this was really helpful. Me and my friends decided to see how high we can make a rocket go (with very little prior experience) so it's always great to see stuff like this. it seems difficult to find good tutorials on diy parts that both work and aren't terribly unsafe
Well I hope you learned a few lessons along the way, because pyrotechnics are by definition unsafe. The first being randomly mixing pyrotechnic ingredients is generally a bad idea. Second being that potassium perchlorate is a extremely effective oxidizer and care should be taken when handling that stuff. If you search the web on rocket forums you will find many recipes with accurate mixtures that have been tried and tested.
This video is just what I needed to see as I am in need of a bunch of these igniters! I'm almost done building a resetting flash pot target for my slingshot. The first target I made has just one flash pot and I have to walk up to the target to refill with powder after each shot but my new one I have been working on has 4 flash pots and resets itself after each shot. I have been using model rocket engine igniters from Hobby Lobby that are short and fragile so these here you make on this video are just perfect for my needs so glad I found your video. I have watched a few of your videos and that's how I learned to make the flash powder I use as I use to crush up rocket engines from Hobby Lobby and they cost too much money. I plan to upload a video of the slingshot target when I have it ready to go. The first target I made has been a lot of fun at back yard Bar-B-Qs and gets people interested in sling shots as a fun and inexpensive hobby.
You will find single base and double base smokeless powders. The double base is mixture of nitroglycerin , graphite and nitrocellulose. Single base is nitrocellulose and graphite. You can dissolve the smokeless in acetone before adding to the nitrocellulose.
I searched for pong balls at 3 different stores. All of them not nitro...I was literally just using new skin and saw your comment!! How random is that!? Now, ive solved 2 problems! Appreciate it sir!
Dude, can you remake the video without the nichro wire break snafu. Use better close ups. The cad drawing was perfect. Focus dude! Forget the comment of a truck driving by. No need to say that. Dude, update! No longer are ping pong balls made of nitrocellulos.
As soon as you said "grab a stripper" I said "Hell Yeah!" and started laughing! Then when you realized you said it and then added in "that's always a good time ", I was absolutely crying! 😂 You and I have the same sense of humor and now you have one more subscriber! Keep up the good work brother!!
Clever!!! Now I can give my single strand of 30 gauge wrapped in a coil a rest, due to the mis-fires, at a 50% ratio.. I Look forward to this.. Thank you.
As a recovering pyro, if you've never considered this, add a little graphite powder to your pyrogen and it becomes conductive. I use like lock lube graphite. Then take your wire leads, clip just an 1/8" of insulator off and gap them with just a millimeter of space between them. The graphite allows conduction and it heats enough to fire the nitrocellulose. It takes a little more juice to fire, but I've never had any trouble as long as I was using at least a 12v source. Additionally, as a former amateur rocketeer, a trick I learned to get more pyrogen on the igniter was to double or triple fold the tip before dipping to give more surface area to stick to. Another trick was taking some spare cured propellant, GENTLY using a cheese grater to grind it into tiny pieces (never do this with propellant containing titanium or zirconium!!!) and adding this to the pyrogen to get some extra oomph when needed. According to my parents I started lighting things on fire when I was 4 years old and I can't seem to stop being fascinated by fire and explosions. :-)
When we were kids, a friend and I made our own ignites out of the twist ties on bread bags. Just strip about 1/2" of the paper in the middle then bend it SHARPLY and pinch a little bit of tissue paper between the 2 halves. Shove that into the engine and hold it in with a bit more tissue. It takes a few seconds to get hot enough, but it works. We also didn't have fancy launch buttons so we used a length of 2 wire with alligator clips to attach to the igniter and touch the other ends to a 9V battery. Come to think we didn't have a launch pad either so we just stuck a copper coated welding rod about 30" long into the ground with a tin pie plate for a shield and a piece of tape wrapped around to keep the rocket from sliding too far down. Also I remember engines had one stage that just made a LOT of smoke to make tracking the rocket easier.
We were the poor kids with a hobby that was normal expensive. But we made a lot of our own stuff...including rockets without any kit or plan...the only things we really needed to buy was engines, nose cones, and balsa for fins. Oh..and glue, dope, and paint. We made bodies out of any light tubes we could find, internal structure out of plain cardboard, and parachutes out of breadbags and shock cords from rubber bands. So instead of $20 for one rocket kit we would spend $50 for 2 or 3 dozen rockets
You could mix up the dip in a small test tube, and thusly:- * needing much less material * slowing evaporation of the acetone * getting a consistent length of coating on the wire * using a stopper, be able to store it (carefully) for next time
Way wah, christ got to be one in the bunch no matter where u go. So Mr. Punctuation police, have made any igniters yet? U, what igniters are talking about? Only looking to point out any little thing you have a problem w. Get a hobby, hey! Maybe rocketry! Get a life.
