Whistle + Vermiculite

[Swede]

This is a bit of continuation of the "Small shell burst" thread. I ended up with what I think is a pretty cool and effective way to prepare whistle mix for a burst charge. Nothing wrong with straight whistle, but sometimes you might want a little bulk, and from what I can see, this stuff is possibly faster than straight whistle, due to the NC content, and the granulation.

 

Step one is to create a good whistle mix. I went 70:30, both pre-milled, and really fine. Screened carefully, thoroughly mixed, it is ready to go. I made a 12 gram sample.

 

Next, 3 grams of vermiculite is put into an acetone-safe cup. In another small cup (solvent safe) goes 3 grams 25% NC lacquer, and 3 grams acetone to thin a bit.

 

You now have three cups, one straight whistle, one vermiculite, and the third, a thinned NC lacquer. Have stirrers handy. I used popsicle sticks. From here on, you want to work pretty fast, as the acetone evaporates very quickly.

 

Dump the thinned NC lacquer into the verm. Stir rapidly; it'll clump slightly, but generally not change in appearance too much. Next, dump in the 12 grams of whistle, immediately stir to distribute the whistle onto the moistened verm. It takes only 10 to 15 seconds of stirring. Be sure you get any loose whistle on the bottom, and get it integrated into the mass. When you are done, you should see NO loose, powdered whistle in the cup. Spread on paper to dry. It should be ready in an hour or two, a nice, fast preparation.

 

http://www.5bears.com/firew/wl01.jpg

 

http://www.5bears.com/firew/wl02.jpg

 

I tested a tiny sample right next to a straight whistle sample. Both went off with a nice, snappy WHUMP, and I think the verm might be punchier due to excellent flame propogation. I'm definitely going to give it a try in a 2" shell on the 4th.

 

The basic formula:

 

Whistle Mix... 12

Vermiculite... 3

25% NC Lacquer... 3

Acetone... 3

 

Nothing radically new here, but it was really easy to prepare, and maybe it will give some folks some other ideas. I like how the vermiculite handled compared to rice hulls.

[Bonny]

I use BP coated vermiculite for bursting 3" shells. I usually add a spoonfull of whistle mix as a booster...never thought of coating verm with whistle.