Pyrohawk Posted June 12, 2006 Posted June 12, 2006 Yeah Draco....thats the effect I'm talking about. So the Ti is in the first slag creating mixture? What kind of core causes such an energetic burst? Hmmmm....
asilentbob Posted June 12, 2006 Posted June 12, 2006 I'm not ready for the 4th either. I have very little meal, probably just enough to prime my stars. Mabey not even, i may have to make some perchlorate prime. Then i have no lift and will have to get cannon and 1FG (I'm 90% certain at least). I have prepared my salute tubes for loading by sealing one end on all of them. (~30) I have about 50 soda bottle tops for my flickable poppers (I'll upload a pic someday). I mixed up some CuO/Al, and did a couple pinches night before last, wow, it was like super bright green flash. I'm definatly going to go through a bunch of this stuff on the 4th, mabey det a sample too. Anywho, sometime after the 4th ill be ordering some more stuff, some tubes from pyrotube.com 1/4" and i think 3/4", so expect some business kilo_g , some more -325 mesh flake Al, mabey some spherical too from this rocketry store, then a whole bunch from firefox-fx, im excited. Well, im mainly excited about the Ti im going to get, but ill also probably be getting some -325 MgAl and Pb3O4, so dragon eggs and better metallic fueled stars here i come.
Canadian_Pyro Posted June 12, 2006 Posted June 12, 2006 I just tried to make black powder with the CIA method, because I found a 1 gallon jug of Methanol in my shed. I now have a nasty steam burn from pouring the ice cold alcohol into the hot BP. God Damnit. I dont expect it to lift as well as my Ball milled BP, but it should be quite decent, and even if it sucks, the experimentation factor made it worthwhile.
Canadian_Pyro Posted June 12, 2006 Posted June 12, 2006 Just tested the CIA BP, and It burns somewhat quick in an unconfined pile, but leaves alot of white residue. Most likely Potassium Carbonate, left over because the reaction didnt occur fast enough to carry it away. Probably because it is still wet.
lacrima97 Posted June 12, 2006 Posted June 12, 2006 I was wondering what ozone smelled like the other day. Do you guys think it may smell like detonated tcap? I think that the stuff detonates to form acetone and O3, and since (i believe) the reaction is endothermic, shouldn't the products probably remain intact? Maybe thats what O3 smells like....
Mumbles Posted June 12, 2006 Posted June 12, 2006 If you want to know what ozone smells like, stand near a laser printer. It is kind of sweet smelling. As for the TCAP thing, it will only be discussed within the confines of the HE section.
Canadian_Pyro Posted June 12, 2006 Posted June 12, 2006 Well, the BP burns hell fast now that it is dry. I didnt think CIA black powder was this good, it rivals my ball milled powder in lifting ability and unconfined burn speed. I will not make any more though, because the methanol I used to precipitate the KNO3 out of solution is not cheap, not to mention the process is messy and labor intensive. Thats why I have my ball mill.
lacrima97 Posted June 13, 2006 Posted June 13, 2006 If you want to know what ozone smells like, stand near a laser printer. It is kind of sweet smelling. As for the TCAP thing, it will only be discussed within the confines of the HE section. Sadly, I don't have HE access, so I can't discuss the topic I know most about, energetic chemistry.
Pyrohawk Posted June 13, 2006 Posted June 13, 2006 You have to request for HE access..... Just PM one of the mods and they will decide whether to give you access or not. Hey, has anyone else seen the article on UN?? On the homepage it says theat the CPSC battle was featured in "Wired" magazine and there is a link to the article. Its 5 pages long but it is a pretty cool article and interesting. Damn CPSC.....I can't stand them!! What business is it of theirs!! What I do in the confines of my own barn is noones business but mine..... What good will banning pyrotechnic chemicals do? I can make HE's from supplies in the Hardware store but a green, red, or blue flame is not gonna happen without more exotic chems.. Banning pyro chemicals will only keep pyrotechnics from being possible but won't hinder terrorism at all........... Well thats my randomness for the day.
Rogue Chemist Posted June 13, 2006 Posted June 13, 2006 Yeah I scanned the article and put it on rapidshare a while ago.http://rapidshare.de/files/21390828/wired_...mistry.pdf.html
Pyrohawk Posted June 14, 2006 Posted June 14, 2006 Hey, I have a question for anyone who has a press for rockets, BP, etc.. How big a press do you need to be any good? Will the small little junky car press I have work? Its just a 2 ton hydraulic press, ya know the ones you keep behind the seat in case of flat tire. Or do I need something bigger?? I am tired of ramming rockets and fountains......
Draco_Aster Posted June 14, 2006 Posted June 14, 2006 As am I! I have my dads 1850Kg hydraulic press and my a 2000Kg car jack (alot larger and bulkier). I was thinking of making a steel frame for it. Then I could press my BP into pucks, now that would be nice.
rocket Posted June 14, 2006 Posted June 14, 2006 The last couple of times I’ve pressed BP rocket I’ve split the tubes. I was using a vice to do this. I just ram them now.