@@scottzell2064 and yet, if you go back to look at the caption now, it has been corrected. It would seem Elemental Maker not only is proficient making electric pyro igniters, but also deals deftly with constructive criticism without getting getting butthurt in the least.
I'm gonna have to try that ignition mixture out. The electrical ignition system I have is very archaic lol. I use Christmas lights for the cap and just break the glass to expose the filaments and put some Zn+S mixture around them, and hook up either end of wire to another wire I can touch to a 9 volt. Doesn't always work but when it does it's glorious
Years ago when I lived in Miles away from the closest hobby shop, I learned that you can substitute a bread twist tie after cleaning the paper or plastic off of it in place of ni-chrome wire
I just switched over to using nichrome/kanthal wire as ignites. Bought 250 feet of kanthal for a few dollars. Kanthal should work better because of higher melting point, but not sure. Currently using 2-3 D batteries with a bunch of speaker wire for distance and kanthal for igniter. Works well.
Fun stuff. Thanks for sharing these demonstrations.When i was 10 or 12 i would twist a couple strands of copper speaker wire around fire cracker fuse connected to. a 100 foot extension cord and set it off with a car battery. on the other end Id place them where i could set them off as someone walked near. My brother's was more often my target. Fun times. Thank you. ::SUBBED::
Lol I took Christmas light bulbs break the glass. Put a match head between the light fuse Stick the bulb in my homemade rockets and run speaker wire to a 9volt. It would burn the fuse then the match. Layer I used it to start sparkler thermite. All with out RUclips. Damn it think what we could have done 20 years ago...
@Matt KissMyassSocialist Lmao growing up on a farm, my brother and I would do this by running roughly 100ft of speaker wire from an 18v drill battery to our homemade "fireworks". Which were really metal pipes packed with smokeless powder😄. I remember then setting up jars of gas or kerosene on top of said fireworks and recording the mini mushroom clouds that followed😅. All from behind proper cover ofcourse.. I still wonder how I managed to keep all fingers and limbs through the years tho.
Would a 6 v remote igniter system work on your igniters? What is your voltage? For sugar rockets. Where did you get your potassium perchlorate? Love the tutorial. What volumes of chemical are you using? Any help appreciated.
The wire ignighters. ive always crushed some matches and used the wifes nail varnish to coat the wire you can always dip it in any other ignition material like black powder or thirmite. but works great nicrome wire basicly fine fuse wire can ignight with 1 aa battery, fuse wire size the higher ampage the higher voltage . yours seamed alot of work but it was very interesting nice video well explained .a1 bud
For an easier method, if you can't get hold of smokeless powder for whatever reason, the material on the heads of safety matches works pretty well, and will easily ignite from the heat of glowing nichrome wire too. Just crack the material off the matchsticks with the smooth section of a pair of long-nosed pliers, and crush it to a coarse powder under a plastic screwdriver handle on a smooth ceramic or glass dish. Only do this on a small scale (10 matches worth at a time, at most), and whatever you do, don't try to grind the stuff in a pestle-and-mortar, since that kind of friction can easily ignite it - I've made that mistake before! But it can be combined with nitrocellulose lacquer, wood varnish or clear nail polish (or even superglue if you're quick about it) to make a thick paste, which you can then apply to the head of the electric match and let dry. I think the match head material is mainly potassium chlorate with some sulfur, which is a pretty easily ignited and high temperature burning mixture, which is enough to ignite most solid rocket fuels. Just don't make the mistake of using "strike-anywhere" friction matches - that stuff goes off far too easily and you could end up with a premature ignition just from the friction of inserting the match into the rocket motor. For igniting thermite, if you don't have access to magnesium powder or ribbon, you can use a bit of potassium permanganate powder and a dribble of glycerin. Take a little bit of your thermite mixture (about half a teaspoonful) and mix with an equal volume of permanganate, then deposit this mixture on top of the rest of the thermite. Make a small depression in the mixture and add a few drops of glycerin. Within about 30 seconds, this will auto-ignite, and burn at a sufficiently high temperature to ignite the rest of the thermite, giving you a nice time delay fusing mechanism.
Thank you! And I'm sorry to hear about the restrictions on England. I love that country, spent some time in sheffield, but it's impossible to do any pyrotechnic related hobbies there with the crazy strict regulations. Truly a bummer
Elementalmaker, try out using Christmas lights. I call them tangle lights. Nip off the tip of the glass and fill it with ignition powder. Hot glue or something to cap it and it's ready to go.
Elemental Maker - How do you think Estes makes an igniter which only requires 6 volts (4 AA's) to light? I've tried several mixtures of pyro-stuff (based on what you describe in this video) to coat the tip of 36 gauge kanthal wire, but it won't light. Any suggestions? Thanks!
