Ascending silver dragon tail

The composition Silver wave is used for this effect(15.2. (2) ). Place a quantity of the composition in an aluminium bowl. Knead it well adding water to it in small amounts. Charge some of the composition into a mould and press it with a hand press to form cylindrical star, e.g. 

42 mm diameter and 18 20 mm long. The relationship between the amount of water and the intensity of the pressure is quite delicate. When the pressure is low, the water content must be increased. On the contrary, under a high pressure it must be decreased. For example, under a pressure of 660 kg/cm the optimum amount of water per 1 kg of the composition is about 150 cc. Next paste the star with a piece of thin paper on the side and dry it naturally in the shade until it is almost dry. (The star may crack if it is exposed t oo much in the sun.) Lastly it is exposed in the sun, and it will take about ten days to dry in the summer. 

Then one end of the star is pasted with an ignition composition as follows Add a 10% celluloid or nitrocellulose solution in acetone(NC paste) to red thermit to form a slurry. Cover one end of the star with the slurry. Dry it well. In addition cover the red thermit with a black powder paste for safety in handling. Paste the star with Japanese paper and then paste a piece of emarginated kraft paper on the side as shown in Fig.118 and dry it. 

In order to fit a shell with this star, place it on the shoulder of the shell and paste down the emarginated edge. Secure it by pasting pieces of kraft paper around the base of the star. The position of the star must be near the hanger so that the shell is not caught by the inside wall of the mortar when loading or firing(Fig.118 (2)).  

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