new hobby

[kyyyyyle]

I've been involved in the pyrotechnics hobby for the past year, and rocketry caught my attention. I have launched many kit rockets that you can buy at your local craft store for fun, but when i found out about reusable motors (loading your own) and fiberglass and so on, i was star - struck. not that i want to jump to something that i can't handle like 11 foot tall rockets, but i want
to get involved and have been looking into local NAR clubs. I'm just looking for book recommendations, and where to go to look for affordable kits to start making my own scratch rockets. I'm not one of those forum users who comes on here to ask one question, don't worry. i have been harassed enough in my forum days...but anyways, if you could share with me some info, that would be great !

 

[jimn]

Welcome to the forum. Best advice is to visit a local launch and see what people are flying, and get to meet some flyers. Rocket people are some of the friendliest and most helpfull that you will find anywhere. Books:

Handbook of model rocketry

Modern high power rocketry

Scratch building means that you do not use a kit, so I am not sure what you are looking for. LOC/Precision makes a number of kits ranging from mid to high power. Aerotech makes great mid-power kits, but they are more expensive.

Jim

 

[DAllen]

Soooo...where are you? I see you said that you are looking for NAR clubs but don't forget about Tripoli:

https://www.tripoli.org/

If you are anywhere near Southwest Michigan or Northern Indiana I can recommend a whole slew of launches over the next few months. Going to a local lauch is hands-down the best way to learn.

Aerotech is by far the easiest rockets to build but are the most expensive. Aerotech's 29mm 40/120 RMS casing is probably your best bet for starting out with reloadable motors with a bunch of reloads available from a E16 up to a big-ole G64. Be sure to check out the online videos on how to load it:

https://www.aerotech-rocketry.com/

But, probably one of the best sources of information other than posting a question here is this site:

https://www.rocketreviews.com/

That site is great. You can search rocket reviews by manufacturer, motor mount size, cetertification attempt, etc. Lot's of other goodies there too.

-DAllen

 

[WillCarney]

Welcome to the hobby and the forum.

Here's a few links that you might visit. There are many more but
these are a few of my favorites.

FlisKits (kits, parts & free stuff)
https://www.fliskits.com/

Art Applewhite (kits, parts & free stuff)
https://www.artapplewhite.com/

Apogee (motors, parts, free stuff, Rocksim)
https://www.apogeerockets.com/

https://info-central.org/infocentral.shtml

https://www.space-rockets.com/arsanews.html

If your in the Midwest you might try and make the launch at
Princeton IL (Midwest Power 4) a week from Friday.
https://tripoliquadcities39.com/page11.html

William

 

[TeenRocketNerd]

If you want to learn about scratch building, try "Model Rocket Design and Construction" here

I second Modern High Power 2 by mark canepa when you think you're ready to step into the realm of High Power.

Remember, just because you want to get into Reloadable rocket motors, doesn't mean you have to dive right into HPR... you can start with an 18mm RMS case, work to 24 and 29mm hobby line cases and motors, all before graduating to HPR... food for thought. and welcome to TRF

 

[kyyyyyle]

thank you all for the links and replies. yea, I didn't mean scratch building, but more like more difficult kits. I will definitely start small like with the 18 mm RMS case. I live in santa rosa CA, so I think I researched the closest launch about 40 miles away, not bad.

 

[kyyyyyle]

so can you make your own fuels/propellants for mid and high powdered rockets? (i guess that is what those reloadable cartridges are for?)

 

[TeenRocketNerd]

nnnnnnnnnnnnooooo..... the reloadable cases are for pre-manufactured reloads...... Look at BRS hobbies, commonwealth dispalys, redarrow hobbies to buy the reloads... you can NOT make your own propellant and put them in the RMS cases. not safe, or in conjunction with the NAR/TRA safety code. Some people do EX, make their own fuels, but that is NOT for the novice... don't try to make your own fuel... unless you want everyone to start calling you "lefty"...

ok?

 

[kyyyyyle]

o okay , so you buy them. just wondering if it existed. i just saw a page on liquid fueled rockets with like 1000 lbs of thrust....wow ! they don't mess around. how high can a decent liquid propelled rocket go?

 

[cjl]

We don't really mess much with liquid fuel. Too much of a pain.

Good solid fueled rockets can make that much thrust and more though, and go up to near 100000 feet or beyond.

That's fairly advanced stuff however, with thousands of dollars in each flight and rocket.

 

[kyyyyyle]

**** 100,000 or 10,000feet? there's a big difference, but I belive you. How come when I look up motors, they say they only burn from like 1 - 3 seconds. I saw some that went for almost ten seconds though. I'm just looking for a high thrust and long burning motor. What would you recommend? would I have to spend atleast $85 to get a motor that burned for atlealst 6 seconds?

 

[BlueNinja]

Originally posted by kyyyyyle
**** 100,000 or 10,000feet? there's a big difference, but I belive you. How come when I look up motors, they say they only burn from like 1 - 3 seconds. I saw some that went for almost ten seconds though. I'm just looking for a high thrust and long burning motor. What would you recommend? would I have to spend atleast $85 to get a motor that burned for atlealst 6 seconds?

No-you could probably get an Apogee F10. I don't recall what the price is, but it's something around $25.

8 second burn.

 

[cjl]

Well, without certification, there aren't many options (and yes, I said 100k feet). The only true long burners are Apogee's E6 and F10, which each burn for around 8 seconds. The E6 can be used in almost any rocket that will take an Estes D12, but will go MUCH higher. Note that they aren't tremendously high thrust, but burn for a long time. The only way to get both high thrust and long burns is to go to big motors, which are expensive and require certification to use.

 

[Nate]

All the rockets I think you're talking about are huge. Huge rockets inherently burn longer than small ones (Bigger motor = more propellant), but no beginner jumps in to projects like that.

 

[jimn]

Apogee has long-burn motors that start for under $16, but these are very low average thrust.

https://www.apogeerockets.com/composite_motors.asp

For long burn and relativly high thrust you would need somthing like an Aerotech J135 ($66) or K185($82). You would have to be certified Level 2 and have a LEUP to use these.

 

[kyyyyyle]

alright , well , that is good news..... i still can't get over 100,000 feet. That is like 18 miles.....****

 

[cjl]

Nope, there's just no feasible way to reach 100k without something in the Q impulse range (otherwise known as a really freaking big motor). The F10 can get some small lightweight rockets to a mile or more though, which is still pretty darn high.

 

[kyyyyyle]

yea, I know I wont be launching any of those big rockets as a novice, but i like the thought of being able to just be a hobbyist and send something that high in the air. My aerial shells that I make in the pyrotechnics hobby only reach maybe 100 - 150 feet.
(but that is obviously off a single burst and with no continuous thrust) that is why I asked about making your own motors, because I like the accomplishment of making everything yourself and knowing how it works, but that is a ways down the path for me and rocketry.