alkaline Posted May 20, 2011 Posted May 20, 2011 Im not really new to fire-flame but as a pyro Im only experienced enough to burn myself.I ubderstand some basic lab techniques principles SAFETY!! In other words Im embarking on basically a new hobby.Of course as all youngstersdid? I enjoyed firecrackers bottlerockets and then the ESTES series of rockets/motors constructing them from kits. and then introducing my boy to hobby rocketry the same way.Frankly i think i enjoyed more than he. In any event there are 2 basic areas Im interested in and need advice as to the best way to get there. Im enthusiastic about making my own rocket engines I assume in the beginning from a Rocket candy mix?KNO3/sugar? Tools needed Im assuming a ball mill of sorts, tooling to make the propellant grain and nozzles..etc? Also interested in quick match.How fast can one expect BP quickmatch to deflagrate? Ive seen "nearly 500fps"advertised by one pyro vendor for chinese QM?2/3 the velocity of a std.38special or .45ACP w/target loads faster than the eye can see up close!.My third interest would be binary firearms targets although I may have settled on a very cheap and possibly very versatile in size and action.Oxyacetylene balloons DETONATED by a RF tracer(homemade/storebought) cost of targets is still minimal even including tracers.In fact to that purpose I bought 60rds of M8556 5.56x45 (.223) tracer.Thought crossed my mind about possibly lighter than air oxyhydrogen balloon/small weatherballoon! airborne moving TGTS. As far as legality a short search suggested oxyacetylene mixed in a container (balloon) is not illegal as an explosive or exploding target however crossing state lines is a grey area.But realistically most if not all targets should be made @ the range to minimize accidents.A normal OB oxyacetylene balloon if close enough will bust an eardrum but the flashy target effects would be minimal unless someone had an idea there. Good resources out there to learn? Thanks gents, alkaline
nater Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 If you intend to make rocket engines for model rockets, check out Amatuer Rocket Motor Construction by David Sleeter. He describes sugar fuel, core burning BP motors, ejection charges, thrust curves, and even detailed tooling instructions. If you are thinking about firework sky rockets, it is still a good read, but has a lot of info that does not necessarily apply. I don't kbow exactly how fast QM burns, but I don't think it is quite 500fps. If you have a long run of shells tied together with QM, you can notice the burn time across the chain. However, if you are lighting shells with 2-3 foot QM leader and touch the flame to the piped portion instead of exposed black match, you can expect the shell to take flight before you can blink you eyes.
dagabu Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 (edited) Im enthusiastic about making my own rocket engines I assume in the beginning from a Rocket candy mix?KNO3/sugar? I personally would start with BP rockets, no need to cook the fuel, it lasts longer, is more forgiving and can be rammed by hand with minimum tooling. Tools needed Im assuming a ball mill of sorts, tooling to make the propellant grain and nozzles..etc? I certainly would start with a ball mill, even a cheap Harbor Freight one will work fine for the beginner. Yes, you will need tooling, shoot me a PM if you want a quote, I usually beat the other guys by 25-30%. You will need to make or buy tooling no matter which way you choose to go. Also interested in quick match.How fast can one expect BP quickmatch to deflagrate? Ive seen "nearly 500fps"advertised by one pyro vendor for chinese QM?2/3 the velocity of a std.38special or .45ACP w/target loads faster than the eye can see up close!. In my experiences, I can make a good guess at less then 200' per second even in the best quick match (Blue Pyro-Formax) but the time is advertized at 150 fps by the manufactures. I base that number on the last few set pieces that used QM to bridge between boards. According to my reloading manuals, .38 runs between 727 and 1168 fps depending on weight and materials with .45 ACP running the same lower speed to 1000 fps at the high end with a light hand cast load. QM would burn roughly 1:5 the speed of a bullet flight. My third interest would be binary firearms targets although I may have settled on a very cheap and possibly very versatile in size and action.Oxyacetylene balloons DETONATED by a RF tracer(homemade/storebought) cost of targets is still minimal even including tracers.In fact to that purpose I bought 60rds of M8556 5.56x45 (.223) tracer.Thought crossed my mind about possibly lighter than air oxyhydrogen balloon/small weatherballoon! airborne moving TGTS. No idea on this stuff... As far as legality a short search suggested oxyacetylene mixed in a container (balloon) is not illegal as an explosive or exploding target however crossing state lines is a grey area.But realistically most if not all targets should be made @ the range to minimize accidents.A normal OB oxyacetylene balloon if close enough will bust an eardrum but the flashy target effects would be minimal unless someone had an idea there. Good resources out there to learn? Thanks gents, alkaline Fill the balloons on site, a balloon filled with Oxyacetylene can ignite from static easily. We had one pop in the welding shop and burn the face of the guy tying it off when he grounded himself on the fence he was tying it too. -dag Edited May 21, 2011 by dagabu
TheNorthForty Posted March 3, 2012 Posted March 3, 2012 If your still looking for some help on exploding targets, I've got some recipes for you to try.
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