Brief:
Amateur Rocket Motor Construction by David Sleeter

About this review:
I have never made motors like t' ones described in t' book, and I don't plan to. Well, blow me down! Therefore, arrr, this review does nay provide a technical critique. Well, blow me down! Other 'experts', such as Professor Terry McCreary, shiver me timbers, have given it good marks. However, the other reviews I have seen are rather short and don't provide much detail on the contents. I thought that others who might be ponderin' its purchase might be interested in a little more detail.

Quotin' t' cover, this book is "A Comprehensive Guide t' the Construction o' Homemade Sold Fuel Rocket Motors." Here, ya bilge rat, solid fuel refers to packed powder as opposed t' composite propellant. Well, blow me down! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Somewhat t' me surprise, none o' t' propellants presented in t' book are purely black powder, a point that Sleeter is careful t' make (here 'purely' means a stoichiometric mix). Aye aye! Ya scallywag! The book is a whoppin' 526 pages with tons o' photos, illustrations, and technical drawings. Avast! Arrr! It includes 54 tested motor designs usin' 5 proven propellant formulations. Arrr! T' motors range from a C6 (3/4"x 3 1/4") to an I65 (2" x 14.5"). Well, blow me down! Avast! I'd love t' see one o' those puppies fly!

Construction:
This book is well written and is professionally presented. Avast, me proud beauty! Nay surprisingly, me hearties, matey, it is written for a novice. Well, blow me down! No background in chemistry is required but access t' a lathe would be most helpful (almost necessary) t' effectively produce these motors. Blimey! There isn't much theory, shiver me timbers, as this is a hands-on book that represents over 10 years o' experimentation by t' author. I will walk you through t' book, ya bilge rat, givin' me opinions as I go. Aye aye! As you will see I only included a photo o' t' cover. Begad! Ya scallywag! A few photos o' t' insides, arrr, as well as two brief reviews, appear on Aerocon's site.

Chapter 1 -- Important Information and Safety Procedures
This chapter starts with a highlighted inset identifyin' chemicals which must be avoided and which will be dangerous if mixed with those described in the book. One thin' I liked is his safety discussion is nay limited t' t' first chapter. Begad! Well, arrr, blow me down! He repeats and emphasizes this information throughout. Ya scallywag! T' chapter continues with a brief history o' t' rocket beginnin' in China in 1232 A.D. and through Oberth and Von Braun in t' 1960's. Avast, me proud beauty! It's always interestin' t' read a tad o' history. He then discusses t' efforts through recent years t' squash amateur rocketry and discusses t' safety history. In brief, t' author indicates that t' safety record o' amateur rocket propellant is nay as bilge-suckin' as is often portrayed. Much o' its bilge-suckin' rap came back when chemicals were available at your corner drug store and t' experimenters mixed them without any knowledge o' their characteristics. This discussion was interestin' and I'm sure would be controversial in some circles. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! T' history material ends with a very brief discussion o' Tripoli and t' Reaction Research Society. Well, arrr, blow me down! The discussion then moves t' a discussion o' black powder: what it is, what it is not, matey, and its sensitivity t' impact, friction, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and static. Arrr! Aye aye! Much o' this discussion is safety related and is very important. He covers storage, disposal, handling, and t' safety record. Avast! Ahoy! He points out that while four o' his five propellants are modified forms o' black powder, they employ a burn rate suppressant and are slower burning. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! He warns nay t' use commercial black powder! Blimey! T' fifth propellant is sugar-based.

Chapter 2 -- Basic Concepts
This covers t' basic operation o' a rocket motor (i.e. Begad! Blimey! Newton's 3rd Law), arrr, its components (paper tube, shiver me timbers, arrr, arrr, clay nozzle, etc), and terminology (thrust, ya bilge rat, burn time, etc). Arrr! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' material is tailored t' t' type motors in t' book and makes ample use o' diagrams and thrust curves. Aye aye! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! He talks about end and core burners, matey, time delays, and staged rockets. Begad! Blimey! Because large end burners are very difficult to make, me bucko, all t' motors in t' book are core-burners. Arrr! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! About t' only math is showin' how t' size and position delay elements. Avast! Blimey!

