Old keyboards instead ping-pong balls

[nils]

As it is almost impossible to buy ping-pong balls that dissolve in acetone, I decided to check out old computer keyboards. The keys did dissolve in acetone. Might it be nitrocellulose? There are a lot of logos on the other side of keyboard but no information about it's material.

[rogeryermaw]

lots of plastics dissolve in acetone. burn one and see how much ash it leaves behind.

 

even low nitration cellulose won't leave that much ash.

Edited November 11, 2020 by rogeryermaw

[Mumbles]

I would say the chances of it being nitrocellulose are pretty low. I would put my money on high impact polystyrene.

[Bourbon]

Ping Pong balls 4 star " **** " and up name brand still work fine. Don't buy the garbage at box stores. Before I started making double base NC, I would go to sport shops for mine. Make no mistake though, expensive as hell for what you get. I haven't found a ping pong ball yet that didn't work well as long as it smells heavy of camphor.

 

Just remember, 4stars and up name brand competition certified or pro. Give them the sniff test. I have seen knockoffs with stars just to make them look legit.

Edited November 12, 2020 by Bourbon

[PRANAB]

If you make dragon eggs ,you can use PVC solvent cement as binder which is used to fit PVC Pipe..

I did with this last year, and I am satisfied with this...

You can make a try ...

Thanks...

[MadMat]

If you live in an area where gun reloading supplies are sold, why not just buy double base smokeless powder? It isn't all that expensive.

[Richtee]

If you live in an area where gun reloading supplies are sold, why not just buy double base smokeless powder? It isn't all that expensive.

This ^

 

Altho, if you are bent on making it difficult, alot of old movie film was good. Just don’t dissolve “Gone With the Wind” or anything

Edited November 12, 2020 by Richtee

[MadMat]

I've said this on another post, but feel it is worth repeating. If anyone decides to buy double base smokeless powder, go for the powder used for reloading shotgun shells, green dot is a good example. Shot gun powder is in a flake-like form whereas rifle powder can be shaped like little rods. The flake form dissolves faster. The biggest problem with ping pong balls is that there are a lot of them out there now that are made of cellulose acetate.

Edited November 12, 2020 by MadMat

[rellim]

Kevenz 3 star table tennis balls are available on Amazon for around 10 bucks for a sack full.

[rogeryermaw]

i use the rifle powder. it may be a bit more work but i don't sweat it. i actually keep a very thick jelly of smokeless powder in the freezer and thin out portions as i need it. for small batch priming, i put a teaspoon full in an hdpe condiment bottle with acetone and whatever else (k.p., b.p., fine mgal etc.) and shake til homogenous. drizzle over stars and dredge in or sift over your choice of starter prime.

[MadMat]

i use the rifle powder. it may be a bit more work but i don't sweat it. i actually keep a very thick jelly of smokeless powder in the freezer and thin out portions as i need it. for small batch priming, i put a teaspoon full in an hdpe condiment bottle with acetone and whatever else (k.p., b.p., fine mgal etc.) and shake til homogenous. drizzle over stars and dredge in or sift over your choice of starter prime.

Just curious. How does the price compare between rifle and shotgun powders? I've never checked into that since I only reload shotgun shells

Edited November 18, 2020 by MadMat

[Arthur]

Most NC takes a while to dissolve in acetone, it's best done in a sealed bottle the day before it's needed.

[rogeryermaw]

if you agitate until it is fully dispersed, it takes about 10-12 minutes. i use a small mason jar, shake the ever loving shit out of it and remember to vent the lid every couple of minutes. acetone evaporates fast and i have never looked into what kind of pressure it can reach before it stops(vapor pressure? mumbles?) but i have seen glass spontaneously rupture when containing volatile liquid in changing temps.

 

Mat, it has been a while since i bought any. a pound of the stuff lasts me quite a long time but the container i bought 3 years ago was in the area of 35-40 dollars. all types and grades in the hodgdon brand were of similar price. but that is at a specialty gun shop. ime everything purchased from a specialist is more expensive but that particular stuff is a little harder to find. maybe at cabella's or bass pro....not sure.

[Richtee]

but i have seen glass spontaneously rupture when containing volatile liquid in changing temps.

 

I had the stuff bust a jar as it aged/got thicker. Stuck to the glass and cracked the jar. I was amazed.

[MadMat]

if you agitate until it is fully dispersed, it takes about 10-12 minutes. i use a small mason jar, shake the ever loving shit out of it and remember to vent the lid every couple of minutes. acetone evaporates fast and i have never looked into what kind of pressure it can reach before it stops(vapor pressure? mumbles?) but i have seen glass spontaneously rupture when containing volatile liquid in changing temps.

 

Yes it is vapor pressure you are describing. The vapor pressure of acetone

is approx. 25 kPa @ 20C or about 3.63 psi at 68F. So, I doubt it would explode a glass jar at normal room temperature unless it was a very large jar. But still I would also recommend venting occasionally.

[dlking59]

Kevenz 3 star table tennis balls are available on Amazon for around 10 bucks for a sack full.

 

Any difference between the orange and white colored balls ?

[Bourbon]

[a_bab]

If you go to a sports store, you can scratch the ball with the nail. Celluloid has a specific, minty smell (it's the camphor).

 

Sometimes, you can find on ebay celluloid sheets.

Actually, there is some guy who sells celluloid sheets in Agora IIRC

 

The keybords can't be made of celluloid unless PC keyboards were invented in the 19'th century but this is not the case.

Celluloid in large amounts is very flammable and a fire hazard.

[kingkama]

Why not use phenolic resin for bind kracling stars, it works fine iz less explosive and expensive.