I appreciate your sub James. I will be doing a video making one sometime soon, keep a look out for it. I saw your other comments, but it looks like the one I bought years ago is no longer in production, I couldn't find it for sale anywhere.
ElementalMaker have you thought about doing an arduino micro or nano version? Maybe have a vocal count down with some talking and some beeping, variable second countdown with a potentiometer and a 7 segment display or some such.. Would be pretty sic.
James Que that would definitely be pretty damn cool, but out of simplicity I just use a basic single channel relay. I'm not so great at coding and wouldn't trust myself with something that could potentially go catastrophically wrong.
@@ElementalMaker - I'm guessing that wireless (R/C) launch thing's not on the market anymore because it's too dangerous. First, it's susceptible to fairly easy hacking so someone could set your engine off right in your face. Second, people looking to make remotely-detonated bombs (for evil purposes -- it's the world we live in) would have a field day with it. Much safer to stick to hard-wired launch systems.
@@chapelgrovefilms nah they still look to be selling similar units all over the interwebs! Just ebay search fireworks firing system and you'll find some
I used to take merely one strand of copper wire from any stranded wire and either used just that, or a match head installed as well and never ever had any problems. JMHO
ElementalMaker one source of Nichrome wire is believe it or not is BREAD TIES. I used them on my system for a while before it got old and stopped working. If you use these cheap chinesium firing systems frequently they will not last long. Yes I’m an AvE fan! Lol
Wonder if this mixture can be used to make cannon fuse? I have used black powder and tissue paper to make fuses before.( You have one more subscriber now, your vids are awesome!👍)
Do you have to add the potassium perchlorate, if so any substitute like potassium nitrate. And what percent nitrocellulose lacquer do i need. Many thanks
Tech tip for the pyrogen, pyrodex dissolves in water, then just dip and dry on the nichrome wire, you can then dip in the nitrocellulos lacquer to seal it up
You mentioned that you had a top coat on the intro igniter but didn't on the ones that you set off at the end of the video...what do you use for your top coat on them that gives them the pop that you were talking about?
No, thank you! I just came across your page and I am digging your videos. Thanks for the quality content that you are putting out, I can't wait to get through your other vids!
Stephen Mitchell that it certainly would be! I am very fond of keeping my distance any time I'm igniting a pyrotechnic composition, and a cannon would be no exception. Sounds very neat though! You should post a video of it
Really glad I stumbled on this video to relay this to Stephen! DON'T. check your laws in your state and federal levels before you change out visco fuse for an electronic fuse. Changing the ignition system can "repurpose" the cannon into a destructive device, and would have to be registered with the ATF. I am not sure of the exceptions for reenactment purposes, but the ATF *will* throw the book at you if it is required to be documented, and you haven't filed the proper paperwork.
Could you take a thin cardboard or metal tube and pour a tiny amount of the ignitor solution into it with the NiChrome setup, and make a small blasting cap with it?
It was just some generic one I bought many years ago, I don't think they make this exact one anymore, but you can still find multi que firing units online
Thanks for your sub! And I bought that over a decade ago and I dont think they make that exact model anymore, but here is the only similar one I could find. www.pyrocreations.com/firing-units/one-cue-firing-system.html
I'm curious, since you mentioned that the smokeless powder was mostly nitrocellulose couldn't you just dissolve that in the acetone instead of making the lacquer with the ping pong balls. I would understand having to use it if you were using black powder but since your'e using smokeless I would think just dissolving it in acetone would be sufficient. Keep up the good work.
Yes that should accomplish the same thing. There are different forms of nitrocellulose, and just from my experience I prefer using the ping-pong balls for the base lacquer since they seem to be a less heavily nitrate form of the compound. Thanks for checking out my channel!
Typically any of the 3-star rated balls will be nitrocellulose, you can find them on amazon. Here's one: amzn.to/2HKS8fA (affiliate link that helps support the channel)
I do solder mine. I just lay the joint on the table and let a ball of solder cool over it. And then I squash it. I've had continuity issues with just wrapping/crimping. For igniting anything other than rocket engines, I stopped bothering to dip them in anything. I use AWG 30 nichrome @18v and it never, ever fails to ignite flash, BP, NC, fulminates, etc.
The Rust Admin I think the Mythbusters tried that years ago and couldn't successfully get it to work. Given enough money and time though, I'm sure it could be done!
It was so long ago I honestly couldnt tell you. But if you look for "yellow shooting wire" you should be able to find it no problem. A quick google shows a roll of 22awg duplex 500ft long for $30ish. A lifetime supply on the cheap!
tAke a full chaged 4.5 AH lead acid battery ,u have thi nk about ur wire resistance ,think ur distance ,near o ohm would be better, if not to calcute this take 19swg silver wire.....goog luck be safe hammering,and drili ng....ur not oil engineer ....amd.
