Blast deflector source

[JTH28890]

Does anyone have a good source for a stainless steel blast deflector? I am looking to get about ten for my club and they need to be at least 6 inches across. I have seen several substitutions and do it yourself repurposing deflectors and they are interesting but I can’t find anyone that is selling just a deflector.

 

[fyrwrxz]

Does anyone have a good source for a stainless steel blast deflector? I am looking to get about ten for my club and they need to be at least 6 inches across. I have seen several substitutions and do it yourself repurposing deflectors and they are interesting but I can’t find anyone that is selling just a deflector.

You are going to think I'm crazy but this is a fact. Check metal salvage and junk yards in your area. Where so you think all the junk goes when they lose a rocket on the pad just north of you? I can't give you a name or directions, but I looked thru a fence at a junk yard once and there were several titanium ducts sitting in a pile on a pallet. Obviously not brand new. Along with remains of several 'skins' that may have been an old Atlas. Just a weird suggestion. We actually had a Cuban fisherman hoping for a reward tow one half of an Atlas nose fairing in after the rocket was destroyed by a lightning strike (and the RSO after we lost telemetry) while boosting. Not a good day in the office for us. Some junk dealer was all over it after the failure team was done. Seems a strangely shaped boat with a honeycomb hull would be a big money maker for him. Never knew how that turned out for him-lol!

 

[tightwad]

I bought mine at a marine repair facility, including stainless steel launch rods that they cut to length. They had scraps of SS just laying around. Another source would be any sheet metal shop, or, as fyrwrxz said junk yards.

 

[dhkaiser]

Old table saw blades work well

 

[JTH28890]

You are going to think I'm crazy but this is a fact. Check metal salvage and junk yards in your area. Where so you think all the junk goes when they lose a rocket on the pad just north of you? I can't give you a name or directions, but I looked thru a fence at a junk yard once and there were several titanium ducts sitting in a pile on a pallet. Obviously not brand new. Along with remains of several 'skins' that may have been an old Atlas. Just a weird suggestion. We actually had a Cuban fisherman hoping for a reward tow one half of an Atlas nose fairing in after the rocket was destroyed by a lightning strike (and the RSO after we lost telemetry) while boosting. Not a good day in the office for us. Some junk dealer was all over it after the failure team was done. Seems a strangely shaped boat with a honeycomb hull would be a big money maker for him. Never knew how that turned out for him-lol!

Now that SpaceX's warehouse is full, maybe I can score an extra booster. It would make a great static display for the front yard. Seriously thanks for all the suggestions. It seems like I thought, blast deflectors are to simple to have anyone selling them as a separate item.

 

[rharshberger]

Some steel supply places sell pipe blinds ( round steel disc welded to the ends of pipe to close it off) that by drilling a hole in them make great blast deflectors. Most Fab shops that have CNC plasma cutters for a small fee will cut them for you, and if you dont have a specification for thickness they can cut them from a piece of scrap material and possibly save you a bit more money. To protect our deflectors our club uses metal cut-off wheels from saws on top the deflector.

 

[les]

I did some searching on line and found this site

https://shop.wagnercompanies.com/disks-and-plates/round-disks?Size=6%22+Diameter

They have 6" stainless steel disks in either 1/8" or 1/4". They indicate they can make custom holes in them so you would need to define what size hole you need for your mount/rod

 

[tfish]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-pc-6-7-1...733496?hash=item3f684bbc38:g:NsQAAOSwgY9XfVzw

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...H0.TRS0&_nkw=6"+stainless+steel+disc&_sacat=0

Tony

 

[Bat-mite]

I believe that if you contact the manufacturers of launch pads, they might sell you some, even if they don't list them online. Try Knight Mfg., Frankum Performance, etc.

If that option doesn't pan out, you could try this. Looks like that handle would come right off.

 

[hcmbanjo]

The NAR store has 5" diameter blast deflectors, 12 gauge for $5.00 each.
https://blastzone.org/nar/narts/store.asp?groupid=81620092133327
Smaller than 6" you asked about but you aren't stuck buying a minimum of 10.

 

[MikeyDSlagle]

Does it have to be stainless? Ceramic tile should work just fine. Can get it on clearance rack at Lowe's pretty cheap, I have seen it for around 50 cents a square foot. You would of course need a drill bit but that would be a small investment.

 

[marwady]

Try Knight Mfg.:

https://www.knight-mfg.com/folding_launch_pads

I have 3 of Terry's pads, excellent workmanship and service.

I believe he sells the stainless blast deflectors separately.

 

[cwbullet]

Try Knight Mfg.:

https://www.knight-mfg.com/folding_launch_pads

I have 3 of Terry's pads, excellent workmanship and service.

I believe he sells the stainless blast deflectors separately.

Ditto. You can also use cutoff wheels from Lowes.

 

[terryg]

For a ghetto option, you can use old fry pans as blast shields.

 

[cwbullet]

Pizza pans

 

[dixontj93060]

Ditto. You can also use cutoff wheels from Lowes.

