CATO videos

[donperry]

The objective of this thread is to analyze what caused the CATO in your rockets

 

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Did this yesterday.

 

Newspaper Blackpowder in paper engine. Clay nozzle, .8 inch ID, 3 inches long

seem as if the nozzle blew out

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNVX5tHya3k

Edited March 20, 2011 by donperry

[pillyg]

Just make the nozzle bigger. Is this core burning or end burning?

 

Did you recover the engine?

[dagabu]

Still frame shows that you did indeed poop your nozzle out

 

I was told by an old snort that if you poop your nozzle out, you need to press it harder, rockets CATO when the nozzle diameter is too small, the fuel is too hot or the core is too long. You are looking for a CATO and then back down a hair.

[donperry]

But i wonder why the rocket separated from the stick. I hope it didn't explode belly wise

 

@Dagabu, i think i didn't press it hard enough. I made some more today and made them thicker and harder pressed. most of them held up better. This problem is now occuring since i've mastered the rcandy and now able to make BP.

 

Maybe fuel too fast

 

Pilly, all my rockets are cored

[dagabu]

If they CATO, then I would think the fuel was too fast. Nozzles blow out because they dont grip the tube enough.

 

Beat this!!

[donperry]

Update: Another Cato. I did not record it but it sounded like a salute the way it went off . Could i be ramming my thing too hard?

 

edit:

@dagabu - DAMN! Thats not a rocket, that was entirely a SALUTE! just kidding.

 

Was it yours?

 

I must also share my little discovery:

You guys probably know that i make my BP from newspaper charcoal and mortar and pestle.

well, yesterday i completed the mix and poured some hot water on it allowing the everybody to gel together and let that dry

When i lit it, it was just a bit faster than normal Rcandy <slow BP>

 

now this is my personal discovery, when i rammed and drilled that rocket (slow speed), the BP that came off the drill bit I collected it and decided to light it. Little did i know that the RAMMING packed the chems closer and the darn thing almost made me shit my pants. It was gone in a flash. Didn't even see a flame when it was lit! :-)

Edited March 20, 2011 by donperry

[dagabu]

Update: Another Cato. I did not record it but it sounded like a salute the way it went off . Could i be ramming my thing too hard?

 

No, there is virtually no way to ram too hard, pound away!

 

edit:

@dagabu - DAMN! Thats not a rocket, that was entirely a SALUTE! just kidding.

 

Was it yours?

 

Naw, it was posted on Passfire and I thought I would post it here for all-you-all to see.

 

I must also share my little discovery:

You guys probably know that i make my BP from newspaper charcoal and mortar and pestle.

well, yesterday i completed the mix and poured some hot water on it allowing the everybody to gel together and let that dry

When i lit it, it was just a bit faster than normal Rcandy <slow BP>

 

now this is my personal discovery, when i rammed and drilled that rocket (slow speed), the BP that came off the drill bit I collected it and decided to light it. Little did i know that the RAMMING packed the chems closer and the darn thing almost made me shit my pants. It was gone in a flash. Didn't even see a flame when it was lit! :-)

 

Pressed and corned BP is the bench mark for BP. It is still made that way to this day. Adding water to the chems can leach the KNO3 out of the comp and make it slow, boiling the KNO3, removing it from heat, mixing in the charcoal while stirring is said to make some nice hot BP too.

 

[WonderBoy]

What is the formula you are using?

 

Here's a couple of my old catos; all 1lb'ers.

Proof you can blow a nozzle less rocket, although not too impressive. Too much spindle.

Nozzle less cato

 

This one was a BP rocket with 1 inc. whistle, and a timed spiral report header. This one wasn't pressed with enough pressure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_vG9azEFfA

 

A whistle assisted BP motor with a 2 break can header. It was rather exciting putting out all of those fires. This one also did not have enough pressure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3PnK8jdUc8

 

This is one of my favorite catos, because you can see all of the chunks of strobe flying out. A red strobe motor with the same issue as above. All of these were because of an old dieing press.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZkrP4j30bs

 

 

 

My friends still haven't learned to keep their mouth's shut while filming.

[NightHawkInLight]

The rockets that cato here were made on tooling with a bent spindle:

 

[donperry]

So bent tooling and not enough pressure can lead to catos....hmmm.

I'm using STD BP Ratio except charcoal from paper.

My sugar rockets also cato.

 

edit:nighthawk, is it suppose to scream like that? That whistle sure sounded funny LOL

Edited March 21, 2011 by donperry

[Mumbles]

If you're really using the normal BP ratio (75:15:10) in core burners, that is probably why they're catoing. You can't use full strength meal in them. Typically people use 6:3:1, or some derivative of that by splitting the charcoal into airfloat and coarse material.

[donperry]

THanks, noted

[jimbo]

here's a 1lb strobe I cato'd,really loud they are. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIj6szht1yc Edited April 1, 2011 by jimbo

[donperry]

You said moisture or air might have reached the grain. Explain how that works please?

[jimbo]

It might have expanded and contracted,it was sitting in my cupboard for a week and we had a bit of rain the other day then it was hot and then we got more rain,I've just noticed before with some compositions I left out for an extended period of time that they like to suck up water even comps that haven't got any hygroscopic chems in them,it can even affect the paper tubes as well plus my whistle is sodium benzoate fuelled which might like water a bit more than the other fuels,this is my moderate powered whistle mix too so I doubt it was to hot,it could have been a number of reasons though.