Swede Posted June 14, 2008 Posted June 14, 2008 Blast, those rock tumblers are common, it's the same one sold under different labels in 3 and 6 pound sizes. I had the exact same problem that you had - insufficient tension. I ended up removing the motor and using a dremel with a sanding drum, cutting those fan blades down maybe 1/8". But then the belt broke after maybe 2 days total of milling. You can do better than the standard belt with an o-ring. Look in a pool store, they often carry dozens of larger-sized o-rings. If you're totaly stuck and sick of buying belts for that thing, try this stuff: Polycord from Small Parts This is an awesome material. When you "weld" it properly, it will NOT BREAK, and you can make small belts of any size. I bought two portions of the different sizes years ago, and have used it a number of times for different projects. You weld the cord by setting a piece of aluminum angle in a vise, momentarily melting both ends of the cord in a propane torch until a molten ball forms on each, then you shmoose them together, using the angle to align. It dries in about 10 seconds. You then shave the flash off the joint with a razor and sandpaper. Works exceptionally well.
BLAST420 Posted June 14, 2008 Posted June 14, 2008 Blast, those rock tumblers are common, it's the same one sold under different labels in 3 and 6 pound sizes. I had the exact same problem that you had - insufficient tension. I ended up removing the motor and using a dremel with a sanding drum, cutting those fan blades down maybe 1/8". But then the belt broke after maybe 2 days total of milling. You can do better than the standard belt with an o-ring. Look in a pool store, they often carry dozens of larger-sized o-rings. If you're totaly stuck and sick of buying belts for that thing, try this stuff: Polycord from Small Parts This is an awesome material. When you "weld" it properly, it will NOT BREAK, and you can make small belts of any size. I bought two portions of the different sizes years ago, and have used it a number of times for different projects. You weld the cord by setting a piece of aluminum angle in a vise, momentarily melting both ends of the cord in a propane torch until a molten ball forms on each, then you shmoose them together, using the angle to align. It dries in about 10 seconds. You then shave the flash off the joint with a razor and sandpaper. Works exceptionally well. awesom thanks for the ideas as I am now up and runnign full gear.. HOWEVER when I had to quit milling the night it started raining I opened the jar and looked and I had finly milled blackpowder. today I put the same jar same content onto the mill to continue milling after about 3 hours I checked it out and there is NOT ONE SPEC OF POWDER it has all formed ROCK SOLID aorund my lead balls!!!! I just remember reading about this on here! Now Im off to track down that thread I cant remember what it said!! Well I did get a bit of pwder(1g) I must say it burned quite nicley(if I even know what "quite nicley" looks like) so it was kind of a sucess!
oskarchem Posted June 14, 2008 Posted June 14, 2008 Well, this is due to the humidity in the jar, You've just rolled your first stars but on big cores
BLAST420 Posted June 14, 2008 Posted June 14, 2008 Well, this is due to the humidity in the jar, You've just rolled your first stars but on big cores shit well good reason for that too ,I have read many places to slight wet the mixture every once in a while!! SEE IF I DO THAT AGAIN!!! HUH IS IT USABLE STILL !?!? HOW THE HELL DO I GET IT OFF and how to prevent it.
oskarchem Posted June 14, 2008 Posted June 14, 2008 Well, yes it is still usable, the fact of granulating the powder (wetting it and passing it through a screen) makes the powder faster, and since your powder is humid, just wet it up ans screen it. To get it of, you have to find a way to knok the BP off of the media
TheSidewinder Posted June 15, 2008 Posted June 15, 2008 To knock the BP off the mdeia, you could simply open the jar and let it sit in a dry area for a couple days, then re-mill for a short period, check it, and mill some more if necessary.
Pyrohawk Posted June 15, 2008 Posted June 15, 2008 Yeah, I dunno who came up with the idea of wetting your BP in the ball mill but they were on something! I tried that with my first ever bacth of BP and it did just that. But my BP still tends to clump on the bottom of the container, seperate form the lead balls sometimes.... And I don't use any wetting and I'm confident there isn't any moisture getting in there. I usually use that as a ark of when the powder is done because it only happens once its been running for a long time and I guess its just so fine it kinda gets pressed or something?
justanotherpyro Posted June 15, 2008 Posted June 15, 2008 Funny that this was brought up. I have the exact same problem and I can't seem to consistently fix it. I oven dried my KNO3 right before I made a batch of BP because I'm 99% positive that the water that my KNO3 was absorbing was causing the issue but it still did it ( clumped in the bottom). I think that its a combination of things like improper charging, size of the jar wet chemicals etc...that causes the clumping problem.
Mumbles Posted June 16, 2008 Posted June 16, 2008 Same problem here. It only really happens when its done though. Same situation as pyrohawk. I will go in after a couple hours and knock anything off the walls and bottom of the jar with a butter knife though.
Swede Posted June 16, 2008 Posted June 16, 2008 Anyone have any problems with American Visco (1/8") from Skylighter or similar? Here's what I'm seeing... with both small mines and a star gun (and I assume any other setup where you need to pass fire through a tube wall) the American Visco has a horribly incomplete burn and melts into a thick glowing blob of goo at the tube hole. It also leaves behind a lot of slag. Nasty stuff. At least it does get the fire to the lift. I ordered some 1.8mm and 2.2mm chinese visco from cannonfuse, and that stuff is wonderful. Lot's of fire, clean burning, and hot. Could dampness be an issue with the American visco?
Pretty green flame Posted June 16, 2008 Author Posted June 16, 2008 The ammount of slag produced might be a result of a heavy NC coat, IIRC american Visco is completely waterproof due to a heavy NC coat. This is just a guess but maybe a polyester/cotton blend is used for the strings rather than pure cotton which burns cleanly away.
