Whistle MIx Recipes

[giod]

So been milling around looking at different recipes for whistle mix, trying to gather information for future inserts..

 

I've found very simple recipes like this:

 

Ball mill your potassium perchlorate and the iron oxide together for 2hrs in an optimized mill, or longer if you have a slower rock tumbler or similar. Also, make sure that your benzoate is extremely fine and dry. If it's a coarser material, dry it in an oven @250F for a few hrs and ball mill it immediately after cooling.

 

Once you've done the prep work and your chemicals are both finely powdered and dry, screen both the fuel and oxidizer together (3) times through a 30-mesh screen. ***Do not scrape your fingernails against the screen or use a hard tool to force the material through*** Use only hand pressure and a shaking motion of the screen to pass the material. Add the screened mix to a large ziploc bag (note: 1kg fits nicely in a gallon size bag. Make sure to get the style with two zipper closures for extra strength and leak prevention). Pour in enough solvent (denatured alcohol, lacquer thinner, or E-85 gasoline) to wet the mix to a firm clay consistency. I typically use ~16oz of solvent for a 1kg batch...you may need more or less. Squeeze the air from the bag, seal, and kneed the solvent/vaseline mix through the bag until thoroughly wetted. Granulate through standard aluminum window screen and lay on newspaper to dry.

 

 

 

and Very complex recipes like this:

 

http://www.skylighter.com/fireworks/how-to-make/whistle-mix.asp

 

 

Any comments are much appreciated. also must whistle ALWAYS be pressed with a hydraulic press, as I have also read?

 

Thanks..

G

[mikeee]

Giod,

 

Ben Smith has a really good tutorial on his website. Makes very good whistle fuel every time.

If you have air milled benzoate and very fine mesh perchlorate you can make good quality whistle mix right out of the bag.

http://www.firesmithtools.com/Tutorials/whistlefuel.pdf

 

Mikeee

[giod]

Giod,

 

Ben Smith has a really good tutorial on his website. Makes very good whistle fuel every time.

If you have air milled benzoate and very fine mesh perchlorate you can make good quality whistle mix right out of the bag.

http://www.firesmithtools.com/Tutorials/whistlefuel.pdf

 

Mikeee

Would ball milled of those two suffice? I presume separately...

 

Ok just read the article.. Seems easy enough.. Now what would I use this in exactly can Anyone give me a step by step. Does this mixture need to be "pressed" into a tube for a shell insert, what size tube, diameter, length, thickness? What about as rocket fuel? Need a noZzle? Or just into any tube? Good for lift or just sound? Can the whistle mix powder (without the vas, and LT) be used as a burst for a shell or salute?

Edited September 13, 2013 by giod

[leedrill]

yes it needs to be pressed smaller tubes / inserts can be hand pressed but now way to be sure they wont be crackers without using a press can not be rammed do some hammer tests with whistle with no vaso/wax/soap/oil and see how sensitive it is to get a feel for why to use a press and be conscious of friction with whistle comps

 

any tube any diameter better sounds with a cavity in the tube but must be reasonably good tubes to withstand whistle fuel it burns very quick so dont need to be that thick but need to be strong and thick enough to not burn through

 

whistle is used as rocket fuel for a couple of applications but if you use a nozzle you will get no whistle just a really quick burning propellent

 

to hot for lift

 

and yes is used a a shell booster by some people but if needed then just paste more for the same reason bp salutes are good enough whistle fuel is a lot more expensive

[giod]

yes it needs to be pressed smaller tubes / inserts can be hand pressed but now way to be sure they wont be crackers without using a press can not be rammed do some hammer tests with whistle with no vaso/wax/soap/oil and see how sensitive it is to get a feel for why to use a press and be conscious of friction with whistle comps

 

any tube any diameter better sounds with a cavity in the tube but must be reasonably good tubes to withstand whistle fuel it burns very quick so dont need to be that thick but need to be strong and thick enough to not burn through

 

whistle is used as rocket fuel for a couple of applications but if you use a nozzle you will get no whistle just a really quick burning propellent

 

to hot for lift

 

and yes is used a a shell booster by some people but if needed then just paste more for the same reason bp salutes are good enough whistle fuel is a lot more expensive

 

Thanks for that. Looks like I have a lot more reading to do..

[mikeee]

Giod,

 

You can use a rocket blender or coffee bean grinder to get the chemicals to an air float mesh.

This is a lot quicker than using a ball mill.

Takes 4-5 seconds to grind up a small batch in the rocket blender or coffee bean grinder.

 

Mikeee