Mixing And Casting Rocket Propellant - Simplex Ep 2

[@Mozartenhimer]

This is insanely interesting content. No intention of making a solid rocket, but still here to watch

[@flying0graysons]

Same!

[@joec-hd6dc]

I totally concur with you 😉. Fascinating content and obviously very intelligent presentation. That being said it's DEFINITELY NOT A "Hold my Beer challenge" jm2c 👍

[@witchdoctor6502]

I would love to try this, but I'm just smart enough to not try it as in best case I would fail, worst die :D

[@steveo6034]

Sure is!!

[@1islam1]

@@flying0graysons 👉🔴What Do Muslims Believe about Jesus? Muslims respect and revere Jesus (peace be upon him). They consider him one of the greatest of God’s messengers to mankind. The Quran confirms his virgin birth, and a chapter of the Quran is entitled ‘Maryam’ (Mary). The Quran describes the birth of Jesus as follows: (Remember) when the angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a word from Him (God), whose name is the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, revered in this world and the Hereafter, and one of those brought near (to God). He will speak to the people from his cradle and as a man, and he is of the righteous.” She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child when no mortal has touched me?” He said, “So (it will be). God creates what He wills. If He decrees a thing, He says to it only, ‘Be!’ and it is.” (Quran, 3:45-47) Jesus was born miraculously by the command of God, the same command that had brought Adam into being with neither a father nor a mother. God has said: The case of Jesus with God is like the case of Adam. He created him from dust, and then He said to him, “Be!” and he came into being. (Quran, 3:59) During his prophetic mission, Jesus performed many miracles. God tells us that Jesus said: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you the shape of a bird out of clay, I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s permission. I heal the blind from birth and the leper. And I bring the dead to life by God’s permission. And I tell you what you eat and what you store in your houses....” (Quran, 3:49) Muslims believe that Jesus was not crucified. It was the plan of Jesus’ enemies to crucify him, but God saved him and raised him up to Him. And the likeness of Jesus was put over another man. Jesus’ enemies took this man and crucified him, thinking that he was Jesus. God has said: ...They said, “We killed the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, the messenger of God.” They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but the likeness of him was put on another man (and they killed that man)... (Quran, 4:157) Neither Muhammad nor Jesus came to change the basic doctrine of the belief in one God, brought by earlier prophets, but rather to confirm and renew it.

[@DontForgetYourDreams]

The safety precautions you stress so much are absolutely valid! When I was 20 (13 years ago), I also made solid rocket propellant (Amonium perchlorate) with my friend who is chemistry PHD today. I mixed the aluminium powder with the amonium perchlorate powder when they were still dry powder. Dust must have settled in the air and a spark must have been generated somewhere. There was a huge explosion and my right hand was completely destroyed, my left hand only partly. My eardrums were ruptured and I had chips of the ceramic mortar we used in my eyes. As it came close to a fragmentation grenade the chips also went into my chest and almost killed me because they came close to my lungs besides the extreme blood loss I had. 10 surgeries and 4 months inpatient later I was in my rehabilitation phase and I am just so grateful to this day that I survived, that I can hear and see and that I can still enjoy this amazing life. Btw today I am an aerospace engineer :)

[@tomp538]

that day was not your time...

[@zoenagy9458]

That sounds like a pipe bomb

[@laikawuff]

jesus christ dude

[@talyrath]

Your friend needed to have his PhD revoked for that one. That's like an electrical engineer sticking a fork in an outlet to see what happens. ...never mind. I just described ElectroBoom's entire channel.

[@rdizzy1]

@@talyrath I don't think his friend had a PHD at the time, says he has it now, not then. At that time, he likely was only in his first or second year of college.

[@AstroCharlie]

Every time I see that void filled finocyl my eye lets out a single tear... Next mix we're gonna nail the density!

