50AE Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 It is something I always do, before I ram or press any gerb mix. Wetting slightly the composition with alcohol and then making it pass from a screen to spread the alcohol evenly does me a favour. Most importantly, it keeps the dust down, and it also reduces the friction and makes the procedure safer. From what I've seen, straight prepared gerbs performed the same as dried gerbs, without any noticeable difference. Because this year I'll start working with whistle mix, not for rockets, but for inserts and rising effects, i'm curious if adding alcohol to it will reduce its whistling properties. As far as I know, vaseline is a famous additive for whistle, but is it added for achieve a goal similar to the one of alcohol? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagabu Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I simply rice my whistle after adding the phlegmatizer and I have no dust issues. I have a few questions about the added alcohol:How long does it take to dry when pressed into a tube? Does it change the burn characteristics?Does the alcohol attack the binder in the paper tube? I have never heard of alcohol being used for whistle so I don't know if it work at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
50AE Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 (edited) 1. I don't know how much time exactly it does take to dry, but because it doesn't noticeably change my gerb effect, I don't care.2. I don't think it does much, I only add a few mL in order to make the mix dustless.3. I'm not sure if it does. Edited January 5, 2011 by 50AE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psyco_1322 Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 The actual problem might be that the grain will shrink while its drying and crack. I had that problem when I was playing with some that had a lot of acetone in them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FREAKYDUTCHMEN Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 In the commercial business it's damped with alcohol and it's bound with a resin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagabu Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 In the commercial business it's damped with alcohol and it's bound with a resin. Not that I am aware of, can you site the source and an example? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 In the commercial outfits I am familiar with, the whistle is always allowed to dry first. It is damped with alcohol, granulated for easier handling, and allowed to fully evaporate before use. It's typically screened after dried to break up any lumps so that the loading plates can be used properly. I suppose a small amount of RG or resin could be used for more resilient granules, or if they are to be stored before use, but I've never seen a need. Depending on how wet the product is made, I too would be concerned about cracking or air pockets in the grain. However if it works for rockets, it should surely work for the less demanding insert applications. I probably wouldn't assume a great safety margin for lessened friction with a small amount of alcohol. The amounts needed to keep dust down, probably would provide an almost negligible cushioning effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
50AE Posted January 6, 2011 Author Share Posted January 6, 2011 Not greater safety improvement, maybe slight, but still a small advantage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FREAKYDUTCHMEN Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Not that I am aware of, can you site the source and an example?"Not that you are aware of", that doesn't say anything. I'm not here to spread some lies... From the source that I've heard it's pressed while it's damp, the resin hardens the composition, prevents from getting moisture and surviving breaks lifts etc. Not for HPR, just inserts and such. I'm not here to go in discussion about this, just want to tell 50AE what I know about this matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagabu Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 (edited) I'm not here to go in discussion about this, just want to tell 50AE what I know about this matter. Sweet, good to know that I can typify an entire commercial business without a verified source or example... I'm told that elves make chocolate chip cookies. Edited January 6, 2011 by dagabu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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