Wow. Didn’t know a model rocket engine could do that.
D12 Blast Destroyed My Flower Pot Blast Deflector
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It’s the “Mighty D”, man. The Mighty D!
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Funny how "D" motors are more capable bombs than actual bombs.
And then I see that guy in Yard Sale with 6 tubs of high power motors for sale, and I think "Good thing his house never caught on fire"
And then I see that guy in Yard Sale with 6 tubs of high power motors for sale, and I think "Good thing his house never caught on fire"
A motor CATO that spits the nozzle is a very effective destroyer of little flower pot blast deflectors. But since they're three for $1 (or $1.25 now) at Dollar Tree....I just bring a spare along.
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Now you know how Elon felt when the first Starship test destroyed the pad...
GlenP
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Do you think it is the pressure load or repeated thermal expansion loads, or a combination of both that causes the failure? Probably does not get hot enough that quickly, looks like it got smashed with a hammer of a pressure wave.
Perhaps repeated heating affects the molecular structure of the clay, making it more brittle.
It was a pretty thin walled flower pot. Sheesh. Does everything have to be made as cheaply as possible these days? I would pay the extra quarter for a thick walled flower pot.
Or I could just pay $19 and get the new style Porta Pad E that has the blast deflector above the little wing nut apparatus. The point of the flower pot is to protect the plastic gizmo with the wing nut that grips the launch rod.
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I figure repeated exposure to model rocket blast offs finally did it in.
lakeroadster
When in doubt... build hell-for-stout!
The power of the "D"
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I remember when a D12 blast knocked me on my tuchus... Back before I had regular internet access.
I had a case of go fever having just finished a nice looking Estes Magnum Payloader... I grabbed my launch rod, the rocket, and my range (tackle) box and headed out to the park... I open the box, only to find that my BigFoot launcher was not in it... However, I did have some tape, two batteries, and 8' of a single length of wire. Not willing to give up and go back to my apartment, I shoved the launch rod in to a dandelion, cut the wire into two 4' lengths, and taped the batteries together, along with one of the wires on the negative terminal. I got the rocket on the rod, and jury-rigged the igniter. Counted down from 5, and when I hit zero, I touched the remaining wire to the positive terminal, only to be greeted with a deafening blast, instead of the typical whoosh.
I fell backwards on the damp ground, and watched as the rocket flew diagonally up (like a Tomahawk missile, nose up, but going sideways-ish) until the upper stage motor burned out, and the rocket fell to the ground. My roommate's 8 year old son started to run to the rocket, and I yelled at him to stop... He stopped short, and looked back at me confused before beginning to run again to the smoking wreck of a rocket on the ground. Fortunately, the pause that he did prevented him from reaching the rocket before the motor ejected.
The Booster motor had split down the length of it destroying the rest of the booster in the process. The blast also ignited the upper stage... However, the engine mount on the sustainer was knocked loose too, and was cockeyed in the body tube, burning at an angle through the side of the body tube. The airframe was a complete loss, only the parachute, shock cord, nosecone and payload section were salvageable. Actually, I recycled the airframe into a painting wand/paint test bed, but it'll never fly again.
Unfortunately, I had opened two packs of D12-0s and had them mixed together... I had two more motors explode on, or near the pad (one on the pad, the other about 30' up), but after the 2nd one, I started labeling my motors by the package that I had removed them from. Fortunately, the other CATOs were launched in beater rockets as I had lost trust in the motors.
I had a case of go fever having just finished a nice looking Estes Magnum Payloader... I grabbed my launch rod, the rocket, and my range (tackle) box and headed out to the park... I open the box, only to find that my BigFoot launcher was not in it... However, I did have some tape, two batteries, and 8' of a single length of wire. Not willing to give up and go back to my apartment, I shoved the launch rod in to a dandelion, cut the wire into two 4' lengths, and taped the batteries together, along with one of the wires on the negative terminal. I got the rocket on the rod, and jury-rigged the igniter. Counted down from 5, and when I hit zero, I touched the remaining wire to the positive terminal, only to be greeted with a deafening blast, instead of the typical whoosh.
I fell backwards on the damp ground, and watched as the rocket flew diagonally up (like a Tomahawk missile, nose up, but going sideways-ish) until the upper stage motor burned out, and the rocket fell to the ground. My roommate's 8 year old son started to run to the rocket, and I yelled at him to stop... He stopped short, and looked back at me confused before beginning to run again to the smoking wreck of a rocket on the ground. Fortunately, the pause that he did prevented him from reaching the rocket before the motor ejected.
The Booster motor had split down the length of it destroying the rest of the booster in the process. The blast also ignited the upper stage... However, the engine mount on the sustainer was knocked loose too, and was cockeyed in the body tube, burning at an angle through the side of the body tube. The airframe was a complete loss, only the parachute, shock cord, nosecone and payload section were salvageable. Actually, I recycled the airframe into a painting wand/paint test bed, but it'll never fly again.
