8 replies to this topic

[Uarbor]

Here is a short tester of a crackling waterfall I am working on. Looks like I could use a little baking soda

https://youtube.com/...g?feature=share

[SharkWhisperer]

Maybe a little; not so much...just make tube longer and hang it higher

 

What's your base comp? How big are the eggs? Tube and nozzle dimensions? Pressed hard or just hand compacted?

 

Waterfalls are cool. Crackling ones even moreso. That mix has promise. Mixed up with some colored stars maybe even a little more??? Wait...colored crackle--now that would be something very cool!

 

Gerbs get short-shrift, but they're a lot of fun to make and you can test many new ideas quickly.

[Arthur]

Normally a waterfall isn't choked 

[Uarbor]

Maybe a little; not so much...just make tube longer and hang it higher
 
What's your base comp? How big are the eggs? Tube and nozzle dimensions? Pressed hard or just hand compacted?
 
Waterfalls are cool. Crackling ones even moreso. That mix has promise. Mixed up with some colored stars maybe even a little more??? Wait...colored crackle--now that would be something very cool!
 
Gerbs get short-shrift, but they're a lot of fun to make and you can test many new ideas quickly.

the base composition is ball milled airfloat hardwood black powder where's 36- mesh charcoal aluminum flitters and unclassified randomly sized crackle grains three-quarter inch inside diameter tube three and a half inch long with no choke. I plan on using longer tubes with more composition after I get it dialed in a little better. That was at least ten feet off the ground I'm thinking maybe I should point it up slightly instead of downward

[SharkWhisperer]

the base composition is ball milled airfloat hardwood black powder where's 36- mesh charcoal aluminum flitters and unclassified randomly sized crackle grains three-quarter inch inside diameter tube three and a half inch long with no choke. I plan on using longer tubes with more composition after I get it dialed in a little better. That was at least ten feet off the ground I'm thinking maybe I should point it up slightly instead of downward

Nice. Great sparking effect.

 

What % Al & which flitter type/size did you use? K1, K2, 812, or something else?

 

What kind of compaction/consolidation are you using?

 

Except for delays on Estes replicate motors, adding bicarb to decent BP for me can seem like painful abuse of good powder, hah ha. But it does have its uses...

 

Personally I'd probably try screen mixing instead of milling the base BP, maybe with additional charcoal, to slow the burn vigorousness (before trying out bicarb addition). But I enjoy vigorously burning gerbs like yours. Wouldn't want to stand below it, though.

 

Great way to use up crackle scraps, too!

[Arthur]

One of Lancaster's methods of slowing BP for larger rocket fuel was to add more charcoal, SO if you add 5% extra charcoal some of that will reduce the speed and some will show as extra charcoal sparks. 

 

With a downward facing device, keeping control of the particle sizes lets you control how far the effect will fall and gives you how high it must be to miss the floor. 

Edited by Arthur, 10 May 2022 - 02:20 AM.

[Richtee]

Damn that’d be cool strapped to a one pound rocket. Hmm...

[Uarbor]

Damn thatd be cool strapped to a one pound rocket. Hmm...

wow that is exactly what I had in mind

[Uarbor]

Nice. Great sparking effect.
 
What % Al & which flitter type/size did you use? K1, K2, 812, or something else?
 
What kind of compaction/consolidation are you using?
 
Except for delays on Estes replicate motors, adding bicarb to decent BP for me can seem like painful abuse of good powder, hah ha. But it does have its uses...
 
Personally I'd probably try screen mixing instead of milling the base BP, maybe with additional charcoal, to slow the burn vigorousness (before trying out bicarb addition). But I enjoy vigorously burning gerbs like yours. Wouldn't want to stand below it, though.
 
Great way to use up crackle scraps, too!

aluminum is USB 812 from pyrochemsource. I am using my body weight for compaction I started out with 150 g of black powder and I used volumetric measure for the additives it has 1 tbsp crackle grains 1 tbsp aluminum and 1 tbsp charcoal.