Odds and ends

[Mark]

So the 30 ounce 18/8 stainless steel Mason jars arrived today. On the bottom of the jar is stamped 30 ounces/888 ml. They have a single piece lid and are fairly light weight. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have to worry about these jam jars cracking. However I'm going to enlarge the hole it the lid, for it might be possible to make the jar go bang with that small of a hole. I've accidentally blown the lid off a couple of glass jam jars in the past. The silicone gasket would probably not hold up for long, so a small fiber gasket cut out from a sheet of some sort of high temperature material would be better if you needed a more airtight seal or did away with the silicone.
The base of the jar is 3.620 inches in diameter and the hole in the lid .400ths. So that would make the ratio well over the ~1/5 diameter recommendation of Reynst, this one being 1/9 the diameter of the jar. In the photo the hole looks bigger because the shoulders of the jar blend with the lid. I think that size hole could work on some occasions, but it would be pretty perky on the first whoosh. ha
Fiberfrax® Ceramic Fiber Gaskets (Temperatures to 2300°F)
Flexible Graphite & Carbon Gaskets (Temperatures to 5000°F)
http://www.customgasketmfg.com/DieCutGa ... ureGaskets

The jars are not all that special but each new item has its good and bad points to work with. Another shape I came across were these all aluminum Coke bottles which are 7.25 inches tall with a screw on cap. They hold 8.5 ounces.

[Mark]

Yesterday I was toying with this little augmenter for the 12 ounce paintball tank and 6 inch snorkel. When holding the augmenter 3 or 4 inches out from the exhaust tip it just about killed my ears. If you want some noise this insignificant section of an aluminum aerosol can is the ticket - hearing protection de rigueur.
This and that.
download/file.php?id=14993&mode=view

[Mark]

I dabbled shortly with the 30 ounce stainless steel jam jar I ordered. First I drilled out the straw-sized hole in the lid to a half inch diameter. It seems too small even for hot humid weather. The first whoosh if you can call it that was more like a sudden burst, almost approaching a bang which made me nervous. So the next few tries the jar was aired out only partially and then relit but still it was quite perky and didn't want to sustain - the whoosh went too fast. So I don't know if the short squat shape is a factor or if it's the heat reflecting inside the jar more being steel instead of glass. Probably it just needs a little larger hole. Also the jar is quite light so I think it will have to be held in some way to prevent jumping. The stainless steel body of the jar is thin but the lid slightly thicker than a typical jam jar lid. A single whoosh really transfers the heat to the jar it being so thin.

[Mark]

Well this threaded elbow ran for a brief 10 seconds in the heat of summer so it might have a chance in cooler weather.

[tufty]

Mark, you make the wierdest pulsating devices. And I mean that in a good way :)

With two elbows like that, and some creative weighting / outrigger-floating, you might be able to make a "proper" water-based snorkeller, with the entire bottle submerged and only the snorkel peeking out, periscope style. The world's first kadency-powered submarine, if you like.

[Mark]

It was the first day of fall and slightly cooler than usual so I tried the elbow snorkel again today on the paintball tank. It ran OK for a short bit but it still seems to die from a heat death or something. There's some loss in thrust by using an elbow over a straight tube. All of the sudden it starts to quickly slow from its relatively fast pace and die, not an instant flameout death and not a slow painful death but rather like putting the brakes on rapidly, decelerating to a stop. Maybe if I shortened the elbow-snorkel a bit, that would help. Or if the air were colder as when winter approaches.
In other news, the glass jam jar with copper tube snorkel ran quite sprightly until I killed it intentionally after just 3 secondes or so. It creeps me out a little being glass and having the potential to crack with so fervant a combustion. I was holding it sideways with a hand towel and imaged how fun it would be to have the towel on fire when the methanol soaked into it. It's really much more lively with this hint of cool weather.
Another thing tried today was seeing if some lycopodium powder would sustain in a jam jar. The method was to shake the jar vigorously to create enough dust in the air and then put a lighter to the hole in the jar lid. I could only get a single whoosh. I had hoped on the inflow phase to kick up more of the spores to reignite and sustain combustion. Probably with some work using a bigger jar and better powder fueling/atomization, something would come about. Because the spores contain oil, there's a familiar smell to burning lycopodium, vaguely like the fat from a steak dripping on hot charcoals or the burning of castor oil in model airplane fuel. Maybe some airfloat charcoal or baby powder made of cornstarch would have a chance as well. I was envisioning a slow chuffing behavior from the jam jar with lycopodium spores but It will probably need some sort of hopper fuel feed or something more elaborate to sustain. I could have put more powder in the jar, that might have helped. Both of my dogs seemed curious about the lycopodium powder, as if it might be some sort of food they were smelling when I set the container of lycopodium spores down on the floor for them to inspect. The label reads Lycopodium Powder (Dragons Breath Powder) Dry Spores of Clubmoss
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0d4QWGTwkE
Fine Dust Explosion - Lycopodium Powder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAdElO1FCSM

