How Can I Make a "Slow and Soft" Sugar Rocket?

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Ray
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re: How Can I Make a "Slow and Soft" Sugar Rocket?

Post by Ray » Thu Jan 26, 2006 10:47 pm

Pick nits...I was wrong...

Greg O'Bryant
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re: How Can I Make a "Slow and Soft" Sugar Rocket?

Post by Greg O'Bryant » Fri Jan 27, 2006 12:56 am

Larry;

Slowing the propellent down is as simple as adding more sugar than what would be optimal. I was making smoke bombs this way and they worked quite well. AS for the engine go with what Ray said, just make it an end burner. You could simply place the propellent in a piece of conduit that is crimped on the end for the nozle. If you make the Rocket candy by recrystalizing and use more sugar it will also come out a lot more pliable, than normal, so when it is hot you could simply press the propellant in the tube. If you are using conduit I wouldn't even worry about a lining. Of course it will get real hot. It is cheap enough that you could use it a couple of times before replacing it. The only problem that I have come across by adding more sugar is that sometimes it may be hard to ignite or even may go out, usually when there is too much residual water in the proplellant. Let me know how this goes for you.

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re: How Can I Make a "Slow and Soft" Sugar Rocket?

Post by Zippiot » Fri Jan 27, 2006 1:37 am

wut if the case isnt a cylinder? wut if (and this is a big if) the motor was shaped like a cone, the point being where the nozzle is. this way u can get an even pressure over a long burn time. just an idea dont count on it working.
Sailing Student- How do I know if my life jacket is tight enough?
Me- Can you breathe?
Sailing Student- Yes
Me- Then its too loose!

marksteamnz
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Re: re: How Can I Make a "Slow and Soft" Sugar Roc

Post by marksteamnz » Fri Jan 27, 2006 4:42 am

Yep tht's why that link is in the sticky the top of this forum. The sticky is titled "READ ME FIRST"

[quote="Zippiot"]here, buttloads more info on rockets than you cud ever wish to read. all very well written and extensive. http://www.nakka-rocketry.net/
Cheers
Mark Stacey
www.cncprototyping.co.nz

larry cottrill
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Re: re: How Can I Make a "Slow and Soft" Sugar Roc

Post by larry cottrill » Fri Jan 27, 2006 2:34 pm

Greg O'Bryant wrote:Larry;

Slowing the propellent down is as simple as adding more sugar than what would be optimal. I was making smoke bombs this way and they worked quite well. AS for the engine go with what Ray said, just make it an end burner. You could simply place the propellent in a piece of conduit that is crimped on the end for the nozle. If you make the Rocket candy by recrystalizing and use more sugar it will also come out a lot more pliable, than normal, so when it is hot you could simply press the propellant in the tube. If you are using conduit I wouldn't even worry about a lining. Of course it will get real hot. It is cheap enough that you could use it a couple of times before replacing it. The only problem that I have come across by adding more sugar is that sometimes it may be hard to ignite or even may go out, usually when there is too much residual water in the proplellant. Let me know how this goes for you.
Ha ha ... running rich, with low (or no) excess oxygen!

Well, Greg, that's an excellent suggestion. Of course, I have no idea when I might get around to actually trying this, but that's really almost ideal - just adjust the proportions till you get what you want.

About residual water - years ago, I got saltpetre and honey to work in a small Jetex(TM) engine casing! That was pretty slow burning, as I recall, but it did burn, with lots of flame and smoke. I think I had to go really heavy on the nitrate, though.

Thanks again to all, for your help!

L Cottrill

Made2Fly
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Re: How Can I Make a "Slow and Soft" Sugar Rocket?

Post by Made2Fly » Tue Dec 14, 2010 7:26 pm

As for sugar rockets, I have found that replacing 5-10% of the oxidizer with ammonium nitrate makes the propellant burn much slower but gives off more gas and burns for a really long time. I had trouble getting rockets to lift of the ground with this mixture but they burned for upwards of 20 seconds, and one for almost a minute. I tried constricting the nozzle helped but it often led to the rocket exploding. As long as you don't need too much power this mix will help. 30% Sucrose 65%Potassium Perchlorate KNO4 (slower burning than Potassium Chlorate KNO3 and more stable) and 5% ammonium nitrate. I had some interesting experiences on the first few tries...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sg9xl01tLvI

Suns
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Re: How Can I Make a "Slow and Soft" Sugar Rocket?

Post by Suns » Wed Jan 12, 2011 10:32 am

Hello,

I´m still testing things like different proportions of the mix and casings for my designs.

I made a video in my first attempt and i get a 40 seconds burn time (the video burn is open air, and about of a inch of rcandy),
I already put this mix in a casing with a very small aperture to build up the internal pressure, it is long burn +20sec, but it melts every-time, i think i need a lot of ablative shield like paper not steel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj1mhq7kMbc

My method is to add watter to the mix of kno3 and sugar, and evaporate the watter. If you evaporate to the end, the mix will calm down and start caramelize (and will burn very fast), you can determine from the stages from how the mix bubble and more or less know how much watter there is.

It you want more precise method maybe you can evaporate to the end and add a know volume of water again and mix. (Dont know if is easy to mix water again)

Well my knowledge is if there is still water the mix will burn slower, and i think that the water vapor will sum the total of the hot gases that generate thrust too but it start to be difficulty to ignite.

Robinson

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Re: How Can I Make a "Slow and Soft" Sugar Rocket?

Post by Ghrey » Mon Mar 07, 2011 1:38 am

A long time ago I tried MSG in some propellant, It burned SLOW. Sadly no notes ( or none that I can find ) survive from that experiment.
It would take some test batches to see if it will work for you. It is however a cheep additive.


Cheers.
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No real time to work on jets, more space, no time.

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gettylee
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Re: How Can I Make a "Slow and Soft" Sugar Rocket?

Post by gettylee » Tue Feb 19, 2013 2:01 am

I've made potassium nitrate,stump killer/&convection surgar rockets with PVC&alum.tube w/kitty litter plugs&when I forgot my sugar in the basement,it must of picked up some moisture,them contaminated rockets wouldn't fly,but thay burned ahwile,it was not what I planed? But it was a slow rocket, lol

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