[@pepperparkerwrites1732]

As a baker who has scraped down many a mixing bowl… consider getting a bowl scraper to clean the sides! It’s much easier to use and much more through than an actual spatula. 15:00

[@AKAtheA]

metal on metal is not a good idea...keep in mind that is is not dough but rocket fuel, if you ignite it while handling it - you get incinerated

[@zakhenry]

@@AKAtheA bowl scrapers are typically a kidney shape piece of hard plastic. no metals involved

[@ChronicMechatronic]

@@zakhenry depends, the ones used to get smaller amounts of softer dough out of the bowl are usually pastic, but the ones much more frequently used including to scrape dried dough from the sides are actually stainless steel

[@pepperparkerwrites1732]

I was specifically thinking of the Ateco plastic bowl scraper! Mostly since they’re already wearing gloves. Just seemed easier.

[@ShafiqurMdSayed]

Ggg

[@voxelmaniam]

Well done. I'm really enjoying this series. Personal note: In the mid 90's I worked for a company that produced software for visualizing 3D volumetric data. We received an inquiry from NASA asking if we would be willing to do an analysis of a phantom (non reactive) rocket motor CT scan that was part of a study they were performing. The goal of the study was to identify effective non-destructive testing techniques for man rated solid fuel rocket motors. The data set was from a test article that had experienced a malfunction in the thermal controls while the propellent analog was curing. This resulted in massive stresses building up in the fuel that literally tore it apart. They wanted measurements of the tear surface area and volume of the open space. This was a really neat project and got me a trip to Huntsville AL to demonstrate how we did the analysis.

[@TheExplosiveGuy]

I've been building my own APCP motors for a while now, this was great to watch. It's kind of funny watching you go through all the same hurdles that I went through, like the intended pourable fuel that turned into a packable fuel, the PITA vacuum process of trying to keep the fuel off the vacuum lid, the voids in the finocyl and the liner OD not matching the case ID, it's all part of the learning process lol. If your fuel is only packable, i found that its necessary to vacuum fill the case, where you make a vacuum chamber that the case fits into, and at the top you have a funnel and ball valve which you pour your fuel into, then once the chamber has been evacuated you open the ball valve to allow the fuel to start pouring in. Once it is fully filled, any voids in the fuel will collapse after releasing the vacuum, and you take it one step further by inducing vibration into the tube as it fills to allow better settling.

[@leocurious9919]

"keep the fuel off the vacuum lid" Use smaller batches. If that is not an option, pull vacuum as much as possible, then quickly vent, which will collapse the upper bubbles. Repeat until you can pull a full vacuum. Regarding the vacuum filling: Take a look at vacuum infusion for glass / carbon fibre with epoxy. Using the same bagging (simple plastic bag, but really strong) and sealing should not just be cheap, easy and fast, but also allows you to manually push the stuff in the tube to help the vacuum.

[@TimLukeAnderson]

Joe your content paired with several others who produce educational content has inspired me to commit to a higher education, i'm finishing my finals in my second semester of my freshman year at uaptc, ive wanted to do these type of projects for over 4 years and now i'm on a path to a stable career in the discipline of computer science as well as a path that allows me to do these cool projects and hobbies. Thank you.

[@wesselscreations]

If making again in the future, maybe having a massage gun or something similar nearby, for if it becomes a packable motor. Could vibrate the casing like when casting concrete, to help liquification and reduce bubbles around the more complex geometry.

[@wgoulding]

The mixture is way too viscous for that to make a difference. The less electrical devices you have near propellant, the better. Edit: With a mechanical device going back and forth extremely rapidly, there's a distinct possibility to: 1. Build up static charges that could discharge into the propellant 2. Cause small sparks from metal-to-metal contact within the device. I'm not saying that would happen. I'm not even saying it's likely to happen. But when the consequences are that you die or at the very least your face burns off and you're horribly disfigured, do you want to take those chances? No.

[@wesselscreations]

@@wgoulding I disagree, the right vibration can liquify extremely viscous and aggregate heavy concrete when pouring into molds.

[@wgoulding]

@@wesselscreations concrete is different because you have a whole bunch of solid particles (aggregate) suspended within the liquid cement. When you vibrate that you achieve something called liquefaction. With solid rocket motor propellant, it's much more of a gooey plastic mixture that responds elastically to vibration. Vibration will help, but the problems they have cannot be solved just with vibration. I can't say more because otherwise I'd possibly be breaking federal law.