I'm sure it could, but a spark gap igniter would be more reliable in a liquid fueled engine. Check out my video on the ingition coil driver. That plus a spark plug would be your best bet. Although... Heck the Russians use giant 2x4 sized match sticks to launch their manned missions LOL
ElementalMaker i have acces to magnesium, sulfur, powdered sparklers, powdered matches, and thats it more or less. Today i ordered a bag of ping pong balls because i tried a mix with styropor in aceton but it creates thousands of chared particles that are laying down all in my room xd
I don't know why but my pyrogen igniters never worked that great. they were never able to ignite my motors, I always had to shove up a match with them. I'll have to try your method though as I only added BP to mine.
@@mikedavis1517 I've seen some recipes for doing that but haven't tried yet, when I run out of my current batch of ematches I'll have to give it a try!
Hey i got some nichrome wire (Not your link) and i give it 9v s and nothing its not even hot what do i do have i take alot of it are you on discord or something?
Hope you guys enjoyed! Heres the parts list: Wireless Ignition System: amzn.to/3ikYZ3c
40AWG Nichrome Wire: amzn.to/31jL2sE
24AWG Two Conductor Wire: amzn.to/2hoXHpn
Wire Stripper: amzn.to/2hvVuw5
cool mixture))) new ingredients are added on a go))) science!)
Dude you seem like a guy I could definitely hang out with. You have a ton of information on what you do and a sense of humor as well.
this was really helpful. Me and my friends decided to see how high we can make a rocket go (with very little prior experience) so it's always great to see stuff like this. it seems difficult to find good tutorials on diy parts that both work and aren't terribly unsafe
Well I hope you learned a few lessons along the way, because pyrotechnics are by definition unsafe.
The first being randomly mixing pyrotechnic ingredients is generally a bad idea. Second being that potassium perchlorate is a extremely effective oxidizer and care should be taken when handling that stuff. If you search the web on rocket forums you will find many recipes with accurate mixtures that have been tried and tested.
This video is just what I needed to see as I am in need of a bunch of these igniters! I'm almost done building a resetting flash pot target for my slingshot.
The first target I made has just one flash pot and I have to walk up to the target to refill with powder after each shot but my new one I have been working on has 4 flash pots and resets itself after each shot.
I have been using model rocket engine igniters from Hobby Lobby that are short and fragile so these here you make on this video are just perfect for my needs so glad I found your video.
I have watched a few of your videos and that's how I learned to make the flash powder I use as I use to crush up rocket engines from Hobby Lobby and they cost too much money.
I plan to upload a video of the slingshot target when I have it ready to go. The first target I made has been a lot of fun at back yard Bar-B-Qs and gets people interested in sling shots as a fun and inexpensive hobby.
Moral of the story: grab strippers with less aggressive teeth...
I see what you did there. 😂
Lmaorotf, no marks left
You will find single base and double base smokeless powders. The double base is mixture of nitroglycerin , graphite and nitrocellulose. Single base is nitrocellulose and graphite. You can dissolve the smokeless in acetone before adding to the nitrocellulose.
Evil genius, with a great sense of humor.
This is the best tutorial on ignighters on RUclips, very well done sir.
Thank you Jeremy 👍
There is a product called "Newskin" sold as a (painful) dressing for small wounds, it is a nitrocellulose lacquer.
Very cool!
hmmm interesting. In the 9 months has there been any tests using Newskin with the other required ingredients
I searched for pong balls at 3 different stores. All of them not nitro...I was literally just using new skin and saw your comment!! How random is that!? Now, ive solved 2 problems! Appreciate it sir!
Mohawk Finishing Classic Instrument Lacquer is also a nitrocellulose lacquer that works as is.
Dude, can you remake the video without the nichro wire break snafu. Use better close ups. The
cad drawing was perfect.
Focus dude! Forget the comment of a truck driving by. No need to say that.
Dude, update! No longer are ping pong balls made of nitrocellulos.
From a chemist's point of view that is a most excellent witches' brew pyrogen. Love your channel.
AvE inspired? haha, subscribed last night love the content. Keep up the good work!!
BCox thanks bigtime! Yes I love AVE's work!
Keep your stick on the ice.
BCox keep your D**k in a vise!
I have expected him to say keep your dick in a vice. Just subscribed. Love the content
😀
As soon as you said "grab a stripper" I said "Hell Yeah!" and started laughing! Then when you realized you said it and then added in "that's always a good time ", I was absolutely crying! 😂 You and I have the same sense of humor and now you have one more subscriber! Keep up the good work brother!!
The only thing better than grabbing a stripper is grabbing a pair of them🤣🤣🤣
@@marinegunny826 lmaorotf
You are an inspiration to us all !
Clever!!! Now I can give my single strand of 30 gauge wrapped in a coil a rest, due to the mis-fires, at a 50% ratio.. I Look forward to this.. Thank you.