[Mark]

Another shape to play with on a rainy day. It reminds me of my metal ear syringes really. It took a little time to clean this old thing up, getting the grease off and buffing with a wire wheel to get the rust on the surface removed enough to read the manufacturer - Alemite C-600 grease gun made in Chicago. It's steel of some sort and quite attracted to a magnet except for the brass tubing that attaches to the nozzle. It's not absolutely airtight on the top cap although the threads are pretty fine. So maybe it will make a grease gun jam jar jet if given a little fuel.
In other news I bought a less common 16 ounce size (Valken) paintball tank to try out. So far the 12 ounce tanks work best with the 3/8 X 6 inch plumbing pipe snorkels although the 20 ounce tank with the same 3/8 snorkel is more forgiving and subdued. So I thought I'd try the 16 ounce for the heck of it. You have to tap the tank with a 3/8 NPT tap because although the threads on the tank are very close in size, they are not a match. But on the plus side you get a nice airtight seal on the threads when done.

[Mark]

Here's a comparison of the 20 ounce tank and the more rare 16 ounce size. The 16 ounce might do a little better with the 3/8 X 6 inch NPT threaded snorkel, less "spongy" than the 20 ounce maybe.

[Mark]

I tried the 16 ounce tank with a 3/8 X 6 inch snorkel and it has to be the least cooperative size, flaming out easily for some reason. The 12 ounce tank by comparison is so much more lively, slightly taller than the 16 ounce tank and narrower of course. Maybe with a different length snorkel or wider diameter snorkel it would do better. And I had such hopes with this new size. Even the 20 ounce tank is better than the 16 ounce size. I guess I could try it again when it gets really cold out.
I have been looking at an old CO2 fire extinguisher tank with a large cone exhaust tube for sale but I just can't decide if I want to buy it because the threads probably aren't an NPT thread. But the tank is about the diameter of scuba tank only half the length or so. And it's made of steel so it's kind heavy to heft around.
Here you can see the 12 ounce paintball tank next to a 20 ounce. Maybe the longer proportions work better for snorkelers. The steel CO2 tank I have been eyeing is a little wider and taller than the silvery aluminum CO2 tank pictured on the right in this photo. It has some weird thread on it too, not an NPT. There are so many variables with fueling, angle that you run them at, outdoor temperatures, cooling methods, and length-to-diameter ratios. It's hard to say anything without several caveats.
download/file.php?id=14792&mode=view
download/file.php?id=14793&mode=view
download/file.php?id=14791&mode=view

In other news I bought a couple of used wheel spinners that have 5 blades that go on car tire rims. They seemed like something fun to toy with if I mounted a tiny snorkeler on them or for some other quirky project. Here's some rim spinners of a sort that were kind of amusing. ha
750Li On 30 Inch Spinning Rims !!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QauskWNb8KQ
The ones I bought look vaguely like these.
http://www.just-spinner-rims.com/mega-s ... nners.html

[Mark]

So I bought the old 7 inch diameter CO2 fire extinguisher and had a few difficult experiences. First, when I went to discharge the tank, it shocked me pretty good. After the second shock I got a hand towel and depressed the lever with that to insulate my hand. Even then you could hear static discharging in the horn-shaped nozzle, like shorting a capacitor. In reading about CO2 static from fire extinguishers, a few articles said that if the braided wire inside the rubber hose was damaged, that that could create a shock.
"Anyone that is trained to use CO2 should also be trained in the hazard associated with static discharge. Large wheeled units have knocked down operators when the hose bonding wire had been damaged."
https://opexshare.doe.gov/lesson.cfm/20 ... ric-Shock/
"CO2 fire extinguisher discharge hoses are manufactured with a braided continuous wire inside. If the wire in the hose is damaged, the buildup of static electricity can't be dissipated and the operator may experience a shock. This is particularly true if the fire extinguisher is being discharged while being carried up off the ground. That is why NFPA 10 requires that a continuity test be performed on the hose at the time of maintenance to ensure the wire braiding remains capable of dissipating any static buildup. A label is then attached to the hose as an indication that the continuity test has been performed."
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Have-u-e ... S.72405014