[@tomsteve3804]

@@wesselscreations testing your theory on both substances would be a great experiment.

[@justspace103]

It’s super weird to see something you’ve been doing for 4 years explained so eloquently. Awesome video Joe! Can’t wait for you to discover more about the mixing process!

[@infinitelyexplosive4131]

It's so cool to see this process with all the stumbles and learning points rather than just a cleanly-edited highlight reel!

[@fullflowaerospace]

cherry limade sounds so good, i mean, its literally just cherry, lime, and lemonade mixed together. its also really hot.

[@wgoulding]

Hello! I'm a professional, I work at one of the handful of companies in the US that make solid rocket motors for NASA, the DoD, and the DoE. Watching this was extremely difficult. Yes, everything worked out, but there was so many opportunities for things to go very badly. I didn't see proper PPE (flame retardant lab coats, face shields), I didn't see de-ionizers, I didn't see personal grounding devices, and I didn't see the casting tooling and motor be grounded when it was pulled. The separation of the tooling from the propellant grain can create large static electricity charge build-ups. Also, sawing a propellant grain of that size, yikes. I'm not in the safety department, I do design, so there's probably more than that.

[@ALPHA-zx5ep]

As a worker in a small high school in the middle of the french countryside, watching this video wasn't particularly difficult for me ;)

[@dfgaJK]

what you don't know can't hurt you... right? No?? 💥

[@ALPHA-zx5ep]

@@dfgaJK right

[@thomasstuart2936]

The moment he started talking about getting in a hurry, I started writing the root cause report in my head.

[@tequilachef]

As kind of a collegue of yours from abroad you are absolutely right. To add the one thing tha bothered me most: Extracting the casting tools was really hard to watch. There is an IMMENSE mechanical stress on the propellant in terms of friction, and that could have easily gone off directly next to your face. These kinds of operations MUST be done remote-controlled, especially at the size we're talking about here. There has been more then one deadly accident in the industry at this very step...

[@truegret7778]

Well done, guys! I had commented on a prior video about using a wagon wheel design we used long ago, 56" diameter 25-30' long, and we had to use 2 forklifts with everyone finding a place on the forklift to try and pull out the forms. All 12 of them. We used pressurized LOx (from pressurized helium) as the oxidizer, and polybutadiene+carbon as the fuel. Your work here brought back memories as this was in the mid-1980's. Thanks! Great job.

[@wouldntyaliktono]

When I was a senior in high school my chemistry teacher decided to sponsor our student rocketry club. He was one of these old-timers who wasn't fazed by much, and just wanted us to have fun learning. And he let us do all sorts of cool stuff with static thrust tests and airframe designs, and casting our own Sugar/KNO3 motors. But the whole club had shut down when we blew our test stand (a tree stump) in half because of voids in the propellant grain.

[@bbrockert]

One more nuance to the propellant making legality: in the US, transporting a live motor on the road and transporting a motor across state lines can expose you to new and exciting regulation like the DOT and rules around interstate commerce. If possible, making the rocket at your launch site can dramatically simplify the legal framework.

[@wgoulding]

This is correct. You have to do a bunch of paperwork to do it. And have licenses and such from the ATF (which is actually now the AFT&E, the E being explosives. Yes, solid propellant is classified as an explosive).

[@jimurrata6785]

Even a LEUP doesn't mean you can transport across state lines.

[@phoenix2068]

When I was an intern for ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) they used TDI (Toluene Di-Isocyanate) as the curing agent and was treated the most carefully out of all the chemicals. It reacts violently with moisture to solidify so if you inhale it it solidifies in your lung and windpipe. (So yeah pretty bad) Tho it can be neutralized using ammonia so everyone had a bottle of ammonia and water mixture (they called it Anti-TDI) and another intern there dropped the bottle and the whole room smelled rancid for a week, and the cleaning staff was not pleased.

[@theweblover007]

Are you still persuing rocketry or related stuff in India? (Fellow indian here)

[@phoenix2068]

@@theweblover007Well as lucky as I was getting that internship, my field of interest was in biochemistry and biotechnology so I'm pursuing further studies in those fields.