Unfortunately, I had opened two packs of D12-0s and had them mixed together... I had two more motors explode on, or near the pad (one on the pad, the other about 30' up), but after the 2nd one, I started labeling my motors by the package that I had removed them from. Fortunately, the other CATOs were launched in beater rockets as I had lost trust in the motors.
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GlenP
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Might last a little bit longer with a soup can top about the size of the pot on top.
Just don't dip the pot in a vat of liquid Nitrogen right before launch!
Maybe just replace the flower pot with a soup can that has a small hole drilled into the bottom. Time to make a grilled cheese sandwich and some tomato soup…
You'd be surprised.
E16 motor blew the nozzle and turned the motor into a flamethrower on the launch pad.
Burned a hole through the steel deflector and melted the legs underneath.
Also had an AT RMS motor blow on the launch pad. The end closure smashed straight into an Odd'l ceramic egg deflector and smashed it to bits.
Ahhh. model rocketry.
You take the good with the bad, you take the bitter with the sweet 
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I'd be surprised if a Goodwill near you doesn't have a stainless steel bowl that could have a hole drilled in the bottom.
Perhaps its time for the hobby to develop water deluge systems for low/mid power?
Never underestimate the power of the Dark Side. Now days flying the CATO prone Estes 24mm black powder motors takes much more courage than the big boys with thier reliable, high power composites. The younglings are soon combat hardened as the explosions destroy both pad and bird.
Oh Daddy! Just little bits of birdie are left as the motor core flies skyward. Did you hear the nozzle ping off the blast defector! Cry for the beloved oddroc. 
Did I just see a hardened, high power, cold warrior, top man, old dude flinch a little bit at a harmless, kiddie toy motor? No, he just sneezed a bit from the pollen in the air. Nothing to see here. Just toy propellant. No big deal. Move on, these are not the motors you are looking for. Those Jedi mind tricks always work on me. Back to Hobby Lobby to buy some more!
Did I just see a hardened, high power, cold warrior, top man, old dude flinch a little bit at a harmless, kiddie toy motor? No, he just sneezed a bit from the pollen in the air. Nothing to see here. Just toy propellant. No big deal. Move on, these are not the motors you are looking for. Those Jedi mind tricks always work on me. Back to Hobby Lobby to buy some more!
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Sooner Boomer
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That's what I did (actually, that can had held corn...). No flower pot. I'd flown a bunch with just the "nekkid" chuck. Getting ready before a launch I noticed how gunked up the chuck had gotten: obviously it needed a cover. It's held up to high power motors. (I launched my L1 attempt from it - the rocket only had a launch lug, no rail buttons).
That's most likely thermal shock, unless you had a cato. I've noticed the recent flower pots don't react well to heat. I use them for holding thermite for casting titanium and steel, and the ones I've bought recently shatter. The old ones I have work fine. I've been considering casting my own.
Had a batch of bad D12 3s from an estate that had been stored in a garage. Took them to a large, vacant industrial lot after work and taped them to a 1/4 inch rod on the wimpy porta E pad. Bang, bang, ok burn and eject, bang. Cool to watch the various bits fly out on the CATOS. The last one was really loud, awesome! Bent the rod and broke the plastic mount on the cheapo pad. Saw some construction workers skedadle from an empty parking lot a long away off. Must have thought a mad bomber was on the loose. Thought I better skedadle too to avoid the po po. Too much fun in the Metro.
Maybe there is a practical limit to how big a black powder rocket engine can be and still work reliably? Wow. That is a crazy cato. Sorry about your loss of cool rocket gear.
Stored in a garage with our bone chilling winters and scorching summers?
I have successfully used Estes black powder engines from the early 90’s, including using them this year. But! But I have stored them in a nice, climate controlled interior room of my various residences here on the Colorado front range. I think the massive hot/cold cycles we experience must play havoc with black powder model rocket engines.
No limit, just look up the videos of the big ones launched in South East Asia. If da motor CATOS, you dead!
Getting mass produced, low cost, back powder toy motors is a bit more of a challenge. The bigger ones (24mm) can have more manufacturing issues but that is no guarantee a smaller one can go boom or have a bad batch. Estes recent recall on 13mm. So many things can lead to problems, manufacturing, transport, storage, packaging, drop impact, and worst of all: MOTOR MODIFICATION!
Ez2cDave
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And he couldn't fix it with stuff from Dollar Tree !
Sometimes, when we have sub zero temperatures and I see the Semi drive around and back up to the local Hobby Lobby dock, I get a little lead ball in my tummy. So scared it might be carrying some boomers.
Did it CATO, or just burn thru it?
lakeroadster
When in doubt... build hell-for-stout!
Does Estes sell motors at their Penrose location?
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