Hints and tips for Australians

[Arthur]

There is a range of industrial shrink wrap used for machine wrapping pallets that are on cores very well sized for 3" shells, and a range of trade shrink wrap on 2" bore cores. IN the UK 4" and 6" shells can be launched from yellow (gas) or blue (water) HDPE pipe. Card tubes plug well with a plug 50;50 polyester resin and sharp (DRY) sand or a wood plug. In a plastic mortar the plugs need nailing through the tube, with a card mortar pour the resin in from the top and it will stick to the tube and stay in place.

[stix]

Yes, the shrink wrap cores are very strong and if you coat the insides properly then they should be very serviceable - unfortunately I can't find the link on how to do that right now.

 

However, perhaps some people can help with this:

 

Regulations regarding testing of captive rocket motors (ie. Estes Motors)

 

In Australia there are regulations that I'm aware of (CASA) Civil Aviation Safety Authority that limits the space of launching model rockets (and so it should be). The regulations also apply to drones etc. in that there are limitations of altitude and clear space around the area.

 

But what are the regulations regarding testing of these "legal" motors. ie. Testing the performance using a "test rig" in your own back yard?

 

My view is that it's a 'captive' device and therefore should not come under the same rules as a "launched device" and therefore CASA rules are irrelevant - ie. It's not going UP anywhere.

 

So, is a rocket motor a pyrotechnic device, and therefore the rules regarding ignition of pyrotechnic devices apply? Which in some way doesn't seem right because you can legally launch up to Estes E class.So why not test and evaluate these motors on a secure test rig and not flown?

 

Obviously the answer is dependent on jurisdiction, as in if you live in the US and some places in Europe.

 

So, what do you/we know about this? What govt. departments in Australia could be contacted for advice?

[Exo]

I get all my HDPE mortar tubes from gas and water line pipe construction sites, you see then all the time in new housing development work sites, pipeline upgrades, etc.

They always have verious sized offcuts around the place or in the scrap bin.

You can get 3", 3.5",4",5.5",6" and bigger but that's the limit I have tried so far, blue line for water, yellow for gas, just make sure you get the high pressure pipe with a suitable wall thickness.

If your friendly to the construction crew you'd be surprised how much pipe a carton or two of beer will get you.

[maximusg]

Thanks for all you comments re the mortar tubes. Think I'm going to bite the bullet and head to reece plumbing and build a few high quality mortar stands.

 

In other news i just wanted to mention I made another successful order from Auschems. This time I purchased some KClO4 (referencing the instructions mentioned earlier in this thread), red gum and some other bits and bobs. It arrived promptly. It's the first time I have ever been able to get perc and it's very exciting, feels as though I have opened another door completely with the available compositions at my disposal.

 

While I'm at it, I might ask if you guys have been able to source low and high mesh flake aluminium. All i have been able to find atm is spherical.

 

Also, might put it out there that I made and order from http://wirelessfireworks.co.uk/fuse/ on a bit of a leap of faith and it made it here to NSW. Got some visco in diff sizes and some red flying fish.

[AustralianPyromaniac]

Thanks for all you comments re the mortar tubes. Think I'm going to bite the bullet and head to reece plumbing and build a few high quality mortar stands.

 

In other news i just wanted to mention I made another successful order from Auschems. This time I purchased some KClO4 (referencing the instructions mentioned earlier in this thread), red gum and some other bits and bobs. It arrived promptly. It's the first time I have ever been able to get perc and it's very exciting, feels as though I have opened another door completely with the available compositions at my disposal.

 

While I'm at it, I might ask if you guys have been able to source low and high mesh flake aluminium. All i have been able to find atm is spherical.

 

Also, might put it out there that I made and order from http://wirelessfireworks.co.uk/fuse/ on a bit of a leap of faith and it made it here to NSW. Got some visco in diff sizes and some red flying fish.

 

Good to hear that you decided to go with the Recce plumbing direction. For aluminum have you thought about making it from foil? I have never done this and assume I am missing some key detail that would prevent this from working but just throwing it out there. I can though offer advice on the visco you're buying. I have purchased 2 lots of visco from that company shipped to Brisbane and both took 16 days to arrive absolutely no problems, that's including weekends. As such I think customs just thinks it string or something and it arrived with no indication it was fuse so even if for some reason it was opened it would likely not be given a second look.

