44 replies to this topic

[megabusa]

Another quick question being new to this and all........

What is the best way to fix a visco fuse into a core/end burner rocket? So far i tend to fold over the last 20mm of the fuse and try to wedge it in around 20mm past the clay nozzle and then selotape it to the rocket on the exterior. Obviously as the fuse burns down it destroys the selotape and a few times has fallen out of the rocket (dangerous to then go and retrieve the rocket). Is there any easy/preffered way to correctly fuse a rocket to avoid this problem?

I just fold over the end of the visco to make a 'J' & push it in to the nozzle until it reaches the fuel.

The hook shape holds it in place since the visco tries to spring open.

Never had a fuse fall out like this.

Phil.

[jermain]

Cheers for all the advice guys. Managed to get a rocket to over 500-600ft (i think). It went so high it disappeared from view. Lol. No idea where it came down!!! No video's though im afraid, will hopefully set some more of this weekend and video them.

[Mortartube]

What things did you change to get it flying?

[jermain]

I bought some decent rocket tubes of cooperman made better milled powder and a smaller nozzle.

I made 3 rockets.

2 end burners which launched to over 500ft, one went so high i lost view of it. (Comp ratio: 75/15/10)

1 core burner which only went about 30ft before it crash landed and burnt its remaning fuel on the ground. It simply wasnt powerful enough. (Comp ratio: 60/30/10) I was slightly disappointed with this rocket and im going to try a different ratio core burner. Perhaps 68/22/10. Hopefully it won't Cato. We'll see.

[jermain]

Btw, is what i'm doing legal? I've read quite a few sources of information and all seem to be a little grey or blurry regarding this. I'm only making BP in small quantities and using it in small rockets and I set them off in large fields with the closest house roughly 500m away. The field is private but does have a public bridleway running through it so technically I'm allowed to be there. Anyone have any thoughts?

[Atom Fireworks]

Btw, is what i'm doing legal? I've read quite a few sources of information and all seem to be a little grey or blurry regarding this. I'm only making BP in small quantities and using it in small rockets and I set them off in large fields with the closest house roughly 500m away. The field is private but does have a public bridleway running through it so technically I'm allowed to be there. Anyone have any thoughts?

As long as your not in posession of more than 100 grams of a mixed composition, you can explain yourself and have good reason I.E rocket experimenting then you should be fine, it is a gray area so for now just keep a low profile n get on with it , dont draw attention to youself and you will be just fine. These forums are watched by the authorities, no doubt they allready know who you are where you live and so forth however they can clearly see you pose no threat to society and have only good intentions. Thats how i understand it anyway

[jermain]

As long as your not in posession of more than 100 grams of a mixed composition, you can explain yourself and have good reason I.E rocket experimenting then you should be fine, it is a gray area so for now just keep a low profile n get on with it , dont draw attention to youself and you will be just fine. These forums are watched by the authorities, no doubt they allready know who you are where you live and so forth however they can clearly see you pose no threat to society and have only good intentions. Thats how i understand it anyway

Watched by the authorities? Hmmmm thats a scary thought. MI5!!

Does smashing a neighbours roof tile with a rocket count as being low profile?

[Mortartube]

Jumping up from 60 to 68% Kno3 is a big leap. I would recommend trying a maximum of 65% first. The previous core burner took off which means you are near to getting it right. How far into the composition did the core go? Beteween two thirds and three quarters of the composition length is a good start.

[jermain]

Jumping up from 60 to 68% Kno3 is a big leap. I would recommend trying a maximum of 65% first. The previous core burner took off which means you are near to getting it right. How far into the composition did the core go? Beteween two thirds and three quarters of the composition length is a good start.

Ye it was roughly 3/4 of the way in. Okay I'll try 65% first and I'll see how it works. Hoping for a good quick burn time . I'll try and post some vids if I find the time to do some tests this weekend.

[martyn]

Btw, is what i'm doing legal? I've read quite a few sources of information and all seem to be a little grey or blurry regarding this. I'm only making BP in small quantities and using it in small rockets and I set them off in large fields with the closest house roughly 500m away. The field is private but does have a public bridleway running through it so technically I'm allowed to be there. Anyone have any thoughts?

No - quite apart from making something of practical use and relying on the the experimenting / testing <100g crap, setting off fireworks in a public place (bridleway) is illegal and can attaract a hefty fine.
If you are not on the bridleway you are trespassing with explosives, which may or may not constitute armed tresspass, I don't know.
You could try and argue that as they are not classified they are not fireworks but I don't think you would get very far.
Simple solution is just get permission from the land owner and lose your stuff in with a bit of bought..
The definition of a public place is also not as straight forward as you might think.
Sorry to sound negative but that's how it is :-(
PS - you are also transporting it illegally if you want to feel really bad.

