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How to Make Fireworks: Stinger Missile Black Powder Rockets
Learn how to make fireworks stinger missile stickless black powder sky rockets using Skylighter stinger missile sky rocket firework tooling.
Materials Needed
How To Make Stinger Missile Sky Rockets
By Dan Williams
The name "stinger missile" seems to have become fairly common among
pyro hobbyists to refer
to the class of stickless sky rockets which are spin stabilized. This means that the
usual efforts to assure a predictable flight path of the sky rockets, which
include body fins or a stick, can all be dispensed with for stinger missile sky rockets.
Consequently, the spin stabilized stinger missile sky rockets are extremely easy to make. This
is what makes stinger missile sky rockets so much fun. The methods presented here closely follow those first
described by Warren Klofkorn some 10 years ago. His article appears in
"The Best of AFN II" on page 62 and has become the standard reference for
stinger missile sky rocket construction. A description of my personal experience with
his instructions and a few other innovations, hints and tips are included
here in the hope that they might make your stinger missile sky rocket making experience more enjoyable.
Firework tools are usually
the first consideration of any new pyro project. Since the firework tools for
stinger missile sky rockets is fairly simple, it doesn't cost much to buy it from
professional sources. I purchased a firework tool kit for the 3/4 inch stinger missile sky rockets
from Skylighter for the bargain price of $44.95 US. Shown in this picture,
a machined aluminum spindle is mounted in a ramming base and held in place
with a bolt through the bottom. The rammers consist of an aluminum rod
with a hole in it for pressing the black powder stinger missile sky rocket fuel around the spindle
and a solid one for pressing the stinger missile sky rocket fuel and delay composition above the
spindle.
This is a close-up
of the firework tool jig used to position the side vent hole in the stinger missile sky rocket body tube.
This hole is used to create tangential thrust that will cause the stinger missile sky rockets
to spin as they fly. The angular momentum of the spinning stinger missile sky rockets is what
stabilizes the sky rocket. This jig
helps to accurately position the stinger missile sky rocket vent hole to consistently achieve a good
spin. The desired location of this vent hole is just above the clay sky rocket nozzle
and in a direction that is at a tangent to the inside surface of the sky rocket tube.
This jig may look a little different
from the present Skylighter product, but the function is identical.
To adjust the firework tool jig
for the size of stinger missile sky rockets you plan to make, you must first loosen the two
screws until they allow the guide hole plate to slide relative to the
angle piece. First adjust the screws to be slightly snug so that the two firework tool jig
pieces aren't overly floppy, but will slide with a little effort.
Now get a piece of
stinger missile sky rocket tubing and hold it against the firework tool jig as shown. Place the 9/64 drill
bit (provided with the stinger missile sky rocket firework tool kit) in the guide hole and check the alignment as illustrated in the
picture. The drill bit should be positioned so that its side flutes are
even with the inside wall of the stinger missile sky rocket tube. If this verbal description is not
clear, just look at the picture. Now, if your alignment isn't correct, just slide the firework tool jig pieces until it
is, and then tighten the screws. This alignment will assure that, when
drilling the side vent hole for your stinger missile sky rocket, the drill bit will emerge at the right place
on the inside surface of the stinger missile sky rocket tube. With the vent hole aligned correctly,
you will achieve the best thrust angle to maximize spin and stability for your stinger missile sky rocket. Be
sure that your adjustment screws are in the same places in the two slots,
assuring that the two firework tool jig pieces are parallel to each other. Another good
tip to use at this point is to put a small piece of tape on the drill bit
to mark the proper depth of insertion into the stinger missile sky rocket guide hole. The proper
depth is also shown in the picture. If the drill bit is allowed to go any
further into the stinger missile sky rocket guide hole, it will begin to drill into the opposite wall
of the stinger missile sky rocket tube, causing undesirable weakening at that point. With this done,
the firework tool jig set up is complete and you're ready to get your hands dirty and
have some real pyro fun.