[@lukebaker1167]

OMG, tell me. Was that the legend himself I just saw!!!??? The one and only Rick Mascheck!!??? He has helped me A LOT, sometimes just talking. A wonderful man, oh and ur "little" project is absolutely brilliant, Luke & Charlie boy. (Tasmania!!!!)

[@r0cketplumber]

As part of the Rocket Test Group (a mutual aid society for rocket propulsion safety) I got a VIP tour of ATK's Promontory facility where they were making space shuttle SRBs. The major casting rooms had emergency escape slides that were in deadly earnest purpose, and frankly terrifyingly steep- and I'm a guy who has jumped out of planes, off a building, and flown aboard a rocket plane. I'll stick with my liquid rocket engines, thank you. We didn't have to manufacture our propellants and could reload them in just minutes, our team even flew the X-Racer seven times in one day.

[@wgoulding]

Yeah, other solid rocket motor facilities have walls that you can run though like the kool-aid man; so you don't have to get to an exit that might be blocked or crowded, you just have to run away.

[@peacekeeper9687]

One of the best videos you have uploaded. You can’t find anyone else who explains and literally shows how rocket fuel (APCP) is made in detail . 👏👏👏🙌🙌🙌👍👍👍🔥🔥🔥

[@wesselscreations]

Do you measure the containers after pouring to get the exact amount you actually used in the mix?

[@icannotfly]

weigh the container and material inside, then subtract the container and leftover material after pouring

[@BPSspace]

We did not but that is a phenomenal idea, thank you!

[@terben7339]

A good technique for weighing liquids is to pre-wet your container with the ingredient, drain it, tare it, and then add the amount you require. When you have added the ingredient to your mix, re-weigh the wet container to check that you have added the right amount.

[@LOFHOBL]

Your a good man making sure to go over safety as in depth and thoroughly as you did. It shows you care and understand the value of a life. Well raised young man right there. Parents did a good job. 👍

[@flare2000x]

Thank you for specifying the safety stuff and that this isn't a tutorial. Keep up the good work Joe and good luck.

[@Somerandom1922]

Side note, I just love that you keep saying "No, I'm definitely trying to scare you". Good idea :)

[@sweater7630]

in a pinch you can always add a little more plasticizer. A vibrator for concrete strapped to the outside of your motor tube will help get air bubbles out while you pour the mix glhf

[@dfgaJK]

2:13 Now that is some dedication to youtube content!! I bet the idea of drawing it by hand was a good idea when you started!

[@DEtchells]

I *love* these deep dive videos! As you’ve emphasized, they don’t provide nearly enough info to replicate what you’re doing, but they lay out the important issues including a lot of non-obvious ones and *point you in the right direction*! I doubt I’ll ever actually make a rocket motor (but who knows?), but I *LOVE* learning about how it’s dine! Fantastic(!!) content! 👍👍😃

[@Thomas-lv9se]

Such an interesting video! No intent of building such a rocket (+ it's highly illegal where I live) but just watching you do it is amazing!

[@patchvonbraun]

I'll note that space-shuttle SRBs are made with PBAN as the binder, because it cures a LOT slower than HTPB. They could literally commence a pour on Friday, have the booster sit over the weekend, and then continue the pour on Monday. PBAN is also marginally cheaper.

[@AIM54A]

I made some composite motors using PBAN back around 2001 and I recall the mix being much more a pain to work with then HTPB was.

[@kirahund6711]

They used PBAN for several reasons. The space shuttle was designed in the seventies, and PBAN propellants were standard during that timeframe. Price and availability was another factor. Polyurethanes can be tailored to all kinds of curing reaction speeds, but considering the sheer size of the cast segments it was much safer to use other cure mechanisms, since traces of moisture creates gas bubbles in polyurethanes and exothermic cure reactions might cause problems during casting such big grains. And the main reason PBAN was chosen wa sits mechanical properties. There is a lot of stress on the propellant grains due to the sheer size, especially once it burns. The PBAN propellant was more durable in that regard.

[@leadf00t]

Thank you so much for this. I'm living vicariously through your adventure. Maybe someday I move my pursuits closer to aerospace!