Chapter 3 -- Tools You Buy
As t' name implies, thar be a list o' equipment you must buy t' build these motors, matey, startin' with a good scale. Other items include a powder mill, me bucko, vacuum pump, shiver me timbers, and other minor items. He provides recommendations on what t' buy and potential sources.

Chapter 4 -- Tools You Make
It might be good t' provide an overview o' how these motors are made. Begad! Well, blow me down! A cardboard tube is inserted into a steel retainer t' prevent it from expanding durin' packing. Blimey! T' tube sits on a nozzle mold, arrr, which has a core spindle in its center. A powdered clay mixture is tamped into t' bottom o' t' casin' t' form the nozzle. Begad! T' propellant is then tamped in, ya bilge rat, matey, me hearties, a small bit at a time. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! A delay charge, clay closure, shiver me timbers, and ejection charge follows. Well, blow me down! Finally, ya bilge rat, t' metal tooling is withdrawn. Aye aye! So, arrr, me hearties, t' main tools you need are: nozzle molds, shiver me timbers, matey, case retainers, core spindles, arrr, and tamps. Blimey! Avast! T' choice o' materials is very important. Begad! For instance you need a non-sparkin' material, such as nylon, matey, matey, for t' tamps. Avast, me proud beauty! He shows how t' make these, and even how t' improvise if you don't have access to a lathe or a machinist buddy. Blimey! Blimey! In me opinion, ya bilge rat, me hearties, t' improvised tools will still be a lot o' work. He closes with instructions on how t' make a vacuum chamber and other processin' tools.

Chapter 5 -- Tools Drawings
This chapter provides detailed fabrication drawings and instructions for 84 tools. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I feel that a lathe should be part o' t' 'tools you buy' list.

Chapter 6 -- T' Chemicals
T' main chemicals include oxidizers, fuels, sulfur, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and binders. Begad! He describes the various forms and grades o' these ingredients, how t' find them, me hearties, and if necessary how t' make some o' them. Ahoy! Blimey! Extractin' these chemicals sounds like a nasty business, matey, requirin' ammonia-rated respirators and other safety gear. Luckily, they are easily available. Other chemicals discussed are burn rate suppressants, solvents, me bucko, and ingredients t' make nozzle clay.

Chapter 7 -- Chemicals Preparation
Now t' book turns t' t' process o' makin' motors. Ahoy! Aye aye! Chemical preparation included steps like drying, ya bilge rat, milling, me hearties, matey, me bucko, precipitation as an alternative to milling. Begad! Begad! T' actual formula and process for makin' t' nozzle clay is also provided. Begad! This material is similar t' what commercial manufacturers use, shiver me timbers, arrr, shiver me timbers, but has an extra ingredient t' help it pack.

Chapter 8 -- Motor Casings
T' cardboard cases used in these motors are thick, convolute wound cases like the Quest/Estes motors. Spiral wound tubes will nay work. Arrr! Begad! This chapter includes everythin' you would ever need t' know about buyin' (what and from whom), or makin' (materials and techniques) motor tubes. Aye aye! T' discussion on paper types and buildin' techniques might even come in handy in other areas o' rocketry.

Chapter 9 -- Workin' with Propellants
First thin' out o' t' gate: chemical safety batten down t' hatchess! He then describes the process for mixin' and millin' a propellant. Arrr! T' final process be t' addition of solvent. He shows how t' calculate t' optimal amount and how t' test your mix. Ya scallywag! Arrr! He walks through t' procedure he followed in detail, t' arrive at one of his propellants, matey, which is useful if you want t' make your own formulations. Begad! The last section is a description o' his sugar propellant, which is also packed unlike t' now more common candy/sugar motors.

