Random Thread #1

[Pyrohawk]

Man, I wish there was a Rocket Club around here..... I would like to get more into "Model Rocketry" but it would be more fun if I had a club to launch with. I have 1 Model Rocket I made....but it hasn't been tested and I havn't made a motor!! I finished it months ago, its the only pyrotechnic device I've ever been able to let it set without using it!!

[Rogue Chemist]

Did we loose many good members with the move or do kewls somehow find this site easier than the old one?

Some of the stuff that has been posted recently....

 

(notin referance to stuff said in this thread recently, I am refering to other threads and the recent kewl influx).

 

BigBang: Your engine are you gonna launch it or det it

[Mephistos Minion]

Rogue: Methinks it is perhaps the fact that there are less threads overall that you are noticing the kewl ones. There were probbably the same ammount of them on the old forum, but it was balenced by decent threads. Now with less members and less threads, the kewl one stick out alot more.

 

In other news my dextrin arrived (I know I know, shoulda made it myself, but mum is sick of me messing round in the kitchen) so anyway, now I can make the stars and lift I need for my 12 3" starmines.

 

I am also awaiting a quote for 12 meters of 2", 3" , 4" and 6" HDPE pipe. That's 12 meters of each... Alot of mortars...

[FrankRizzo]

Mephistos,

 

Buy fiberglass dude. If you’re ordering HDPE from someplace other than locally, the freight on the pipe and plugs is gonna kill ya. Hauling 'em around sucks balls too.

[Mephistos Minion]

It is fairly local. Only a state away. I can't get fiberglass I don't think.

[PyroJoe]

If you're concerened about safety you can just use ABS pipe. Which is available at nearly every hardware store with plumbing parts. Thats what I use and I put it in a 5 gallon bucket full of sand. It would take quite an explosion to destroy it, but even if it did, the sand would keep the shrapnel from flying everywhere!

[Mephistos Minion]

Not so much concerned about that, but HDPE is the strongest and most chemically resistant material for mortars. If it will cost me too much for this pipe I guess I may have to "borrow" some form the council.

[Givat]

Just got, after 6 months wating, my 25 kilo of Sr(NO3)2, 25 kilo of Ba(NO3)2 and half a kilo of sodium salicylate.

 

http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/6831/oxidizers7kg.jpg

 

[Chris]

Wow, I'm impressed! Care to say how much that cost you?

[Givat]

I need to find the receiving to reamember the exact price, but as far as I remember it cost me about 900$.

But I bought it with some friends and I'm saving only about 10 kilo of each for myself.

[BigBang]

Did we loose many good members with the move or do kewls somehow find this site easier than the old one?

Some of the stuff that has been posted recently....

 

(notin referance to stuff said in this thread recently, I am refering to other threads and the recent kewl influx).

 

BigBang: Your engine are you gonna launch it or det it

We have had many more kewl posts lately. It isn't just an illusion. But why there are so many isn't because there are a bunch of kewl threads, its because good threads are being post-whored in. Normally, the crappy threads could be locked, but when good threads are being clogged, there really isn't much to be done unless a mod comes through and cleans it out, which can be a pain in the arse.

 

And If I get a skinny cap to fit up the nozzle

[Swany]

Some of them arent kewls, just stupid. And yes, we do have kewls.

 

Bigbang, well since you know where I live, perhaps you could... ermm... well... let me borrow that motor? Seriously though, that is a waste of good RDX and TNP to... not detonate it. TNP in a motor from '78 dosent sound too safe either. Is it sealed? I want some pictures.

 

Quest: that is beutiful.

[Mumbles]

If you're concerened about safety you can just use ABS pipe.

That is about the dumbest piece of advice I have heard in a while. It's like saying "If you're concerned about the sensitivity of PETN, use Mercury Fulminate."

[PyroJoe]

Obviously it looks that way if you only post that sentance of what I said mumbles... Dont make me look like a dumbass. I know ABS pipe will shatter if something goes wrong, but as I said in the rest of my post you surround it with sand, therefore it is safe.

