber, or plastic. Note than plastic hammers are often steel hammers that are encased in plastic. These are fine to use because the steel cannot come into contact with anything else.

If you tap your star with a hammer and it just crumbles to powder it is probably still moist. Dry stars are usually rock hard and rarely crumble easily. An exception to this rule is if you have a mix with large particles and insufficient binder.

The next test is to actually light a star (or number of stars) and see how they perform. You can perform a quick “ground” test by placing the star on a non-combustible surface such as a brick, stone, or cinder block and lighting it. For safety’s sake do not use a regular match or cigarette lighter to light the star. I learned this the hard way when I literally burned my fingers. You can buy a variety of extra-length matches that are three inches long or even longer. Some charcoal lighters have a short barrel that keeps the flame a distance of about six inches (or even longer) away from one’s hand. These are another good choice. They are inexpensive and are often sold in supermarkets.

Lighting a star on the ground can tell you if the star is dry enough, but does not give a clear picture as to how the star will perform when flying through the air.

The ultimate test for your stars is, of course, in the actual device you are using them in. However, it’s good to know up front if you stars are likely to perform properly before committing a lot of time, effort, and perhaps money in making a lot of stars and loading them into your rockets, shells, mines or whatever else you are using them for. An easy way to perform such a test is to use a star gun. You can either purchase one or make your own. More information on testing and using star guns can be found in the Skylighter Project Plans:

Some fireworks makers prefer to prime their stars after they have dried out. Others choose to prime their stars only if the star gun tests or actual applications in devices such as shells demonstrate the need for prime. Fortunately it’s an easy matter to prime dry stars.

The trick in priming dry stars is to coat them with just enough solvent to cause the prime to stick to the star. This is rarely achieved by dipping the stars in the solvent. The best way to thinly coat the stars with solvent is to spray the stars with a misting bottle and using a fine mist. It’s best to adjust the nozzle of the sprayer and test it on something other than the stars before spraying the stars. The wet stars are then primed as described before in step 5 and then dried following the normal drying procedure. As you are only drying prime, the drying process should be over quite quickly.

Cut stars are typically used in shells, rockets, mines and fountains. You can find out more about these by following these links:

Sizes of cut stars used in round shells

How to use cut stars in mines

One very important safety rule when making fireworks is to clean up after you have finished your project. The preferred way to clean up scrap star mix is to burn it. This includes scrap that has stuck in small quantities to pieces of kraft paper, etc. Ensure that any burning is done in a safe manner where all the necessary precautions are taken to ensure that nothing else can be accidentally burned in the process.

The “Small is Beautiful” slogan applies especially in safety. The larger the amount of materials you are working with the less safe you are. Larger amounts mean more chance of having an accident and the greater the consequences of the accident. However, there are other issues you need to pay attention to. Large amounts of wet star compositions can, depending on the circumstances, heat up and unpredictably create a fire. This has happened to more than one very experienced fireworks maker, resulting in severe-to-fatal burns! Don’t let it happen to you.

Safety also applies to storage. Never store your stars or any other fireworks mixture in glass containers. Use paper, cardboard, or plastic bags. Do not mix different types of stars when storing them. “Small is beautiful” also applies to storage. The larger the quantity stored, the less safe it is. Also, ten pounds of stars stored in ten one-pound containers is safer than ten pounds stored in a single larger container.

It goes without saying that your stars must be stored in a place where they cannot be ignited from any source of ignition such as an open flame, a space heater, etc. Regardless of whether you have a BATFE license or not, you are legally required to store your stars in a magazine which conforms to BATFE regulations.

The just-described project showed you how to make cut stars using a particular type of star frame or no frame at all if you chose the method described in step 2. The star frame used in the project above had a bottom plate and a lid. Some star frames come with neither. Here are pictures of the star frame used in the project and some others.

Shown in Figure 14 is the star frame described in the project. In the top left-hand side is the lid, followed by the frame and its bottom plate.

Shown in Figure 15 is the “baby brother” of the star frame shown above. This star frame is smaller and its lid and bottom plate are identical.

This is about the simplest star frame one can get. It has four sides with no lid or bottom plate.

The star frame shown in Figure 16 is very simple and easy to make. Because it has no bottom plate or lid it requires a slightly different technique in making stars. One such technique is to cut two strips of kraft paper the internal width of the frame (5.5″) and about 20 inches long.

Lay the pieces of kraft paper perpendicular to each other across the top of the frame so that their centers are in line with the center of the frame.

Press the centers of the pieces of paper down into the frame and scoop the star mix into the frame.

When all the mix is in the frame press it down so that it is flat as possible and then fold the pieces of kraft paper that are sticking out of the frame over the top of the mix.

Get a piece of two-by-four about eight to ten inches long and press down hard on the top of the mix, moving the two-by-four all over the frame.

Tap down hard on the mix with the two-by-four to compress it as much as possible.

Grab the frame and lift it so that the paper-wrapped “brick” of star mix slides out of the frame.

Pull the paper away from the sides of the brick and cut it into slices like one would do with a loaf of bread. Dice the slices into cubes as described in the project.

How to Make Cut Firework Stars in an Hour or Less is a post from: Confessions of a Fireworks Man