Star Formulas

Red, organically fuelled stars

Red, metallic fuelled stars

Blue, organically fuelled stars

Blue, metallic fuelled stars

Yellow, organically fuelled stars

Yellow, metallic fuelled stars

Green, organically fuelled stars

Green, metallic fuelled stars

White, antimony trisulfide fuelled stars

White, metallic fuelled stars

Orange, organically fuelled stars

Orange, metallic fuelled stars

Violet, organically fuelled stars

Black powder stars

Comet compositions

Crackling microstars

The Veline Color System

Glitter, flitter, and snowball stars

Gold stars

Silver stars

Primes

Red, organically fuelled stars
Shimizu Blesser McLain Keystone Lancaster Lancaster Lancaster
Potassium chlorate 70 64
Potassium perchlorate 66 70 69 70
Red gum 13 10 12 10 9 13
Strontium carbonate 12 15 8 15 15 19
Charcoal 1 6 1 2
Lampblack 2
PVC 2
Dextrin 5 4 5 4 4 4
type cut, rolled cut, rolled cut, rolled pumped cut pill box

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Red, metallic fuelled stars

Lancaster Lancaster Lancaster Veline
Potassium perchlorate 70 9 55
Strontium nitrate 55 42
Strontium carbonate 12 15
Magnesium 28 30
Magnalium -200 mesh 6
PVC 17 12
Red gum 6 9
Aluminum "bright" 6
Aluminum flitter 80/30 6
Laminac (polyester) 7
Parlon 15
Dextrin + 4
type pill box pressed pressed cut, rolled

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Blue, organically fuelled stars

Lancaster Lancaster Lancaster Shimizu Shimizu Conklin Conklin
Potassium perchlorate 39 60.8 66.5 65 65
Potassium chlorate 68 70
Ammonium perchlorate 29
Colophony resin 6
Paris green 22 20
Basic copper carbonate 14 12.3 14
Black copper oxide 13.4 14
Shellac, 60 mesh 10
Parlon 13.1 5.4 9 10
Red gum 14 9 9.9 7 6
Dextrin 4 4 4.8 4.8 5 5
type pumped pill box pill box cut, rolled cut, rolled cut, rolled cut, rolled

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Blue, metallic fuelled stars

Veline
Potassium perchlorate 53
Red gum 9
Magnalium, -200 mesh 6
Black copper oxide 14
PVC 14
Dextrin 4
type cut, rolled

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Yellow, organically fuelled stars

Lancaster Lancaster Lancaster Shimizu Perigrin
Potassium perchlorate 70 60 68 70
Potassium chlorate 70
Cryolite 15
Red gum 10 6 18 12
Charcoal 1 2 3
Sodium oxalate 14 26 10
Sodium nitrate 7
Dextrin 4 4 5 5
Shellac, 60 mesh 6 14
type pumped cut pill box cut, rolled cut, rolled

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Yellow, metallic fuelled stars

Lancaster Lancaster H.W.W.
Potassium perchlorate 30
Barium nitrate 68
Sodium nitrate 55.5
Red gum 5 4
Ultramarine blue 19.5
Cryolite 10
Magnesium 17
Aluminum, dark pyro 11
Parlon 12
PVC 27.5
Magnalium, 100 mesh 30
Boric acid 1 0.5
Dextrin 4
Sulfur 5
type pill box pressed cut, rolled

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Green, organically fuelled stars

Lancaster Lancaster Lancaster Shimizu
Barium chlorate 53 72 48
Barium nitrate 11 28
Potassium perchlorate 48
Potassium chlorate 28 17
Barium carbonate 4 4
Red gum 10 12 17 14
Charcoal 5 8
Parlon 5
Dextrin 4 4 3 5
type pumped cut pill box cut, rolled

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Green, metallic fuelled stars

Lancaster Veline H.W.W.
Barium chlorate 25
Barium nitrate 25 23
Barium carbonate 4 14 19.5
Potassium chlorate 13
Potassium perchlorate 29 30
Red gum 7 5 4
Charcoal 2
Aluminum, bright 19
Magnalium, -200 mesh 11
Magnalium, 100 mesh 30
Dextrin 5 4 4
PVC 14
Parlon 12
Boric acid 0.5
type pill box cut, rolled cut, rolled

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White, antimony trisulfide fuelled stars

Davis Best AFN 3 Best AFN 3
Potassium nitrate 62 64 30
Antimony trisulfide 17 14 15
Sulfur 17 18 5
Dextrin 4 3 +5
Charcoal, air float 15
Meal powder 30
Titanium, 50 mesh 5
type cut, rolled cut, rolled cut, rolled

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White, metallic fuelled stars

Lancaster Lancaster Lancaster
Potassium nitrate 51
Barium nitrate 55 50
Strontium nitrate 10 10
Antimony powder 10
Sulfur 18 8 8
Meal powder 15 7
Aluminum, dark pyro 21 25
Barium fluoride 6
Charcoal 3
Dextrin 3
type pumped pressed pressed

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Orange, organically fuelled stars

Perigrin Perigrin Perigrin
Potassium perchlorate 68 68 68
Red gum 12 13 13
Calcium carbonate 11 9 7
Charcoal 2 2 2
PVC 2
Dextrin 5 5 5
Sodium oxalate 3 5
type cut, rolled cut, rolled cut, rolled

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Orange, metallic fuelled stars

Veline
Potassium perchlorate 53
Red gum 9
Magnalium, -200 mesh 6
Calcium carbonate 14
PVC 14
Dextrin 4
type cut, rolled

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Violet, organically fuelled stars

Shimizu Shimizu Blesser
Potassium perchlorate 61.3 64 68
Red gum 9.1 9.5
Basic copper carbonate 5
Black copper oxide 5.2 6
Strontium carbonate 7.4 7.8 9
Parlon 12.4 8.7
PVC 11
Dextrin 4.8 4.8 5
type cut, rolled cut, rolled cut, rolled

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Black powder stars

NOTE: Tom Perigrin, in his book Introductory Practical Pyrotechnics, lists modified versions of these formulas which replace some of the potassium nitrate and charcoal with dextrin binding agent. The changes are listed here in brackets.

