The fission sequences of Gingold & Monaghan are recomputed using a significantly larger number (800) of particles in the smoothed-particle-hydrodynamic treatment. The results confirm the general mode of fission found earlier for polytropes with n = 0.5. An interesting three-pointed ‘star fish’ structure is now apparent before fission and a low-mass third object is formed. The nature of the disruption of n = 1.5 polytropes is clarified and discussed in relation to the problem of binary star formation.