And then I had to remove the valve from the tank to see if it was going to be a NPT thread or what. A large crescent wrench just barely fit over the vavle head and I beat it repeatedly with a piece of 1 inch diameter plumbing pipe that was about 20 inches long to no avail. Then I decided to saw off a loop of the brass fitting, the loop probably for attaching the tag, so as I could use my plumbing pipe on the flats of the fitting because there wasn't any other way to get a grip on the thing with the handle and all not affording any flat surfaces that were wide enough. And then beating the heavier pipe wrench got me nowhere again. Next I tried heating the region with a propane torch and still no luck. So I tried heating the neck profusely and then dousing it with water from the hose, FInally, with more banging and repeatedly having to reset and tighten my vise down because the tank wouldn't stay put, it finally started to loosen and I got the fitting off. I had also put some oil around the neck hoping a little oil would, due to capilllary action, help in some way.
So luckily the thread on the tank was a 1 inch NPT thread and I proceded to try a few snorkels without a lot of sustained gusto. Finally, I just ran it without any snorkel and it chuffed along for a few minutes. Maybe with cooler weather and running it at an angle will improve things. What a major motion picture for so little initial results.

I don't know what diameter this "doorbell" is but the shape is like my tank. The bottom of it has this same wavy shape, much like some 2 liter plastic Coke bottles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHTXPGqLKOI

This looks like my tank too, even the long horn-shaped nozzle looks the same as in this barge scenario. My tank with hose and nozzle seems pretty old and weathered. When I cut through the rubber hose the wire mesh inside the hose was corroded.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sSqzLPMb4s#t=13m58s

• Two navy firemen were killed in an explosion while attempting to inert an 18,9 m3 Jet Fuel tank by use of portable CO2 fire extinguisher.
• Four persons were killed in an explosion on board the tanker Alva Cape while inerting naphtha tanks using CO2 cylinders.
• Twenty nine persons were killed in an explosion while witnessing the demonstration of a newly installed CO2 fire-extinguishing system for a partially filled 5000 m3 jet fuel tank, in Bitburg, Germany.
http://indiaprocesssafety.blogspot.com/ ... d-co2.html

[Mark]

So today I tried the "electrifying" 7 inch diameter fire extinguisher with a short ~6 inch snorkel with the convenient matching 1 inch NPT plumbing pipe thread. The last two snorkel lengths were longer and the tests were a miserable failure. But with only 16 ounces of methanol in the tank and about 20 seconds for it to figure out what it was going to do, it magically sped up and started this interesting robust reverberation, echoing off the house. What was refreshing is how long it ran without water cooling and the fact that it started to ramp up with gusto and stayed that way until the very end, even though it was running low on fuel and getting quite hot. It wasn't an entirely smooth rhythm but the smoke from the worn red paint on the tank burned away for the most part and I thought for sure it would choke on the amount of smoke it was ingesting but instead it seemed to thrive. It wasn't a thick glossy type of paint that you see on some tanks today but a thin red coat of some sort.
Essentially it's like this tank below only wider and taller with a larger noise signature. Also the tank below uses a smaller 3/4 inch snorkel instead of a 1 inch diameter. For those few minutes that it ran, all seemed right with the world. One day I would like to see if I could get the tank to shock me again, but this time by putting it up on a upside down plastic garbage can, resting it on one of my large aluminum plates insulated from ground to see if some high voltage would build up on it. One time I had a homemade pulsejet on a 4 X 4 block of wood and when I went to touch it after a run with a damp leather glove the jet shocked me clear up my arm, yet I've never noticed this effect again. Of course I haven't ever tried to cultivate static electricity like this before. Maybe the aspirated fog and droplets of methanol in the throat or the hot gases zinging back and forth in the jet created the charge. What's strange though is high voltage often bleeds off any sharp or rough surfaces, often as fast as you can put the charge on. I guess if you could make sparks on command, you could start one pulsejet with the static electricity from another, to be the first on your block and all. (Yawn) Maybe some more entertaining use could be found, like lighting a fluorescent bulb or something.

The basic idea below only the "new" fire extinguisher tank is a bit larger as mentioned. I'll try to get some pictures of the new tank next to this old one once I buy another 5 gallons of methanol.
download/file.php?id=14742&mode=view
download/file.php?id=14741&mode=view
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah_FBmVv58s

If I had a way to bore out/widen my large scuba tank from the 3/4 inch thread it came with to a 1 inch thread that might prove interesting too. You can see how horribly mismatched the snorkel-to-tank volume is. It sounds sickly.
download/file.php?id=14744&mode=view
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg7qObV97RA

I came across this other thread, a NGT (National Gas Taper).
Both NGT and NPT pipe screw thread forms have many similarities.
They have the same:
Lead
Pitch
Taper
Flank Angles
E0 Pitch Diameter
E1 Pitch Diameter
Major Diameter Truncation
Minor Diameter Truncation