[@meh.7539]

+1 for the safety content. I wouldn't have known about this had it not been for you telling me about the chemical hazards. Always always always warn people. Thank you.

[@sthoward48]

Totaly Enjoyable, pleasant voice, an, no background Crap..........Tks 4 That......

[@simonabunker]

Cooking with Joey B is a lot darker than last time I watched it!

[@johnchristopherrobert1839]

Respect for the materials and the process will save your life. Fear will get you hurt or dead. If you’re afraid walk a way.

[@jeff4kingable]

You're good at this. It's a pleasure to watch your videos and watch your progression... You wouldn't have been doing this 5 years ago!

[@Aerospacechannel]

The fact this man can put togther such high quality videos about rockets blows my mind. All the other rocket channels are most certainly not as well designed. So, do you have any tips for a small channel? Thanks.

[@mwebb-01]

Very cool.. Next time for that propellet to be extracted, you could fab lid for one end to attach an air nozzle and use air to force the propellent out with that. Just another way you could explore. I enjoyed this content you are a good speaker.

[@rustywidget4813]

Thank you for being so serious about safety in this video!!

[@Splarkszter]

Thank you for all the safety and tiny bits of cool information. This video was very entertaining to watch.

[@jimseibyl5140]

Great breakdown on the procedure, easy to follow along and entertaining for those that have made ACPC.

[@davidjeff2536]

Not even 3 minutes into the video and have already genuinely laughed out loud twice. I needed that.

[@Timo_Adventures]

you need one of those cement vibrator tools that helps pack the material down and get rid of bubbles

[@trunksu2544]

Thoroughly enjoying this series, and I look forward to the next episode. Keep up the great work!

[@thomasstuart2936]

There is also the NFPA standard 1125 - Code for the Manufacture of model Rocket and High-Power Rocket Motors

[@everyusernameistakenalread8298]

This series is awesome most of the time I have no idea what your talking about but its still interesting to watch. Reminds me of my youth making rocket engines from sugar and potassium nitrate mixtures... still surprised we never blew our self's up pounding those mixtures into cardboard tubes with dowels and hammers. The good ol' days before KZbin. 🚀👍

[@t.b.a.r.r.o.]

We used on of these flavors to make thermal lithium batteries. A couple times during the first year or so of running the presses to make the powder into pellets we had flash fire events. A pound of two of powder would go off during those events. It was always over in less then a second. No bang. Not even much of a sound at all. But melted belts on the machine were pretty much SOP after a flash. No one was ever hurt and luckily we eventually figured out what was initiating the fires.

[@jaredknapp8886]

Love your content. Wish i had some cool stickers or a tshirt. Next payday. Esoteric rocket science is tragically underrated and super cool. Wish you the best.

[@diveflyfish]

Perhaps one idea for vacuum expansion issues, you may consider to have an intermediary vacuum vessel between the mix vessel and the Vacuum pump! This way any inadvertent material would flow into the secondary vessel as a safety measure.

[@OkammakO]

Those are called 'catch pots' or 'resin traps'. Very useful indeed! However i'm a bit unsure if they'd even want to mess with it in this specific situation, because it being used means APCP all over the inside of the lid and in the tubing. Better than inside the vacuum pump, for certain, but still a pain in the rear.

[@jgroverman]

It was great meeting you at the Evolution space event Joe and discussing this motor! This was a great video, looking forward to following along. I wouldn’t underestimate the poor mixing you achieved with that dough hook and it’s affect on the propellant’s rheology. I’m sure you’ll get your propellant and processing dialed in, but reach out out if you want additional thoughts, as this is in my wheel house. Cheers.

[@LaunchRecap]

This is so inspiring. I can’t wait for the day I do this! Love the vids man. keep it up ❤

[@Billybobble1]

I postponed watching this because I thought it would be somewhat boring, wow how wrong was I! Super-interesting video and the level of details you add is sublime. I particularly appreciate your safety advice, it's exceptional content. Also, when you whispered, I had a proper lol. Top stuff!

