Potassium Perchlorate - Sugar Power

[baucutt]

Does anyone know what the UK laws are on storage and useage of Potassium Perchlorate and Potassium Nitrate are for use in sugar powerd rockets.

Regards Phil.

[Rocket Doctor]

Contact Scotland Yards.

They probably have very stringent laws about chemical with all the stuff going on over there. Don't assume anything, check it out with the local authorities.

[baucutt]

I read somewhere that the laws were changing so that 5kg can be stored and used but this website wasn't dated. Ill see what I can find out.

[Cirrus]

Hi Phil;

UKRA are indeed working with the Health & Safety Executive to exempt some commercial motors from some storage and acquisition regulations - the current suggestion is that this would indeed be up to 5kg. However, it remains and will remain illegal to manufacture explosives in the form of motors except under very specific situations such as in educational establishments - and not by the pupils ;)

Cirrus

[mikerobe]

I read somewhere that the laws were changing so that 5kg can be stored and used but this website wasn't dated. Ill see what I can find out.

If you are thinking of making rocket motors in the UK then dont. It is illegal to make solid rocket motors. This would include and not be limited to :-


Potassium Perchlorate - Sucrose
Potassium Nitrate - Sucrose
Zinc - Sulphur
Ammonium Perchlorate - HTPB - Metal powders
Black Powder


It used to be an "act of manufacture" under the 1875 Explosives act. It is now the Manufacture and Storage of Explosives Regulations or MSER. There are changes afoot to MSER which will change the legal requirements for the Acquisition and Storage of Explosives but these changes will not change the illegality of making explosives in the UK.

In reference to the earlier poster as to why it may be illegal it isnt any recent thing it has been since 1875. Obviously things are a tad more sensitive these days.

There is an exemption in the legislation for making very small quantities for demonstration purposes (i.e. in chemistry lessons at schools and colleges). However it is *small* quantities and must serve "no useful purpose" . This means it must be mixed and ignited without being used to do any thing other than go whoosh. Try and demonstrate a motor or bang or constrain it and it becomes a useful purpose and you are back with an "act of manufacture"

To summarise :- Solid Motors = NO

Now hybrid motors.....

If you are in the UK and into rockets check out the UKRA website http://www.ukra.org.uk/ find a local club and come along to a launch. Theres a lot of fun to be had and stuff to learn despite the limitation of not being able to make solid motors.

Mike 8-{>

[Rocket Doctor]

The World has certianly changed since the 1800's, just DON'T DO IT, be safe and don't get hassled and possibly jailed and fined, it's not worth it.

[baucutt]

Ok, so can you give a little explaination on hybrid motors, what are they? whats the differences? and what sort of sizes are we looking at?

[Cirrus]

Hybrid motors are generally those using solid fuels with a liquid oxidiser - such as a plastic fuel grain and a Nitrous Oxide oxidiser. As both components are stable and not easily combustible under normal circumstances the manufacture and use of hybrids in the UK is not covered by the various explosives regulations.

There are D-ish class hybrid motors available in the UK such as the MicroHybrid (http://www.eclipserocketry.co.uk/) all the way up to M class and beyond if your wallet will stretch to it ;)

A good place to start would be to join UKRA (http://www.ukra.org.uk) and raise your question on the forums there, and when flying season comes around again make your way to a local club launch and see how it all works. I wouldn't recommend anyone just jump in and start making motors as people do tend to take a dim view of this sort this thing legal or not - and even with hybrids there is some risk of irreversible effects