Ejection Charge

Has anyone ever heard of or considered the possibility of using Sodium Azide as an ejection charge? This is the explosive used in airbags. According to my reading it only requires an electric current to react extremely violently and give off a whole bunch of nitrogen.

Just a note: If this is new to you and you are thinking "let's give it a whirl" read up. Apparently it can be very poisonous (along the lines of sodium cyanide)

A
Reply to
Al Gloer
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You're right about the poisonous bit. It's also, I believe, way too sensitive for me to feel comfortable handling it, and you would need a high explosive user permit to buy any.

-dave w

Reply to
David Weinshenker

I was not aware you needed a permit. Some of my reading said it was also used in agriculture as a rat poison.

Twitchy, yes. The idea sprang from the fact that most of us drive to and from work with a small amount about a foot from their chest. I have pillar and curta> >

Reply to
Al Gloer

I think it is kinda gruesome but some folks report good results making parachute protectors out of air bag material. you can find plenty of popped bags at the auto parts recyclers.

my new car has 6 airbags. I sure wish it had 4 or 5 point belts too!!

Reply to
Cliff Sojourner

I suspect that for such use, it's distributed in a diluted form (as in rat bait pellets spiked with something like a percent or so of the stuff) to mitigate the risk of explosion. (The remains of the rats are easier to rem

Yep, and it's all in special sealed premanufactured charges down inside the "canned" single-use airbag assembly... not something I'd want to use directly as ejection powder, that's for sure...

-dave w

Reply to
David Weinshenker

Yeah really... I especially hate the "inertia reel" style belts... if I can't cinch it up comfortably, I feel weird (like my shoelaces were tied wrong)...

-dave w

Reply to
David Weinshenker

--- oops --- premature send, there... I was going to say:

"... easier to remove if they are just poisoned in one piece instead of dispersed as rat shrapnel.)"

-dw

Reply to
David Weinshenker

TRW on the other end of town seems to take out a few employees every couple of years. Last one I remember they were working on a dust hood and sparks set off the dust inside the hood. Good luck playing with it.

Joel. phx

Reply to
Joel Corwith

After reading that the stuff could kill you if you mixed it with:

Water Alcohol Other metals Air Vacuum etc.

Reply to
Al Gloer

Reply to
Al Gloer

Cinderella story,.... Came out of nowhere....

Reply to
Joel Corwith

Where would the electric current come from?

Reply to
Kurt Weber

Same place we get it for other methods? One wild variable is how much current is required. I realize that a car battery has several hundred amps available, however, I wonder if there is an auxiliary source in automobile applications as is an accident the 12V power might be disrupted before the charge fires. I wonder if a capacitor could store enough energy,,, I know one source that could: a Polapulse battery. I've vaporized a paperclip with those.

Aside from curiosity, the other thing that piqued my interest was the difficulty I am having in locating ffffg.

A

Reply to
Al Gloer

I've got your MA-16 right here, buddy.

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-Fred Shecter NAR 20117

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Reply to
Fred Shecter

"It's in the hole!"

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A true cinematic viewing extravaganza :)

Perfect timing as I'll be doing loops for my bud this weekend in a tourney.

Ted 'no bare feet' Novak TRA#5512

Reply to
the notorious t-e-d

It could; however, you'd still have to have some way of preventing it from discharging until you're ready to set off the charge. And, of course, if it's an electrolytic capacitor you have to make sure you don't wire it up backwards; otherwise, it (a) won't work and (b) might explode.

Carrying batteries up isn't too bright an idea, either--when something goes horribly wrong, I don't think I want battery guts raining down on me. And you still have the problem of switching the current on at the precise instant you want it to.

Reply to
Kurt Weber

difficulty I am having in locating ffffg.

go to a gun store that sells lots of real guns , and flint locks and stuff. what state are you in that BP is real hard to find ?

BP is almost a right, some states try to limit.

Reply to
almax

I live in Connecticut. I've been to about a dozen firearms stores. - they all sell Pyrodex, smokeless, and several sell fffg. Each tell me that the explosives permit they need to keep ffffg on hand is not worth the volume of sales.

Reply to
Al Gloer

3F is fine. I've used both, no special treatment and no noticeable difference in the results.
Reply to
RayDunakin

Great! Last thing I wanted to do was trash a $300 rocket because I had something so simple as the wrong grade of BP for a proper ejection.

Reply to
Al Gloer

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