Occasional Happiness

[TheEskimo]

Heh. I love stingers. They're a pain to get right, tho. They seem to be more finicky about fuels than other kinds of rockets. Gotta be just right, or else they flop around on the ground, or burn out too soon.

[Bonny]

When running a single strand of string through the black match machine or just out of a tub of slurry and on to the frame, you have to transition from one cluster of six strands to the next and it is that 'crossover' piece that is giving me some trouble.

 

Sorry i can't help ya. The only BM I make goes in as 1 strand and out the same way. I just use whatever cotton string I have at the time.

[dagabu]

Its for a class I am teaching and it has to be "perfect" and that single strand is making the sides look like crap.

[Miech]

I rolled a dice if I would post it here or in de Occasional Depression thread, but this thread won.

 

My guitar rack, containing a preamp, an effects processor and a poweramp got stolen out of my church in a burglary. Total damage done is over a thousand euro's... Very frustrating if you have been looking for a specific device for 3 years, have it in your rack, and lose it within 3 months.

 

The good news is I'm getting a new amp which is far superior to what I had. The insurance of the church will most likely pay me the money the equipment was worth the day it got stolen, which is about the money I bought it for. Until then I play a Roland Cube 30 live, auch...

[50AE]

So happY !

 

I phoned a person I was buying chemicals from. I asked him if he could grind 500grams of Al shavings into flakes and powder, because I needed various grades of Al for streamer stars. He has a special workshop where he works with minerals, stones, etc, so he has special grinding machines that turn flakes into powder for seconds.

He asked me to pay him 3$ bucks for this work. In fact, he was deserving much more for the work he did. I was ready to pay him.. let's say 10-15$. After about an hour of work, we were ready. I took out my wallet and then he goes:

"Do you have any fireworks for Sunday. I would like to have some for the soccer finale"

I aggreed to give him some of the finest with pleasure. Fountains, mines shells.

"How much do I owe you?" - I asked him

"Nothing" - he said. "Fireworks will do"

We were ready to leave, and then he went again:

"Do you want SrCO3"? "Take a bag and put as much as you want"

I took out my wallet again. (To let you know, strontium salts are at least 3x expensive here. The guy was selling this stuff to me 5$ for 200g)

I asked him again for money, he still refused, mentioning the word "fireworks" again.

I acted polite, so I filled a small bag with about a pound of SrCO3. The guy had at least 16-20 pounds.

I promised him more fireworks.

 

So I went home with 500g Al powder, a little more than a lb strontium carbonate and some lbs SiO2 fine sand he grinded to clean off his machines from the Al powder.

I gave him fireworks.

 

I'm so happy when there are no money involved in deals. To be honest, I hate working with money. !

And we are both happy!

[Cookieman]

So happY !

 

I phoned a person I was buying chemicals from. I asked him if he could grind 500grams of Al shavings into flakes and powder, because I needed various grades of Al for streamer stars. He has a special workshop where he works with minerals, stones, etc, so he has special grinding machines that turn flakes into powder for seconds.

He asked me to pay him 3$ bucks for this work. In fact, he was deserving much more for the work he did. I was ready to pay him.. let's say 10-15$. After about an hour of work, we were ready. I took out my wallet and then he goes:

"Do you have any fireworks for Sunday. I would like to have some for the soccer finale"

I aggreed to give him some of the finest with pleasure. Fountains, mines shells.

"How much do I owe you?" - I asked him

"Nothing" - he said. "Fireworks will do"

We were ready to leave, and then he went again:

"Do you want SrCO3"? "Take a bag and put as much as you want"

I took out my wallet again. (To let you know, strontium salts are at least 3x expensive here. The guy was selling this stuff to me 5$ for 200g)

I asked him again for money, he still refused, mentioning the word "fireworks" again.

I acted polite, so I filled a small bag with about a pound of SrCO3. The guy had at least 16-20 pounds.

I promised him more fireworks.

 

So I went home with 500g Al powder, a little more than a lb strontium carbonate and some lbs SiO2 fine sand he grinded to clean off his machines from the Al powder.

I gave him fireworks.

 

I'm so happy when there are no money involved in deals. To be honest, I hate working with money. !

And we are both happy!

 

Looks like you scored big time!! good for you, and the fact that you bartered with him to display your work makes it even better. I wish I'd run into people like that!!

[50AE]

A very repetitive fact for me - best things happen when the least you expect them. Edited July 9, 2010 by 50AE

[50AE]

Finally made myself a hydraulic press!

