maxman

Email Caleb, he is great. Very good quality and reasonable price.

 

https://www.woodysro...tar_Plates.html

 

Rod

The problem arises as each increment grips the wall of the tube when you press it, pulling the tube down and making it shorter. This also makes the outer tube unsightly and wrinkled also. After the tube has "relaxed" some time later...maybe months you will likely get an explosion of a motor that would otherwise have worked just after pressing. This is because cracks then manifest in the pressed comp grain.

 

To fix all these issues you need to treat your tubes with paraffin wax!

 

Tubes will now not shrink, they will press more smoothly, they will not wrinkle, they will store better and you will also be able to use  a faster fuel without the rocket going bang at ignition.

 

Rod

Yes bind with acetone only! NOT water. Keep water and moisture away from stars containing magnesium. The parlon helps protect the magnesium. Bleser #7 red mag is 55 strontium nitrate 7 PVC 10 parlon 28  100-200 mesh magnesium so seems ok to use strontium in place of barium nitrate.
 
#9 yellow mag is  45 potassium perchlorate  13 cryolite  30 magnesium 10 PVC 2 charcoal
 
I think I would stay away from sodium nitrate where magnesium is used. Though yellow sunrise looks interesting to make maybe
 
55 Sodium nitrate 5 charcoal 10 sulphur 25 MgAl  5 dextrin see sweet dreams rocket

 

It is possible to dry press 55.5 sodium nitrate 17 magnesium 27.5 PVC as per Lancaster but you need to treat the magnesium with linseed oil first and they have a limited shelf life.

 

Rod

I'm not sure on the specific comp you refer too but bear in mind that strontium nitrate and sodium nitrate are hydroscopic. The point being magnesium and water don't like each other and could become very dangerous if wet.

 

Perhaps you could post the comp?

 

Rod

Some stars need to be primed for ignition as they will not light from the bust charge! Some stars light quite easy without prime such as potassium nitrate based glitter or charcoal streamers but quite often these are primed as insurance to ignition. Difficult stars to ignite might include stars with high metal content and potassium perchlorate or barium nitrate as the oxidiser. I read once that the only way to ignite these stars was to send up a gremlin with a blowtorch

 

Rod

I hate you!

 

Well done Rip Rap

Yep agree with the above comments. I did quite like spark magazine with articles like the traffic light dissection amongst other things.

 

Rip Rap is storage not discussed in the good practice guide? Page 18/ 19 Explosive substance / article storage process map?

 

I thought this was an on going guidance but no one seems to have mentioned it for a long while and no updates that I know of.

 

Was the guidance sanctioned by HSE?

 

Rod

Not sure if these have been posted before but I for one have not seen them. Excellent find by Paul Moulder from www.fireworking.com
 
I hope everyone enjoys these as much as I have.

Rod

Sam, as I see it.

 

1: Stars drying are NOT in storage but adding prime to an already 100g batch would take it over yes. So make 100g and burn some off or make less in the first place.

 

2: Drying is in manufacture not storage.

 

3: You are pasting a pyrotechnic article which is now not a relevant explosive and is exempt from the rules of the explosive certificate. You will need the default UN list to know if you have made a 1.1G 1.3G or 1.4G article and store as per storage rules.

 

4: When the cores are ready for the next rolling stage you should then do this and as soon as dry/ready make up the pyrotechnic article.

 

Please feel to correct me if you disagree as this is just y understanding.

 

Rod

As its as quiet as the grave on here, I thought I'd take the opportunity to ask a few questions.
I have been trying to get in one place as many old comps as possible from Standard, Astra, Rainbow etc so as to be in a position to recreate if and when I get my explosive certificate which  by the way is now fast approaching a year with no word whatsoever!!
 
Anyway, whilst looking a  few comps questions came to mind so I am asking here.
 
I know chlorate add mixtures were banned (quite rightly) a long time ago but I can't say I know the answer to the question, are chlorates still used in consumer fireworks? cat2/3 or even cat4 for that matter? I know they used to be as in the example below.
 
I came across this comp

Astra size E Crackling Pearl
Tube size 4" x 3/8" ID
Potassium Chlorate 9lbs
Cryolite 12 oz
Accaroid 1lb 8oz
Magnalium 2lb
 

Not ever having used chlorates, I thought metal powders were also a no no with chlorate but here we have magnalium. Was this common place? and how safe is this?As no other details are given, would you think the magnalium might be mixed or coarse 100#? I suppose fine mgal would be a fuel and coarse used for crackle so is the fuel here just the acaroid resin?
 
With regards to recreating this, would potassium perchlorate instead of the chlorate work just as well? substituting like for like?
 
Would a comp like this be loaded dry or dampened with meths maybe? Not rammed obviously but lightly tamped? or pressed hard?
 
 Would there be a choke in the tube or not?
 
I understand that cryolite helps in someway the crackle effect so thought I might add this one to the list to try sometime.

 

Off to do more contemplating now.
 
Rod

You may be getting mixed up with and explosive certificate and a manufacturing licence. For practical use if you need a licence then you will need very deep pockets and several acres of land which will also need planning permission from your local council. I also seem to remember that the inspector charges several hundreds of pounds per hour! The process will also likely take years.

 

Rod

You need an explosive certificate for any amount even less than 100g

Rod

As per my last post as far as I know you would need a certificate to make the explosive as it is not on schedule 2. Then not keep the mixture but instead make the rocket motor which would likely then be "1.4G  pyrotechnic article" until you were ready to do your experiment (fire the device)

 

Rod

I take it to mean not to have a leaky roof with rain pouring in and to be tidy with a clear clean bench to do work on and not for storage of other things like the lawnmoor, petrol cans and paint tins and clutter. I think a shed should be fine if it can be like that.

 

Rod

Would it be easier to apply now or wait till after Oct 1st? Does it make any difference?

 

Could really do with help/advice on filling the form as it seems to be geared to shooters or will that change after 1st?. Also please detail your experience in the use, handling explosives..... err what dose one put without incriminating oneself?

 

Do we just put UN0027 UN0028 down? nothing about 100g experimental? How much are members putting in the required quantity column?

 

Rod