where can i get solid oxidizer?

[Zippiot]

seems like the only way to get it is online, does anyone know of a store that might have some? garden store (fertilizer?) hardware store? any help is greatly appreciated. and any oxidizer will work, as long as it will work, i dont need real usable thrust

[Dang911]

KNO3, Potassium Nitrate, Home Depot or Lowes, GRANTS STUMP REMOVER. 1LB bottle for $5. 98% pure, prills. I like to disolve it in water, then refine it back into a sugar like power, all without ever crushing it physically. For sand like texture, the coffee grinder works good.....

http://www.laraison.com/CGP_Catalog/MSDS/grant_12.pdf

[Zippiot]

thank you SOOOO MUCH!!!

i have searched everywhere on the internet for sumthing that would work that i can buy locally. u r my freakin hero!!

[larry cottrill]

One thing to note about grinding up nitrate that is usually not mentioned: If you don't clean up your grinder and other metal tools thoroughly, they can really rust/oxidize rapidly as the humidity in the air works on the powder residue.

Probably "stating the obvious", but many years ago I had a nice little metal scoop really torn up after using it on saltpetre and letting it just sit around a couple of days.

L Cottrill

[hagent]

KNO3, Potassium Nitrate, Home Depot or Lowes, GRANTS STUMP REMOVER. 1LB bottle for $5. 98% pure, prills. I like to disolve it in water, then refine it back into a sugar like power, all without ever crushing it physically. For sand like texture, the coffee grinder works good.....

What is the other 2% ? Hopefully nothing too toxic...

Hagen

[Hank]

Hello- Hagent, the other 2% is probably a stabilizer such as Zinc. This same material is used in phase stabilized Ammonium Nitrate (my choice of oxidizer) and probably for the same reason. Zinc prevents the crystals from growing under changes of temperature and humidity. You won't find this material on the shelf, it can be ordered from chemical supply houses worldwide.

[Dang911]

2%, It’s a binder, water soluble too. Instead of crushing it in a coffee grinder, I dissolve it into boiling water, about 36g KNO3/100g water, this doesn't necessarily remove the binder, but it breaks it all down the into an aqueous solution. Then just start to boil off the water. Keep boiling it in a flask over a hot plate/burner. As it reduces, it will form a distillate of kno3, but in VERY fine graduals After about 5 min, and a lot of stirring, you will end up will a lot of power, keep heating and it will fluff up as it heats up to probably 350 degrees F burning all remnants of water out of the molecules.. At this point, all the water should be gone, and once cooled, the power, will be the consistency of powdered sugar. Keep this powder in an airtight bag/container. It’s hydroscopic, so it has no problem absorbing more water. Keep all those little freshness packets, sodium silicate, that come with shoes, purses, etc... They will absorb moisture keeping it nice and dry. For added dryness, spread on aluminum foil/pan, and put it in the oven at 350-400, for 10-20 min. Best if done right before you use it.

[Dang911]

You won't find this material on the shelf, it can be ordered from chemical supply houses worldwide.

This stuff is 100% sold on the shelf, at lowes, home depot, menards, ace.

They might not always have it in stock, becuase its a slow order item, untill I go and buy a few, but.... Its there!!!

[MJD]

Back in my skyrocket making days [before my experimental rocket motor days in the early '80's], I used oxygen sticks - the brand names were Pyro5 and SolidOx - ground to a fine powder. These are 93%+ sodium chlorate plus some opacifier, soluble organic binder and filler. Don't gasp in shock, sodium chlorate isn't that deadly to handle, but stay clear away from any sulfur or sulfides in your comps. I both tamped and pressed small motors using this combined with icing sugar, and built many successful motors, the largest being 1"OD x 12" with a full length perforation. (short burn time on that one - WHOOSH!). Most of my motors wer small, 20Ns and less. This was 1975-ish, don't ask me for specs!

[Dang911]

Yea I have found some solidox in the past, but now I can't find it at home depot or anything, is it still available in retail?

[MJD]

I couldn't tell you as it has been perhaps 20 years since I looked for it. People have said it is fairly recently, but I can't back up that claim.

MJD

[Zippiot]

oh my god it works!!!

i must have set off every smoke detector in my house, and i was outside!!!

this is sum sweet stuff guys!!! thanx for all the help

[Zippiot]

well i am slow in the head...i have been trying all day to find 2 measuring cups that are in a 65/35 ratio...
then i realized...wut if i use the same cup, a 2:1 ratio is 66.6:33.3 whihc is pretty damned close

also wut is the ebst technique for curing this stuff, i have tried melting it over heat, but thatn usually carmalized it. the water one works but its hard to get it right, maybe i can try a double boiler

[Ray]

the ratio is by WEIGHT not VOLUME...measuring cups won't do it for you. You'll need to have a scale. Not sure what the densities of the respective chemicals are, but particle size will play a role.

Volume measurements will only get you close...it'll pby work, but the results may not be repeatable.

[Zippiot]

ur totally right, there is a lot of melted oxidizer left behind after, and its kidna hard to light.

btw does anyone have some good formulas to go with kno3? ground peanuts sems to work great but they dont mix well