WarezWally Posted June 16, 2008 Posted June 16, 2008 Is Chinese visco BP based? Sure doesn't smell like it, it has a similar smell to KP
TheSidewinder Posted June 16, 2008 Posted June 16, 2008 These days, it's probably a mix of Lead and Paris Green, with a little Calumel thrown in for good measure.
FrKoNaLeaSh1010 Posted June 18, 2008 Posted June 18, 2008 I have never had american visco go out. That stuff will burn through almost anything. It does make a decent amount of slag but i have never had a problem with it except its a little harder to igniter compared to chinese.
BLAST420 Posted June 18, 2008 Posted June 18, 2008 Ahhh!!! Nothing goes right anymore!!! Just nothing, farewell for now my friends. off to go VENT..and drink me some millers
Pretty green flame Posted July 27, 2008 Author Posted July 27, 2008 God damnit! Half a kilo of green stars have all cracked! Sooo pissed off right now!
flying fish Posted July 30, 2008 Posted July 30, 2008 Oh noooos! I can't seem to focus on my homework. The main class I'm worried about is boundary value problems. I have no ability to stay awake through the 2 hour class, yet, it is perhaps the most complex coursework for me this term (well, it is between that and Quantum Mechanics...but at least I can stay awake during Quantum). I am completely lost and the homework is due Monday. And it is a very long homework assignment that I already should have had a good start on (but I don't). Oh noooos!
Swede Posted August 1, 2008 Posted August 1, 2008 Oh noooos! I can't seem to focus on my homework. Oh noooos! I feel for you. There are days when I read stuff like your post and thank God I am done forever and ever with school, hallelujah. But then there are days when work sucks, you're working 7 days a week, and you watch your kids who have almost three months of summer vacation and nothing to do except play, and you realize just how damned easy you had it as a young person in school. I guess the best gig is retirement. Money + free time = potential for vast happiness. But then you're old and get sick all the time. Hmmm. Win the Lotto at age 21? Best gig of all.
flying fish Posted August 1, 2008 Posted August 1, 2008 (edited) Lol... I guess I have it made (except for the part where I don't get a summer vacation at my f'd up school). The small start-up company that I intern at wants to hire me after I graduate, and the people there are real nice easy-going people (except for when we are in a crunch mode to ship something to a customer or prepare for the "government inspections" or some other meeting that our company's existance is hinging on). Of course, I've been warned that I could come back after I get out of school and find the door swinging open in the wind! On the previous issue, my assignment deadline was extended until next week Thursday! *Waits till Wednesday night to get started on it.* Of course, my school makes us take a couple of liberal arts elective to make us *seem* like well-rounded people. So I'm taking Philosophy - another awful class. But now I'm really rambling. The point is I skipped it today which makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. The one point I really look forward to about retirement (as someone who is only 22 years of age) is...pyrotechnics! I can be in my workshop all damn day making stars and shells and comets and crossettes and what-have-you. Assuming I have the money...I could make my own weight in stars every couple few weeks! I could drive around the country to various pyrotechnic clubs and events (assuming fuel isn't $22,000 a gallon by then, and no progress on alternative energy has been made). In that case I will ride my bicycle around with 50 lbs of KNO3 strapped to my back. Edited August 1, 2008 by flying fish
Richtee Posted August 2, 2008 Posted August 2, 2008 I could drive around the country to various pyrotechnic clubs and events (assuming fuel isn't $22,000 a gallon by then, and no progress on alternative energy has been made). In that case I will ride my bicycle around with 50 lbs of KNO3 strapped to my back. Perhaps by then you could just ballistically launch yourself and payload to the events, seeing as how ya can build yer own transpo.. :{)
Senz Posted August 11, 2008 Posted August 11, 2008 I commented on this fuckers vid, trying toi help him and look at this bs corndog815 has replied to your comment on How To: obtain Aluminium Powder and Flake MG Band:actually dumbasscoke cans, any type of aluminium cans are aluminiumand cruch the mg up really fine. then it becomes explosive You can reply back by visiting the comments page. can we all spam "corndog's" Page?
Frozentech Posted August 11, 2008 Posted August 11, 2008 He's just a kewl. Ignore him and maybe he'll burn his dick off with his sparkler b*mbs and that will solve the situation. I commented on this fuckers vid, trying toi help him and look at this bs corndog815 has replied to your comment on How To: obtain Aluminium Powder and Flake MG Band:actually dumbasscoke cans, any type of aluminium cans are aluminiumand cruch the mg up really fine. then it becomes explosive You can reply back by visiting the comments page. can we all spam "corndog's" Page?
Senz Posted August 11, 2008 Posted August 11, 2008 I know but it bugged me so much. he made a pencap b*mb with BP and hes like OMG THAT WAS SO PWRFUL!!! I FELT THE SHOCKWAVE OMG!! He's just a kewl. Ignore him and maybe he'll burn his dick off with his sparkler b*mbs and that will solve the situation.
Senz Posted August 11, 2008 Posted August 11, 2008 wow. look at his chanel discription Hi. I'm Corndog. I'm a nice guy but if you dont like me then fuck offf and your a fag.Im into big explosions and cool stuff but thanks to parents and cops, i am out of action with bombs for a little while. Not long, maybe after New-Years Eve and i'll have some more vids on my new styles and stuff on explosions.I am waiting for the right time to light a beastly 80 count coloured sparklers with 4 rolls of tape but thanks to the police on my doorstep TODAY,which is the 25th of May, i can't and my bomb kit got taken off me so it aint looking good but ill be bak with some cool explosion vids soon.I will keep uploading some cool, non-explosion vids so enjoy.and again, if you dont like me, ur a fucking dickhead
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