they call me 9 fingers Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Ok i am a total noob, well not total I am just new to the legitimate hoby of blowing things up known as amateur pyrotechnics I dont think a estis rocket engin and a gallon of gas count (younger and dumber days) All these years of blowing things up and i didnt know that such a wonderful legit hoby existed! So I have been doing some searching around for good tutorials, I found some on youtube and a few random one's but not alot. Does anyone have any good links to some tutorials? If anyone has found anything good let me know that would be great. Also would a coffe grinder make a ok sub for a ball mill? I know flash and what not would be a BIG no no but what about black powder, will I be able to get good enought qulity to do anything interesting? Will I be able to get it to Airfloat grade? And one last thing than I will shut up for now, anyone have a source for pyro quality charcol that isnt expensive, skylighter just seems a little pricy. sorry this is all in one thread if I am wrong let me know and I will change it. EDIT: disregard the coffe grinder question I actually thought it through to much potential for sparks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmarley5780 Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 passfire.com 40$ for a subscription, THE BEST INVESTMENT for a beginner, or one of the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GalFisk Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Get a subscription at passfire.com, it has lots of tutorials of extremely high quality.Edit: damn you, bmarley5780 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSidewinder Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 (edited) The previous two replies sum it up well: Get a subscription to Passfire. It was one of the very first things I did, and never regretted it. The wealth of info that can be found there is unmatched by any other site *I've* ever seen, anyway. And given that you've said you are really new to pyro, take everyone's advice here, and start SMALL and SIMPLE, then work up:Smoke devices, Fountains, and Mines. Then try small shells. Then larger ones. And since you mentioned the "F" word....please don't make the mistake that I see so many newbies make: FLASH IS NOT FOR BEGINNERS! STAY AWAY FROM FLASH UNTIL YOU HAVE MUCH MORE EXPERIENCE! Flash is THE most dangerous composition used in todays pyrotechnics, and is actually much MORE dangerous to handle than commercial High Explosives. (Because of its overall properties, it is Federally classified as a High Explosive even though it burns subsonically.) Discussion of Flash, outside of the HE Forum, is to be done only in the most mature and safe manner. Posts about flash that demonstrate stupidity or immaturity will be deleted and the poster given a warning or a "vacation". So, welcome to the forum! Read everything here that you can. And get a Passfire membership. That's the best advice I can give. Edited July 26, 2008 by TheSidewinder changed some info to reflect new rules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
they call me 9 fingers Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 Hey thanks for the site I will definatly have to check that out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lnstantkarma Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Hey does anyone know why there isn't new issues of passfire anymore? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSidewinder Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Kyle's "Real Life" is the culprit. He just hasn't had the time to write new articles. We members benefit, because subscriptions aren't for a certain period of TIME, they're for a certain number of ISSUES. I think a membership entitles you to 6 (12?) issues, after which time you must renew. He has a "target" numer off issues for a year, and that's the number you buy. I forget if it's 6 or 12. So the longer between issues, the longer your membership. The forum there makes it an even better deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 It's 12 issues. At the current rate, that is around 5-6 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankRizzo Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 LOL...so true, Mumbles. I think the forum, devoid of the usual kool kid banter, is totally worth the $40 by itself. Add to that the archives of the previous issues with their step-by-step tool creation tips, misc calculators and reference charts, Fulcanelli paper based cylinder shell construction, and Maltese shell construction and you've got a clear winner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
they call me 9 fingers Posted February 1, 2008 Author Share Posted February 1, 2008 My only problem is cash is limited pretty much all i can afford is the very basics right now. so i am pretty much limited to sugar rockets till i get a new job, o well. I did find this site, looks like a ok starting pointhttp://pyroguide.com/index.php?title=Main_Page and this one has a few things http://www.cannonfuse.com/default.asp not allot but it is a start i guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0nE.sh0t.kIll Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 My only problem is cash is limited pretty much all i can afford is the very basics right now. so i am pretty much limited to sugar rockets till i get a new job, o well. I did find this site, looks like a ok starting pointhttp://pyroguide.com/index.php?title=Main_Page and this one has a few things http://www.cannonfuse.com/default.asp not allot but it is a start i guess. Pyroguide is a good website. The people there know what they're talking about and can help with most problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 The coffee grinder is fine for single chemical components of firework mixes. It will get to probably 80 mesh! Do clean it inside before you mill the next chemical. Cheap ball mills come through the rock polishing hobby market. Add some lead media and you will be able to get small batches to airfloat. Talking of small batches, actually plan to make mixes less than a gram total before you have tried it out thoroughly. That way you don't do so much damage! When you are confident with grams then 10 - 50 g batches could be worth while. Personal protective equipment should be an early expenditure, eye and face protection and a respirator to keep powders out of your lungs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex000 Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 Hi, I didnt want to start a new thread and have searched the forums, I was wondering if anyone can point me to a tutorial on fixing a header onto a BP rocket. My attempts have mostly failed in the past.Thank you!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSidewinder Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 Hmmm... I don't recall that specific topic mentioned here before. We do have quite a few rocketeers. Perhaps some of them would like to share their methods?? And by "header" I hope you don't mean simply a flash header. If you a beginner, you have NO business using flash yet. Start with a ball or cannister shell affixed to your rocket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonshot Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Hi, I didnt want to start a new thread and have searched the forums, I was wondering if anyone can point me to a tutorial on fixing a header onto a BP rocket. My attempts have mostly failed in the past.Thank you!!!If you look in the APC tutorial forum you will find two post I have submitted on building rocket headers. One is about building headers from paper cone cups and the other is how to build a cannister header onto a rocket motor. Both these builds are easy using cheap readily available materials. I will be posting another header build soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swede Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 I know it wouldn't be nearly as much fun as making your own, but if you're desparate, it wouldn't be hard to take some reloadable consumer shells, the 1.75" variety, carefully remove the lift charge, and then paste the shell to the rocket with kraft paper, modifying the time fuse as needed. I'm definitely on board if someone with experience wanted to post some pics here, maybe a mini-tutorial. Passing fire from motor to shell, and getting the timing right so you get your burst at apogee, is definitly an art, right along with the shell itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex000 Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 Hmmm... I don't recall that specific topic mentioned here before. We do have quite a few rocketeers. Perhaps some of them would like to share their methods?? And by "header" I hope you don't mean simply a flash header. If you a beginner, you have NO business using flash yet. Start with a ball or cannister shell affixed to your rocket. Well I havent done pyro for a while now but this is what I used to do either using flash or whistle mix.Are thereany better methods other than just attaching a canister? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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