Mumbles Posted June 14, 2006 Posted June 14, 2006 Well, the real question is what size of rockets are you going to be making? I'd suggest a 6 ton jack bottle. It should be able to handle any rocket. With a 2 ton jack, you should be able to get up around 1lb, but no more. One thing to keep in mind is how the thing lifts. You want one that lifts straight up. A good number of car jacks don't quite lift straight up. This could bend your tooling. As far as the tubes breaking, ramming is actually worse. If they're not breaking from ramming, it means they're not getting pressed as well. It is common practice to use a PVC sleeve. Get a PVC tube the OD of your tube and cut a slit down it. Get a bunch of hose clamps. There cheap, like 20 cents a piece. You want one every 3/4" or so. Put the tube in the sleeve, tighten the clamps and press away, no worries about splitting. Note: The hose clamps are going to be sharp, so don't grab the tube or wear leather gloves.
asilentbob Posted June 14, 2006 Posted June 14, 2006 All you people with your presses and BP pucks have enspired me to get one to. It will be a 12ton bottle jack with a frame like dan williams but with a better blast shield. At first ill just be pressing BP pucks, but i plan to someday venture into whistle rockets. I'll be done milling some BP in a minute too.
Mephistos Minion Posted June 14, 2006 Posted June 14, 2006 I have a 6 ton jack that I will eventualy turn into a press when I go back to school. I think I'll just make it outta U profile steel and reinforce it with thicker plate.
justanotherpyro Posted June 14, 2006 Posted June 14, 2006 Is there a superiour solvent for sealing up plastic shells? I have been using acetone, but UN uses xylol. There are many solvents to use, are there any major differences in performance?
PyroJoe Posted June 14, 2006 Posted June 14, 2006 I think PVC primer probably works the best. It has acetone and MEK in it. After I put a generous amount of primer to seal up the shell, I put some on the outside as well. After that's somewhat dry I cover the outside seal again with PVC glue to reinforce and prevent gas leaks. Works great.
mr.pyro Posted June 15, 2006 Posted June 15, 2006 Xylene is the best plastic solvent. It actually will melt the plastic together instantly.
justanotherpyro Posted June 15, 2006 Posted June 15, 2006 Too fast is bad. There needs to be enough time to get an even coat in the seam and then press together to seal it. What I am concerned about is the structural integrity of the seam and if different solvents make it stronger or weaker.
mr.pyro Posted June 15, 2006 Posted June 15, 2006 Ok well in all the hundreds of 1 3/4 and 3" shells Ive made I have found Xylene to work better then acetone and denatured alcohol. Never any air leaks at all.
Mumbles Posted June 15, 2006 Posted June 15, 2006 Alcohol itself shouldn't solvate it at all. Perhaps the denaturants will a bit, but the seal will be very weak. This is a fairly inclusive list of solvents http://www.bangslabs.com/support/pdf/Solvent_Listing.pdf My personal solvent choice is a special polystyrene glue. I take toluene, and dissolve polystyrene in it. Usually I just take any fragments I find after firing, wash them up and toss them in the container. The mixture actually gets fairly thick. I added a few fragments from the black half that come with some ball shells. This is nice because you can see where the glue is and isn't. I leave about a 1/8 to 1/16" gap and paint around. Then I squeze it in a vice so the plastic bubbles out. Usually 10 minutes is sufficient to completely set the seam. If I am not doing too many, I keep it in there over night to allow it to dry. I find these shells actually break a little better. I have a tuna can and a chunk of brass from a pool cue I use to hold the plastic shells. They hold the plastic shells sufficiently so the time fuse is not crushed, but adequate pressure is applied. The tuna can is for 4"+ and the brass thing (it is essentially a cylinder with a hole bored through) for 3" and under. I've never had a problem. I like the glue because it adheres to the shell seam a lot better. It also ensures the seam is complete. To Mephestos below: The food processor should work. 2oz - 3/84oz - 1/28oz - 5/81lb - 3/42lb - 7/83lb - 1"4lb - 1 1/4"6lb - 1 1/2" The lengths are 10x the ID generally.
Pyrohawk Posted June 15, 2006 Posted June 15, 2006 Well, the real question is what size of rockets are you going to be making? I'd suggest a 6 ton jack bottle. It should be able to handle any rocket. With a 2 ton jack, you should be able to get up around 1lb, but no more. One thing to keep in mind is how the thing lifts. You want one that lifts straight up. A good number of car jacks don't quite lift straight up. This could bend your tooling. I dunno..... never understood the whole 1lb, 2lb thing I just make my rockets to these measurements:1/2" - 4" 3/4" - 6"and fountains the same size........ Also I have another question. I want to try making some Al flitters with a food processor like described in the Poor Man's Al thread. Well I found a cheap little machine in the store.....but not sure if its what I need. Its called the Mini Chopper. It looks like a food processor except the blades look like a coffee grinders.... But on the side in the directions it refers to it as a food processor! So I dunno..... What do ya guys think?
Mumbles Posted June 15, 2006 Posted June 15, 2006 Dan williams has some pictures of his. They really do look just like hockey pucks. http://www.pyrotechniques.org/dwilliams/bl...er/blkpdr09.jpg
Mr. Crackle Posted June 15, 2006 Posted June 15, 2006 Urea is in some instant cold packs right? I am attempting to make methyl carbamate but am having trouble finding urea anywhere. Oh, and there is a person who goes by jungle1 at totse. I have nothing against this person but don't want to be mistaken for him.
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