On Wed, 27 Sep 2006 10:27:20 -0700, krackula <krackula@i.am> wrote:

while I'm at it .............

herze a nify " tension " breaker and  fun way to generate a little
innocent  excitement.  ( not that I have actually done this .....
just a  humorous antidote  h ahaha  ) 

you know those  handy and useful  37mm marine rocket flares ???
http://www.auctionarms.com/search/displayitem.cfm?itemnum=7640576&aa=%20%20%2010%20PAINS%20WESSEX%20MK-3%20PARACHUTE%20ROCKETS/FLARES

the ones that anyone , anywhere .... over the age of 18 .. can buy ???

well , besides being an important emergency tool if you break down or
get stranded out in the desert outback  ( where many of us spend the
bulk of our time )  they can   easily be modified for entertainment ,
if desired ,  as well.   

you can open them up ( remove the top cap and then the thin foil seal
) and lift and remove the aluminum " rocket " module from them.
remove the seal on top of the rocket body and lift out the  "  flare "
module  along with the chute assembly.  remove the " flare " pod from
the  chute and sit aside the  flare pod.   get a large sheet of
aluminized mylar and a small jar of contact glue and cut and glue
together a VERY large  construction that would resemble a  whacko and
complex shaped mylar radar reflector target ( often used on small
water craft on the ocean  ) ... but much larger and with many more
reflective surfaces.  then attach the chute to some edge of the
construction. 

http://www.ussailing.org/safety/Studies/radar_reflector_test.htm#The%20Reflectors%20Tested


place a thin cardboard circle on top of the " expulsion charge " in
the top of the remaining rocket body / motor  , fold up and compact
the mylar  ..... then fold and stuff in the mylar construction and
finally the chute on top of the cardboard disk .
( a large mylar construction will compact and fold to  surprisingly
small size . often the chute being larger when stuffed ! )  put the
rocket back in the  launcher tube and replace the red plastic cap (
don't worry about the  seals etc.   ... only needed on the high seas )

there you have it  !!!  this puppy will soar to between 1500'  and
2000 '  , more like 2000 because it is now  much lighter than when it
had the flare payload  . 

I'll leave it to you to decide where  or when to use this
entertainment / excitement generator ......    have phun .....
and , above all , be careful !  ( and don't be stupid !!  )


k...........  


also ........ if you don't want to use the chute ........ or for a
different impact or effect ........ instead of stuffing the  whacky
reflector / chute on top of the disk ....... shred a " ton " 
( nearly a bushel or more ) of that same aluminized mylar
and stuff ( and stuff and stuff ) the chards  ( chaff )  on top, in
place of the chute / target instead.  "  THIS " approach will
give an entirely DIFFERENT effect than the other one ! 
( hole instead of UFO  effect )  

oddly enough ... either one of THESE  are possibly MORE effective than
the normal   emergency parachute flare at attracting attention or
drawing help to you in an emergency situation. often times the flare
might be ignored or remain unseen , but in " certain '  locations (
Miso  , Dave  ha haha )  the   mylar chaff or reflector will bring
attention VERY quickly !   if you get sick or  have a mechanical 
breakdown , these have a practical side too. 

thanks,  slickone ,  for the useful info.   got a email from another
person using the rocket flare  phun  (  I didn't invent this, 
just saw others doing it and learned to do it myself but applied it to
a slightly different venue than usually seen for it  )  

slickone says you can go to those party  stores  ( the ones that rent
/  sell party supplies ) and buy a nice big  bag of pretty colored
mylar confetti for less than a couple of bucks.  this " mylar "
confetti works much better than making your own and a bag will fill
several rocket flares.  he says he has also seen aluminum foil
confetti as well but not tried it yet !  smaller confetti stays up
longer and can even rise, instead of fall,  on air currents on hot
days. 

he also says that the confetti rockets  are a great alternative to
those  burning flares during ( day time )  holiday celebrations as
they look kewl and do not pose the  dry brush fire hazard of the 
standard burning flares.  it's not kewl , tho, to use them near 
any airport  ( must be miles away ) or anytime those police
helicopters are hang'in around !  ( ?? huh ) . 

and ..... buying the rockets in 10s or 12s , on the web ,
 is MUCH less expensive than the $39 - $59   " each " ( for a Pains -
Wessex ) as seen  in the marine supply stores in  coastal areas.
( expired ones are still great bargains and always work just fine )  
 
thanks for your nice input slickone , I appreciate it and will add all
your great  info to my  phun library.


k



btw:  hey slickone !!! ..... write me and let me know if you know
where a person can get any of those ( huge ) " line  throwing " rocket
motors used on large boats when they dock.   I'm looking for " expired
" ones and don't want to pay the  $150 ( and up )  that the new ones
cost.  saw some on AA a couple years back for $25 each , but none
recently. thanks 

ie:
http://www.reveresupply.com/pyro/images/large/speedline-storage-l.jpg