k1ley4evr Posted October 8, 2007 Posted October 8, 2007 it was very very loud from where i was standing. By the tent/ Vendor table.
fredjr Posted October 9, 2007 Posted October 9, 2007 The cruise missile was something else, looked like it went straight to the campground, and that was a hell of a report. Were you part of the MPAG delegation that brought a PGI convention worth of rockets? I was the guy who walked over looking for a launch rod for my girandola sky mine. Those were some nice rockets you guys were sending up, looked like half of them had 4" ball shells on 'em, nice heads for the rockets. Were those your Ti whistle rockets that took off silent and the whistle kicked in real slow like there was a volume knob? I'm BPG but was shooting with the MPAG guys since Shawn only had one launch tube. I was with Ned when you showed him the rockets in the trunk of your car. Yes, the ti whistles that started quiet and got louder were mine. They were the 6" 3lbs made in fargo. I brought the girandola stand back out to the line but you had already found another launch stand. Shawn told me the cruise missle hit a junk car, could've been worse. The header was supposed to be a 9 time report. 8 of the 9 went off simultaneously on impact, with one delayed report.
cplmac Posted October 9, 2007 Author Posted October 9, 2007 Sorry suib, I didn't get the girnadola on video. I called it a girandola sky mine because about a third of the way up it jettisoned ALL the motors and drivers. I just finished building a 21" frame for my next girandola, I'll be shooting it at the MPAG in two weeks. Video forthcoming on that one.
hst45 Posted October 10, 2007 Posted October 10, 2007 I called it a girandola sky mine because about a third of the way up it jettisoned ALL the motors and drivers.That's funny, i know the feeling. I've done the same type of revisionist interpretation of an effect. For example: "Wow dad, why did that shell go off before it went into the sky?" "Uh,... that shell...uh... it was a MINE....yeah, that's right..it was a MINE.." It's all good. Anything that goes flash/bang/boom and doesn't light the barn on fire can't be too bad.
psyco_1322 Posted June 9, 2008 Posted June 9, 2008 Cplmac are you bringing any 3" whistle to the convention this year? If so how many?
cplmac Posted June 25, 2008 Author Posted June 25, 2008 Not this year, I will be next year in Mason City and the year after in Appleton. I'd like to bring about ten or so, I think I need pairs of each for the competition, and I'll bring a few expirementals with ridiculous headers. Wyoming is out of my jurisdiction this year.
ActionTekJackson Posted June 25, 2008 Posted June 25, 2008 I finally stepped up to the 3" ID rocket, pressed two of them today. I'll have the videos posted as soon as possible, in the meantime here are the pre-fire pics. http://pyrobin.com/files/p8240004.jpgthis is the first one I pressed, fired it off earlier just waiting on video rendering. http://pyrobin.com/files/p8240002.jpgthis one is being fired tomorrow, video will posted later http://pyrobin.com/files/p8240006.jpgthis is the second rocket with a tape measure for scaleI was sitting here thinking about how to go about making a 3" ID rocket (when I get there, my 1lbers are about maxed out, moving to 2" ID soon, then 3") but, what the heck do you use for a nozzle? I know most of yours are whistle rockets so you have no nozzle but I don't have alot of money to be spending on copius amounts of whistle mix chems. Do you still use bentonite? Sorry if this is a dumb question just seems to me that, that large of a clay plug would have some structural issues holding up to those pressures. I'd gladly be wrong on this though, clay is cheap compared to other nozzle types.
cplmac Posted June 26, 2008 Author Posted June 26, 2008 I haven't made a big BP rocket yet, because of the nozzle issue. I think I would probably try a grog/clay mix, but you would really need to press the hell out of that nozzle.
ActionTekJackson Posted June 26, 2008 Posted June 26, 2008 I haven't made a big BP rocket yet, because of the nozzle issue. I think I would probably try a grog/clay mix, but you would really need to press the hell out of that nozzle. Thats pretty much what I was thinking. I don't have a press yet, so thats really what I'm waiting for... well, that and gotta find a metal lathe to make some tooling... after much practice... lol, so yea.. its probly gonna be a while, lol. Damn those bills stealing my pyro money...
psyco_1322 Posted June 26, 2008 Posted June 26, 2008 Well make it a nozzleless bp motor. Its very well possible. If you can get them to work tell me, I know someone that keeps blowing his up.
frogy Posted June 26, 2008 Posted June 26, 2008 Hmm.. If someone would send me 100 pounds of milling media and a 8" HDPE jar, I would gladly make as many Big ASS BP rockets as requested... The hardest thing to get would be a 3" rammer... I suppose I could just glue a bunch of pine together, or maybe lathe down a 4x4... Quite frankly, for $0.38/lb. + Mill time for Black Powder, I'll throw it away for the excitement. It's nice to have a bulk KNO3 supplier and Free 25 lb. bags of Sulfur... Wood finds its way to my house regularly in the form of fallen trees, neighbors scraps, etc... There's no way I could put a few pounds of BP in a rocket when it takes me 3 hours a 200 gram batch though... Really the Ball Mill\Jar is no problem... I already have way to powerful of a motor on my 4" mill... I just can't find anywhere with free lead for media. I'd probably spend more $ on the nozzle than the BP... Hell, it's like $3 for 4 pounds of nozzle mix. (2:1:0.26 Bentonite:Grog:Wax)
Mumbles Posted June 26, 2008 Posted June 26, 2008 I'd be thinking metal rammer. The amount of pressure that would need to be applied to the wood would warp/split it pretty quickly I would imagine. I'd also be starting as cpl did with drilling the core by hand. Do several tests, and make tooling from there once they are working well.
