Whistles/screamers

[crazyboy25]

There are many different types of whistles some use Sodium Salicylate, Vaseline, solvents and red iron oxide. In this tutorial I will be teaching you to make a very simple yet effective whistle using potassium perchlorate and sodium benzoate.

You will require the following materials:

 

Glue stick

Hot glue gun

Scissors

Visco fuse

Potassium perchlorate

Sodium benzoate

2 strips of typing paper measuring 4 3/4" by 11"

A dowel with a diameter of approximately 1/2"

Screen (window screen works fine)

A mortar and pestle

 

The first step is to make the whistle mix. Be careful whistle mix is friction and shock sensitive be careful when mixing these chemicals. Weigh out the potassium perchlorate and sodium benzoate in a 70:30 ratio grind each chemical separately so they are each as fine as talcum powder and free of lumps. Pour both chemicals into a container and screen the mix with the window screen about ten times. The chemicals must be mixed very well to work properly.

 

 

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Screening the whistle mix

 

 

 

When you have finished screening the whistle mix pour it into a Ziploc bag and shake it a little to mix it and get rid of and clumps that may have made it passed you screen.

 

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w318/crazyboy25/100_0738.jpg

Ta-Da you got your self a bag of whistle mix.

 

Next take one of the 4 3/4" by 11" strips of paper and start to roll it around the dowel making sure it is even to avoid telescoping. When you have reached a half revolution on the dowel coat the rest in a thin layer of glue from the glue stick and continue to tightly roll the paper. If your paper starts telescoping unroll and start again.

 

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Starting the first roll

 

Next plug one end with bentonite clay or hot glue. I use hot glue.

 

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w318/crazyboy25/100_0746.jpg

A pluged tube

 

Then put the tube back on the dowel, spread a layer of glue on the next strip of paper and continue to tightly roll it up.

 

Next take a funnel and put a small amount of whistle mix in the tube firmly press the whistle mix down into the tube with the dowel DO NOT RAM ramming may result in accidental ignition. Continue packing the whistle mix in small intervals until the tube is halfway full.

 

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w318/crazyboy25/100_0740.jpg

 

If the tube has too much whistle mix it won't whistle it will just hiss. Also be careful if there is one air pocket your whistle will explode. Now just cut a length of Visco and feed it down the tube making sure it is touching the whistle mix.

 

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w318/crazyboy25/100_0749.jpg

 

Now just bury the tube most of the way in firm ground, light and enjoy.

 

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w318/crazyboy25/100_0750.jpg

 

And that’s whistles thanks.

 

 

heres a video of a finished whistle.whistle video

Edited April 22, 2007 by crazyboy25

[rocket]

And then wait till it CATO’s and all the gravel comes flying at you so you might want to clear a little more gravel from the area, Other than that good tutorial.

[asilentbob]

I had always thought that they had to be made with a hydrolic press like whistle rockets... i didn't know that they could be made so simply... i might have to try this some time from now.

[crazyboy25]

It is not necessary to use a press however the trick is to pack the whistle mix very hard without air bubbles or ramming.

[aquaman]

Nice tutorial. Yeah I use a Vice. Insted of sodium benzoate I use potassium benzoate and I found the traditional 70:30 sound like the whistling cat rockets (low sound) so I tried 65:35 and that worked just like the comercial ones (super loud!).

[DeAdFX]

I also recommend using a smaller dowel or chop stick to compress the whistle mix. You can increase the density a few % (maybe 10-20% more) by pressing down with a smaller dowel after packing each 1/8 to 1/6 intervals of whistle mix.

[crazyboy25]

you mean pressing a 1/2" ID whistle with a 1/4" dowel after using the 1/2" one?

[DeAdFX]

Yeah something like that. I however end up using a chopstick in 3/4 inch tube. Using a smaller dowel allows you to "densify" the force of your dowel so to speak...

[Mumbles]

Yeah, but the problem is that your density loses it's uniformity if you use a significantly smaller dowel. Even pressing down in multiple places will give different densities throughout. This can be just as detrimental as too low of a density to begin with.

