Darkonez Posted December 16, 2022 Share Posted December 16, 2022 Hi all Ive introduced myself the other day and been reading the tutorials/ debates. Ive been collecting materials and tooling and Im starting to get somewhere now, Ive made a few batches of BP and paper test looks good but need to do the 3inch Mortar test with a baseball. Here in the uk we have limited buying options but I thought Id ask to see if anyone here can recommend some upto date suppliers? Ive found a supplier for flash main ingredients here which I wont need for some time but struggling to find a 3 inch mortar! And could someone please confirm size and weight of ball used in testing as in uk we dont really use them and I can buy different sizes and weights. Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadMat Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 Seriously, I have forgotten that actual weight of a baseball, but I do remember that I use 15 g of powder for the lift charge (makes me think baseballs weigh around 150 g). If you can get around 8 seconds (or longer!) from boom to the thud of the ball hitting the ground, you are doing great! As far as lift charges for shells, a good starting point is 10% of the weight of the shell. This will go down as the shells get larger and maybe higher for real small shells (25-38mm). When you are first starting out, doing a baseball test of a new batch of BP will let you know how it performs compared to your last batch. Until you truly dial in your BP making process, you WILL get differences in the flight time from batch to batch and you should adjust how much you use for lift and, to a lesser degree break. If you get a considerably shorter flight time you may want to consider adding a booster to your break charge. You will find many posts on here about different types of break charge boosters. If your flight time is seriously short you may want to try running your BP through the mill again and re-granulating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richtee Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 A great 3” tube is the core of the wrapping film stuff...the stuff they use to stabilize pallets of stuff. Look around places that ship pallets of materials, you’ll find them. At least here in the US... dunno about the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 Use a cricket ball. It's the UK equivalent to a baseball, near enough same size and weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sulphurstan Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 (edited) Beginning to think to make shells fired from mortar instead of shells on top of a rocket (as I do for several years now)...I'm too thinking about how to make the baseball test, where to get the mortar ?etc!Regarding mortar, pyrogarage.pl has some fiberglass ones. You may have a look on their website.I haven't buy yet, but will probably order my 3 inch mortar there, unless somebody on the forum recommend a better source, or HDPE instead of fiberglass... Edited January 5, 2023 by Sulphurstan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbullzuiper Posted January 6, 2023 Share Posted January 6, 2023 I bought all my fiberglass mortars on pyrogarage.pl. Excellent quality / price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnypyro Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 You can get eco-tubes (card) from Essex tube windings (https://essextubes.com/mortar-tubes/) or HDPE tubes from MLE (https://category4fireworks.co.uk/product/3-mortar-tube/) I have no connection with either of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadMat Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 (edited) I started out using cardboard tubes, but they all failed after a number of shots. I even tried treating the I.D. of the tubes with waterglass (Sodium silicate solution) and though they lasted longer, again all failed eventually. HDPE tubes is definitely the way to go. There are a number of suppliers here in the States, and the prices are fairly reasonable, whether or not they will ship over to you and how much it will cost is something you will have to find out. http://www.platteriverfireworks.com/ is the place I have always used. A quick google search gave me these guys and they are located in Europe; https://www.pyroservice.eu/ Edited January 12, 2023 by MadMat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richtee Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 I started out using cardboard tubes, but they all failed after a number of shots. I even tried treating the I.D. of the tubes with waterglass (Sodium silicate solution) and though they lasted longer, again all failed eventually. HDPE tubes is definitely the way to go. There are a number of suppliers here in the States, and the prices are fairly reasonable, whether or not they will ship over to you and how much it will cost is something you will have to find out. http://www.platteriverfireworks.com/ is the place I have always used. A quick google search gave me these guys and they are located in Europe; https://www.pyroservice.eu/Yeah, they don’t last forever, but a good while if you take care of them. And the price is right if you scrounge them up from factories. Sometime they’ll even have a few foot of film left on them. Cuts the scatter of paper if one does fail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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