reliable home-made solid propellant

[maxQ_5256H]

- I'm looking for a "recipe" for a stable solid rocket fuel that can be made with substances available in the average hardware, hobby, etc. store. I need something easy to make, cheap, and with a high thrust to propellant mass ratio. Any ideas? I am just about nuts with buying expensive premade motors and having an F.B.I file (just kidding ). ( I will be using this in an aluminum casing withen a phenolic tube-type rocket model)

 

[Johnnie]

Originally posted by maxQ_5256H
- I'm looking for a "recipe" for a stable solid rocket fuel that can be made with substances available in the average hardware, hobby, etc. store. I need something easy to make, cheap, and with a high thrust to propellant mass ratio. Any ideas? I am just about nuts with buying expensive premade motors and having an F.B.I file (just kidding ). ( I will be using this in an aluminum casing withen a phenolic tube-type rocket model)

Let's see here...

(1) empty coke bottle
(2qts) water
(misc plumbing)
(1) hand bicycle pump

makes water rockets...no recovery needed...propellant only shows up on water bill at the end of the month...

Seriously though, welcome to the forum...and who are you??

 

[m85476585]

Water doesn't have a high thrust to mass ratio.

 

[Reed Goodwin]

Well, first and foremost, answering your question violates the EX policy on this board. After that, you can't get really good Isp's easily from common materials. You often need special chemicals for those high Isp's. You should also try to get some experience first with making test motors before putting the motors in a rocket. Making EX propellant often requires an initial investment that is quite costly if you plan on doing things right, so unless you plan on making lots of propellant there is not much of a price difference. Again, this is unless you are making large amounts of propellant. I don't want to start the whole debate on the cost effectiveness of EX all over again.
Reed

 

[MattEx]

There is no propellant made from easily avaliable home materials that has a high thrust/weight ratio.
The closest there is to this is the sugar propellants, but I wouldn't call a (optimistic) delivered ISP of 120 and density of 1.8 g/cc particually great.

If you need to ask you aren't ready yet. If there are EX'ers in the club you fly in, perhaps ask them about how to get into it.

 

[scm86]

Sure, there is a great propellant combo, and i bet you dont have to leave home for it either. Water and Aluminum. Now, once you get a working motor, get a patent, then show us how to do it... ;-)

Scott McNeely

 

[MattEx]

Heh, yeah. Practicallity wasn't a criterion in this case .