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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

MK's sugar rockets - the third generation: the Titanium era.

Joined
Aug 25, 2010
Messages
533
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63
Hello forum.
I'm very proud to introduce You my last creation: a massive 450+ grams rocket with titanium sponge and hard PVC head + nozzle.
I have done many fails before to refine my new rocket motor, because it is not so simple to lift so much weight almost instantly without a CATO.
Well, here is the full detailed review.

A 45mm diameter, 175mm lenght cardboard tube.
This is not a tube made specifically for rockets.
Originally it was a long tube where there was a rolled cloth:

35541546490_09943df992_b.jpg


Extremity reinforced with gummed tape (water activated):

35120967463_f84fc9208b_b.jpg


All the tube reinforced with gummed tape.
I wrapped the tube with 6 layers of gummed tape, but every coil overlap
the precedent coil of about 1/2 of its width, so I obtained the equivalent of 12 layers:

35889402316_9e645e0ab8_b.jpg


35mm diameter, 20mm thickness machined head cap and nozzle (from a hard PVC bar):

35541733280_2b4fb0f8f8_b.jpg


Spreading some very strong bicomponent epossidic glue on the inside top walls of the tube:

35541802490_19b095bb54_b.jpg


Applying some tape over the inside nozzle hole to avoid spilling liquid incandescent compound during the compacting process:

35121378003_79c4e3a0bb_b.jpg


Nozzle pressed and glued:

35121478073_4671832597_b.jpg


Applying ant tightening an excellent Panduit stainless steel band with a special clamp:

35121974453_85dfcaf62c_b.jpg


130 grams of potassium nitrate, 70 grams sucrose, 2 grams iron oxyde and 6 grams of titanium sponge 450-1000µm.
I used a heavy and thick cast iron cooking pan over an electric cast iron plate to avoid dangerous hot spot that could
accidentally ignite the compound:

35798722211_7118a17916_b.jpg


Dissolved powders adding enough distilled water:

35930841685_fd640789f7_b.jpg


Cooking the compound at medium heat (150 °C):

35091008504_e569420a00_b.jpg


The compound is near to be ready. It is important to stir often the compound for safety reasons and to obtain a homogeneous paste:

35121653693_514c60ed7d_b.jpg


Compound dried and melted. Now the paste is ready and extremely flammable. Max care is now necessary:

35760735702_e9a480a4a8_b.jpg


Packing the compound with a PVC bar. The fit is perfect, so no compound
can get off the sides. To reach optimal results it is necessary to pack
the compound not all together, but the equivalent of a tea spoon every time.
After every spoon I will apply a pressure with the weight of my body (95 KG).
In that way every part will be well compacted over the previous one:

35542488580_fd2a891709_b.jpg


Packed and cold pressed compound:

35931200155_620650f30a_b.jpg


Glued and pressed strong PVC cap:

35121922633_912193b167_b.jpg


Appying another Panduit stainless steel band to firmly lock the head:

35091427654_76002de8c8_b.jpg


Since the compound will be ignited from the inner center of the rocket, I created a 6.5mm diameter straw wrapped with many turns of thin aluminum foil.
In that way the fuse will not perforate the straw and will ignite the compound exactly where I want:

35799242651_1b16aed270_b.jpg


Curved 3mm diameter, 5 cores high quality fuse. The fuse will cling well inside the compound hole:

35542897490_3271b28e73_b.jpg


Dressing the rocket in great gala cloth:

35890423196_8061bbc490_b.jpg


Refine the head part:

35891302326_51bd8af78c_b.jpg


Drilled an hole in the compound with the same hole diameter of the nozzle (10mm) until reaching
the middle of the rocket.
Inserted the modified straw with the fuse inside.
Locked the straw with some pieces of cotton to avoid possible expulsions during burning.
Glued the rocket over an appropriate long stick:

35890452746_8d93184a5d_b.jpg


WOW .. it is a heavy rocket:

35122337343_fb41fa856f_b.jpg



The fantastic launch during afternoon:


The fantastic launch during night:


I will assure You that the departure hiss has been at least 10 times as intense as the cell phone was prone to capture!

