Suitable strobe press

[SignalKanboom]

Hello all, I have a 20 ton harbor freight press that is pretty crappy. I got my strobe tooling and was going to try to make some strobe rockets. I was planning on welding supports all over to stabilize the harbor freight press and make sure it is level. If this fails, can I use an arbor press, or does it not provide enough tonnage?

[Carbon796]

Make sure you have a solidly mounted blast shield. For pressing strobe/whistle rockets.

 

That would depend on the size of the arbor press, and your tooling size. More than likely. If you weld the hf press up square, it will be suitable, one of its biggest flaws. Is that its sold as a bolt together toy. You will also probably need to modify the pressing sled to track straight. With no lateral/horizontal movement

Edited November 29, 2020 by Carbon796

[SignalKanboom]

I have 1lb strobe tooling. The press is a 20 ton h frame bottle jack press. I could weld in bar stock diagonally, do you know of any good tutorials for squaring a press like that? My next option is modifying a arbor (if it can handle strobes), or buying a bottle jack and some thick steel plates and drilling holes and bolting in long rod stock like they skylighter ned gorski bottle press.

[Carbon796]

The main thing is that its bolted together at the legs/crosshead. It will shift/rack once pressure is applied. Prep the legs/head where they meet for welding. Assemble/bolt it together, and square it up. At this point, you'll want to check the hole height, for the press bed supports. Making sure they are equal heights from the head of the press. Then tack it well at all corners both sides, inside and out. Recheck for square before final welding. Clamping or tacking some diagonal bracing to the lower legs prior tacking/welding wouldn't be a bad idea either.

 

At one point in time the press plates that came with these hf presses were cast. It was sorta common for them to shatter if used hard. I don't know if they are still made like that, just something to look out for.

Edited November 30, 2020 by Carbon796

[SignalKanboom]

It does have those iron plates. I will use thick steel ones. I have huge 50 lbs steel block I may cut the press in half and wold to those blocks as a base. What do you think about making a smaller table top bottle jack? The stand is really flimsy.

[Arthur]

The size in rated force simply determines the maximum diameter of press tool that will press completely, determine the maximum diameter that can be pressed on your press.

[SignalKanboom]

The size in rated force simply determines the maximum diameter of press tool that will press completely, determine the maximum diameter that can be pressed on your press.

 

Unfortunately, I see almost now way to level this harbor freight press. The way it is built, there are too many places that have very large gaps that would need to be shimmed and the frame is too tall and lanky. m thinking about making a cheap bottle jack press out of steel plates and rod like neds. A one ton arbor press doesnt supply enough pressure for 1lb strobes does it?

[Wickedpyro]

Hello fellow pyros Im trying to press 3lb strobe rockets my tubes are 10in long Idk how much of increments of whistle an strobe an when to switch rammer and when to start adding strobe fuel if anyone can plz give me some advice Edited February 12, 2021 by Wickedpyro

[dlking59]

Hello fellow pyros Im trying to press 3lb strobe rockets my tubes are 10in long Idk how much of increments of whistle an strobe an when to switch rammer and when to start adding strobe fuel if anyone can plz give me some advice

This might help https://www.skylighter.com/blogs/how-to-make-fireworks/4-ounce-black-powder-rocket

[SharkWhisperer]

This might help https://www.skylighter.com/blogs/how-to-make-fireworks/4-ounce-black-powder-roc

He's querying pressing 3-pound strobe rockets and you're linking him to a hand-ramming tutorial for 4-ounce BP motors? Different beasts.

 

Wickedpyro: if you need to query increment sizes, then you possibly need to be reminded that you absolutely need a reliable blast shield installed on your press.

 

There are many strobe experts on APC (I am not one of them), and many threads that will immediately answer most any questions you might have, the current one, included. Look around. Read a whole lot. Assume nothing, and always double-check the relevance of information that you do receive.

[justvisiting]

Also, if you are using a 10" tube for a 3lb strobe rocket, you are not using strobe tooling. It's probably Ben Smith's BP tooling, which he does suggest using for 3lb strobe rockets. These are not typical strobe rockets, as developed and made by others. Any advice you get needs to be in relation to the type of strobe rocket you are making. Long-tubed strobes have never made good pops for me. Most strobe rocket makers use strobe-specific tooling for maximum performance. Long-tubed strobes use different whistle propellant, and a different amount of it.

[Wickedpyro]

I bought the extreme strobe \whistle tooling from Caleb over at woodys it came with two spindles one long one an a shorter not sure which spindle is for strobe I made a tester befor with a 5 in spindle but it but I feel it wasn’t enough whistle mix cuz it went 20ft up an came straight up an came straight down an my strobe mix didn’t pop really hard just kinda soft farts

[Wickedpyro]

Where do I go to find these strobe experts what form are they under

[chuckufarley]

You bought the tooling from Caleb, he is a very accomplished rocket builder who designed and build your tooling. Might be one to get in touch with?

[justvisiting]

Wickedpyro, you have not provided enough information for anybody to help you. We don't know what type of whistle you used, how you made, it, or how much you used. Same with the strobe.

 

My earlier conjecture about the tooling was incorrect. Woody's does make extreme strobe and whistle tooling that uses a 10" tube for a 3lb rocket. It was easy to find out, I just phoned him. He uses the long spindle only when he wants to lift heavy weight, which requires more whistle propellant. Otherwise he uses a shorter spindle and tube. Caleb's strobe rockets are about as good as strobe rockets get.

 

A 'normal' 3lb strobe rocket will have about 1 1/8" of salicylate whistle to propel it, then strobe fuel to 1/8" over the spindle tip, and then whistle for delay. Some folks use slower burning benzoate whistle for the delay because the salicylate whistle will make for a very short delay. My 3lb strobe spindle (Wolters) is only 3 1/2" long. My 3lb strobe rocket tubes are 6 to 7" long.

 

You should now have enough information to know what the next step is to help yourself solve your problem.

[ronmoper76]

I have the same (shitty 20 ton press?) lol I pressed over a 100 1lb rockets with it,whistle,magnalium,bp.

I have done about 20 on my new 3lb tooling and i still have very few catos,in fact only my strobes are blowing up at present. Im no expert so i wont make any claims but i cant imagine why you cant press rockets with it, I threw a heavy ass 2 inch steel plate down to press against and it stopped the shimmy, along with bolting it to floor. I couldnt be happier,guess i never saw something really nice before,lol

 

[Wickedpyro]

Hey guys I figured out my problem it was my strobe mix I used wax in my mix instead of Vaseline ... thanks for all your help made a new batch it it works amazing

[Wickedpyro]

Ronmoper you have to press it at least 4000 ft lb ..

[ronmoper76]

I have the exact same press and 10 inch 3lb tooling from caleb that you have, I made 4lbs of mix and used nitrocellulose that i made at home for my binder and the doc bar white strobe formula. I never tried vaseline,i only use that in my whistle fuel. I got mine to work very well after 4 tries, and my problem was solved i just needed to press it alot harder than normal benz or you end up with dynamite on a stick.fuck the sali fuel though in my opinion,i hate it,anything over 4 increments on either spindle i have and i have a bomb. I use benz for everything even my strobe,5 and a half inches of benz puts 6 inch shells in the clouds and he makes lines on all his rammers to tell you where to start and stop,his tools almost build the motor by themselves. woody really does rock!!

Edited February 23, 2021 by ronmoper76