long range ammo MiniBoy Mark I

[saefroch]

I may have a solution to the fuse problem... or maybe not, I can't be sure. It's not the same as a visco but by grinding the oxidizer for the cake and some good old C, you can create something that burns hot and slow, you'd just need to hold it together in something. Possibly making a paste, then letting the oxy hold it together?

I somehow doubt a slow cake will be able to last from launch to a few seconds after landing.

[ramses]

Rocket candy buffered with baking soda burns very slowly. You may only need to find room for a few inches. The big dilemma is that it cannot be confined. You could probably coat the outside in something flame resistant to keep it from "skipping"

[myinisjap]

Cake mix plus C equals a slow cooking cake

[MrCrowley]

Are industrial made smoke bombs generally better than the home made option ? I've seen orange smoke pellets used to test out chimney draught, i'm pretty sure they're not that expensive.

Not sure where I would get them, we have pretty tight restrictions on things like that...

...Oh my, I'm an idiot. Guy Fawkes is a mere month away and I can buy coloured smoke bombs and fuses legally!

It's not the same as a visco but by grinding the oxidizer for the cake and some good old C, you can create something that burns hot and slow, you'd just need to hold it together in something. Possibly making a paste, then letting the oxy hold it together?

I somehow doubt a slow cake will be able to last from launch to a few seconds after landing.

C being carbon? Maybe I missed something

Now that I can get fuses, I'd still want the mix to burn slow, figured I'd go with baking soda if you guys agree. I'm doubting the smoke can seep through the sand once it is buried, wont it suffocate? Then again, I've heard people say these cake's can be eaten underwater once baked.

Colored smoke uses a dye, which would be a problem. If you're shooting this at night, keep in mind that the smoke will be hard to see. I'm thinking downrange observers and a "tracer" type projectile would be best.

Can anyone think of a good way to discharge glowstick juice on impact? It might be worth trying with something like a pop-can.

I'm pretty against the idea of a night shoot, complicates things quite a bit even though glow in the dark dye should work brilliantly.

In case anyone is interested:
Launch site: 36*08'21" S 174*37'52" E

The kind of sand I'm dealing with at the impact site (the beach is not this busy in November as the weather isn't always great and people still have work, regardless of that, I will check to make sure it is clear of people and there is really only one way to get to this part of the beach, past me. Also, if someone is up high on the dunes, they will be able to see any person below):

This large dune is to the left of the impact zone and hopefully the projectile wont land in this area but on the other side where the sand is slightly harder and terrain flatter:



Edit: Should I risk placing someone up high on top of that large dune complex? If the smoke powder ignites, they'll have no problem seeing the projectile, I imagine, and they shouldn't even be in the direct path of it (they would be about 150m-200m to the left) and will be at about 100m elevation which should be considerably lower than that of the projectile. At the top of the dunes there are many dips, burrows and ledges to position themselves behind also.

[Mr.Tallahassee]

Just remember that the cake can be eaten without air. It's all in the ingredients. There shouldn't be any real issue with getting through the sand because it's fairly loose.

[Fnord]

I think the smoke will be able to make it's way up through sand if buried. At least for about 6-12 inches of loose-packed sand, then it'll start to get marginal in terms of visibility. If it hits water it'll likely keep burning; as long as there's a little hot gas escaping it'll probably force the water out faster than it can get in. You can always try a mock-up miniboy made from some galv fittings. In this case it won't even need to be launched for some of the tests.

[MrCrowley]

Yeah that's a good idea about the tests. What are your thoughts on mixing the smoke compounds from fireworks like these (which I'll be able to get from Nov 01-05) and homemade cake? The reason I would want to mix is because the firework versions seem to burn quite fast.

Interesting signature by the way, planning a valveless pulse jet? I've always wanted to make one of those.

[POLAND_SPUD]

The expected impact site is the red circle, launch site is the orange circle

hmm it doesn't seem safe you know, do you have any way to check that there is no one in the predicted impact site ?


you can hurt ppl, you know?
can't you find some maori burial grounds/sacred land and do it there ? [/reference to British nuclear tests at Maralinga]

[Fnord]

If you can get commercial stuff it might be a good idea to try. Just do the mixing outside, since it's generally good practice to assume adding an unknown compound will cause spontaneous ignition until proven otherwise

As to the sig... well, I was just parodying JSR, but I did actually make a valveless lockwood jet once, though I could never get it to self-sustain. It was probably not getting enough flow from the single 20lb tank I had.
http://www.pulse-jets.com/phpbb3/viewto ... f=3&t=4803
Once it was warmed up it made a hell of a fog machine though.

[MrCrowley]

The expected impact site is the red circle, launch site is the orange circle

hmm it doesn't seem safe you know, do you have any way to check that there is no one in the predicted impact site ?

Also, if someone is up high on the dunes, they will be able to see any person below

I think putting someone up high on the dunes is not only safe for them but responsible for this experiment as they will have a clear view of the surrounding beach area. I've been up there two or three times and it is deceivingly high (the picture makes it look like a walk in the park to get up there). The only way on to that area is via kayak (which the person on the dune will have no problem spotting) or along the beach where I will have a clear view (furthermore there is only one entrance with a gravel car park and that's the entrance I'll be at).

I'll talk to my friends tonight and lay out the situation, if they're happy with it then so I am. The only problem I see is communication, never tried a cellphone up on the dunes and reception isn't great on the beach.

As to the sig... well, I was just parodying JSR, but I did actually make a valveless lockwood jet once, though I could never get it to self-sustain. It was probably not getting enough flow from the single 20lb tank I had.
http://www.pulse-jets.com/phpbb3/viewto ... f=3&t=4803
Once it was warmed up it made a hell of a fog machine though.

I'm jealous. It'll put a damper on my vision if you can't get it to sustain of a 20lb tank, though I did 'plan' on using a 40lb tank from a BBQ. The thing that seems to cause the most problems is the nozzle, the slightest of changes seem to make all the difference for some people. That's what really worried me the most, getting the nozzle to work well enough to self-sustain the combustion.

[Fnord]

though I did 'plan' on using a 40lb tank from a BBQ

A hybrid is one thing, but if you get a pulse jet running, I can't guarantee your neighbors won't try to kill you. Even though mine wasn't "running" I still wore earplugs and earmuffs at the same time to keep my ears intact.

[danielrowell]

http://www.pulse-jets.com/phpbb3/viewto ... f=3&t=4803

Sorry for the off-topic post but wow! There's seriously a forum out there (a very active one at that) for people who make pulse-jets?

Pulse-jet powered bathtub =

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

by the way MrC, have you tested the miniboy already and all this talk of launching preparations is meant to throw investigators off?

[saefroch]

Yes, C is carbon. Liken it to a blast furnace vs a wood fire.

Start doing some cake baking, advice only goes so far

[Insomniac]

Iron Chef would be so much more entertaining if all they cooked was cake.