Construction of
the stinger missile sky rockets starts by preparing the sky rocket body tube. A typical 1 pound sky rocket
tube may be used. The Skylighter TU1068 is a good example. It measures 3/4
inch ID, 1-1/4 inch OD and 7-1/2 inches long. You can save money if
you buy the longer TU1065 from which you can cut as many as 9 stinger missile sky rocket
tubes. Either way, a stinger missile sky rocket tube must be cut to a length that depends on what
heading is planned for the payload of the stinger missile sky rockets. Cutting these heavy
stinger missile sky rocket tubes is best accomplished by using a table or radial arm saw because a
clean, square end is desirable for your stinger missile sky rockets. A length of 3 inches is typical for stinger missile sky rockets which contain some colored firework star composition for delay. Another option is to add a header
extension filled with firework stars and some burst composition. When this option
is chosen, the sky rocket body tube can be cut a little shorter, enabling three
stinger missile sky rockets to be made from a single 1 pound stinger missile sky rocket tube. The construction of
these headers will be covered later.
With the stinger missile sky rocket tube cut
to the desired length, it is placed over the spindle on the spindle base
and a carefully measured amount of nozzle clay is poured into the stinger missile rocket tube. A
small funnel of some sort, as shown on the floor in the picture, is very
helpful in accomplishing this. Klofkorn's original article advocated the
use of 4.3 cc of powdered Hawthorne Bond clay for the stinger missile sky rocket nozzle. I use
a 60%/40% mix of bentonite clay and kyanite treated with an additional 5% of
toilet seal wax dissolved in Coleman fuel. Instead of using a volume
measurement for the stinger missile sky rocket nozzle clay, I recommend that you use a weight
measurement so that a consistent stinger missile sky rocket nozzle length is achieved. The importance
of doing this will become evident shortly. Stay tuned. If you are not
using a hydraulic press, the stinger missile sky rocket nozzle clay is compacted by administering
about a dozen firm blows (this is called "ramming") with a mallet
of some sort, as shown in this
picture. Although a little bulge in the stinger missile sky rocket tube wall can be desirable
after ramming or pressing, be careful not to split the stinger missile sky rocket tube.
Before drilling
the side vent hole in the stinger missile sky rocket tube, a mark must be made on the outside of
the sky rocket tube to indicate where the top of the sky rocket nozzle is located. Start by
applying a piece of masking tape to the rammer so a mark can be easily
made on it. Then place the rammer in the stinger missile sky rocket tube until it seats against
the sky rocket nozzle. Now make a mark on the masking tape, as shown. Of course, if
you were really on the ball, you could do this right after you finished
ramming the stinger missile sky rocket nozzle clay, in the step above.
Next, remove the
rammer from the stinger missile sky rocket and hold it against the outside of the sky rocket tube with the mark you just
made even with the top of the sky rocket tube. Make a mark on the sky rocket tube at the
bottom of the rammer. This mark should now indicate where the top of the
stinger missile sky rocket nozzle is inside the skyrocket tube.
Now the stinger missile sky rocket tube is
held in the drilling firework tool jig, as shown. The guide hole should be located so
that the side vent hole will be drilled just above the stinger missile sky rockets nozzle. In case you
haven't figured it out, you should remove the sky rocket tube from the
firework tool spindle base before you drill the side vent hole.
Hold the stinger missile sky rocket tube in the drilling firework tool jig in one hand, properly positioned
as shown in this picture. Then the hole is slowly drilled with a
hand drill, taking care to firmly grip the stinger missile sky rocket tube in the firework tool jig so that it
doesn't move. Again, note the piece of tape on the drill bit, which
indicates the proper depth for the drill bit in the stinger missile sky rocket guide hole. Now pay
close attention. Here comes the nifty tip you've been waiting for. Once
the location of the top of the stinger missile sky rocket nozzle has been established, it should be
measured and preserved in your notebook. This measurement can be used in
all future stinger missile sky rockets with the assumption that it will always be accurate.
The assumption is a safe one to make if your stinger missile sky rocket nozzles are always made the
same way with exactly the same compression and same amount of clay. The
significance is that the side vent hole can be drilled before the stinger missile sky rocket nozzle
is rammed, eliminating the need to remove the stinger missile sky rocket tube from the firework tool spindle to
locate the top of the stinger missile sky rocket nozzle and drill the hole after sky rocket nozzle ramming. It's
a nice little time saver.