As a recovering pyro, if you've never considered this, add a little graphite powder to your pyrogen and it becomes conductive. I use like lock lube graphite. Then take your wire leads, clip just an 1/8" of insulator off and gap them with just a millimeter of space between them. The graphite allows conduction and it heats enough to fire the nitrocellulose. It takes a little more juice to fire, but I've never had any trouble as long as I was using at least a 12v source. Additionally, as a former amateur rocketeer, a trick I learned to get more pyrogen on the igniter was to double or triple fold the tip before dipping to give more surface area to stick to. Another trick was taking some spare cured propellant, GENTLY using a cheese grater to grind it into tiny pieces (never do this with propellant containing titanium or zirconium!!!) and adding this to the pyrogen to get some extra oomph when needed. According to my parents I started lighting things on fire when I was 4 years old and I can't seem to stop being fascinated by fire and explosions. :-)
Saves a lot of money having to buy electric match or E-match as they call it I should maybe try one of these out on a couple of Excalibur shells
When we were kids, a friend and I made our own ignites out of the twist ties on bread bags. Just strip about 1/2" of the paper in the middle then bend it SHARPLY and pinch a little bit of tissue paper between the 2 halves. Shove that into the engine and hold it in with a bit more tissue.
It takes a few seconds to get hot enough, but it works. We also didn't have fancy launch buttons so we used a length of 2 wire with alligator clips to attach to the igniter and touch the other ends to a 9V battery.
Come to think we didn't have a launch pad either so we just stuck a copper coated welding rod about 30" long into the ground with a tin pie plate for a shield and a piece of tape wrapped around to keep the rocket from sliding too far down.
Also I remember engines had one stage that just made a LOT of smoke to make tracking the rocket easier.
We were the poor kids with a hobby that was normal expensive. But we made a lot of our own stuff...including rockets without any kit or plan...the only things we really needed to buy was engines, nose cones, and balsa for fins. Oh..and glue, dope, and paint.
We made bodies out of any light tubes we could find, internal structure out of plain cardboard, and parachutes out of breadbags and shock cords from rubber bands. So instead of $20 for one rocket kit we would spend $50 for 2 or 3 dozen rockets
My favorite dude!!!! Ever!!!
You could mix up the dip in a small test tube, and thusly:-
* needing much less material
* slowing evaporation of the acetone
* getting a consistent length of coating on the wire
* using a stopper, be able to store it (carefully) for next time
“Just the tip” 😂😂😂😂👍🏼
2:20
"...Sadly they are longer out of business..."
.
The same could be said about effective proof reading.
Way wah, christ got to be one in the bunch no matter where u go. So Mr. Punctuation police, have made any igniters yet? U, what igniters are talking about? Only looking to point out any little thing you have a problem w. Get a hobby, hey! Maybe rocketry! Get a life.
@@scottzell2064 and yet, if you go back to look at the caption now, it has been corrected.
It would seem Elemental Maker not only is proficient making electric pyro igniters, but also deals deftly with constructive criticism without getting getting butthurt in the least.
I'm gonna have to try that ignition mixture out. The electrical ignition system I have is very archaic lol. I use Christmas lights for the cap and just break the glass to expose the filaments and put some Zn+S mixture around them, and hook up either end of wire to another wire I can touch to a 9 volt. Doesn't always work but when it does it's glorious
Years ago when I lived in Miles away from the closest hobby shop, I learned that you can substitute a bread twist tie after cleaning the paper or plastic off of it in place of ni-chrome wire
Strippers and Just the tip, sounds like fun!!!
I just switched over to using nichrome/kanthal wire as ignites. Bought 250 feet of kanthal for a few dollars. Kanthal should work better because of higher melting point, but not sure. Currently using 2-3 D batteries with a bunch of speaker wire for distance and kanthal for igniter. Works well.
Do you think some magnesium powder would work. Or too reactionary ?
Fun stuff. Thanks for sharing these demonstrations.When i was 10 or 12 i would twist a couple strands of copper speaker wire around fire cracker fuse connected to. a 100 foot extension cord and set it off with a car battery. on the other end Id place them where i could set them off as someone walked near. My brother's was more often my target.
Fun times.
Thank you.
::SUBBED::
Lol I took Christmas light bulbs break the glass. Put a match head between the light fuse Stick the bulb in my homemade rockets and run speaker wire to a 9volt. It would burn the fuse then the match. Layer I used it to start sparkler thermite. All with out RUclips. Damn it think what we could have done 20 years ago...
@Matt KissMyassSocialist Lmao growing up on a farm, my brother and I would do this by running roughly 100ft of speaker wire from an 18v drill battery to our homemade "fireworks". Which were really metal pipes packed with smokeless powder😄. I remember then setting up jars of gas or kerosene on top of said fireworks and recording the mini mushroom clouds that followed😅. All from behind proper cover ofcourse.. I still wonder how I managed to keep all fingers and limbs through the years tho.
