So, per Becky's idea, here are a few shots of bits of what I have been tinkering with.
This is a tumbler that I modified to turn at a proper turn rate for milling fuel components together. A barrel with lead balls sets on it and turns grinding chems together to form different compounds.
There are many types of fuel. This is a grain of a fuel that uses sugar and an oxidizer mixed with a catalyst. the catalyst is iron oxide like used to make bricks hence the color.
The PVC housings need a nozzle to maximize the thrust of the fuel. Here are some bits I made for casting the nozzle with the proper convergence and divergence angles. I can use different brass tubing to adjust the throat size. The tool also inserts a set of epoxied washers in the throat area to prevent blast erosion.
The sugar fuel is made in a non stick temperature controlled skillet. It turns to a hot liquid like when making candy and can be cast or formed into many shapes. There is much that goes into how different motors burn but one type of fuel grain is called a BATES grain
. In the skillet are casting molds to produce grains with different center sizes that fit 1/2" PVC motor housings.
The milled chems are powdered and get rammed into a tube instead of cast. These tools allow one to pack a motor. They will form the nozzle out of bentonite clay and make a solid fuel grain with a core up the center.
On the end of the above picture you see an aluminum square thing. It is an unfinished tube extender, ram guide, and funnel when I am done.
