Mario1 Posted August 16, 2009 Posted August 16, 2009 Is this clay good for making plugs?? Thanks! http://cgi.ebay.com/CALCIUM-BENTONITE-POWD...id=p3286.c0.m14
TheEskimo Posted August 16, 2009 Posted August 16, 2009 Don't buy that stuff. You'll pay too much for it, and pay for shipping as well. Go to your local supermarket, and go to the kitty litter aisle. Find some kitty litter, it should say that it is made of clay. Fresh Step is a good choice. You can get 10 pounds for like 7 bucks, and the gas it takes you to drive to the supermarket.
tfleece Posted December 28, 2009 Posted December 28, 2009 What do you use this clay for? Is it high temperature clay for rockets?Thanks
dagabu Posted December 28, 2009 Posted December 28, 2009 What do you use this clay for? Is it high temperature clay for rockets?Thanks Its one of the clays that can be used for nozzles but without refractorys and grog, it will erode quickly. D
dagabu Posted December 30, 2009 Posted December 30, 2009 Crushed up terracotta pots correct ? You can do that but actual grog is china and other white clays that were fired and crushed. Clay pots will work if that is what you have. D
lostfido Posted December 30, 2009 Posted December 30, 2009 Here is an answer to this question from this rocket guy I know :D Cully:For what you would pay for shipping, you can get some of the best clay for nozzles at Fleet Farm. A 10 kilo box will cost around $6 plus and it's the best clay I discovered yet to make rocket nozzles. It's called ''Litter Delight'' kitty litter. It's the cheapest of the brand they sell because it has no scent additive added. The courseness is larger that the more expensive brands but it bites into the side walls just as though you had grog in the mix. So far, it's worked better that anything I've ever tried for endburners and will work great for coreburners. And I know you have a Fleet Farm store in your area. It comes in a light green box. Check it out.SLD
Eric70 Posted December 31, 2009 Posted December 31, 2009 Here is an answer to this question from this rocket guy I know Cully:For what you would pay for shipping, you can get some of the best clay for nozzles at Fleet Farm. A 10 kilo box will cost around $6 plus and it's the best clay I discovered yet to make rocket nozzles. It's called ''Litter Delight'' kitty litter. It's the cheapest of the brand they sell because it has no scent additive added. The courseness is larger that the more expensive brands but it bites into the side walls just as though you had grog in the mix. So far, it's worked better that anything I've ever tried for endburners and will work great for coreburners. And I know you have a Fleet Farm store in your area. It comes in a light green box. Check it out.SLD SLD would be a person to take serious. Due to the courseness I am guessing one would press (hydraulic) this rather than ram it by hand (mallet)?
jm82792 Posted December 31, 2009 Posted December 31, 2009 (edited) You can do that but actual grog is china and other white clays that were fired and crushed. Clay pots will work if that is what you have. DI'm just curious, although rockets sound interesting the CATO would be the factor that would stop me. Edited December 31, 2009 by jm82792
andyboy Posted December 31, 2009 Posted December 31, 2009 SLD would be a person to take serious. Due to the courseness I am guessing one would press (hydraulic) this rather than ram it by hand (mallet)? Just crush some of it and add some straight from the box so you have different meshes. The finer clay will bind and the coarser clay will bite into the walls of the tube. Ramming in small increments will work (almost) just as well as pressing if you do it this way.
dagabu Posted December 31, 2009 Posted December 31, 2009 I'm just curious, although rockets sound interesting the CATO would be the factor that would stop me. They dont call them bombs on sticks for nothing! I guarantee, if you make rockets you will get CATOs. D
FrankRizzo Posted December 31, 2009 Posted December 31, 2009 I also use kitty litter (WalMart - Special Kitty brand) with great success. As long as you're pressing rockets hydraulically, kitty litter bentonite will serve you well. If you're hand-ramming, you'll want to look at kaolin with a small percentage of grog for extra bite. I coffee mill my kitty litter down to approximately 8-mesh or smaller granules, and add a few percent graphite so the finished motor is easier to remove from the spindle.
Swede Posted December 31, 2009 Posted December 31, 2009 They dont call them bombs on sticks for nothing! I guarantee, if you make rockets you will get CATOs. D And the volume will be shocking, relative to the size. You'll think "Was that a freaking salute, or a BP rocket?"
aquaman Posted January 3, 2010 Posted January 3, 2010 I second the use of kitty litter... As weird as it sounds it actually works great. I used them for fountains and rockets and never had a problem. The cat litter i got from the store was the cheapest type with no fragrances and on the side said Bentonite clay as the only ingredient. It was a little course but a 10$ coffee grinder fix that problem.
gordohigh Posted January 19, 2010 Posted January 19, 2010 I was using cheap kitty litter clay until I read on this site about the fresh step kitty litter, scoopable. It made a believer out of me in the first use. It makes a smooth, almost shiny, super hard, end plug and is easily drilled without chipping. I made some alu rocket tooling the other day and I am impressed with the recessed plug this stuff makes. JFYI I bought mine at walmart.
dagabu Posted January 19, 2010 Posted January 19, 2010 And the volume will be shocking, relative to the size. You'll think "Was that a freaking salute, or a BP rocket?" I have a new CATO from last night. One frame is completely white as the flash overwhelmed the sensor.
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