Would a 6 v remote igniter system work on your igniters? What is your voltage? For sugar rockets. Where did you get your potassium perchlorate? Love the tutorial. What volumes of chemical are you using? Any help appreciated.
Thanks EM For Your Reply of The Video of Igniters ! Appreciate It !
What would adding magnesium do to the formula?
Curtis Low that would definitely add some additional heat to the ignitor!
Omg thermite ignitors
The wire ignighters. ive always crushed some matches and used the wifes nail varnish to coat the wire you can always dip it in any other ignition material like black powder or thirmite. but works great nicrome wire basicly fine fuse wire can ignight with 1 aa battery, fuse wire size the higher ampage the higher voltage . yours seamed alot of work but it was very interesting nice video well explained .a1 bud
For an easier method, if you can't get hold of smokeless powder for whatever reason, the material on the heads of safety matches works pretty well, and will easily ignite from the heat of glowing nichrome wire too. Just crack the material off the matchsticks with the smooth section of a pair of long-nosed pliers, and crush it to a coarse powder under a plastic screwdriver handle on a smooth ceramic or glass dish.
Only do this on a small scale (10 matches worth at a time, at most), and whatever you do, don't try to grind the stuff in a pestle-and-mortar, since that kind of friction can easily ignite it - I've made that mistake before! But it can be combined with nitrocellulose lacquer, wood varnish or clear nail polish (or even superglue if you're quick about it) to make a thick paste, which you can then apply to the head of the electric match and let dry.
I think the match head material is mainly potassium chlorate with some sulfur, which is a pretty easily ignited and high temperature burning mixture, which is enough to ignite most solid rocket fuels. Just don't make the mistake of using "strike-anywhere" friction matches - that stuff goes off far too easily and you could end up with a premature ignition just from the friction of inserting the match into the rocket motor.
For igniting thermite, if you don't have access to magnesium powder or ribbon, you can use a bit of potassium permanganate powder and a dribble of glycerin. Take a little bit of your thermite mixture (about half a teaspoonful) and mix with an equal volume of permanganate, then deposit this mixture on top of the rest of the thermite. Make a small depression in the mixture and add a few drops of glycerin. Within about 30 seconds, this will auto-ignite, and burn at a sufficiently high temperature to ignite the rest of the thermite, giving you a nice time delay fusing mechanism.
Dear, can I crimp off red thing from matches, and mix it with a very small amount of watter? Would that work? Im igniting with same wire in the video.
Luv how you made the igniters, unfortunately I’m unable get gunpowder in England. I have a couple of Jetex motors but no fuses.
Thank you! And I'm sorry to hear about the restrictions on England. I love that country, spent some time in sheffield, but it's impossible to do any pyrotechnic related hobbies there with the crazy strict regulations. Truly a bummer
Where did you get the radio controlled ignition box? Got a link?
Area51Gregos amazon
Elemental can I use speaker wire then throw on some nichrome wire to make an igniter for black powder rockets?
Elementalmaker, try out using Christmas lights. I call them tangle lights. Nip off the tip of the glass and fill it with ignition powder. Hot glue or something to cap it and it's ready to go.
Does potassium nitrate not work for an oxidizer on this?
Elemental Maker - How do you think Estes makes an igniter which only requires 6 volts (4 AA's) to light? I've tried several mixtures of pyro-stuff (based on what you describe in this video) to coat the tip of 36 gauge kanthal wire, but it won't light. Any suggestions? Thanks!
You should try a 60 or 80 AWG nichrome wire instead of the 40 AWG. All the chemical stuff would stay the same, but thinner wire will burn easier....
Would be awesome to see your build for a DIY remote trigger box.. You got a sub off of this, sweet video. Like how you explain things.
I appreciate your sub James. I will be doing a video making one sometime soon, keep a look out for it. I saw your other comments, but it looks like the one I bought years ago is no longer in production, I couldn't find it for sale anywhere.
ElementalMaker have you thought about doing an arduino micro or nano version?
Maybe have a vocal count down with some talking and some beeping, variable second countdown with a potentiometer and a 7 segment display or some such..
Would be pretty sic.
James Que that would definitely be pretty damn cool, but out of simplicity I just use a basic single channel relay. I'm not so great at coding and wouldn't trust myself with something that could potentially go catastrophically wrong.
@@ElementalMaker - I'm guessing that wireless (R/C) launch thing's not on the market anymore because it's too dangerous. First, it's susceptible to fairly easy hacking so someone could set your engine off right in your face. Second, people looking to make remotely-detonated bombs (for evil purposes -- it's the world we live in) would have a field day with it. Much safer to stick to hard-wired launch systems.
