Re your other experiences, sounds like with minimal torque, we can have you on the Dark Side, discussing nuances of AP mesh, catalysts, plasticizers and all the rest in no time

Hey, what do you think led me to rocketry? I was an amateur chemist at 8... 8)

Now thats curious, not about oneupmanship, but I find it really curious that at 5, I was asking about the constituents of BP and collected match heads for weeks to scavenge what I thought was charcoal, etc. I can't recall any desire to blow anything up or burn down the house 🙄

Maybe rocket guys are born, not made. But welcome. There is a lot of fertile area here, including a bunch of EX records up for grabs. That to me is like the pure essence of challenge--not just design a rocket around a list of motors, but design them together to meet a certain goal.

JS

I can't recall any desire to blow anything up or burn down the house.

Nor did I. Only fire I ever had was not from caramelizing sugar fuel in an old electric skillet that my Mom gave me for the task--with a warning; I knew the ignition temp, but the fire was from pouring water on burning wax... don't ask. Boy, talk about explosive! Anyway, lesson learned at a very young age. I think my Dad was glad that there was a safe way to vent my curiosity in model rockety, since that fire and my lab was always in his garage, on the lab table he built for me. 🙂
Anyone old enough remember wrapping aluminum foil around matches and holding a lit match to the twisted, nose end? That was cool! 8) JS, we're of the same cloth, as are many in our club. We've found a safe way to do what we do. 😉

MATCH rockets! Damn, I haven't thought of those since I was about 9 or 10 years old... maybe younger. Sugar propellant I played with too, straight sugar and Potassium Nitrate... also tried my hand at Zinc/Sulpher, but damn near asphyxiated myself lighting a teaspoon of it in my basement lab. Took days for the stench to air out and my parents were seriously pissed.

Warren

Zinc/sulphur... 🙂 robbing the parents' bar to get the ethanol binder... ah, those were the days... 😈

I used to take empty 12 gauge shells - no primer - load them with black powder from my dad's reloading machine, stick a piece of cannon fuse in the end and watch them swirl all over the place. Tried em in a couple of small estes rockets but they never had the thrust do even lift the rocket of the rod. You used to be able to get the formula for gunpowder in the library in Junior high. Doubt you can even find a reference for it now.

Use the web Luke... google has it. Formulas for BP, Nitrocellulose, nitrogylcerine, etc. etc..... did you know you can make RDX plastic explosive from boy scout heat tabs?

Warren

BP is easy - sulfur, charcoal, saltpeter.

Some others are a little harder, but honestly, it's amazing how easy it is to make many dangerous things. Nitroglycerine is a piece of cake, all you need is nitric and hydrochloric acids IIRC (though I'm not planning on making it anytime soon, as I value my life...)

On a side note, does anyone know why zinc/sulfur blends are prohibited at TRA research launches?

Use the web Luke... google has it. Formulas for BP, Nitrocellulose, nitrogylcerine, etc. etc..... did you know you can make RDX plastic explosive from boy scout heat tabs?

Warren

and a poor mans grade of Nitrocellulose laquer from ping pong balls and acetone. Course Firefox has most of these goodies in high grade....At least for now 😥
JS

You all missed the point. When I was in 7th grade (1970 or so) there were plenty of reference books with all kinds of formulas for gunpowder, nitro glycerin, etc. I doubt that any middle school or high student today could find any formulas for explosives in the school library.

did you know you can make RDX plastic explosive from boy scout heat tabs?

Hexamine, hexaminethylenetetramine, C6H12N4, right, get it in camping supplies as heating tabs... Chris, Ken, use 1% Dextrin as a binder if you're making BP for Estes motors, ball mill the sulphur and charcoal together, ball mill the potassium nitrate SEPARATELY in a DIFFERENT ball mill drum. The final step is either diapering both mixtures together, or if you have the space to put way away from the house or anyone, ball mill them together and expect the worst. I've never done that, since it's legal to buy any grade BP you need for the right purposes. Honestly don't now, but almost always had the chemicals to make nitroglycerin. Like Chris, I value my life as well as others'. Some things you just don't get into, but it's nice to have the knowledge. Ken, you're probably right about the school libraries, but consider what's gone on in years past... as Warren said, the Internet has all the information you need for just about anything. Probably, the last bastion of free speech.