32 replies to this topic

[vaslop2005]

I have been experimenting with small, coloured tailed rockets, and had reasonable success with wide nozzled and nozzle-less KClO4 fuelled rockets (if anyone's interested I can find out the formulas/dimensions). I am just curious as to whether anyone else has tried any experimentation in this field, as mine often CATO or burn without thrust.

I am looking to make some fuels that burn in a reasonably slow manner, so can be used in cored rockets. I suspect AP to be needed for this...

Please post your ideas and/or experience...

Thanks

[dr thrust]

i did some experimentation on perc fueled rockets, mostly perc/willow charcoal, and the take off was slow to say the least!, the full blah is in the nozzle-less rocket thread,the rockets where very bright indeed, the vid is here perc bp rockets
and here

Edited by chris m, 04 August 2010 - 05:11 PM.

[vaslop2005]

I have tried nozzle-less, and when made well, they look AWESOME, its just that I haven't the machinery or the money to make my own tools here. (only able to use a metal lathe when I occasionally get access to one) so I am hoping to be able to make some coloured fuel that is able to be used in nozzled coreburners.

Thanks

[dr thrust]

then, maybe try the magnalium fueled motors, they use standard bp tooling, alternatively why not attach a coloured comet on top,or fixed to the back of the stick as suggested by other forum members

[pyromaniac303]

This was made on a standard core burner tool set: Green metal fueled rocket

It also had a normal clay nozzle. I thought from the lift sound that it had blown the nozzle out but on examining it afterwards it was still intact.

One thing you'll find is that they will not light from visco fuse at all! I had to use a small amount of BP+silicon to get the core lit, which contributes to the fast takeoff.

Personally I prefer the tiny 6mm ones, as they use hardly any fuel and are quite capable of lifting up to 15g or so to a decent height: 6mm green metal fueled rocket

The formula was as follows:
Barium nitrate 60% (substitute strontium nitrate if required - but it changes the characteristics slightly)
Magnalium 250# 20%
PVC 15%
Parlon 5%

These were pressed on a drill press.

[vaslop2005]

I have heard the magnalium rockets are good, but (like i said in the subtitle) I'm not to fond of them, as I also would like to make some blue... and have been looking at some formulas along the lines of my own AP coloured stars


blue
NH4ClO4 70
copper sorbate 10
hexamine 20

red
NH4ClO4 45
Sr(NO3)2 25
red gum 12
hexamine 18

green
NH4ClO4 35
Ba(NO3)2 35
red gum 14
hexamine 16
copper sorbate 10

but the blue one exploded, and the green burned without any colour (strangely) so maybe some more work needed...

I have thought of attaching a coloured comet, but i like this as a technical exercise.

on a side note, the colours are fantastic as stars, with a huge flame envelope and good colour...

Edited by vaslop2005, 04 August 2010 - 10:52 PM.

[pyromaniac303]

Oh sorry didn't notice the subtitle!

You could try adding Parlon or PVC to the green rocket... perhaps the AP combustion products change inside the rocket at a higher pressure and produce less free chlorine to create barium chloride in the flame.

You could always try something like the folowing:

Strontium Nitrate 9 (47%)
Potassium Perchlorate 3 (16%)
Potassium Benzoate 3 (16%)
Parlon 4 (21%)

It burns with a large flame and decent colour, and is also very low cost. You may want to change the perchlorate to nitrate ratio to get more thrust, as I have only tested this pressed into open ended tubes with no core.

[dr thrust]

there's a few colored rocket formula on the skylighter page click me

Edited by chris m, 07 August 2010 - 12:13 AM.

[pyrotrev]

This mix I posted a while back has a nice blue flame:

http://www.pyrosocie...h__1#entry62988

[CCH Concepts]

How about whistle mix using KClO4 and strontium/barium benzoate? Simple and I would have through good power and colour. Not sure how hydroscopic they are?

[pyromaniac303]

I think that the oscillation speed of whistles with different metals varies, so certain benzoates will whistle but at a frequency greater than human ears can detect. I did see an article a while back about coloured whistles using Barium 3- nitrobenzoate but it didn't go into great detail, and my chemistry is not great so I have no idea if its possible to make this with standard pyro chemicals.

Of course if you don't care whether it whistles, I'm sure they would work fine.

[vaslop2005]

I have tried all the benzoates and even sorbates, but the barium and strintium are very strange, the just burn with a large smokey flame, or not at all... i guess that copper works so well because of Cu's catalytic effects.

recently I looked at using some large diameter, short core rockets, that use a KClO4 fuel, and you can get good results with 10mm ID rockets, 5mm core dia, and 50mm core length, (ill find the formula if anyones interested.)

[Mumbles]

What kind of ratios were you using for the barium and strontium benzoate/sorbates? It sounds incredibly over fueled, which would actually be hard to do.

[MDH]

Agreed. Recently I tried small quantities of strontium lactate derived from drug grade lactic acid. Combined with potassium chlorate it produces quite a nice red flame. By your logic it should not at all.

[vaslop2005]

Agreed. Recently I tried small quantities of strontium lactate derived from drug grade lactic acid. Combined with potassium chlorate it produces quite a nice red flame. By your logic it should not at all.

When the benzoates and sorbates are combined with KClO3 they burn well and produce good colour, but in any ratio with KClO4 they just refuse, and if they do burn, it just results in a bright yellow tarry flame.