Wisconsin Pyrotechnic Arts Guild
Star Rollers
Star rollers come in many different shapes and sizes, but they all do one thing and that's roll stars. Here are some of the star rollers that some of our WPAG members use. Most of them have been made by our club members.
5 Gallon "Bouncing" Star Roller
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This star roller uses a 5 gallon stainless steel stock pot. It's powered by a variable speed DC tread mill motor. Here it's pictured on a work station made from a "garden cart". |
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The roller used an offset eccentric roller to provide a bouncing action for the pot. The pot can be tilted to various angles. To the right of the roller you can see a jar of molecular sieves used for star cores. |
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Close up shot of the eccentric roller. It doesn't take much of an offset on the roller to make the pot bounce. |
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The pot is mounted on a mechanism that allows the pot to move up and down for the bouncing action. |
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Another shot of the roller and work station. |
Big Star Roller
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This star roller was designed around a 30
gallon stainless steal Hobart mixing bowl. The designer was lucky enough to obtain
this bowl that was being no longer used by a local school cafeteria. The power is supplied by a 2 hp, DC, variable speed tread mill motor and a speed reduction unit. |
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The bowl and power are placed in a stand and can be pivoted or angled. |
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The bowl can be easily removable for cleaning. |
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The bowl and bowl holder is connected to the power unit by a 1 inch steel shaft. There is a lot of weight hanging on the end of shaft so therefore the need for a large shaft. |
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Here you can see the power unit and stand. |
