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Making your own rocket motors can be a simple process. Once you have the basics down, you can begin making more complicated motors. The motors referred to in this tutorial will work with core-burning black powder propellants, kno3 sucrose (sugar nitrate), and kno3 sucrose with sulfur. Some basic materials are required: -Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty -One of the above propellants (preferably on of the kno3 sucrose propellants) -3/4 inch inner diameter high pressure PVC (315 psi or higher) -3/4 inch dowel rod -Drill with 1/8 and 9/64inch drill bit -1/8 inch diameter nail or dowel, 2 inches long -Epoxy glue -Toilet paper -Cardboard -In any of these propellants, sulfur is optional, it simply makes the propellant more spark sensitive, and easier to ignite. The above are the necessary ingredients for making a simple rocket motor. This is about the simplest rocket motor you can make, if you want something more complicated and challenging, view another tutorial. First, you must make the casing. Find 315 psi or higher PVC. Mix up a batch of water putty, and fill the tubing up about ¾ of an inch high with the water putty. While it's drying, you will need to make some tools. The ¾ inch dowel rod will be your tamp. In the exact center, use the 9/64-inch drill bit to drill down the length of it. The 1/8-inch nail or dowel should slide easily into it. You now have a tamp. If you got a 1/8-inch nail, nail it through a thin piece of wood. If you bought the 1/8-inch dowel, you can simply clamp it in a vice. This will be your mandrel. After a day of letting the water putty dry, it should be ready for you to make the nozzle. Find the center of the water putty plug in your tubing, and drill down the length of it using the 1/8-inch dowel. When the hole has been formed, slide it onto the mandrel. Pull it back off, and countersink the outside face. Let it sit for another day, while you mix the propellant. Get powdered sulfur from a gardening or hardware store. Get powdered sugar from you kitchen, and get potassium nitrate (saltpeter) from a large drug store such as Westburry Pharmacy. These are all over the counter items. Mix them into the following amounts by mass: 10% sulfur, 27% sugar, and 63% potassium nitrate. You will have to be very exact. Make about 5 ounces. If you don't want to use sulfur, you will need 65% potassium nitrate, and 35% sugar, but you may need to melt and cast them to be successful. Melting and casting will be covered in another tutorial. Once the water putty has been drying for a total of two days, you are ready to pack the propellant. Put the casing back on the mandrel. Fill it up some of the way with propellant. Use the tamp to pack it down. Continue this until the nail or dowel is completely covered. The suggested length of the nail or dowel is about 2 inches. Once it is completely covered, insert one piece of toilet paper into the tube on top of the propellant. Tamp it down too. Now put epoxy glue on a piece of cardboard, and tamp it down epoxy side down. Do this twice. Let it sit one more day, and it is ready to launch. If you have any questions about these directions, e-mail us or post your question on our message board. Suggested ingredients of propellant: -.5 oz sulfur -1.35 oz sugar -3.15 oz potassium nitrate You will also need to make igniters to launch your rockets. You can buy them from a hobby store, or just make them yourself. If you are launching your rockets near a power outlet, you can make a 120 V AC igniter. If not, you can make a pyrotechnic igniter. For the 120 V AC igniter, straighten out a small paper clip, then cut it in half. Bend those to pieces at a 90-degree angle at the center. Use a glue gun or electrical tape to glue them together so that two of the lengths are parallel. Then put a small ball of steel wool between the two ends. When you pass wall-current through the paper clips, the steel wool will detonate. Test this not in a rocket to ensure that it works. Experiment with it. Put one in a rocket and set it off to ignite the rocket. For a pyrotechnic igniter, use a small piece of steel wool or nichrome wire. Mix black powder with alcohol, and spread it onto the nichrome wire or steel wool. Let it dry for a day or two. Experiment until you can get a good igniter. All you have to do is place one of these igniters in your rocket, and set if off. E-mail any questions to us or post them on our message board. -Ben Emerson questions? E-mail: wildmanben@homestead.com |
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Rocketss 112 Thomashire Ct Richmond, Va 23229 (804) 741-2391 |
