dagabu Posted January 25, 2015 Posted January 25, 2015 I just got in from the shop, most of this is going to Caleb but there are crossette pumps, short rocket tooling, a Ben Smith 1# Super BP set and a Ben Smith 3# Stinger set with the drilling ring in the group that I cleaned up and made ready for sale. I am open to offers on the Firesmith tooling if you are looking. 1
mkn Posted January 25, 2015 Posted January 25, 2015 Nice Tooling Dave ! Today I Tested 2 - 1# rockets with 100% Benzo copper oxy chloride Tame ( 66% PP and mineral oil) Pressed at 2K loading pressure. Good News and Bad, Bad is that I think I have reached the power limit for my home rolled tubes with recycled paper, I CATOed the first rocket. Good news is that I suspected the home rolled tube might not be able to hold force so I built one with a NEPT tube, flew great !! 1# motor, NEPT tube waxed, waxed spindle, Tame Benzo with 2,000 psi loading pressure. I had a 1,000gram sand header attached, which was too much weight for the motor and delay. Notice shortly after lift, there is a "blurp" or something at 10 seconds or so? anyone know or experienced something like this? 1
Col Posted January 25, 2015 Posted January 25, 2015 (edited) Most benz oxy whistles make a similar sound , mine do anyway.Standard whistle 76 perc, benz/oxy with mineral oil Edited January 25, 2015 by Col
alexpyro101 Posted January 25, 2015 Posted January 25, 2015 wow! did you really make that all in one day? As someone who want's to try turning and milling metal at some point, how long would you say it takes you to make a set of rocket tooling?
dagabu Posted January 25, 2015 Author Posted January 25, 2015 wow! did you really make that all in one day? As someone who want's to try turning and milling metal at some point, how long would you say it takes you to make a set of rocket tooling? No, these were all finished today, this has been a weeks work on and off. How long? Depends on the size, materials, complexity etc. The smaller rocket tooling shown has three rammers, a spindle, base, puller holes and puller bar, rammers have No-Go lines and all the aluminum is polished and washed then slipped into tubes for shipping. 2 hours minimum a set when I have all my materials and good rhythm. 1
calebkessinger Posted January 25, 2015 Posted January 25, 2015 (edited) Dave. You are the man !!! It takes me at least half a day to make a nice rocket set with machined base , spindle puller, removable spindle, pull handle, and four rammers. Thats why I like building the little two rammer sets with solid bases. If everything goes perfect those can be done in just over an hour!! If you are starting out you just have to keep in mind. One oops at any given moment can send you right back to the starting line . I built a big rammer the other day which should have been easy...... ha! Almost two hours later i was done fooling with it!!! Sometimes the machine laughs at ya. and its not for lack of time working on it. I spend at least 8 hours a day standing in front of the lathe. Its just real easy to turn the wrong handle or be swinging the tool post around and get the cutter somewhere you didnt want it. I really like making the comet pumps and they are simpler but still take too long the way I make them. In the end making parts is still work. But it is fun work!! And what's really fun is building stuff to experiment with! Or one off tooling. Edited January 25, 2015 by calebkessinger 1
FlaMtnBkr Posted January 25, 2015 Posted January 25, 2015 I think you definitely have to have a certain personality, or at least be a bit of a perfectionist, to be a (good) machinist. You need to like things to be just right and almost be a bit OCD about checking things and having an order you do things in. At least if you do it a lot. I'm too ADD to sit in front of a lathe or mill for long.
dagabu Posted January 25, 2015 Author Posted January 25, 2015 I love that way the stress just washes off me when I am working on a new project, today I will be working on a new ejector idea for rockets that I had the idea for last night in a dream. Will it work? Maybe, maybe not but I will spin some aluminum and see if the tool is hiding inside that chunk of metal or not.
calebkessinger Posted January 25, 2015 Posted January 25, 2015 Yeah!!! Make it work... I was stressing earlier.... drilling out a stainless rammer for the bottle rocket kit.... SNAP! one drill bit stuck deep. of course I built the rammer BEFORE I drilled it!! son of a... I drilled the next one before I built the rammer.. I guess that one will get cut off and used as a short rammer...
dagabu Posted January 25, 2015 Author Posted January 25, 2015 Yupper! That's why I dont do Stainless Steel.
calebkessinger Posted January 25, 2015 Posted January 25, 2015 I bought some stainless cutters yesterday... man they work nice. I'm gonna start offering to make stainless spindles for those that want them. They will take a little more time but will be worth it to those that are willing to pay a little extra to have stainless. And I think the skinny spindles in stainless would be quite a bit more durable. I'm just going to make it an option. I will continue to try to give people everything they want If I can. All I know is walking to my shop to go to work is great!!! I'll keep doing it as long as people keep supporting me.