[frogy]

I find that nozzle-less whistle rockets work good with a similar method....

 

Fill the whistle tube to the top, press it firmly by hand, fill the whistle to top, press it firmly with hand, and then press it again without adding more mix firmly with a vise\arbor press\hydraulic press...

 

Normally you don't get the first hand pressing compacted enough because your trying to do so much at one time.... So the rocket whistles up to a decent high and once it reaches the hand pressed grain it explodes making (un)intentional salute...

[crazyboy25]

i have made a successful whistle rocket with this method.

[pyroman321]

i did it all it did was wistle like wind verry deeply voice not a loud wistle than i tried again this time it wistle a bit louder but than burnt a hole and stoped need help this is how i did it pressed wistle till the tube was half full not includeing the plug than left the rest of the half remaining it did nothing except fire came out wistle for 2 seconds than just burns

[Mumbles]

It will depend on loading pressure as well. You might also want to ensure that your benzoate/salicyliate is dry. This will have an impact. I've noticed I've only gotten good sound from good dry fuel. A catalyst may also be to your liking. They will improve tone and burn speed.

[pyroman321]

crazyboy need your help id like to watch your vid please but it tells me to log in how and i created a acc on that site and still wont let me

[Richtee]

heres a video of a finished whistle.whistle video

 

Password protected vid??

[Swede]

Nice tutorial, thank you! I've never done a whistle, and now I'm tempted. You say it is possible to press too hard, and get no whistle? Let me rephrase that... is a hydraulic press desireable for one of these, or is it too much?

[TheSidewinder]

I'll let someone with more experience chime in here, but I was under the impression that you MUST press all whistle mixes. (i.e DON'T ram them, it's asking for an explosion.)

 

Anyone?

 

 

EDIT: Ok, I see it's been corrected. Good.

[superman1451]

crazyboy didn't ram the whistle, but would add a small amount of comp then press slowly down with the dowel putting more and more of his body weight on it.

[crazyboy25]

Password protected vid??

 

I must have made my account private since then *fixed* it doesn't matter anyway I deleted the vid when I was cleaning my account sorry.

 

Maybe someone else can post a vid?

[Bonny]

I've hand pressed 1/2" ID tube whistles and they worked just fine. I now press them with a bar clamp though.

[ExplosiveCoek]

I recently tried to make some small whistle fountains. I used a coffemill/blender to make very small powder of the Nabenzo and the KClO4 was already very fine on it's own.

 

Mixed up a small 20 gram batch with 0.2 grams Fe2O3 added to it and handpressed some in a 16 mm PVC tube. After a lot of trial and error I'm becoming sick of not getting any whistle at all. Not even when I pour the whistle in the tube as louse powder. I'm sure all the ingredients where mixed up very fine.

 

Any tips would be welcome, I don't need any strong rocket fuel (yet).. ATM I just after some nice screaming fountains ! Thanks!

[FREAKYDUTCHMEN]

Maybe your benz isn't really benz, it should scream pretty easy.

[superman1451]

What ratio of sodium benzoate to KClO4 are you using? And is the mix even igniting?

[ExplosiveCoek]

I ordered my nabenz form czort.. And I've had no problems with his chems so far. It does is very hygroscopic to so I guess it will be Nabenz.

 

The ratio's I used where 7:3 and 75:25 both failed. Yes it does ignite with some very strange, sharp sound. But nothing near to a whistle.

[tentacles]

There are several possibilites here (as always). First, you should really dry and ball mill the benz.. Store it with some dessicant in a jar. I'd suggest milling it with .10-.25% cab-o-sil if you have it - it will help keep it in a fine powder. Second, you may not be pressing it with enough pressure. Loose whistle will NEVER whistle. The whistle sound comes from the fuel burning in an oscillating fashion, making pressure (sound) waves. It will not oscillate if the grain doesn't stay together well enough.

 

16mm (~5/8") might be a bit big to merely hand press in the tube. What sized increments are you using? Do you have a vise or bar clamp you can give a little extra squeeze with?

 

You don't really need a catalyst for fountains, by the way. It doesn't hurt anything though.