So I've got this old stock of aluminum....

[goldwingnut54]

I searched a little, but didn't find anything. Forgive if it's been addressed, but I've got several pounds of a very fine aluminum that I've had around for longer than some of the members of this forum have been alive. (Judging by their lack of linguistics skills)

 

Is it even safe to use? It has been kept dry, but not tightly sealed. I remember ordering 20# in a single UPS box, containing other items that would produce 3...um...similarly dressed rommates and a shiny potty nowadays. I've ZERO intentions of repeating the days of my foolhardy youth.

 

I'm not sure what I have even, but it is mighty mighty fine, and very dark. If it has a usable purpose other than that for it was originally purchased, I'll repack it, and maybe screen it first. I probably have most of it left, maybe 12#.

 

I am experiencing a renewed interest in rockets and headings spurred along by recently making higher grades of BP for muzzleloading.

[pyrojig]

What you have is indeed some good dark al. It can be used as a flash Al of course as your aware of, or in star mix's, reactive targets, among other uses. Other than than it has only a few uses. It may be worth dividing it up to what your going to use, and selling the other amount in the agora section.You could regain your $, then dump that into tooling or other chems that apply to your current interest. Just a thought. It should be worth anywhere from $10-$20/#.

[goldwingnut54]

I just was reminiscing...it has to be 30 years old. I dunno.....

 

I don't have much in the way of screens yet. Like I said, my pyro interest is being rekindled somewhat because of making BP for my shooting. Can it possibly be safe after 30 years? (28 maybe...)

 

Can it be used as burn modifiers for High Power rocket fuel, like with iron oxide or copper sulphate? Or can it be used to heat up a shell "burst" that needs something extra? How's about KNO3/sugar propellant modifiers. Is there a safer "report" comp based on BP that uses a bit of aluminum.

 

This might have been a better question for the newbie section. I just couldn't find a thread.

[psyco_1322]

I don't think they use copper sulfate in HPR fuels, but I could be wrong.

 

The Al should be fine, should be as "safe" as when it was made. Nothing about the age will cause it to be more reactive. Is it lumpy/clumpy at all? You mention screening it...usually dark Al doesn't cake up too much like atomized stuff can.

 

There is nothing wrong with using flash as your report comp for rockets. Flash is often used to boost shell breaks also. I supposed adding a few percent to bp would up the burn rate a tad bit.

[goldwingnut54]

I was alluding to screening it, mostly to see if anything was wrong with it. Perhaps if some foreign material material may have made it's way in there somehow. Maybe to screen it for grading purposes. But sure. Clumps, tinker toys, I raised 3 kids and moved twice. Bought and sold a business. Storage, re-boxing. It just seems like a screen in that approximate size wouldn't be a bad idea. Then some smaller containers.

 

I want to make safer "reports" for rockets, but maybe 70/30 "diapering" is still a skill I could learn. Beats 2-1-1 by the pound in a Mayo Jar, with the grim reaper nosing around. But I'm thinking BP reports with MY VERY OWN BP and something added for added juice will be fun. I'm ready for some simple star headings, and maybe whistle comp or a strobe after some more education.

 

And my house is merely 25 Miles from one of the premiere sites for High Power Rocketry in the Midwest, and BP motors are allowed at certain events. Experimental motors are allowed at others, like KNO3/sugar and Ammonium Nitrate Composite Motors. If anyone reading this has never seen a big national level Tripoli Sanctioned event, do it sometime. Lots of those guys "crossover" to PGI events too. And my oh my...there are some nice folks at the one I mentioned. Some.guys even pack their own AP grains, but those neck snappers are less interesting to me than a longer burn. (They aren't ALL neck snappers either, those Ammonium Perc rockets. Clever builders can craft about anything they want. It's all good, once the safety procedures are mastered.)

Edited May 22, 2013 by goldwingnut54

[nater]

Those little HDPE bottles that "5 hour Energy" drinks come in make excellent report headers for 3/4" rocket. Just use the binary method and add your report components. A pinch of Ti or rice hulls will help it mix later. The threads for the lid will just bite into the ID of the motor tube to hold it in place. Give the motor and header a gentle shake to mix everything up before you fly it. About 30g fits with room for mixing.

 

I wish my local HPR club was friendly towards so called research motors. They won't let you fly anything unless it is commercial.

Edited May 21, 2013 by nater

[goldwingnut54]

No way! Plastic?!?? What about static and all that shaking? Of course, 70/30 is less sensitive than the crack cocaine of flash I learned about nearly 50 years ago.

 

I have lots of paper tubes. Binary works with those too, but I didn't even think about high density polyethylene and binary mixing. How much airspace does binary mixing require? And do you concur, that my dark AL is likely okay?

[nater]

I usually fill them about 3/4 full with 7/3/1 using IBA. I am not worried about static in a fully enclosed system. The reasons were just posted in the safety section by someone else, so no need to repeat it. I would think your AL is just fine as well, but I don't know enough about it to be positive. If I were in your shoes I would have asked someone more knowledgeable as well.

[goldwingnut54]

Nater, I don't know what IBA is but I'll look it up. This weekend I'll probably weigh and repack this stuff. I was nervous about even handling it with what I've learned (mostly from this forum) but I've not seen a warning about that so far.

 

I appreciate all the advice and I'm feeling a little better about it.

 

 

 

 

<edit: Now I think I figured out what IBA is... Ordinarily, forum members that use a lot of abbreviations used to irritate me. But this forum gets a pass. I *might* even be convinced of the wisdom in it. If you spell everything out so that even IQ's in the single digits can grasp it...well....this hobby "doth not suffer fools gladly" I'm afraid. Excuse my Biblical reference if you must...>

Edited May 21, 2013 by goldwingnut54

[FlaMtnBkr]

India Black Al

 

Your aluminum should be fine. If anything, it will be more tame due to an increase in aluminum oxide coating on the particles.

 

You can add just dark al to BP grains which makes it a little hotter and quicker. Helps make a louder noise with BP and doesn't require making flash though the binary method is pretty safe for a header.

[Seymour]

You can add just dark al to BP grains which makes it a little hotter and quicker. Helps make a louder noise with BP and doesn't require making flash though the binary method is pretty safe for a header.

 

I'll second this. I have been rather impressed with the effectiveness of boosting Black powder with straight dark flake. The aluminium is added loose to Black powder grains. The most impressive demonstration of this that I've witnessed was a 3/4" tube with 10g of 3fg and 2g Ekhart 5413 (the Aluminium that "German dark flake" would likely be on an average days (there are other Ekhart dark flakes given same nickname) ) pressed in it, open ended, lit on the top. It was as ruthless seeming explosion as any whistle or BP + flash rocket CATO that I've witnessed.

 

Needless to say, grain, or BP coated burst filler, are also surprisingly effective with just dark flake added as a booster. The oxygen deficit due to the extra Alumnium is somewhat buffered due to the large quantity of CO2 able to be replaced with CO, and any loss of gas is more than compensated for by the intense heating caused by the burning Aluminium of such a high surface area.

 

I first heard of it being used in Europe in well confined salutes sold to the public, if I remember correctly, on the UKR forum as the UKPS forum was then known.