Shimizu Shimizu Shimizu Shimizu Shimizu Shimizu
name Chrysanthemum 6 Chrysanthemum 8 Chrysanthemum of Mystery Falls Willow Tiger Tail
Potassium nitrate 58 (55) 52 (49) 45 41 (35) (44)
Sulfur 7 6 4 (12) (6)
Pine charcoal 35 (33) 42 (40) 45 (50) (45) (44)
Aluminum 49
Dextrin (5) (5) 5 6 (8) (6)
type cut cut cut cut cut cut
binder 25% alcohol 25% alcohol 25% alcohol 25% alcohol 25% alcohol 25% alcohol

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Comets

Blesser Lancaster Lancaster
name Blond Streamer
Potassium nitrate 45 55
Black powder 2
Sulfur 6 15
Charcoal 29 1
Charcoal, mixed 25
Dextrin 5 5
Ferrotitanium, 100 mesh 15
type pumped (comet pump) pumped (comet pump) pumped (comet pump)
binder 25% alcohol 25% alcohol

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Crackling microstars

Best AFN 3 Best AFN 3 Best AFN 3
Lead tetraoxide 70 81.8
Bismuth trioxide 75
Magnalium, -200 mesh 15 17.5 9.1
Black copper oxide 10 12.5 9.1
Aluminum, 200 mesh atomized +5 +5
type cut cut
binder 10% NC lacquer 10% NC lacquer 10% NC lacquer

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The Veline Color System

Red Orange Blue Green
Potassium perchlorate 53 53 53 29
Red gum 9 9 9 5
Magnalium, -200 mesh 6 6 6 11
Strontium carbonate 14
Calcium carbonate 14
Black copper oxide 14
Barium nitrate 23
Barium carbonate 14
PVC 14 14 14 14
Dextrin 4 4 4 4
type cut, pumped, rolled cut, pumped, rolled cut, pumped, rolled cut, pumped, rolled
binder alcohol alcohol alcohol alcohol

Combining the above formulas in different proportions will yield various exotic colors:

Yellow Chartreuse Aqua Turquoise Magenta Maroon Peach Purple
Red formula 50 85 25 15
Orange formula 45 20 60 5
Blue formula 20 45 50 15 15 80
Green formula 55 80 80 55

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Glitter, flitter and snowball stars

Oglesby Oglesby Winokur Winokur Winokur Winokur Blesser Blesser Davis
name Better Pearl Improved Snowball #13 #20 #33 #39 Golden Flitter #13 Silver Flitter #14 Snowball
Potassium nitrate 47 35 50 48 43 51 36 40
Potassium perchlorate 33
Barium nitrate 10 16 13 19
Sulfur 18 9 17 10 8 10
Charcoal, air float 10 9 9 10 10 19 10
Antimony trisulfide 13 10 12 10
Aluminum, 12 micron 10 10 6 13 8 19 6
Aluminum, dark pyro 30 61
Magnalium, -200 mesh 3 12
Sodium bicarbonate 9 5
Red iron oxide 4 7
Barium carbonate 5
Dextrin 5 8 4 4 4 5 6 6 5
type cut cut cut cut cut cut cut cut cut
binder 33% alcohol 33% alcohol 33% alcohol 33% alcohol 33% alcohol 33% alcohol 25% alcohol 25% alcohol 25% alcohol

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Gold stars

Lancaster Lancaster Lancaster
Potassium perchlorate 13.5
Potassium chlorate 13.5
Potassium nitrate 15
Meal powder 54 66
Antimony trisulfide 6 8
Lampblack 13 23 49
Charcoal, 150 mesh 20
Red gum 3
Dextrin 7 6
Shellac, 120 mesh 3
type pumped pumped pumped
binder 33% alcohol alcohol 33% alcohol

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Silver stars

Lancaster Lancaster Lancaster Lancaster Lancaster Best AFN 3
Potassium nitrate 45 13
Potassium chlorate 56
Potassium perchlorate 64 64
Barium nitrate 55 40
Aluminum, bright 19 14 24
Aluminum, dark pyro 19 30 21 4
Aluminum, 120 mesh atomized 10
Aluminum, 30/80 flitter 14
Magnalium, -200 mesh
Sulfur 10 4 30
Meal powder 5
Boric acid 1
Dextrin 6 +5 6
Shellac 8 8
type pumped pumped pill box pill box pill box
binder water 10% shellac solution 10% shellac solution 10% NC lacquer

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Primes

Perigrin Perigrin Perigrin Perigrin Veline Best AFN 3
name BP outer prime Magnalium inner prime Flitter prime Perchlorate prime Veline star prime Microstar prime
Potassium perchlorate 73 33 73 55
Potassium nitrate 57.2
Red gum 12 8 11
Charcoal, air float 5 5 7 20 11.4
Sulfur 11.4
Wood meal, -70 mesh 6
Magnalium, -200 mesh 5
Black copper oxide 1
Red iron oxide 5
Black iron oxide 1
Aluminum, dark 4 10 5.7
Black powder, fine 93
Barium nitrate 34
Antimony trisulfide 9
Silicon 11.4
Boric acid 1
Potassium dichromate 5 5
Dextrin 2 4 5 5 4 2.9
binder 50% alcohol 50% alcohol 33% alcohol 33% alcohol 33% alcohol 50% alcohol

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