The stinger missile sky rocket vent hole can
be made more impervious to hot exhaust gasses by treating it
with a few drops of sodium silicate solution, as shown in this picture. An
eye dropper is used to put the silicate into the hole. A toothpick or
small nail is then used to spread it around in the hole and prevent
blockage or constriction of the hole. Some of my impatient pyro friends
skip this step to avoid waiting for the required 20 minutes for the
silicate to dry in the vent hole. Their stinger missile sky rockets still seem to fly just
fine, albeit possibly not quite as high.
This picture
illustrates the use of a typical sky rocket press to form the stinger missile sky rocket nozzle and load
the black powder fuel. When a hydraulic press is used instead of a
mallet, a reinforcing sleeve is a good idea to avoid deforming the stinger missile sky rocket
tube. Which ever method is used to load the black powder fuel, a little
scoop, as shown in the hand ramming picture above, is handy for measuring
out the black powder fuel for each pressed increment. I made mine by hot gluing the
bottom section of a film canister to a small garden marker stick. The
black powder fuel must be compacted in the stinger missile sky rocket tube in about 4 or 5
increments, each of which should be no longer than the inside diameter of
your stinger missile sky rockets tube. For the black powder fuel, I use the same milled meal
that I use to make a good lift powder. It contains willow charcoal to make
a very hot stinger missile sky rocket fuel. This fuel would be too hot for a standard 1 pound
sky rocket, but for stinger missile sky rockets it works very well because the stinger missile sky rockets core is
considerably shorter. I have notice, however, that in the case of the
larger 3 pound stinger missile sky rockets, my home-made black powder is a little too hot. I
experienced a few explosions immediately upon ignition until I cooled the
black powder fuel down a little with a few percent of mineral oil. As with most black
powder based sky rockets, you may need to experiment a little to dial in the
proper burn rate for your stinger missile sky rockets.
After the stinger missile sky rockets
have been charged with their black powder sky rocket propellant, some delay composition
should be loaded above it to allow the stinger missile sky rockets to reach their apogee.
Otherwise, your stinger missile sky rockets will activate their payloads at very low
altitudes because the actual thrust burn only lasts about 1 second. The following slow black powder composition is suggested as a safe and compatible delay element:
Potassium Nitrate
Charcoal
Dextrin
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45%
50%
5%
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The diagram at the left shows the
internal structure of the stinger missile sky rockets after a heading. There is nothing sacred about this particular way of making a
delay. A totally
different delay composition can be used for your stinger missile sky rockets. I am a little partial to some of
the glitter formulas, myself, such as Winokur #39.
Now we are ready
to talk about the various heading options for our stinger missile sky rockets. After all,
what's the point of making a stinger missile sky rocket that just spins as it flies if it
doesn't do something cool at the end of its flight? An easy firework shell header
with firework stars can be constructed using a 1-1/2 inch length of Kraft paper tube
whose inside dimension is 1-1/4 inches. This tube is glued to the stinger missile sky rockets tube with a
1/2 inch overlap. The expanded cavity now has more room to accommodate a
larger payload of firework stars and burst. The payload space needs to be filled
completely and firmly packed so that no asymmetries can be created when
the stinger missile sky rocket spins. The cavity can be closed in a variety of ways. A
typical end plug or cap will do the trick, but if you want to maximize
your payload space, a molded nose cone can be used. The nose cone shown in
the picture is molded from Kraft paper pulp bound with CMC binder. An
example of each of these header options is shown in the picture. Again,
whatever header is chosen, care must be taken to avoid asymmetries, or
your stinger missile sky rockets will wobble all over the sky.