@@chapelgrovefilms nah they still look to be selling similar units all over the interwebs! Just ebay search fireworks firing system and you'll find some
I used to take merely one strand of copper wire from any stranded wire and either used just that, or a match head installed as well and never ever had any problems. JMHO
Gary Mucher I did that too in the past, but nichrome is much more reliable and can operate with lower voltages in my experience
ElementalMaker one source of Nichrome wire is believe it or not is BREAD TIES. I used them on my system for a while before it got old and stopped working. If you use these cheap chinesium firing systems frequently they will not last long. Yes I’m an AvE fan! Lol
Wonder if this mixture can be used to make cannon fuse? I have used black powder and tissue paper to make fuses before.( You have one more subscriber now, your vids are awesome!👍)
Almost all of the links in the description are outdated. Any newer links? Especially the lacquer!
Hi E/M ! Just Wondering when you will make the Video showing how to make the Firing Controller You used in this video ?
This one was commercially purchased, but I did do a video showing how to make one very similar to it a number of years ago
Good video. How many turns of Nichrome wire did you use?
I usually just go for two or three turns since my igniters run off a 9v battery.
Do you have to add the potassium perchlorate, if so any substitute like potassium nitrate. And what percent nitrocellulose lacquer do i need. Many thanks
did you ever make the controller, I am interested in the remote
Did you ever post a follow-up video?
Tech tip for the pyrogen, pyrodex dissolves in water, then just dip and dry on the nichrome wire, you can then dip in the nitrocellulos lacquer to seal it up
can you give information on your remote controlled detonator?
2-Channel Wireless Launch Controller from Apogee Components www.apogeerockets.com/
Cost: $45.00 +
You mentioned that you had a top coat on the intro igniter but didn't on the ones that you set off at the end of the video...what do you use for your top coat on them that gives them the pop that you were talking about?
Darrell Backhaus just plain NC lacquer for the top coat. Thanks for catching that!
No, thank you! I just came across your page and I am digging your videos. Thanks for the quality content that you are putting out, I can't wait to get through your other vids!
i use resistors. i enjoyed your video greatly but the resistors are so much easier and better. but probably only work on larger engines.,
Great video. This looks like it would be a good replacement fuse for my Civil War Mountain Cannon.
Stephen Mitchell that it certainly would be! I am very fond of keeping my distance any time I'm igniting a pyrotechnic composition, and a cannon would be no exception. Sounds very neat though! You should post a video of it
Really glad I stumbled on this video to relay this to Stephen!
DON'T. check your laws in your state and federal levels before you change out visco fuse for an electronic fuse. Changing the ignition system can "repurpose" the cannon into a destructive device, and would have to be registered with the ATF.
I am not sure of the exceptions for reenactment purposes, but the ATF *will* throw the book at you if it is required to be documented, and you haven't filed the proper paperwork.
Would celluloid guitar picks work to make the lacquer?
how would you like to have nonexplosive impact primers?
Solution of ZnCl2 works like a charm when it comes to soldering NiCr and stainless steel
What are your percentages of metal, oxide and perchlorate in your mix?
Could you take a thin cardboard or metal tube and pour a tiny amount of the ignitor solution into it with the NiChrome setup, and make a small blasting cap with it?
You could probably use vape coil nichrome wire as a substitute
Here in Australia, grabbing a stripper will result in rapid and violent removal from the venue 😂
What brand is that cordless igniter setup? Looks like a cool little unit.
It was just some generic one I bought many years ago, I don't think they make this exact one anymore, but you can still find multi que firing units online
Thanks for letting me know man. @@ElementalMaker
where you buy that yellow cable, link only show black intercom cable.
Does this kick off traditional thermite reactions?
Probably not. Best to use sparklers or magnesium ribbon for that. Thermite reactions have a huge activation energy.
Could you use KNO3 Pot Nit for the oxidizer?
Would Magnesium help it?the fire starters and a file should ger some fine Magnesium power and it if light burns very hot!
Where do you buy your ingredents?
This was a VERY VERY good video! Very high quality content...🤔 Shiiiiit... wish I had you on FB... Would love to share ideas and story's. ☺️🤘
hi mate will 38 gauge nichrome wire work thank such a great Idea
Very likely yes. The thicker the wire, the more current needed to make it fuse.
Could this be used for lighting fuses on pyrotechnics?
how about using mini-holiday bulbs, the non led kind
craig palmer as long as you don't damage the filament when you break the glass, it should work well.
craig palmer it can be done but it’s tricky. You have to carefully break the glass without messing up the filament.
Subbed! Where did you get that wireless ignition system. The only one I found was it apogee rockets in Colorado Springs. $45 beans
Thanks for your sub! And I bought that over a decade ago and I dont think they make that exact model anymore, but here is the only similar one I could find. www.pyrocreations.com/firing-units/one-cue-firing-system.html
@@ElementalMaker Thank You sir. That is 1\2 as much as what I found.
Haha "grab a stripper" I didn't get that until you noticed yourself lol :) Too funny!