tentacles Posted June 27, 2008 Posted June 27, 2008 Frogy: Hit up some car repair shops and ask if you can have some lead to cast your own fishing weights. Most of the salty dogs working at such places understand and love fishing, and will let you take what you want for free. Otherwise offer 'em $.20/lb for the weights. They'll probably take it. It's partially hardened with 3% tin so it's not dead soft at least. Add some antimony and it'll get harder to last longer. Really, though, you should have jumped on my offer on passfire for 1/2" SS rod @ $2.25/lb delivered to PGI. Maybe I'll get more in the next month or so.
FrankRizzo Posted June 27, 2008 Posted June 27, 2008 Adding antimony is easier said than done. I've never tried it. Does it not melt into the lead easily?
Mumbles Posted June 27, 2008 Posted June 27, 2008 It takes several hundred degrees above the melting point of lead for it to start alloying from what I have heard. I've never tried it either. I've seen some very high antimony lead being sold for use in casting bullets. Something of an antimony concentrate. I think the normal method is to melt pure-ish lead 1:1 with linotype. This gives around 6% antimony.
frogy Posted June 27, 2008 Posted June 27, 2008 I once found a batter company that sold lead with 6% Antimony for like $0.50 / lb. I really want to find a source for lead media that isn't $20/3 lb. Tire weights... anything, would please me.
Mumbles Posted June 27, 2008 Posted June 27, 2008 If you don't mind casting it, try ebay. You can get it for around $1 a pound. Might want to go with linotype. 4% Tin, 12% antimony, 84% Lead, pretty hard stuff. http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?f...type&category0=
cplmac Posted June 27, 2008 Author Posted June 27, 2008 I wouldn't use a wood rammer, way to much pressure. With a 3" rocket you are talking about 23 tons of pressure, although with whistle motors I've been getting away with 12 tons. My ram is a 3" diameter 20" long solid steel bar, heavy as hell but it takes the pressure.
frogy Posted June 27, 2008 Posted June 27, 2008 I made a rather large mold already out of Plaster and lead balls I already had... I'm thinking about making cylinders though... I haven't researched Media much, other than forming balls... Has it been proven that cylinders are better than balls? I may also buy some SS to grind my Oxidizers with... KNO3 mainly... Where did you get your Steel rammer?Lol, I couldn't even think about making a 3" aluminum rod... I can probably find a 3" steel\iron pipe and effectively weld an end closed...
FrankRizzo Posted June 27, 2008 Posted June 27, 2008 Frogy, Get a piece of 2-1/2" steel pipe (~2.9" OD) and have a chunk of 3" aluminum bar stock machined to fit on the end of it to use as the rammer face.
frogy Posted June 27, 2008 Posted June 27, 2008 Hmmm Good idea... I can thread the 2-1/2" pipe, if not already threaded, and machine the Aluminum rammer face as a cap... I think I will also have to form a 3" case former out of a bunch of wood glued together... Unless I can find a source of 2.5" - 3.5" cardboard tubes... What are yours supposed to be used for Cplmac?
FrankRizzo Posted June 27, 2008 Posted June 27, 2008 The cores from pallet wrap, newsprint, and sheet metal are all usually around the 3"ID/4"OD range. Check your local newspaper or printing company first, most will give you as many as you want for free.
frogy Posted June 27, 2008 Posted June 27, 2008 Ohh god. I never thought of that... Those are some strong ass tubes. I have the perfect hook-up. My grandpa just retired from a good 50 years or so at the local paper company...Not that they wouldn't just give them to me anyway for my "science project".. hahaha Also completely forgot that the company I work at uses Pallet wrap with 3" ID cores... Man I must be blind
cplmac Posted June 27, 2008 Author Posted June 27, 2008 Where did you get your Steel rammer?Lol, I couldn't even think about making a 3" aluminum rod... I can probably find a 3" steel\iron pipe and effectively weld an end closed... I think I will also have to form a 3" case former out of a bunch of wood glued together... Unless I can find a source of 2.5" - 3.5" cardboard tubes... What are yours supposed to be used for Cplmac? I got my steel rammer from a trailer manufacturer in my area, but a steel supply company would probably work too, the place that sells the I-Beams for home construction and the posts to support the first floor joists. You can weld the end closed on a pipe if you want, it does work I actually have tooling for a three inch whistle motor from my buddy that he fabricated that way and it works like a champ although it does make my ass pucker when I'm pressing with it. The tubes I use for my motors are cores from giant rolls of industrial plastic. Next time I'm in the shop if I remember I'll look for the company name and see what I can find, I know it's on there.
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