 

In relation to auschems, its been very reliable for me so I wouldn't worry I think they have definitely established themselves as a trusted dealer of this hobby. :-)

Edited February 6, 2017 by AustralianPyromaniac

[MrB]

For aluminum have you thought about making it from foil? I have never done this and assume I am missing some key detail that would prevent this from working but just throwing it out there.

 

Coat prohibitive, i suppose. Melting down aluminum scraps, and then chucking it up in a lathe, or milling machine, and cutting it to shreds, to get to a point where (ball) milling it would work, seams most cost effective, if your going to do it on your own, but, the apparatus required isn't exactly free. Every pyro need a foundry, i suppose, and a lathe is a good tool for making your own custom rocket, and star tools. Ok, so that last bit is somewhat of an exaggeration, but the bottom line remains, aluminum foil really isn't a cheap source of aluminum.

B!

[greenlight]

Does anyone know where you can buy paper hemispheres for ball shells from online?

I am trying to order 3 inch hemis but every site only sends within America.

[OldMarine]

Try Caleb at woodysrocks.com I know he has shipped around the globe.

http://www.woodysrocks.com/store/c5/Shell_Cases.html

[greenlight]

Thanks very much oldmarine I will order from them today. Good prices too

[AustralianPyromaniac]

Hey everyone, I live in Brisbane Australia and I'm currently building a chlorate cell which is going well but I'm still struggling to find a supply of cheep water softener KCL. Does anyone know where this might be sold in Australia or has anyone here found a supply? I only found it a farm supply store soled as fertalizer grade mutate of potash and this is linked below.

 

http://www.farmcraft.com.au/shop/fert-granular/muriate-of-potash/

 

As a note, I couldn't find it in any hardware stores or grocery stores.

[rocket]

Haven't posted in ages good to see there's a few aussies still on here.

 

Anyways to the KCL I got some from a ag supplier/hydro years ago dunno what they use it for though.

[AustralianPyromaniac]

Haven't posted in ages good to see there's a few aussies still on here.

 

Anyways to the KCL I got some from a ag supplier/hydro years ago dunno what they use it for though.

 

Never noticed you before (Quite new to the forums) but I'm glad your back!

 

I've been looking at KCl fertilizers but all of them are tainted with a red compound iron oxide I believe that renders them unusable until they have been filtered and recrystallized although it looks like a might have to do this. Called around all Water Stores in Brisbane and found most of them saying "What?" some saying they don't think it has ever ben imported into Australia as a water softener and I'm certainly losing hope. Haven't looked at hydroponics stores yet but will call some tomorrow when everything open again after Anzac Day.

 

Thanks for the reply

[rocket]

Its been about 5 years since i posted on here so thats why you haven't seen me haha.

 

From a quick bit of reading KCl is used in hydroponics to raise the potassium levels without pushing the nitrogen up so another source of potassium other than KNO3 for some plants

[taiwanluthiers]

I'm curious what the red stuff on farm grade KCl is. Is it rainproofing because they're a bit greasy? Or do they put it in to prevent people from making explosives out of it?

 

The red stuff doesn't take much to filter out though, T shirts will do the job. Basically it kinda floats a bit and clumps like crazy in a solution.

[AustralianPyromaniac]

Its been about 5 years since i posted on here so thats why you haven't seen me haha.

 

From a quick bit of reading KCl is used in hydroponics to raise the potassium levels without pushing the nitrogen up so another source of potassium other than KNO3 for some plants

 

In that case I will definitely have to check it out, if it's used for hydro I'm sure it would be quite pure to prevent the build up of any insoluble contaminate. I have to say 5 years is a while to be out off the hobby for or were you just not on APC?

 

 

I'm curious what the red stuff on farm grade KCl is. Is it rainproofing because they're a bit greasy? Or do they put it in to prevent people from making explosives out of it?

 

The red stuff doesn't take much to filter out though, T shirts will do the job. Basically it kinda floats a bit and clumps like crazy in a solution.