[@bennyfactor]

In pasta making, the way you account for all the vagaries of temperature, humidity, density, etc, is to use weight (mass) instead of volume measurements, even though the latter are far more common, even in rocketry apparently. Just a thought.

[@perodactyl490]

I love the sense of humor this person has.

[@MrGerhardGrobler]

Great video; will show it to my students in my STEAM workshops. You have inspired many young students here in South Africa. Thank you very much. Many years ago my late brother helped a young student do a project for his young scientist entry. Regarding the effect of the grain size of the propellant components on burn tempo. So yes. Progressive, regressive solid motors. Safety. Many people complain that I am to strict. But after 19 years manufacturing propellant, I am opsessed with rules and regulations. As someone who had to jump through hoops to get a licence to manufacture rocket propellant. Watching Americans willy nilly build rocket motors makes my eyes water. Great video. Glad you mentioned that checking the local laws regarding the manufacture of propellants is essential. Doing so in South Africa will send you to jail.

[@davidkohler7454]

It is STEM not Steam, Art has no part in this equation. Because the weirdos have taken it too far.

[@MrGerhardGrobler]

@@davidkohler7454 Art, is the creative aspect of engineering. I see it, therefore I can make it. Imagination has been a crucial part in engineering breakthroughs. So I think Art in S.T.E.M. has its place. Once I though about how I had to visualize the construction in my mind to create the result I wanted. It made sense. How do you make an engineering drawing? or a blue print?

[@silence9042]

Guys, i am really happy meet you, because i have a hobby - this is space. Most interesting, this is i learn english, because i want to move to US and there study space theme. You are can to make everything, i belive you. DO IT!

[@elmar_wermuth]

Really cool and interesting video. I appreciate that you explain all the safety measures in such great details! Better safe than sorry 😅

[@ecsciguy79]

Sweet! Now I know how to make a rocket motor. New plans for this weekend!

[@TheBikerEngineer]

Additional safety points when handling energetic materials. High humidity keeps the chance of static build up in the air to a minimum, preferably above 60% if the materials are sensitive. Another is the use of cotton clothing and NOMEX overalls. These will reduce static build up on yourself and also if a fire or flash does happen it should provide enough protection for short duration events and or enough time to get to safety.

[@ambulocetusnatans]

I learned everything I need to know from this video. I learned that there is no way I am going to ever do anything like this, and that's all I need to know.

[@davidstewart5811]

Outstanding presentation. You clearly know what you are doing.

[@ericblenner-hassett3945]

As a Baker, when you only have a dough hook, put all dry in first and add the liquids in slowly. In your case, make sure that any " Grinding " of the dry ingredients will not ignite the mix as you are adding in the liquids, curing agent last.

[@MrGerhardGrobler]

Ammonium perchlorate is a bit impact sensitive, if I remember correctly. I use potassium nitrate. Not as potent, but it works. Richard Nekka Epoxy

[@Argosh]

That approach with APC will lead to a large hole in the ground.

[@SparkRocketLab]

Bad idea. If you atomize AP or metals in the air it's an explosion hazard. You always mix liquids (minus binder) first then particulates, wetting out each as you go. It's a risk mitigation thing.

[@Argosh]

@@SparkRocketLab "risk mitigation" is such a bland word for avoiding blowing up the entire building you're in.

[@ericblenner-hassett3945]

@@SparkRocketLab If you go slow enough ( or had a paddle so you could avoid dry first with some liquids ) you end up with a putty like mixture and I did mention the potential of it igniting on it's own. I admit I don't make my own rocket engines or mix such chemicals, I am a baker. With a Dough Hook, you get the dry to incorporate smoothly with the reverse of how you mix with a paddle. All precautions should be taken as the ingredients can potentially use the Aluminum Dough Hook as yet another fuel for ignition.

[@plasmaman9592]

Thanks for the info! I have never done anything like this before but you gave me enough info to play around on a small scale. I know how to be safe for the most part. I think some backyard testing would be fun. I think a rocket motor with no nozzle would be more entertaining to watch at a distance. Got to be careful what materials the case is made out of to not brake any laws.