This was another great project successfully ended.
Next week I will start another rocket project, as usually.
The mad people never sleep :p
Stay tuned on this channel my dear friends! :D
 
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BowtieGuy

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Bigger and bigger, another step in the "Kobayashi Rocket Program"! :gj:
Thanks for sharing! :yh: +rep
 
Last edited:
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Two more successful launches. Very nice. I liked the night version as it was actually easier to follow. + rep.
 
Joined
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I'm jealous. I've always wanted to make my own rocket fuel, but getting my hands on any kind of oxidizer in Canada is pretty much impossible. The best I've been able to do is make some potassium chlorate using the bleach method, but doing that it would cost about 25$ to make just a tiny rocket a fraction of the size.
 

Encap

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Great post--beyond excellent work and photos as everyone has come to expect from you.

Thanks for posting -- nice to see---one lunatic to another :crackup:

+rep as soon as allowed
 
Joined
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Nice detailed build process.
Would have like to see the condition
and shape of the nozzles after the
launch.

Jerry
 
Joined
Aug 25, 2010
Messages
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63
Me too Laserbee, but since now I'm unable to find the rests of the rockets .. they disappears in the blue (or dark) sky. :D
It is my intention to replace the hard PVC with aluminum: the price and the weight of an aluminum bar is not too far from the price of a PVC bar with the same lenght/diameter.

x Bowtieguy, Alaskan and the other friends: it is always a pleasure to read Your comments, You are very welcome!

x Blarg King: really You cannot find any kind of oxydizers in Your country?
Have You tried to search "stump remover" on Amazon.com? It is 100% potassium nitrate!
Or in a agricultural consortium? It is a very common fertilizer!

I'm working on a 700 grams rockets with a spectacular flying fish effect and 150 grams of black powder charge on the top (I attached a 3" shell on the top of the rocket). So it will be an "hybrid" rocket, since the propellant will be made of sugar+potassium nitrate+red iron oxyde+titanium while the shell will contain BP and flying fish fuses.
I hope that the rocket can sustain the extra weight.
There are so many variables to obtain a good firework, but I'm optimist!

Me and my team (CDBEAM in primis) are working since many months around a new 7+ blue laser, optical corrected and expanded. Three optics and a massive use of copper are the major novelties. In the team there is a new entry: Podo from Sanwu lasers ... we will use some items from Spiker host!
In the meanwhile I have learned how to create 3D objects starting from the 2D CAD designs supplied by CDBEAM and how to use a 100.000$ CNC cutter.
Ready to be fascinated to ours new creation? Stay tuned ;) ...
 
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Joined
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Wow. I'll be looking forward to that. Thanks for sharing all your great projects here. :yh:
 
Joined
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Stump remover is banned. Anything that contains potassium nitrate or chlorate is a controlled substance in Canada. The only legitimate means of getting it is for agricultural purposes, and then you have to apply for a bunch of permits, and you can only apply if you work in agriculture. People have tried to order it online but border control checks for it and the odds of it getting through are slim.
 
Joined
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I'm jealous. I've always wanted to make my own rocket fuel, but getting my hands on any kind of oxidizer in Canada is pretty much impossible. The best I've been able to do is make some potassium chlorate using the bleach method, but doing that it would cost about 25$ to make just a tiny rocket a fraction of the size.

:eg: It is very possible you just have to look for the right ingredients. :)
KNO3 is easy to get in small amounts as it is used to remove stumps.
I assure you it is not banned we can get it locally with ease.
Big bags of KNO3 are tightly restricted to those with Agricultural certification and or propellant certificates.
 
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Joined
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Where I live nobody carries it in any quantity. I might have a go at making some potassium chlorate via electrolysis some time. Apparently it yields a lot more than the bleach method.
 

Benm

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Pretty cool result :)

The production of the fuel in a skillet like that always makes me cringe a little though. I know it should be relatively safe, but the chemist in me just goes nope-nope-nope everytime i see someone attempting it :D
 




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