Frisbee star screen

Frisbee Star Screens

(A “The Green Hated Men” tutorial)

A star screen is simply a screen meant to sort round; sliced and cut stars according to size.  The reason you want to sort your stars according to size is to create stars that have approximately the same burn time.

Making Star Screens

Generally star screens are made by drilling a number of holes in a piece of metal; plastic or wood, with plastic being the most common  for obvious reasons.

Ok so things you will need to make star screens.

Everything needed to make star screens

 All though many things will work I have chosen to use plain plastic Frisbees which I got from a dollar store for $1.25 CAD EACH.

           Drill

               A small drill bite like 1/8” (if the finished holes you wish to drill in the Frisbee are 3/8” or larger) 

    A drill bite the size you want the finished holes to be 

    Pen or pencil 

     Ruler 

 

 

 

      A sheet of paper larger than the flat area of your Frisbee

 

      Deburring bits or a thin bladed knife 

 

      Board 

 

    Water

 

    Sizzers

 

      Marker 

So once you have your Frisbees you need to decide what sizes of holes you want, I went with 5/8”  1/2"  3/8”  19/64”  and 1/4” holes, which means I need those sizes of drill bites as well as one smaller bite. 

Now take a sheet of paper and using a ruler and pen/pencil to mark

Marking the paper

 

     Every inch for 5/8” and 1/2" holes 

  Every 3/4" for 3/8 inch holes 

    Every 1/2" for 19/64” and 1/4" holes 

    Every 3/8” or a little bigger for anything smaller than 1/4"

Finishing the grid work

Then join the top marks to the bottom marks and the 

left hand marks to the right hand marks or vice versa to create a grid work.

Measuring the radius of the frisbee

 Next take the compass and set the pointer at the center of the Frisbee and the pen/pencil at the edge of the flat portion of the Frisbee.

Drawing a circle on the paper the same size as the frisbee

Then move the compass to the paper with the gride drawn on it and draw a circle on top of the lines.

Then shorten the compass the same amount as the hole

Drawing the second circle inside of the first

you intend on drilling into the Frisbee i.e. if you want 1/2" holes in your Frisbees then shorten the compass so that it makes a circle with 1/2” shorter radius then the first circle you drew, and draw this smaller circle inside the first circle so that the center of the second circle is in the same

spot as the center of the first circle.

Cutting out the circle

Then cut out the circle (that is the outer circle). 

Putting the wet paper onto the frisbee

 

Wet the paper until it starts to become “see” through, and apply it (lines up) to the inside of the Frisbee, try to center it as well as you can.

Then take your drill bit, remember if you want holes 3/8” or larger then use a small drill bite such as 1/8” first (pilot hole), so that you have a center ready for the larger drill bit which

Drilling the "pilot" holes in the frisbee

will make it easier to drill in exactly the right spot as well as keeping the paper from getting wound around the drill bit which is likely if the bit is quite large.  Drill a hole at every point that the lines intersect that is inside or on the smaller circle.

 Then peel off the paper and if necessary drill out the

Peeling off the paper

holes with a larger bit. 

Drilling out the pilot holes with a larger bit

 

Deburring the holes with an exacto knife

Then dry off the Frisbee, take the knife and cut off the

burros; or if you got deburring bits then use them to remove the burros.

  If the Frisbee cracks anywhere and it’s not a big crack either glue it together or use a small torch/ lighter to weld it back together being careful not to melt the plastic too much.

The finished product

Now just wash out the Frisbee, and mark the hole size on the side, and you are finished.

 

Written by Adam Macdonald

Written for www.Pyrosource.com

All equipment supplied by

The Green Hated Men