 

http://store.picbg.net/thumb/AB/41/874c9354e5a8ab41.jpg http://store.picbg.net/thumb/37/23/fe3f5e3bb5b63723.jpg http://store.picbg.net/thumb/E0/41/505200a34d15e041.jpg

[Gunzway]

Looks awesome 50AE! How much do you think it cost all together? It's something I really need to get around with doing as I am not keen on ramming anymore. Another thing to add the seemingly endless list of things to buy and things to do. Also, good choice of beer imo .

[Cookieman]

I need to make me one of those, What size threaded rod and what size are those metal plates? I'm assuming your using a 12 ton bottle jack.

[50AE]

30 euros... But there's a problem, my (how do you call them in English) metal axes are too short, and the press is short for some applications I wanted to use it, like pressing a long fountain. I may buy new ( ) longer in future.

 

Edit: Ah, they are called threaded rods. They are 16mm thick and 500mm long. The size of the plates is 200x200x10mm. And the jack is 3 ton.

Edited July 20, 2010 by 50AE

[Cookieman]

30 euros... But there's a problem, my (how do you call them in English) metal axes are too short, and the press is short for some applications I wanted to use it, like pressing a long fountain. I may buy new ( ) longer in future.

 

Edit: Ah, they are called threaded rods. They are 16mm thick and 500mm long. The size of the plates is 200x200x10mm. And the jack is 3 ton.

 

 

Thanks, great job on the press!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TrueBluePyro]

50AE, I made press exactly the same way. I just used all the stuff from around my shed, used 10mm thick plate and I have managed to bend while pressing a 1.75" comet. I need to back off a bit

 

A press is very useful tool to have.

[50AE]

And here is my 1.75g/cm3 corned BP . Very fast!

 

http://store.picbg.net/thumb/CB/27/0e89a835f89fcb27.jpg

[Cookieman]

And here is my 1.75g/cm3 corned BP . Very fast!

 

http://store.picbg.net/thumb/CB/27/0e89a835f89fcb27.jpg

 

Those are nice granuals, 50AE!!!

[Mumbles]

I made up 7lbs of polverone today by Mike Swisher's method. It's almost too pretty and nice to use.

[inonickname]

Made a nice fireball tonight. Fairly small, but still impressive.

 

Unfortunately, napthalene smells. I'm going to try ethanol next.

[50AE]

I received my 3" hemis I ordered from Ventsi! We met at the airport and he gave them to me.

 

I immediately made 5 shells with them. Here is how a 3" shell looks like now.

 

http://store.picbg.net/thumb/39/36/53299c2c28393936.jpg

 

You may find that it looks egg shaped, but it isn't, it's an optical illusion.

[dagabu]

I made up 7lbs of polverone today by Mike Swisher's method. It's almost too pretty and nice to use.

 

Do you have pix?

[Bonny]

I received my 3" hemis I ordered from Ventsi! We met at the airport and he gave them to me.

 

I immediately made 5 shells with them. Here is how a 3" shell looks like now.

 

http://store.picbg.net/thumb/39/36/53299c2c28393936.jpg

 

You may find that it looks egg shaped, but it isn't, it's an optical illusion.

 

Nice looking shell. It doesn't look egg shaped to me. I've had (and have) some that look (and are) egg shaped, but they seem to break just as round as the round ones I've made...

Do you double fuse all your shells?

[50AE]

Thanks.

This is my first double fused shell, because the hemis come with two punctured holes. I make my canister shells single fused though, and they are always top fused.

[Ventsi]

I received my 3" hemis I ordered from Ventsi! We met at the airport and he gave them to me.

 

I immediately made 5 shells with them. Here is how a 3" shell looks like now.

 

http://store.picbg.net/thumb/39/36/53299c2c28393936.jpg

 

You may find that it looks egg shaped, but it isn't, it's an optical illusion.

Put a few of those those up in the air for me, I'll get up on a roof. =P I hope they work out for you, I personally liked how they performed.

[Mumbles]

I can get some finished product pictures if you'd like. The polverone came out far rounder than usual. I really like it.

 

I just got some of the double fused hemis from pyrodirect too. They're 10" shells so I was going to double fuse anyway, but the hemis seem to be pretty good quality. Good and thick, and relatively round.

[Algenco]

It's a wonderful day!

Made my first stars, charcoal, and metallic red.

Went on a shopping trip, picked up 2 alum scoops (5-24oz), rolling pin for cut stars, 100lbs Kno3, and shortly after retuning home UPS dropped off 20lb KCL04

 

Oh, I also got a meat grinder and silica gel.

 

Now to hide it all before the Wife gets home

[TheEskimo]

Yes! Just picked up some squid and prosciutto. I'm feeling some fried squid, ragu, asparagus wrapped in prosciutto and mozzarella, pizza, and peach sorbet...A friend of mine wishes to learn how to cook, and I think that this will provide a tasty, but not too-complicated challenge.