+1 on the cutoff wheels.

 

[Micromeister]

I used to get mine from the Sign Company I worked form scrap, usually around 3 bucks each cut to size.

or recently have been buying 6" x 6" x .060" (16ga) 304 unpolished (mill finish) Stainless steel from McMaster-Carr.

#8983K115 for $4.25each plus shipping. Good stuff.
I knock the corners off with a bench grinder and drill whatever size center hole is required with standard HSS drill bits.

 

[retortec]

+1 On the table saw blades. I got mine a Harbor Freight and knocked the teeth off on the grinder in less than a minute.

 

[TopRamen]

I almost exclusively use old frying pans and baking sheets. It is sometime a little work to cut them to the right shape, but they are free and generally found on the side of the road in boxes marked "FREE", or at my Mom's house in her storage areas.
Sometimes she see's me eyeballing or fondling her nice cookwares in her kitchen and looks at me and says "Don't even think about it!!!":no::lol:

 

[JTH28890]

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions.

 

[Zeus-cat]

I almost exclusively use old frying pans and baking sheets. It is sometime a little work to cut them to the right shape, but they are free and generally found on the side of the road in boxes marked "FREE", or at my Mom's house in her storage areas.
Sometimes she see's me eyeballing or fondling her nice cookwares in her kitchen and looks at me and says "Don't even think about it!!!":no::lol:

You'll have one of those frying pans upside the head if you aren't careful.

 

[Salvage-1]

+1 on old saw blades. If you can find a nice 'country' town with a saw repair shop, you can get damaged blades (not entirely flat anymore) for a dirt cheap.

 

[RocketFeller]

Clay flower pots work well. They make some fairly flat ones with a hole in the middle- ready to go.

 

[SCP]

Why dont you email me, I can waterjet out some stainless ones in a fancy shape (your state?) and cut a club logo into it.......just thinking out loud..................hmmmm

 

[Banzai88]

I've seen blast deflectors made out of cheap $1 ceramic floor tiles. They worked well for M and below.

 

[manixFan]

I've seen blast deflectors made out of cheap $1 ceramic floor tiles. They worked well for M and below.

We used to use ceramic tiles but found they broke too easily. One launch every one we set out got broken.

Used discs from a plow are probably the sturdiest deflectors I've seen. I've seen heavy diamond plate bent by N motors and certainly P motors. Circular discs seem to work best.


Tony

 

[bobkrech]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/6-Pcs-6-X1...fd6b7db&pid=100623&rk=4&rkt=6&sd=272332733496 is a great deal. Lot of (6) 6" diameter x 1/4" thick SS disks for $10! They're a bit thick but you will never wear them out!

 

[Bat-mite]

I'm noticing that a lot of these suggestions are for flat pieces, but isn't it better to use angled pieces? Don't flat pieces just bounce the exhaust right back up at the rocket? That's why I think these pizza lifters are a great idea.

Pull off the plastic handle and turn it upside down. Voila!

 

[Micromeister]

I'm noticing that a lot of these suggestions are for flat pieces, but isn't it better to use angled pieces? Don't flat pieces just bounce the exhaust right back up at the rocket? That's why I think these pizza lifters are a great idea.

Pull off the plastic handle and turn it upside down. Voila!

John:
If your flying from bare earth with no combustibles at all in the pad area angled Jet Directors are OK. However: Most of us fly from fields with Grass and other ground cover that is combustible. Flat or larger deflectors with a UP fold redirect the exhaust and buring bits of propellant away from the ground. That is why all our Narhams launcher are fitted with either 4 or 6in 16ga flat stainless deflectors, while our MPR/HPR away pads have their 16ga. angled steel deflectors altered with an 3" Up bend to redirect the exhaust Up and away for the ground.

We ran several tests on the Away pad angled deflectors of several Pad designs and manufacturers. We could see Exhaust damage on all the down directed angled steel deflectors. While the pad with the Up bend completely eliminated the grass and ground cover damage.
PS: The closer to the ground the Pad & deflector sits, the more damage to the underlying ground cover was observed. This fact leads me to believe the "standard" MPR/HPR pads, commercially available & custom made, all seem to be by design made to sit very close to the ground. While I understand the need for stability for our larger, heavier rockets, it also means all such pads must have either a Nomex blanket under them or be placed only on mineral earth deviod of all combustable material.

The only way to damage the aft end of our rockets with a Flat deflector is by placeing the rocket down too clost to the deflector. Generally 3 to 4 inches above the deflector see more the enought to eliminate any rocket damage.

 

[MikeyDSlagle]

We used to use ceramic tiles but found they broke too easily. One launch every one we set out got broken.

Used discs from a plow are probably the sturdiest deflectors I've seen. I've seen heavy diamond plate bent by N motors and certainly P motors. Circular discs seem to work best.


Tony

I've never thought about the thrust breaking the tiles or bending metal. But it makes perfect sense. For LPR or MPR, the tile should work great, or saw blades, pizza pans or whatever.