Great video man.
Will these ignite thermite?
That squib burned for a while.. Nice job.. Good recipe...
Used to use jeweller's soft iron binding-wire, fed from an old battery charger. The wire was stiff and thin enough to be pushed through a squib.
Can anything be used as a substitute for the potassium perchlorate? In theory wouldnt any decent oxidizer do? What about potassium nitrate?
I've used potassium nitrate and it has worked fine
could u use 36 or 38 gauge nichrome wire....cant seem to find 40 gauge
what is the little black box called?
I'm curious, since you mentioned that the smokeless powder was mostly nitrocellulose couldn't you just dissolve that in the acetone instead of making the lacquer with the ping pong balls. I would understand having to use it if you were using black powder but since your'e using smokeless I would think just dissolving it in acetone would be sufficient. Keep up the good work.
Yes that should accomplish the same thing. There are different forms of nitrocellulose, and just from my experience I prefer using the ping-pong balls for the base lacquer since they seem to be a less heavily nitrate form of the compound. Thanks for checking out my channel!
Seems like that would end up brittle and crumbly.
Do you have a brand name on the ping pong balls? All of the white ones that I have found are thin poly ethylene or something.
Typically any of the 3-star rated balls will be nitrocellulose, you can find them on amazon. Here's one: amzn.to/2HKS8fA (affiliate link that helps support the channel)
what amp is the igniter? how much power to set off the igniter?
Hey ElementalMaker, have you ever trier a lower/higher gauge wire?? I've tried 32AWG Ni-Cr wire and it heats up well but only if the wire is about
What component majes that smell terrible? And whats it smell like?
you have good info and ur funny, u deserve more subs
I do solder mine. I just lay the joint on the table and let a ball of solder cool over it. And then I squash it. I've had continuity issues with just wrapping/crimping. For igniting anything other than rocket engines, I stopped bothering to dip them in anything. I use AWG 30 nichrome @18v and it never, ever fails to ignite flash, BP, NC, fulminates, etc.
This work on model rocket?
Never mind his lady fingers one of the best videos on manufacturing ignighter’s on the tube.
this might sound stupid, but is it possible, in any way, to run a motor on black powder, gravity-fed in a diesel or petrol engine?
The Rust Admin I think the Mythbusters tried that years ago and couldn't successfully get it to work. Given enough money and time though, I'm sure it could be done!
The Rust Admin never heard of one but you might try Google
There were some early (16th and 17th century, I think) attempts, but internal combustion tended-quite disastrously-to become external.
Where do you buy your wire from?
It was so long ago I honestly couldnt tell you. But if you look for "yellow shooting wire" you should be able to find it no problem. A quick google shows a roll of 22awg duplex 500ft long for $30ish. A lifetime supply on the cheap!
Are there any laws or regulations as to how large a rocket you can build?
What kind of input power is that source giving the igniter?
Just a 9V battery
tAke a full chaged 4.5 AH lead acid battery ,u have thi nk about ur wire resistance ,think ur distance ,near o ohm would be better, if not to calcute this take 19swg silver wire.....goog luck be safe hammering,and drili ng....ur not oil engineer ....amd.
Could this be used to ignite a liquid fuel engine?
I'm sure it could, but a spark gap igniter would be more reliable in a liquid fueled engine. Check out my video on the ingition coil driver. That plus a spark plug would be your best bet. Although... Heck the Russians use giant 2x4 sized match sticks to launch their manned missions LOL
I have found that for powdered sugar rockets like you make that no pyrogen is required. I have needed pyrogen for PBAN based propellants.
Any idea for easy ignition-mix i can make in germany?
Cant really say without knowing what chemicals you have access to.
ElementalMaker i have acces to magnesium, sulfur, powdered sparklers, powdered matches, and thats it more or less. Today i ordered a bag of ping pong balls because i tried a mix with styropor in aceton but it creates thousands of chared particles that are laying down all in my room xd
I never had trouble soldering nichrome
I love your videos. Thanks!
Glad your enjoying Jeff! Thanks for checking out my channel!
I don't know why but my pyrogen igniters never worked that great. they were never able to ignite my motors, I always had to shove up a match with them. I'll have to try your method though as I only added BP to mine.
I add conductive lampblack (aka carbospheres) to the mix and I can omit the nichrome wire. Just 'strip and dip' the two exposed wires.
@@mikedavis1517 I've seen some recipes for doing that but haven't tried yet, when I run out of my current batch of ematches I'll have to give it a try!
what is the green color graph table called I want to buy it please tell Please tell.
It's called a self healing cutting mat
thank you so much brother
Hey i got some nichrome wire (Not your link)
and i give it 9v s and nothing
its not even hot
what do i do
have i take alot of it
are you on discord or something?
The wire might be too thick, you gotta run more energy trough it to get it red hot.