Cheap and strong glue

[Pyrostar]

Hi

Because I roll al the tubes myself, I needed a very good and cheap glue.
And because my tubes are very thick ( 5,5cm in length, 10mm ID and 4mm thick walls) I need a lot of glue.
My tubes are so thick because I got my KClO4 and Al, and I need very strong tubes.

Yesterday, I made some dextrine, and touched it with the wet finger, I tried to smear it into a tissue paper,
and then I realized that it is a very sticky glue.

The materials you will need are:

Dextrin
Water
Measuring cup
An electric stirring machine
Spoon
A plasticjar to fill the glue in
A scale


1: Start measuring out 100ml of water and pou that into your plasticjar.
Then weigh out 50g of dextrine.
Pour the dextrine into the water while stirring the water fast. Add more and more dextrine to the water, not all at once.
If the paste gets thicker and thicker and caramell-brown, start stirring at the highest speed.
That will remove any lumps out of the paste.

Now you can start rolling, you need to use a brush to spread out the glue very thin.
If you take too much glue, it wont stick to the paper, resulting in a big mess.

If you do it right, your glue is very sticky and it will be very easy for you to roll your tubes.

It is very cheap and strong.
I rolled a 4mm thick walled tube, and it is rockhard, you can´t even crack with your hands, just with a plier, but that is very hard to do, too.


Pyrostar

[miech]

It sounds like a variation on weat paste. These kind of sacharid (sugar) based glues usually are rock hard, but brittle. Some insects tend to eat it too. To prevent it from rotting or being eaten you can mix paris green, arsenic compounds or virtually anything that kills organisms through it, as long as it aren't highly soluble salts. Some soluble or dehydrated salts extract water from the glue, rendering it useless.

Did you notice anything like the glued tubes decreasing in ID when the glue dries? I had that when I tried rolling tubes with weat paste, and I am wondering if a dextrine glued tube would do the same.

[Pyrostar]

HI

Hm, I didnt notice that.
And I did these minicacker blaf made, 4mm ID and 2mm thick walls, and they were rock hard, too.

I am rolling another batch of the tubes and will test them with my KClO4/Al flash powder.


I think they will be chest-thumping at 2,0g



Pyrostar

[Noge]

I also roll the tubes myself from cardboard.

I think the best way to close the tubes is with cardboard rounds
4 is enough and then seal with epoxy.

I made a cracker this way with 5 min epoxy and only 2hours later tested it.
It worked perfectly

[Pyrofanatic]

I think Wheat paste is verry cheap, and it is strong. Its also verry easy to make.
Search on the forum for the recept

Edited January 8, 2008 by Pyrofanatic

[icarus]

dextrine glue is very good but sodium silicate solution sometimes called waterglass sets harder and makes tubes almost fireproof the quickest solid seal for tubes must be bentonite powdered and rammed also called fullers earth and available as cat litter. For flash salutes the top end has to be glued saw dust and epoxi cement or plaster of paris/ dental plaster are all possibilities however if the salute isnt on a rocket header remember the end plug may fly like a bullet

[Pretty green flames]

For tubes i still find that simple PVA works best, wheat paste and dextrine might set a bit harder but after a while they go soft on you, i have here on my desk a tube I rolled a month ago, when I rolled it, it was hard as rock, today it's soft. I used dextrin glue which is hygroscopic. PVA is not hygroscopic and sets hard. Ain't to pricey also, 2€ for a 1 liter bucket, and it goes a LONG way.

[Underlord]

I really cant get it that cheap(PVA = woodglue ain't it?), but it does work better than anything. When it gets wet, it wont get too soft, its fire proof enough so it costs a bit more for me, but its well worth it.

[Pyrostar]

Hi

Yes, Polyvinylacetate (PVA) glue is very good, but is vey expensive here.
600ml costs around 7.60€.
But I stretch it with water in a 2/1 ratio.
It has so many advantages compared to wheat paste:

- If you roll the tube, the glue almost stick instantly to the paper, making it impossible to deroll the tube.
- If the tube is rolled, it is hard enough to getting discarded of the dowels without smashing the casing/ forming telescopic ends( wheatpaste-rolled tubes are very sloppy after 5min the tube is rolled)
- you can store PVA glue under all circumstances.
- It makes rockhard tubes in 4 hours

A very good information:

The paper from grocery sacks is the best paper for rolling tubes, it is medium-thick and it can´t be torn very easy. Also, it is for free,just go to your local supermarket and collect them, I get 200 of them in a month for free.
Cutting them into the desired size may be time consulting, but once you get it, it is very easy.


I made tubes which are totally not able to dent with a 0,5mm wall thickness.
Unbelieveable, but true.

So, I stick to PVA glue.

Pyrostar