The differences are:

1. The NPT screw thread connection is intended for transmission of non-hazardous substances, like water.
2. The NGT screw thread connection is intended for transmission of dangerous gases. Things that if leak cause death and destruction to the immediate area and maybe beyond. A mis-made NGT thread can be a product liability issue. If the thread that you made fails, you can be sure that the lawyers will be asking you to prove that you own the thread specification and that you used the fully battery of calibrated gauges on the parts as they were made.
3. The NGT is a longer screw thread than the NPT. The NGT minimum effective length is approximately 3 threads longer than the NPT.
4. The NGT screw thread has tighter control of the major and minor diameter truncations than the NPT.
http://www.ring-plug-thread-gages.com/t ... -Taper.htm

[Mark]

I retested the 19 inch tall fire extinguisher today with some better results. Last time it was hotter out and the methanol some old stuff I had reused a few times from remaining tests of other projects. The tank ran quite well with a 10 inch snorkel whereas before I couldn't get it to sustain with that length. So this new tank with 10 inch snorkel is about 28.5 inches tall total. It really looks big next to the ~5.5 inch diameter tank that ran round and round in the improvised kid's pool. The store was out of methanol so I couldn't buy any today and won't be able to until late next week the man said, when his shipment comes in.
I did try a 16 inch long snorkel 1 inch in diameter again but had no luck. The next test will be the foot long snorkel off one of the piglet snorkel tanks. The piglet tanks are 8 inches in diameter and the fire extinguisher tank 7 inches. The piglets are actually a few inches shorter than the fire extinguisher tank.
With ear muffs on and holding my hand a couple of feet from the exhaust it felt funny, like I could discern a wedge or split in the center of the exhaust where the thrust seemed weaker. It didn't feel quite like a circular region of lesser air flow but I could be wrong. Next time I'm going to try my hollow stainless steel spheres in the 2.5 inch and 4 inch diameter to see if they'll float in a stable manner if caught in the "bifurcated" exhaust flow. It helps to have the tank pefectly straight I have found because previous tank sizes and tennis balls seem to not do as well if the tank is angled from not being on a flat surface.
I keep wondering if a spark ignition from inside the tank would set up some different conditions than igniting the snorkeler from the tip of the snorkel, in such a way as to get something to run that wouldn't otherwise. Anyway, it's a lot of bang for the buck for two parts that simply screw together without any welding or drilling. The only bother really is unscrewing the valve from the tank to use it, having a way to hold the tank well enough to wrench the valve off. I bought the 7 inch diameter fire extinguisher for $20.00. Colder weather may make it even louder. And I could try an augmenter of some sort. The tank below looks so small next to the new member of the family. Pictures next post.
download/file.php?id=14731&mode=view
download/file.php?id=14738&mode=view

In other news my 12 ounce paintball tank seems more prone to flaming out in the drier air of fall, less stable and more fussy. It's always something.

[Mark]

It was kind of lackluster today, the temperature around 80 and not nearly as cool as the morning hours a few days ago. The 12 inch snorkel didn't work so I went back to the 10 inch size. I consoled myself with the thought that my piglet snorkelers don't always run with a 12 inch snorkel either if too hot out. So here's a few pictures of the fire extinguisher snorkeler next to a smaller size high pressure gas cylinder that I ran in a pool some time ago round and round tethered to a beer keg. The fire extinguisher tank makes my other tank look so small.
Jam Jar Jet Snorkeler ala Fire Extinguisher Tank
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlXaCQX ... e=youtu.be

[Mark]

I bought this car at a thrift store for a dollar and removed the hood and replaced it with a wine bottle holder. Now it's a bat snorkeler. ha
http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Frie ... B004288UKS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3oMB2SVhJE

Jam Jar Jet Snorkelmobile
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Szqp3cI ... e=youtu.be

[Mark]

Here's one of the two spinners I bought for cheap thinking they might be good for some project of some sort with little snorkelers mounted on the blades to make them spin or something. I thought about using them as an anchor too, something to hold the Snorkelmobile as it goes around and around, guided in a circle by a length of wire, control line style. The spinners are used and have a few small dings here and there but the sunlight hides the flaws. For $15.00 it's not too bad for something to play with. They are fairly heavy but very easy to spin, easy enough for even a simple jam jar without a snorkel probably. The other day I was watching Sunday Morning where two men were turning a heavy train engine around on a short piece of linear track inside of a circular track. I don't recall how much the train engine weighed but it was illustrative to see a huge mass moved by so little force.
Something like this.
AB-663 Steam Train On Human Powered Turn Table.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSmSzkeUtVk