Rocket dimensions

[dagabu]

so if i'm right a rocket should be balanced right at the nozzle AFTER the stick is glued on? and if the stick is longer than the balaceing point does that really matter?

 

I have been lurking for a while on this thread but I just feel I need to interject.

 

Drilling BP with a power drill will eventually cause a CATO right there in your hand. The tip of the bit will slowly dull and it will cause a lot of friction and then -BOOM!-

 

Please don't do this, hand drill (bit with tape wrapped around it and twisted by hand) if you have to but tempting fate is just stupid. Please don't encourage this type of behavior, there are plenty of injuries documented and proven (that' for all of you conspiracy theorists) that have come from drilling, pounding, cutting and accidentally igniting rockets, gerbs etc.

 

Aluminum rod is cheap, HD has a 36"x1/4" rod for less then $5.00, make a spindle by cutting a length and chucking it up in your drill press. Use a file, sandpaper, steel wool to put a slight taper on it, drill a hole in a piece of hardwood, stick the spindle in it.

 

Better yet, have Steve Kursinsky make you a tooling set with replaceable spindles for $50.00.

 

It is our obligation to teach safety above all else. Correct use of tooling is part and parcel of that safety and all those that encourage power drilling a BP rocket must still have both hands and all fingers. PM me if you want the gory pictures of those that have flipped safety the bird and have trained the noobs to drill BP.

 

Mumbles, Sidewinder, where are you?

 

Dave

[Eric70]

so if i'm right a rocket should be balanced right at the nozzle AFTER the stick is glued on? and if the stick is longer than the balaceing point does that really matter?

 

 

Updup, for some answers to your question, go over to the "Rocket Failure" thread, we just had some dialogue about rocket sticks. It's not your fault for not seeing that thread, the topics seem to shift around at times.

[Eric70]

A cordless drill will work just fine. Just try and get it as perpendicular as possible. Even if the nozzle is slightly off 90 deg. you won't notice a difference. I have recently acquired a drill press, they make some jobs MUCH easier. I suggest getting one.

BTW, the sticks I use on my rockets are very light and thin so they must be very long to correctly balance the rocket. They provide a lot of drag which is essential during flight.

 

I agree with dagabu on the safety concerns for drilling rockets. Friction. Heat. Ignition. Injury. Possible death. I started reading and studying pyrotechnics 6 years ago and from Day 1 it puzzled me how some sites advocate using drill bits. I assume these individuals have been doing it for a couple years, are lucky and consider themselves experts. They start a webpage and give newcomers the impression this is how you do it. Ramming is one thing, it is an option and is old school technique. Drilling is a heck of a lot more risky deal and is flat-out wrong.

 

I ram my BP rockets and accept the small risks but it scares me to think people drill their nozzles. Any literature on rocket making from the past 100-plus years shows tooling with a spindle that is for making rockets. Nobody drills or punches nozzle openings. If you are making end burners, it still is a terrible risk because you are drilling into the fuel.

 

The ones who are drilling their nozzles have been doing it on a wing and a prayer. Don't be such a cheapskate and spend some money on tooling. The $50-$125 spent will be small money compared to the costs of medical attention and the potential legal costs that could happen after the police question you how the fire started and you got hurt.

[dagabu]

Updup, for some answers to your question, go over to the "Rocket Failure" thread, we just had some dialogue about rocket sticks. It's not your fault for not seeing that thread, the topics seem to shift around at times.

 

Been there, posted that

Edited October 9, 2009 by dagabu