[@Gunsandscience]

As a person who’s currently studying chemistry it’s funny to hear people attempt to pronounce these names 😂 but this video has great info it gives us an understanding how chemistry is not just used for medicine but also can help with other industries great video man.

[@sorte18]

Joe, if I may share an idea.... Put the whole rocket inside a larger cylinder sealed at the base, pour the propellant into the mold up to (say) a quarter of the height, and then vacuum it. Add another quarter, vacuum again. Pour a little, vacuum again. The advantages are that you vacuum in place after pouring a more liquid mixture, and progressive / repetitive vacuuming makes the column homogeneous. Good luck!

[@Acrophobia2]

This was a cool episode of cooking with Joe!

[@sunlight3542]

Really enjoying this series. Id imagine those ingredients are pretty hard to come by

[@ajoulethief7751]

your videos are so well produced everytime i see a new one it makes my day

[@cephalos81]

One pointer I would like to input. During preparation, to deal with clumpy-ness, and for the sake of my OCD tendencies, I tend to do fine powder for every solid, I use my finest sifter for all solids. If it is not powder sugar small I keep going. The extra time to truly refine your initial solid ingredients cascades into time saved throughout the whole process, always take your solids to their smallest possible surface area. Unless the conditions require specific surface areas (mainly when making nano particles) I always go to smallest size possible SPECIALLY THE ALUMINIUM which should be stirred constantly into the mixture while a shaker attached to the mixer rotor evenly pours. Then you can call you aluminized mixture acceptably stable.

[@CaseyDoranWritesCode]

12:00 babish 🤝 bps mise en place

[@DKofDAH]

Do you know what type of of pen he uses?

[@blazingskulls]

Earlier thumbnail was better imo cause it showed two people working so tends to be better content when more than 1 person. Just some input. Amazing video as always

[@blechnik]

very nice work on the safety stuff during the mixing! only thing that worries me is the demoulding/ removing of the core.... i was told, that APC can be very sensitive to impacts, so even if there would be a tiny bit between the main core and the fin part, that could have ignited! knocking the core out like you did, every professional would have gone running! in a company building similar motors, the de-moulding is done in a safety room using hydraulic actuators which are manually operated from outside the room

[@Simple_But_Expensive]

What about casting the finocyl section separately? Also, mandrel removal would be easier if it had a very slight taper.

[@BreakingTaps]

Instructions unclear, my cookies exploded in the oven. 😅 I know cutting it in half probably wasn't anything to worry about regarding sparks/accidental ignition, but sure felt like it would have been scary regardless! Even though I'll probably never make my own rocket propellant, was a really interesting video! Can't wait to see the next one

[@Jamesfreezy]

Loving this series so much thank you for these 😍🥰

[@davidhilsabeck]

AP has to be screened right before mixing. It will clump while you look at it. In pyro (not rocketry), we push all chemicals through screens with small mesh sizes before mixing through courser mesh screens.

[@SixOThree]

I love that workbench.

[@jimurrata6785]

Id like to suggest that you get a fully integrated face shield with forced air respirator. Positive pressure eliminates any chance of fumes or dust getting past the mask and prevents fogging of the face shield. Check the ANSI # to make sure the lens will offer protection, but usually these things are rated for grinder discs exploding. Ask around at your local auto body supply.

[@thecelt4807]

for packing and avoiding voids you can try a concrete vibrator tool or some such similar , that will get rid of voids , just need one that suits the scale at which your working with

[@Imaboss8ball]

Hey since you are making your solid motors i wonder if you could try using emf to throttle them. Fire is a plasma and plasmas can be manipulated by emf. Meaning that you can dynamically adjust the burn rate using emf. It might even be possible to turn it off. There are multiple ways this can be done. One paper they added ferromagnetic materials to the propellant. Might be fun to try for your smaller rockets.

[@valentin4324]

Im gonna follow this video step by step.

[@Whytho2000]

That stuff is so crazy. I hear that they have XRay buildings for inspecting motor quality when using solid rockets that are ginormous. Imagine that an entire building thats just an xray machine. Freaking awesome stuff. Also reallllllly sad I didnt get to see you light that puppy up this episode.

[@wgoulding]

This is correct.

