Ping Pong Ball

Most ping-pong balls (especially ones from China) are made of nitro-cellulose (AKA gun cotton.) Cut one up and light it some time, you'll get an idea of how vigorously it burns.

Ping pong ball lacquer is simply ping pong balls dissolved is a solvent; either acetone or MEK, I don't recall off hand which. Anyway, dissolve them down into a nice thin goo and it makes a great binder for ignites. I think someone mentioned mixing crushed sparklers in with it. Mix it up, dip your bridge wire in it, let it dry, and it'll go fzzzt fairly well.

I suspect that the real pyros have other uses for it as well.

Mark E. Hamilton NAR #48641-SR

I make my with acetone. Awesome binder for igniters.

Ted Novak TRA#5512 IEAS#75

Use acetone for fast drying solvent, but if you need more time to work with it (for whatever reason) use lacquer thinner because it dries slower than acetone.

Well they say ping pong balls are made of nitrocellouse or something, probably cellouid type plastic (alot of early Fender pickguard is also made of this material). What they use for it is some kind of binder for igniter materials because it burns well. You can also use deft or parks lacquer as well because they are also nitrocellouse (if you dont want to buy ping pong balls for that purpose or needs a clear NC lacquer rather than a white or yellow one)

Lacquer thinner works well too. Use a bottle you can get a pliers around to twist the lid as it glues stuff up pretty good.

The balls in the US have some sort of inhibitor to combustion in them so one really can't use it alone as a pyrogen. It is a good vehicle to add pyrogens to.

In 1974 at HORM III we had the all time ping pong ball event flowen, it was Ping Pong Ball spot landing and the rocket could carry any number of ball, it was a "D" engine event and everyones balls where ID'ed with a number. The one who got at lest one of their balls nearest the target spot won. We had birds that carried up to 6+ balls and they when everywhere.

Sounds fun, but a mess to clean up. Did you win?

~ Duane Phillips.

I couldn't fly, I was HOSTING the meet, Honolulu Open Rocket Meet which during the 70's I put on along with WARM over in Hawaii. Not only flying some odd ball events, but all under the SIAR banner too. At this one we had some 30 kids enter the meet and there was prizes from the major model rocket companys given away too. Each flyer had to pick up their balls before they got their 2nd flight. It was fun, the biggest bird carried 15 balls! kind of looked like a Titan 3C

Has such events as Goonybird PD, rockets had to be estes goonybirds, and one of them holds the all time record for most oddball landing happing.

It landed in the goft driving range and it came down on a ball on it's hitting stand just as a guy was swinging his club to hit the ball. Rocket was smashed, but it still took 2nd place.

Ouch!

I'd be real curious which park in Honolulu you folks flew in. From '72 to '82 I spent the month of Dec and part Jan in Maui but as you know, everyone lands in Honolulu. I swear I remember watching a launch at a park when I was about 7 or so.

Ted Novak TRA#5512 IEAS#75

I was expecting a "Sal and Richard" joke.

It was the park that's down at the end of Waikiki Beach area, kind of next door to the Honolulu Zoo and the Waikiki Shell, it's at the foot of DimondHead too. Now had to find, as it's really the only park there, has a line of pine trees that lines the Ocean side and keeps most flying stuff from there unless your a BoostGlider that gets carryed up and over on the tradewinds. The driving range is now gone.

Sounds like an event none of those young people will ever forget.

Very cool. Now I'm starting to think I might just have to do something like it...

Cheers!

How do they id their balls? Hope they don't use those metal stamps that you have to wack with a hammer. And only one ball near the target

- that's got to hurt too. 8-(

Phil

The probably lost points for having both balls near the target... ;-)

Sounds like Kapiolani Park.

Yep, that's the park, the old HonoRoc's used to lauch there during the 70's.