This is a followup to my question about tellurium copper. I don't want to mess with toxic materials.(I realize that copper can be toxic) The tellurium copper is also hugely expensive.
I Want to build a small copper rocket chamber. The nature of the beast is such that I will probably have to build several as it is easy to make an error and burn one up on the test stand.
I've been working with some local rocket people. (Most notably the Flometrics/SDSU rocekt team) and I've been bitten by the rocket bug.
A number of amateurs have successfully built and tested small biprop rocket motors. Very few people have succesfully bult small motors that are regenerativly cooled.
Any one that has been following the armadillo aerospace sage as they've tried to build a small regen motor out of aluminium willrelize that is a difficult endevour. They have gotten very close, but not quite succedded.
The problem with aluminum is that is rapidly looses it's strength when heated. It also has less than half the thermal conductivity of copper.
Thus it's clear to me that the chamber needs to be made of copper.
The aproximate shape of what I want to machine looks a lot like
This is a personal project, not a business proposition so time is not a huge issue.
I was planning to do most of the work on a Lathe and then move the chamber over to my CNC Taig mill with a 4th axis to cut the slots.
Is this possible?
If so what tooling/methods would you reccomend to machine copper?