[@Cykotiq]

00:38 silly Joe! it's pointy end UP flamey end DOWN!

[@haph2087]

Always remember the way things go! For cars, it's shiny side up, rubber side down.

[@theelectricwalrus]

I love these videos. If it's worth doing, it's worth filming well!

[@WX4CB]

more to the point.. if it's possible it might blow you, it's worth filming :D seriously though glad nothing happened but always concerns me when they admit they dont have the right tools and they go anyway....

[@КонстантинС-р1г]

u can add some acetone to improove flow, or apply vacuum and then add acetone + curing agent and mix manually.

[@robe4314]

Wouldn’t cutting down that mixing paddle sit it fits have worked?

[@jimurrata6785]

Or getting a bowl of the proper depth, since the paddle came with the mixer.... If Joe wants _real_ excitement he could try grinding and milling the paddle down into more atomized Al for his propellant! 💡 😆

[@vasssila1807]

This content is fire. Thank you, keep pushing

[@TDOBrandano]

A trick I have seen people use to remove voids when pouring concrete was to vibrate the mold with a sawzall. Though maybe it's better to find a brushless one when working with volatile stuff? then again, I doubt the mixer motor brushes were shielded.

[@neomone1989]

Correct, standard practice when pouring these sort of things commercially is to pour under vacuum and have some ability to vibrate the casing.

[@inconsisstence]

YESS this has to be my favorite project yet. love the others a lot though...

[@bryanne274]

I have no clue why I landed here, I'm no chemist but this video definitely had some thoughts put in before being loaded. Kuddos and well done content.

[@threehammers2516]

That is a sweet Mill that Charlie has!

[@ClipSnacks]

I'd encourage you to try a different one. Some of the chemicals included, like the expensive binder premix and 200u AP, were selected based on the team's experience or chemical availability at the time and aren't the best choice with the knowledge we have now. Some aspects are still good for a starter formula, such as the moderate solids loading and amount of metal, but knowing what I do now I'd use tepanol instead of HX-752 and replace the 200u AP with a mixture of 400u and 90u.

[@blacter-c9o]

Thank you for the work done! What do you think of the idea? - Pour the fuel mixture (in viscous form) into the molding cylinder (shell), and then create a vacuum in it and leave it to dry.

[@asidesigner8542]

Thanks joe for sharing, love you to the Mars and back. It would be more helpful if you could add some price info, like prices of materials, parts etc... Keep up the good work

[@deepakjet-planesrobotic9788]

Wonderful presentation dear...love from India ❤🇮🇳👍👏

[@OrdinarilyOrdinaryGoose]

Thank you for letting me know how to manufacture high grade explosives!! (I will be using this information for amateur rocketry only 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁)

[@LasseMalmgren]

I see the Copenhagen Suborbitals sea launch poster on your wall +1 for that (i meet the guys at CS here in Denmark) Subscribed :)

[@SpacePotatoMan]

I'm a Space Potato from the future here to let you know that while Elon may be the one that got us to Mars it was Joey B that got us to Pluto

[@tygerbyrn]

Hello Space Potato.

[@silmarian]

Did we find a Mass Effect relay there? (Edited for autocorrect)

[@SpacePotatoMan]

@@silmarian I'm not permitted to say more in case I alter the timelines, but keep an eye on Pluto.

[@potatosalad68]

I'm a potato salad. May we be friends

[@SpacePotatoMan]

@@potatosalad68 in the future all potatoes put aside their differences and join together in camaraderie and starchy living

[@ksp-crafter5907]

Castor oil? 😲 There is literally vegetable oil in modern rocket propellants? How cool is that! 😃🚀

[@tarstunisianaerospaceandrocket]

Hi great video Try acoustic resonant mixing these type of mixing saves time and a lot of propellant

[@timaidley7801]

So the only way you can safely dispose of unwanted propellant is to cut it up to small enough sections that you can ignite them somewhere? An what would happen if for instance you couldn't get the steel former in the middle out? Would you not be able to saw it due to the spark risk?

[@Yelnats101]

found out early in this video that is not the recipe im looking for. also, i did watch the entire video. good stuff!!