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Cast Iron turnings from mill


alpinecb

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I work in a plant with a machine shop and this week kept a pound of cast iron turnings. Any ideas how I can safely use these in rockets? BP or whistle mix is what I have presently. Besides possible scaring of my aluminum tooling is it a danger to press them with Sali/Perc whistle mix? They are grainy curls about 1/4" long. Should I break them up more, or if safe just go for it to see what happens?

 

Thanks Guys!

 

Charles

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I once made a gerb with the turnings and filings from my arbor press when I made a few mods on it. Unless you treat them, iron and steel filings will rust quickly in the presence of an oxidizer. They do make nice, soft gold sparks. The effect from iron and steel is great up close, but I feel it is lost at a distance.

 

I do not like using any metals around my rocket spindles. There is the chance of the metals sparking against each other, but they also tear up tooling. I do like using metals in the delay portion of the fuel, above the spindle. I have not tried steel for a rocket tail, because I prefer it up close.

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Treat them with lisseed oil and use them in fountains made with bp like comp.

The coating is important as iron will rust if it touches oxidizers.

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If I make a bp or whistle rocket with them and use them in a few hours is it safe to do so as an experiment? I guess my question bolls down to is this safe to try. I'm concerned with pressing them with my arbor press. I can make tooling anytime at work. Lucky that way :) Just want to see if I get good sparks from the tail.

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They won't rust in a few hours. I had some steel gerbs which I made during a shoot but could not light after the shoot was shut down by an upset neighbor. I tried lighting then 3 or 4 weeks later and there were no sparks besides the charcoal.
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They won't rust in a few hours. I had some steel gerbs which I made during a shoot but could not light after the shoot was shut down by an upset neighbor. I tried lighting then 3 or 4 weeks later and there were no sparks besides the charcoal.

 

Thanks, I'll add them just before pressing.

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Treat them with lisseed oil and use them in fountains made with bp like comp.

The coating is important as iron will rust if it touches oxidizers.

coating iron with linseed oil will take too long to dry.

probably a month or more.

mixing cast iron boring with bp and pressing it dry and using this mixture within one or two days will be effective.

we often use this technic for our traditional fountains several years.

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Not sure I would add them to whistle. But if you do add it to some that will be added to the delay above the spindle.

 

Some people have also had luck covering them with wax.

 

I get mine from a brake turning machine. Small chips that are the perfect size and no curls. I would try to screen the curls out and use any chips. But the curls will probably stick in the screen so it can't be used for much else. Aluminum window screen should be about right and is cheap.

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