Edited by martyn, 25 May 2011 - 03:52 PM.

[Atom Fireworks]

No - quite apart from making something of practical use and relying on the the experimenting / testing <100g crap, setting off fireworks in a public place (bridleway) is illegal and can attaract a hefty fine.
If you are not on the bridleway you are trespassing with explosives, which may or may not constitute armed tresspass, I don't know.
You could try and argue that as they are not classified they are not fireworks but I don't think you would get very far.
Simple solution is just get permission from the land owner and lose your stuff in with a bit of bought..
The definition of a public place is also not as straight forward as you might think.
Sorry to sound negative but that's how it is :-(
PS - you are also transporting it illegally if you want to feel really bad.

Dont we all commit these offences sooner or later in this hobby? I have no-where Legal to fire however there is a fair bit of " waste" land that i test my stuff on but later on at night around 9 ish when hopefully most people are indoors watching T.V.

[jermain]

Reading these posts makes me a little apprehensive to be honest. I could do without a 'hefty' fine atm. I always have the fear that a rocket may go awry and actually cause some damage to something aswell. Quite a few of my rockets have been 10-15 sec burn times, they are pretty fast and a few have gone of at 45 degree angle's. There is the outside chance of them slamming into someone's car (if it flew over 500m) or something.

And I don't think the farmer would be to pleased with what I was doing.

[Atom Fireworks]

Reading these posts makes me a little apprehensive to be honest. I could do without a 'hefty' fine atm. I always have the fear that a rocket may go awry and actually cause some damage to something aswell. Quite a few of my rockets have been 10-15 sec burn times, they are pretty fast and a few have gone of at 45 degree angle's. There is the outside chance of them slamming into someone's car (if it flew over 500m) or something.

And I don't think the farmer would be to pleased with what I was doing.

More so the reason to test in a safer location and keep it quiet by not bringing attention to yourself ! both points i mentioned earlier in the thread. Can i ask do you drive? If so have you ever broke the speed limit? ide bet you have just like 90% of this forum have.

Keep your pyro activities within reasonable limits and dont broadcast to your neighbour hood what your doing, if your worried about the farmer why dont you go and find the rocket once its fell back down to the ground that way he would never know? Theres precautions you can take to limit any grief this hobby can cause you, theres many amature pyros up and down the country all doing exactly what your doing, your not alone by a long shot so dont let people put you off what you desire to do and learn.

If you were just making flash bangers and lobbing them around the streets then yes your a problem but your not, your being sensible and mature about it so you shouldnt have any major issues mate. If everyone was scared of possibly breaking the law amature pyro wouldnt exist, and also if it was not for amature pyros there wouldnt be a review taking place of the laws and regulations surrounding our hobby.

Allot of people on here will give you " by the book" advice however i guarantee you they dont do it by the book. Just be safe, considerate and have fun experimenting i know i have and will continue to do so.

Jay

[martyn]

Allot of people on here will give you " by the book" advice however i guarantee you they dont do it by the book. Just be safe, considerate and have fun experimenting i know i have and will continue to do so.
Jay

Won't argue with that. It's not possible to do it by the book for the hobbiest, unless all you want to do is experiment with small quantities of compositions, use it immediately where you mix it, and not fashion it into a device for practical use.

However, he asked the direct question "is what I am doing legal?"

He got the correct answer - albeit not the one any of us want to hear.

Probably the best advice is by the book, it is then up to the individual to decide how much they are prepared to push it beyond that. Yours is the comforting advice we want to hear.

You are right though in implying that 90% of amateur pyro enthusiasts regularly contravine the MSER, kidding ourselves that the authorities have hopefully got bigger fish to fry.

Fact is what we do is currently illegal, and will continue to be (for most of us) even if the ELRG decide to be generous in their interpretation of section 3.9.1.a.

It's mostly tolerated if we don't take the p!ss too much.

[Deano 1]

I'm with Dumper Truck on this one, especially with the authorities knowing who you are. I've been into this addictable hobby for a few years now and I've had police helicopters follow me home after testing rockets on more than one occasion, they've hovered for a few seconds and cleared off.
Just don't piss your neghbours off, use a lot of common sense and caution, don't broadcast what you do to the locals and DO think a lot about fire precautions when you're testing.
As soon as you put any of your 100gm " allowance " into a tube you've broke the law, but so have 100s of others up and down the country, Make sure you keep notes of every experiment/test you do and don't have anything to do with the B word, just be careful and keep in touch with this forum/site.

As far as your rockets are going, I think your heading in the right direction, a little tweak here and a little tweak there but don't forget to write everything down and if you can film it for reference.