MrB Posted January 25, 2015 Posted January 25, 2015 I think you definitely have to have a certain personality, or at least be a bit of a perfectionist, to be a (good) machinist.I went to school for this. Turns out it wasn't the right choice. Lets just say i agree with you, and haven't spent a single hour working as a machinist.That said, i think the right machine for this, would make the work a lot easier. You need what, a 5 tool changer magazine, and it could do all the work for you, just leaving you to do the final polish. Now thats well outside the hobbyist range, and a well made hand turned tool-set takes time in a completely different range. You need to like things to be just right and almost be a bit OCD about checking things and having an order you do things in. At least if you do it a lot. I'm too ADD to sit in front of a lathe or mill for long.It's CDO. If you call it anything else, then you ain't got it. Also, it's AD^2. Yes, it's a joke... Sort of. Somewhat off topic.Rammers. Why aren't they made with the "core" hole a through and through? I keep checking the rammers for particles that may, or may not have ended up inside the rammer. It's never been an issue, but when i stop looking, i'm sure there is something stuck in there, and i have to check again... At this point i feel like i want to make the hole a through and through, and put a bit of thread in there, Counter sink it, and find a screw that will fit perfectly, leaving the surface flat. 2 second job to check the core home if it's clean or not, and when you do manage to jam something in there, or if you go past the "no go" zone, it would double as a failsafe way to get the spindle out of there again. Anyways, your tools look great. Keep up the good work.B!
calebkessinger Posted January 25, 2015 Posted January 25, 2015 Some people drill there's all the way through... It takes quite a bit of work to do this.. The actual drilling of the rammers takes longer , or feels like it takes longer than everything else. That rammer that took me two hours was drilled all the way through about a half hour of drilling time with many choice words.. 11 inches total length. all the other machining is just time but drilling a hole is work for me on my lathe due to lack of power and only about 2 inches of travel on the rest. Rammers drilled all the way pull nicer in tight tubes for sure eliminating any vacuum. I have no schooling on any machine.. It would be nice to actually know what it's suppose to do, not just fiddle around till it turns out like you want.
nater Posted January 25, 2015 Posted January 25, 2015 (edited) Sorry about the frustration with that rammer. I do really appreciate the one off work though! Edited January 25, 2015 by nater
dagabu Posted January 25, 2015 Author Posted January 25, 2015 About 1/2 of my personal rammers have through holes, just a 1/4" hole, just enough to see all the way through. Aircraft bits make a through job easier as holes started from both ends rarely line up perfectly. I simply push the rest by hand and pull back every 1/4" of depth and clear the bit, hit it with cutting fluid and go again. Bits last a very long time this way.
MrB Posted January 25, 2015 Posted January 25, 2015 Oh, so there are people with through and through drilled rammers. You guys don't plug em for use, i see. So, weird question again, i guess. Does it blow up dust when you settle the rammer in the tube? I as sort of thinking the plug "had" to be there to keep things from getting messy. But that seams not to be the case.Learning every day...B!
dagabu Posted January 25, 2015 Author Posted January 25, 2015 Thats exactly why I have about 1/2 of my personal tooling with through holes, I don't use them for scratch BP, the dust shoots out the end! Everything else is granulated and the through hole makes for detecting any whistle/strobe a breeze!
alexpyro101 Posted January 25, 2015 Posted January 25, 2015 No, these were all finished today, this has been a weeks work on and off. How long? Depends on the size, materials, complexity etc. The smaller rocket tooling shown has three rammers, a spindle, base, puller holes and puller bar, rammers have No-Go lines and all the aluminum is polished and washed then slipped into tubes for shipping. 2 hours minimum a set when I have all my materials and good rhythm. Alright cool, thanks for answering.
Col Posted January 26, 2015 Posted January 26, 2015 My 1/2" tooling consists of a 1/2" od x 1/8" wall aluminium tube for the hollow rammer and a 1/2" solid rammer. The 1/4" brass spindle was turned on the drill press. It would be much easier and quicker with a lathe
nater Posted January 26, 2015 Posted January 26, 2015 (edited) I granulate every comp that I press, so there is no dust which would shoot up and out a rammer drilled all the way through. Edited January 26, 2015 by nater
pirotek Posted January 26, 2015 Posted January 26, 2015 small rocket 15 mm potassium nitrate and potassium hexacyanoferrate without nozzle http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFpHlJz9E34 1
nater Posted January 26, 2015 Posted January 26, 2015 I received my package from Caleb today and it all looks great. Now I need to mix up some C8 comp to turn into comets for some crosette candles. There were also a few extras which are greatly appreciated. I took it as a subtle hint to put some cylinder shells on my rocket motors.
Differential Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 I made some quick copper powder by adding aluminum foil to hot concentrated copper sulfate solution. I'll dissolve the excess aluminum later with HCl.It's definitely not economical, but it is fun to watch the rapid boiling that ensues. The first reaction might produce some H2 gas, the second produces H2 gas and HCl fumes, so this should be done outside.
calebkessinger Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 Started a large set of 3lb rocket tooling for someone.
stix Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 My first attempt at stars. http://youtu.be/jBk2jCoV1G0
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