Iron(III) oxide

[ddewees]

I noticed that some rocket fuel that was made using the same chemicals and quantities looks significantly different a week later...

 

These two fuels are made the same way, but the one on the left... is a week older. Does the color change with time... or did I just use more Fe2O3 and not realize it???

 

http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o588/SaltLakeAreaPyros/20131215_130759_zpse8479d4d.jpg

[Maserface]

do they have phenolic resin in em?

[ddewees]

Yes.

[Maserface]

that would be my guess, it seems to darken with time, mine is almost white when I grind it but give it a day or two and it goes orange

[pyrojig]

IS there really any gain to using a binder in the fuel aside from making it less messy? I would assume tit serves the same purpose as the oil. But oil may be cheaper .

[DasKapital]

What kind of rocket fuel is this that has phenolic resin for a binder? Whistle or sugar? I'm only assuming these two because of the iron oxide.

[Seymour]

While I am not sure exactly how Ddewees is using this composition, when I have made phenolic resin fueled rockets I often press them dry, with the resin only acting as a fuel in powder form. To cut the dust down I do often add a little acetone or alcohol to wet it, just a few %. Once dry it is much easier to handle, as usual with such procedures (like oiling or waxing), so long as not too much solvent is used or the resin binds a bit too hard and it is hard to consolidate fully. The resin is not necessarily a binder.

 

Oil is almost certainly cheaper, but if the resin is there for a fuel already it works out a bit differently. Nonetheless I do intend to try waxing some resinox fueled rocket mixes, since I feel that it produces a nicer product to process.

Edited December 16, 2013 by Seymour

[ddewees]

These are those colored AP fuels Seymour shared in another thread. Their performance is somewhat strange at times, but I really enjoy experimenting with them.

[Mumbles]

Keep an eye on the most recent batch, and see if it darkens as well. I've heard of this happening with raw resin, as well as some lightly colored star compositions.

[psyco_1322]

Color changing stars, without burning them! Cold fusion?

[shouldnoteatindat]

that is kinda weird

[Seymour]

It is indeed quite normal for these powdered phenolic resins to change colour with time. Exposure to light and air seem to contribute.

 

Performance does not seem significantly affected though.

[DasKapital]

Hey Seymour, is your resin phenol formaldehyde or urea formaldehyde resin? And where did you find it?

[FlaMtnBkr]

Things can also darken if it absorbs some water over time. Or if the darker one has more oil than the other. I haven't seen the formulas to know what is in it.

[ddewees]

Both piles have identical ingredients...

 

The pile on the right now looks like the other pile.

[Seymour]

DasKapital, all I know is that it is from Liuyang and is called "resinox".

[DasKapital]

DasKapital, all I know is that it is from Liuyang and is called "resinox".

I think I've seen a picture of a bag of that on the net too. The brand name rings a bell. The only problem is that its in the the wrong hemisphere of the earth than where I am. Can't find any phenolic anywhere in aus.

[Maserface]

http://i.imgur.com/hTyZRKi.png You can see the different shades, I believe this is USA Domestic Phenolic Resin, though.

[ddewees]

Looked at it again today... and it keeps getting darker and darker, almost brown now (the picture doesn't really show the difference very well).

 

It has to be something with the Iron Oxide, because very similar compositions that use a different catalyst remain white(ish)... shown in the two bottom photos.

 

I'm not overly concerned, just found it interesting.

 

http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o588/SaltLakeAreaPyros/20140104_221031_zps9c2133a1.jpg

 

 

http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o588/SaltLakeAreaPyros/20140104_221141_zps385655d1.jpg

 

 

http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o588/SaltLakeAreaPyros/20140104_221121_zpsfa345c52.jpg