Now a visco fuse piece is
added to the side vent hole. A 1/8 inch drill bit (1/64th smaller than the
one used to drill the hole in the stinger missile sky rocket tube to start with) is inserted into the
hole and twisted gently by hand to open a small cavity in the black powder
fuel grain. A glob of Meal D wetted with nitrocellulose lacquer is placed
on the end of a 3-inch length of visco fuse. The globbed end is inserted
into the stinger missile sky rocket vent hole as far as it will go. The nitrocellulose lacquer will dry shortly and
secure the visco fuse in place. I don't bother to bend it against the stinger missile sky rocket tube wall
and affix it with tape, as recommended by Klofkorn. This practice has
damaged the somewhat brittle visco fuse and has caused failure of ignition on
some of my stinger missile sky rockets. If you use a more flexible visco fuse, this may still be a
good idea to make the visco fuse more secure during storage and transport.
A little bit of
added stability at lift off can be achieved by gluing a custom
reinforcement to the business end of the stinger missile sky rockets. This is accomplished by
tracing a circle around a stinger missile sky rocket tube on a piece of strong tissue paper.
A notebook paper hole reinforcement is then glued to the center of the
circle. The circle is cut out and glued to the nozzle end of the stinger missile sky rocket
as shown in the picture. The launch spindle will be inserted through the
hole of the reinforcement at launch time. The reinforcement helps the
stinger missile sky rocket spin about its central axis without wobbling. Another possibility
I have seen used for this purpose is a standard paper end plug with a hole
punched in it. The end plug is not glued into place so it will easily be
blown out when the stinger missile sky rockets fly. These end plugs may usually be re-used a
few times before they become too badly charred.
The stinger
missile sky rockets require a custom launch pin to support them prior to launch and
during initial spin-up of the device. This can be as simple as a nail
driven through a good sized piece of wood to give your stinger missile sky rocket a solid footing
during launch. The last thing you want when your stinger missile sky rocket starts spinning is
for the launch stand to tip over and send an angry stinger missile sky rocket into
your terrified audience. The nail is rounded at the end by a file to
provide a good pivot point at the top of your stinger missile sky rockets core. This picture
shows a typical launch stand with two launch pins, one supporting a
finished stinger missile sky rocket ready for launch. A little decorative paper has been
added to give it a festive flair. All that remains is to light the visco fuse,
retire to a safe distance and feel the rush these marvelous little stinger missile sky rockets
give to their creator and his audience.
Tips and suggestions for further enhancements:
After a suggestion from Lindsay Greene, I tried adding 3%
of 40-200 mesh spherical titanium to the black powder stinger missile sky rocket fuel. It creates a
beautiful, cork screw trail of bright golden sparks as the stinger missile sky rockets
ascend. It is a very impressive effect with little extra effort. The
only drawback is that the titanium causes a little extra wear on your
firework tools and launch spindle.
You can also use this simple mix of black powder and titanium flake:
Meal D or homemade, ball-milled black powder 88
Flake titanium 12
Why do titanium flakes work so well? Flakes have edges. Edges take fire better than balls (spherical) or gravel (sponge). So the material burns more thoroughly, faster, and to my eye, brighter and richer.
Another possible time saver is to insert the visco fuse into the stinger missile sky rocket side vent hole before ramming the black powder. The black powder will compress
around the visco fuse and help secure it in place. Care should be taken not to
insert the visco fuse too far into your stinger missile sky rocket, however, or it might shorten the spin-up time
before the main stinger missile sky rocket core ignites and sends it skyward.
The launch spindle must be long enough to suspend the
stinger missile sky rocket above the launch base. If the bottom of the stinger missile sky rocket is touching
the wooden base, it will interfere with the stinger missile sky rocket's ability to spin on
the spindle.
An exciting recent innovation is to use flying fish fuse
in the stinger missile sky rocket header. A bundle of short lengths of flying fish fuse will ignite to
make a swarm of little wigglies all over the sky. One end of each flying fish fuse
is primed to aid ignition and the other end is coated to inhibit
ignition. This special flying fish fuse can be purchased from Skylighter.
To learn more about making sky rockets check out these projects:
"Sugar Sky Rockets"
"Black Powder Sky Rockets With Skylighter Firework Tools"
"Colored Sky Rockets"
"Sky Rocket Sticks"
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