Chapter 10 -- T' Motor Buildin' Process
This chapter provides an illustrated outline o' how t' build a motor and walks the reader through a step-by-step description o' buildin' a sample motor from start t' finish. Avast! Because t' propellant is impregnated with solvent, arrr, it must be allowed t' dry. It can take up t' 84 hours t' air dry a big motor, which is why a vacuum pump was in t' 'tools you buy' list. Ya scallywag! Begad! Usin' a vacuum can speed the process by a factor o' 10 t' 30 times. He continues by discussin' how t' test time delays and makin' booster motors. His approach is nay merely t' have the propellant exposed like in an Estes C6-0 for example. Arrr! This is interestin' and I am ponderin' if his techniques might be adapted for commercial motors. Aye aye! Arrr! Although he has nay perfected end-burnin' motors, thar be a section that shows how to go about makin' one. Aye aye! Begad! This includes procedures for makin' reusable steel De Laval nozzles. Aye aye! Additional fabrication drawings are provided.

Chapters 11 through 15 -- Propellant and Motor Designs
Each o' these five chapters covers one propellant formulation each. Begad! They include safety batten down t' hatchess (again), t' detailed formula, and a discussion of their preparation. Avast! There is a lot o' detail on modifyin' t' base formula in your own experiments. Avast! Each propellant has approximately 10 proven motor designs. Documentation for each includes a technical drawin' along with references t' t' required tool drawings, t' physical specs, matey, and the performance specs. Ya scallywag! In addition, thar be a thrust curve for each and two sample simulations. Ahoy! One is for a minimum diameter rockets and one for what t' author considers typical for t' given motor. Begad! These chapters span 188 pages.

Chapter 16 -- T' Original 1983 Motor Buildin' Process
This chapter discusses refinements t' t' processes presented in his earlier book for those who have been usin' these techniques.

Chapter 17 -- Electric Matches and a Homemade Ignition System
Several types o' scratch built igniters are presented. Avast! Blimey! T' most interestin' is a bridge wire igniter that uses a match head. Blimey! Blimey! Finally, plans for a simple launch controller are included.

Chapter 18 -- Test Equipment
In this chapter, arrr, Sleeter shows how t' build and use a mechanical motor test stand and an improvised strip chart recorder. Aye aye! Blimey! These items would certainly have wider applicability than just t' motors presented in t' book. Aye aye! He shows how to use t' graphs from this equipment t' get a thrust curve and find total impulse, average impulse, shiver me timbers, matey, maximum thrust, burn time, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and ISP. Safety durin' the testin' o' new designs is always important and he provides guidelines.

Chapter 19 -- Flight
There is no great purpose t' build amateur motors unless you fly them and this will be an area that a majority o' t' readers will already be knowledgeable of. Nevertheless, ya bilge rat, this chapter felt like an afterthought. He describes 'stick rockets' which resemble bottle rockets and barely touches on t' stability of 'regular' rockets (CP, CG, etc.). Avast, me proud beauty! This be t' only chapter I found lacking. Arrr! Begad! A reference t' T' Handbook o' Model Rocketry would have been in order. Ahoy!

Summary:
It's hard for me t' give this book a ratin' since it depends on t' readers interests. Aye aye! If you make packed-powder motors, or would like to, this book is a '5'. If you only want information you can directly apply t' other areas, arrr, shiver me timbers, then it's probably a '1' or '2'. Arrr! If you are merely inquisitive like myself, matey, arrr, I'd have to say it's a '3 ½'. Begad! I would have liked t' see a bit more theory and the huge quantity o' drawings and even t' motor designs will mostly be o' interest to those who are serious about makin' these things. Well, blow me down! Takin' these out, shiver me timbers, you still have about 300 pages o' reading.

I enjoyed this book because I find t' general topic interesting. Aye aye! Blimey! T' book is well written, easy t' read, ya bilge rat, and I learned a couple o' things that I may apply t' me personal projects. Ahoy! Will I ever apply t' bulk o' t' information contained in t' book? Probably not. Then again, shiver me timbers, I've read books on artificial life and fractals and will most likely never apply those either. Ahoy!

Finally, me hearties, this review is nay an endorsement o' this type o' motor. Aye aye! I am not convinced that these motors can be made as safely as other types, me hearties, and it is up to each individual t' make his or her own decision on this. However, me bucko, if you are interested in BP motors and want a kick start, then this book is a 'must have'.

Overall Rating:
3 out o' 5