 

Found this article on what the impurities are LINK looks like it is iron oxide. About companies adding impurity, maybe if it was KNO₃ it might be possible that something was added to make it difficult to make explosives with but honestly, I don't think there are many explosives makes that are going to synthesize their of KClO₃ It's not flammable, not an oxidizing agent so I think it would be a lot of trouble for nothing for those big companies. Mabey KCl will be one of the only non-regulated chemicals useful in pyro in 10 years time, hopefully not but it would be a shame if all this over regulation leads to the loss of this art.

[rocket]

 

In that case I will definitely have to check it out, if it's used for hydro I'm sure it would be quite pure to prevent the build up of any insoluble contaminate. I have to say 5 years is a while to be out off the hobby for or were you just not on APC?

 

Pretty much out of the hobby and off APC as well, every now and then make something small but that’s about it. I should come by here more though to see what’s going on.

[stix]

@ rocket, good to see another Aussie on here.

 

It's harder (and becoming more so) for us to "express" the hobby that we enjoy. I think you can purchase KCLO4 from AusChems if you ring and ask.

 

These days I just muck about with sugar rockets - a bit of fun.

 

Cheers.

[AustralianPyromaniac]

 

Pretty much out of the hobby and off APC as well, every now and then make something small but that’s about it. I should come by here more though to see what’s going on.

Well even if you don't make much anymore I think its still nice to know you can put on a good show for NYE if you ever want to. Stay connected though it's always good to have another Aussie on hand.

[stix]

Well even if you don't make much anymore I think its still nice to know you can put on a good show for NYE if you ever want to. Stay connected though it's always good to have another Aussie on hand.

 

+1

[rocket]

@ rocket, good to see another Aussie on here.

 

It's harder (and becoming more so) for us to "express" the hobby that we enjoy. I think you can purchase KCLO4 from AusChems if you ring and ask.

 

These days I just muck about with sugar rockets - a bit of fun.

 

Cheers.

 

That’s interesting I did notice a couple of times that some aussies had brought KClO4.

 

Every now and then I’ll make some BP or some smoke bombs but that’s about as technical as I get now, still got a lot of my stuff just in case I catch the bug again.

 

Well even if you don't make much anymore I think its still nice to know you can put on a good show for NYE if you ever want to. Stay connected though it's always good to have another Aussie on hand.

 

I'll probably pop by now and then to check in and add to the brains trust.

[stix]

Keep in touch.

 

Cheers.

[Arthur]

KCl is used in agriculture as a potassium source, it's used by a few water softeners for those on a low sodium diet, but this is only a small proportion of total water softeners, so it's never easily available in food (water softener) grade, but is occasionally available from agricultural suppliers in agricultural purity.

[lloyd]

Arthur,

I don't know if you're in the US, or not. KCl for water softeners here is available nearly every place where sodium salt is sold. I can't remember the last time I did not see it! (Certainly, it's the smallest stack on the pallets, but it's always there.)

 

Lloyd

[AustralianPyromaniac]

Arthur,

I don't know if you're in the US, or not. KCl for water softeners here is available nearly every place where sodium salt is sold. I can't remember the last time I did not see it! (Certainly, it's the smallest stack on the pallets, but it's always there.)

 

Lloyd

KCl is used in agriculture as a potassium source, it's used by a few water softeners for those on a low sodium diet, but this is only a small proportion of total water softeners, so it's never easily available in food (water softener) grade, but is occasionally available from agricultural suppliers in agricultural purity.

 

It's impossible to find, I have called numerous water softener supply companies all over Australia to see if they have heard of it but pretty much none of them knew what it was. One company even when to the effort of researching where I could get it then called me back saying to their knowledge it had never been imported into Australia. So, after all, I think I'm just going to buy the agricultural grade as I have found a supplier in my area, it's contaminated but nothing a bit of recrystallisation won't fix. :-)

 

Thanks for all the replies by the way!

[rcp]

Hey guys this is a holy grail for me to be able to talk to other pyros in Australia as i am new. I have done shit with sparklers and have got my hands on some consumer stuff but i would love to start to build some stuff. I am in Brisbane and would like to get some Kno3 and Mg also some visco if anyone could help me out that would be great. Cheers