Best nozzle mix from kitty litter

[PyroCube]

Hi all

 

I have found a 12 page kitty litter thread, but since my english skills aren`t the best it`s quite a bit

to read So I made a new thread, I hope anyone can help me.

 

Until now I made all my nozzles with plain kitty litter (contains bentonite) just coffeemilled for a few minutes.

Most of my rockets worked well, but I had some blow-throughs, I seemed like my plugs weren`t strong enough.

 

Is there a simple and cheap way to make harder plugs? (I haven`t got a rocket press unfortunately)

I heard about adding sand or paraffin wax to the bentonite, but that doesn`t make sense to me, does it help?

 

 

 

Greets

[Flaky234]

Yes it helps^^

 

Don't know why....

 

btw. German?

Edited March 20, 2013 by Flaky234

[PyroCube]

Please Flaky this is an english forum, we have to adapt

You mean adding parrafin wax to the kitty litter helps ?

How much is recommendable, and should I just melt the wax and

add the ground kitty litter to it?

 

Greets

[Oinikis]

i had an issue with weak colapssing plugs, using plain kittylitter. one dude told me to add 8% of parafin wax. just heat the bentonite(milled), and put it in there, so it melts, and mix well. the plugs are very strong, but since it has wax, it's more splipery. for my rockets, plain bentonite, always fails to be nozzle, but with parafin works well. for top one granulated kitylitter works better, becouse the granules bite into the tube, but both fails. i found, what if i add bit of hotglue to the walls, that sticks the plug to the tube and works very well. however, that top plug is still the issue to me. anyway try adding parafin. it' worth a shot. Edited March 20, 2013 by Oinikis

[BlastFromThePast]

I remember reading about nozzle mixes made from bentonite and another chemical that was described as adding some "bite" by grabbing the inside of the tube. Some kind of chem thats relatively coarse. Unfortunately I can't remember the name of it. Does anyone else know what I'm talking about?

 

I remember reading about nozzle mixes made from bentonite and another chemical that was described as adding some "bite" by grabbing the inside of the tube. Some kind of chem thats relatively coarse. Unfortunately I can't remember the name of it. Does anyone else know what I'm talking about?

 

Oinikis, you got there first hahaha

[Oinikis]

that biting to the tube would really help me. that prafinated bentonite is really strong, but doesn't stick to tube well.

 

Sand?!

Edited March 20, 2013 by Oinikis

[BlastFromThePast]

I'm not sure. Water glass is kind of ringing a bell to me but I'm not 100% certain

[Oinikis]

well, if anyone won't remember, or remember stuff i don't have i will try sand. Edited March 20, 2013 by Oinikis

[PyroCube]

Yeah, I just read a bit about nozzle mix on skylighters.

They use 4 parts of way, 30.5 parts of bentonite and 15.5 parts of grog.

Is that ratio ok to give it a try?

Whats that grog exactly, can I use sand instead?

 

Greets

[Oinikis]

well, tomorow i'll try sand. i hope i'll find some.

[BlastFromThePast]

What brand of kitty litter are you using. I've found that kitty litter that's advertised as "non-clumping" is inferior to the generic stuff.

[Oinikis]

it says it's made of natural mineral bentonite, nothing else is said. it's light brown in color. wetting it with water makes clay, and it can be dried, or even burned to make objects, whitch are very strong.

[schroedinger]

What i read about grog and the pictures i saw grog appears to me, to be just normal burned clay, which got brocken up into lumps.

So maybe the best would be propably to take just normal flowerpots and brake em up with a hammer. This granules will really bite into a tube

[psyco_1322]

Yes, grog is clay that has been fired, which turns it basically to stone, and then in broken back up and sorted into sizes. You can break up pots or tiles if you think you need grog in your clay. Beware, it will damage your spindle if you use it in the nozzle mix.

[Oinikis]

i have no issue with nozzle, it works perfect. i will use it for only top one. but i think clay particle won't bite into hard steel easily.

[PyroCube]

Yes, and since I`m using wooden rammers I think it`s not a good idea to use

this grog. But I will try with wax, maybe this will help to solve my problem...

 

Greets

[WonderBoy]

If you plan on drilling through your bulkhead (top plug) I wouldn't recommend grog or sand there either. I would be uncomfortable drilling through it, and it may wear on your drill bit.

 

My standard mix is kitty litter, straight from the bag, plus 3% mineral oil (any oil will work). It really does bite into the tube, I have cut a tube open after ramming a plug, and there are noticeable impressions from the clay grains.

 

I use a pvc sleeve while ramming, so one trick I use is to not use a hose clamp over my bulkhead, area and intentionally ram it so had that the tube bulges slightly. This really locks the bulkhead in the tube

 

What size/type of motors are you guys making? Ramming or pressing? Increment size? Mallet size?

 

 

WB

[Oinikis]

12 ID 64mm tall, 6/3/1 raming with wooden mallet. Edited March 21, 2013 by Oinikis

[Oinikis]

Made my tubes abit longer, improved my tooling, so it makes recessing on both plugs. used parafin-clay mix, worked perfect. if your tooling has recesing. it should work just fine. if you have a press, then even better i think.

[Shadowcat1969]

I use two mixes, one for nozzles or bulkheads with no passfire that has both parafin and Grog in it (I actually use Kyanite, which is a very fine sand like substance) and one for bulkheads that I will be drilling a passfire through that has no grog, just the parafin.

 

Here is the Skylighter article I use to make my mixes: http://www.skylighter.com/fireworks/how-to-make/rocket-nozzle-mix.asp

[nater]

A wood mallet is not very heavy. If you can find a 2 lb rawhide mallet, you will see a big difference when you ram a motor.

 

http://www.garlandmfg.com/mallets/split.html

 

For my nozzles I use hawthorn bond fireclay with 10% powdered graphite and 10% parrafin wax. Just screen the clay and graphite together, heat the mix up in an oven to 200 degrees and melt the wax in. Run this through a screen several times to distribute the wax evenly. I tried using grog once, and it marred up my tooling. I won't be doing that again.

Edited March 21, 2013 by nater

[Oinikis]

well, just made sucssesful rocket with report. i've rammed my top plug with cored dowel, having fuse in the middle, so no drilling is needed.

[Mortartube]

Have you tried nozzleless rockets? I made some a while back and was very surpised how good they were. You need a good fast and hot BP, like milled willow. I use Elder charcoal which is very good.

[Oinikis]

i have made some Rcandy nozzleless botle rockets. they lift quite well. but i like to make nolzzled ones, becouse i can use slow sparky BBQ charcoal, and i don't need to mill it so fine. also it's more fuel efficent. well, it probably depends on personality. i just like nozzled, becouse they are more complicated, so more interesting.

[Jimjimboom]

Ok so i cant get my rockets to fly, they almost always cato! I havnt tried nozelless, but im hoping it will help, then as i get more experience start to make nozzel, does this sound like a good plan? Any help would be great, we cant buy pyrotecnics where i come from! Not any at all, but i can get the stuff to make them so easily! It doent make sence, more likly to hurt yourSelf or someone else making your own! Not that it would change my desire to make my own just saying! Does anyone know if it is hard to make bumble bees yourself?