[justanotherpyro]

With proper care, ABS can be acceptable. It all depends on if the individual is willing to use it. For my last shoot I used ABS, but grounded in a 5 gallon bucket and surrounded by hay. It is readily availiable, but if you do use it be safe with it. Don't underestimate what that shrapnel can do.

[Rooster]

It still is a totally meaningless and stupid post, PyroJoe. He is getting HDPE, (one of) the safest mortar types to use, and you come over the top suggesting the most dangerous one and take all these precautions. Even though there is sand around the ABS, if a 6" bottom shot (or any salute) goes off, the sand will be blown away easily. With HDPE there is not a change in hell your skin will be pierced by a piece of plastic unless you are sitting on top of it.

[BigBang]

I said it was supposedly russian. On the motor, there is writing, and there is a K in one of the words. It is however written like i just typed, and not backwards like it is in russian script. I think it could be written by whomever it was obtained from, and not who made it.

 

Russian propellant contained, usually, a mixture of RDX, TNP, and a binding agent (NC?) I might be wrong about the TNP as it could be picramic or picric, I'm not too sure.

 

I have a very shitty camera so I'll take a very shitty picture.

 

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a367/PantFire/p1.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a367/PantFire/2.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a367/PantFire/3.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a367/Pan...111001_0001.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a367/PantFire/4.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a367/PantFire/5.jpg

 

The first three are of the writting, the next two are of the nozzle, and the last shows the metal rod that is inserted all the way through the motor to the top of the core. This was done to keep the grain from closing up, as they were known to do.

 

This rod is made or matal, which is another reason why I believe TNP might not be present.

[PyroJoe]

Im not saying ABS is better than HDPE. If I had access to HDPE i would use that instead. He was saying that he couldn't find it and that shipping was going to be very expensive, so I was trying to help him out with an alternative. I don't know about you, but if I was shooting a 6" shell I wouldn't be standing close enough for shrapnel to even come close to me anyway.

[Pretty green flame]

Maybe someone can help me a tiny bit.

 

I am currently rebuilding my web site and Front Page is screwing me over again (no i'm not thinking of firing a 3" shell into my face again). Anyway, does anyone have an idea how to put thumbnails on the page (Click the small image and a bigger one is opened in a new window). The Help section of the programme is no help at all as this is the case with most programmes.

 

Thanks for your help.

[Mumbles]

To make proper thumbnails, you usually have to use a third party program that actually makes smaller images. There is coding you can use to make the image appear smaller, but it still loads the same amount of memory, and it looks blurry.

 

http://htmlite.com/faq006.php

[PyroJoe]

Or if you didnt want to use a third party program, there are ways to do it automatically through php. I built a system that uploads a picture, resizes it, then links it to the real picture with php. It is very nice once you get all the bugs worked out, but for a web site such as yours you probably want to go with mumbles route.

[ULTRABUF]

This sucks. Rolling stars is more difficult than I thought. I think I got it too wet and I ended up with chunks of comp. with about 5 cores each. Did anyone else fail on their first attempt of rolling stars?

[Pyrohawk]

I sure did ULTRABUF, my first batch was bad. You'll get the hang of it after a few tries. You'll eventually train your pyro sense and be able to know just when to add water, how much, etc. Just remember:

 

1. Use very little water, just occasional sprays

2. use alcohol/water mix

3. the bgeinning is the hardest.....use very small sprays and make sure they are done gathering comp before spraying again

4. The bigger the batch the better they seem to roll.

5. occasionally, especially in the beginning you'll have to stick your hand or spoon in and break up the clumps.

[Mr. Crackle]

My round stars roll well but are too fragile. When I launch one out of a star gun all I get is a flash, no visible star. I think they might be breaking from the shock of being launched.

 

If I were to add 5% Dextrin would it slow the stars down, I use meal powder, and do you think there is enough water used in the rolling process to make the dextrin "sticky"?

[dragonman586]

ULTRABUF my first time was today and it went okay. I didn't use cores I just threw some comp into a paper cup, gave it a few more sprays than I should have and shook it in a circular motion. It gave me a place ot start. I have some small stars but after another coating they should be fine.