Questions about getting Rocketry parts and Rocket Engines in an non-US Country

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Ghulam Mohiuddin

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Hi, I am quite new into rocketry. The problem is that I am currently living in Pakistan, which does not have any parts for rocketry. I am trying to build a small rocket which is around 50cm long and just strong enough to get to 300-500 meters and that I can successfully launch it and recover it. I can't find any rocketry parts but I do have a replacement for which is PLA 3d printed parts, but for the rocket engine, I can't find it anywhere reliable online or offline. They are also not really any rocketry groups in Pakistan which I could possibily ask. Please if anyone knows what I could possibly do, or if I could possibly get in contact with anybody in Pakistan who has these parts or knows where to get them. Also if know where to get rocketry parts in or into Pakistan. Thank you
 
I guess rocketry isn't very well known in that area of the world. I did find two US companies that ship internationally, but they cannot ship motors or igniters. Nonetheless, you might be able to purchase other parts from them. Expect shipping to be very expensive though.

AC Supply, normally pretty good prices.

https://www.acsupplyco.com/

Apogee Rocketry:

https://www.apogeerockets.com/Shipping_Info?m=ordering
 
I guess rocketry isn't very well known in that area of the world. I did find two US companies that ship internationally, but they cannot ship motors or igniters. Nonetheless, you might be able to purchase other parts from them. Expect shipping to be very expensive though.

AC Supply, normally pretty good prices.

https://www.acsupplyco.com/

Apogee Rocketry:

https://www.apogeerockets.com/Shipping_Info?m=ordering
That's true. I can get parts except motors and igniters. But the shipping cost is 85 bucks which is hella expensive
 
PLA deforms in heat. Keep it out of the sun..Or use PETG or ABS.
Making your own cardboard tubes can be done without too much trouble. There are multiple threads here. Use the search.
It's up to you to know the rules for rocketry in Pakistan. That said Richard Nakka has a good site for sugar motors. Be safe and remember that PVC pieces are hard to locate inside your body should a motor expolde. Always keep a safe distance when igniting your motor.
Good luck. Don't hurt others, don't hurt yourself, stay out of jail. :)
 
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Nose cones and fin units can be 3D printed. Body tubes are best made from paper/cardboard because it resists temperature changes far, far better than most printable plastics. And it's cheap. If you can get gummed paper tape here is a way to make tubes of a desired size. But mailing tubes and the like will work, though they are heavy.

Unfortunately, unless one is interested in lots of disappointing CATOs and similar, commercial motors are best. From my experience, if you get more than one of the first ten homemade motors to work properly with correct delay and ejection, you're doing better than me....;)
 
Terry is the master of all things chemical. Listen to him......

But..... Electronics are readily available globally and an arduino and BMP280 are quite capable of detecting apogee for ejection. If you're not making delay grains, things get easier. There are a few flight computer designs on this forum.
Good luck in Pakistan.
 
300 meters isn't all THAT high, so I think your goal is achievable. Do you need to carry a payload? I'm guessing the following rocket can get that high, if you do everything right:
https://www.jamesyawn.net/modelrocket/intro/index.html
Note that the materials are nothing exotic.

I think light wood is often a superior material to PLA or cardboard. Older kits from Estes used to use balsa for the nose cones and fins. If you don't have balsa, do you have Paulownia? It's not as light as balsa, but it's lighter than just about everything else. Even if you don't have these, I'm sure ordinary light woods can be used. You could, for instance, hollow out wood nose cones. Thin wood over Styrofoam is also a good combination.

You can make your own motors and propellants. But I suggest you don't try unless you are a careful person and are willing to observe appropriate precautions.

I'm not real keen on cooking mixed propellant, but I think using dextrose monohydrate or certain other sugars minimizes the temperature compared to sucrose. If I'm not mistaken, ordinary corn syrup, as opposed to the high-fructose type, is mostly dextrose. Of course, I don't know if you have corn syrup in Pakistan. But there's probably something. Information on a number of different sugars that you can use in fuel is found here:
https://www.nakka-rocketry.net/dex.html

Mr. Nakka has developed propellants using potassium nitrate and epoxy, which don't have to be heated, though they may be a bit harder to ignite than some. I think these are safer. If you haven't already, you will find much useful information on his site.

In the US, Spectracide "stump remover" is usable potassium nitrate. (They should probably call it stump rotter.) Potassium is also used as fertilizer. And Mr. Nakka's site describes a couple of ways to make it from other substances.

If you make your own propellant, please be careful. We want you to have the same number of fingers and eyes next year that you have now. And the year after that, indefinitely.

I'd guess that smaller sized motors with cardboard casings may be less prone to bursting, and certainly they will be less dangerous than larger motors from other materials.

I don't have any idea how likely your proposed activities are likely to arouse suspicion where you are, but it's something to think about. You can get to 300 meters, and more, with water rockets, but that's a different hobby. I think the record for those is around 1,000 meters at the moment.
 
Hi, I am quite new into rocketry. The problem is that I am currently living in Pakistan, which does not have any parts for rocketry. I am trying to build a small rocket which is around 50cm long and just strong enough to get to 300-500 meters and that I can successfully launch it and recover it. I can't find any rocketry parts but I do have a replacement for which is PLA 3d printed parts, but for the rocket engine, I can't find it anywhere reliable online or offline. They are also not really any rocketry groups in Pakistan which I could possibily ask. Please if anyone knows what I could possibly do, or if I could possibly get in contact with anybody in Pakistan who has these parts or knows where to get them. Also if know where to get rocketry parts in or into Pakistan. Thank you
A lot of people in Europe enjoy hobby rocketry...
Them, being closer to you, may offer better options.
Here's one company.

https://eurospacetechnology.eu/index.php

You could contact them and see if they can offer any suggestions.
 
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