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[Mandalore the Uniter]

Welp, started on this bad boy Monday evening.  26gu steel frame with 25gu aluminum interior, trying to keep it strong yet light so it doesn't weigh much more than my current pack.  Right now it's tacked together with some goop, i'll be adding internal bracing to make sure it's all held together strong and tight.  Proably be some rivets which I'll be covering with bondo or putty...either way this is the first piece of Novall 3.0


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[Slade Kel]

Ooo, shiny . I considered building a metal jetpack, but scrapped the idea because of weight concerns. Looks like you're off to a good start.

[Blackgrifter]

looking good so far.

[Mandalore the Uniter]

Thanks guys!  Here's some updates.

The outer steel shell is complete at this point.  I went with a steel shell for strength and durability.  Since a NO2 system is going to be installed, I needed something that would protect it.

The internal struts are solid aluminum rods, this way the jetpack is sturdy and not floppy or apt to warp.  All joints and creases have been double lined with goop, then with a good layer of JB weld that will be smoothed down once the pack body is finished.  I've also added metal braces on all joints to make sure seams don't get damaged if the pack is dropped or banged hard.

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[Apollo Falco]

man, I love your all metal pieces. I can't wait to see how this comes out

[ConDar Ward]

Very sweet ! 

[Mandalore the Uniter]

Here are some more shots.  I have to trim down the overlap and fill voids with JB weld.  Once the basic shape of the Jetpack is done...then they heavy customizing can begin.

Even with steel and aluminum, this pack only weighs in at present around 2.5lbs.  I've tried very hard to make everything as light yet strong as possible..and so everything is working as intended. 



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[Todd]

Wow, that is amazing!

[Hiram Fett]

Man ! its looking good !

[Jarad Lan]

Looking good, cant wait till its done.

[Rokeim Gekla]

Lookin good so far Tom !

Are you basing this off the Arena pack, or are you 'shooting from the hip' ?

[Kebii'tra Verda]

Oh, man! I'm glad I found this thread! I remember you talking about wanting to do a metal pack for a while and I was looking forward to this.

Great start! I can't wait to see more!

David.

[Mandalore the Uniter]

The *base* jetpack is based off the arena pack.  There are going to be quite a few additions to this that will make it a one of a kind deal.

It's actually coming together MUCH quicker than I thought it would originally.  All voids to this point were filled with JB weld lastnight and are ready to sand.  I'll have plenty more pics up after the holiday weekend. =)

[Tag'ric Krigen]

Now that is awesome!

Do you have a projected weight for the finished project?

[Mandalore the Uniter]

Right now it's just coming in at around 2lbs.  I'd say not more than 5-8 by the time the NO2 system is installed.

[Hiram Fett]

Right now it's just coming in at around 2lbs.  I'd say not more than 5-8 by the time the NO2 system is installed.

Going to the rod run Fri - Sun I'll get that nox info ..................... put this up for you  so no one freaks out .      info Nitrous oxide, commonly known as "laughing gas", is a chemical compound with the chemical formula N2O. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a pleasant, slightly sweet odor and taste. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic effects. It is known as "laughing gas" due to the euphoric effects of inhaling it, a property that has led to its recreational use as an inhalant drug. It is also used in motor racing as an oxidizer to increase the power output of engines........Nitrous oxide can be used as an oxidizer in a rocket motor. This has the advantages over other oxidizers that it is non-toxic and, due to its stability at room temperature, easy to store and relatively safe to carry on a flight. As a secondary benefit it can be readily decomposed to form breathing air. Its high density and low storage pressure enable it to be highly competitive with stored high-pressure gas systems.

In a 1914 patent, American rocket pioneer Robert Goddard suggested nitrous oxide and gasoline as possible propellants for a liquid-fueled rocket. Nitrous oxide has been the oxidizer of choice in several hybrid rocket designs (using solid fuel with a liquid or gaseous oxidizer). The combination of nitrous oxide with hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene fuel has been used by SpaceShipOne and others. It is also notably used in amateur and high power rocketry with various plastics as the fuel. An episode of MythBusters featured a hybrid rocket built using a paraffin/powdered carbon mixture as its solid fuel and nitrous oxide as its oxidizer.

Nitrous oxide can also be used in a monopropellant rocket. In the presence of a heated catalyst, N2O will decompose exothermically into nitrogen and oxygen, at a temperature of approximately 1300 °C. Because of the large heat release the catalytic action rapidly becomes secondary as thermal autodecomposition becomes dominant. In a vacuum thruster, this can provide a monopropellant specific impulse (Isp) of as much as 180s. While noticeably less than the Isp available from hydrazine thrusters (monopropellant or bipropellant with nitrogen tetroxide), the decreased toxicity makes nitrous oxide an option worth investigating. Because of its release of very high temperature oxygen as a monopropellant the addition of even small amounts of a fuel such as hydrogen rapidly increases the specific impulse and the high oxygen temperatures simplify ignition of the fuel. Isp greater than 340 seconds can be readily achieved. Its low freezing point also eases thermal management as compared to hydrazine -- a valuable property on a spacecraft which may contain quantities of cryogenic propellant.

[Apollo Falco]

the NO2 can be shot out of the thrusters to make the jetpack look functional

[Hiram Fett]

the NO2 can be shot out of the thrusters to make the jetpack look functional

Bingo ! Your so smart . 

[Mandalore the Uniter]

Origionally the design was for CO2, but due to some hazards like condensation, static charge, and oxygen displacement...it didn't seem like as good a choice as Nox.

I've seen people who have put dry ice in their packs to make little puffs of smoke come out of the thrusters...and I figured I'd take that one step further. =)

[Kebii'tra Verda]

Origionally the design was for CO2, but due to some hazards like condensation, static charge, and oxygen displacement...it didn't seem like as good a choice as Nox.

I've seen people who have put dry ice in their packs to make little puffs of smoke come out of the thrusters...and I figured I'd take that one step further. =)

That, and if anyone does actually stick their faces in it, the worst thing that would happen is they'll laugh at you. 

Get it? Laughing gas?

*joke falls with a thud*

David.

[Mandalore the Uniter]

Thats also the reason why my helmet is going to have a gasket on the bottom...so I don't start laughing after I fire the thing off. =)

[Hiram Fett]

That, and if anyone does actually stick their faces in it, the worst thing that would happen is they'll laugh at you. 

Get it? Laughing gas?

*joke falls with a thud*

David.

we DONT need gas to laugh at Tom ! HEHEHEHEHEHEHE !

[Biohazard]

Ya know Tom... still not convinced nitrous is the best route.

Maybe compressed air mixed with some other... tame.... product might yield better results all around?

[Mandalore the Uniter]

There is no way to mix gasses like that in a compressed form.  It's gonna be either CO2 or N2O, and N2O is for the most part inert in open spaces.  This isn't something that will be used indoors except at costume contests, I don't want everyone getting high off a burst. =D  Besides, you have to be in a very enclosed space for that to happen as this stuff dissipates very quickly in open air.

[Biohazard]

Well, true. But when I said "Mixed" I mean more of.... to get that "smoky" look to it.

Remember the guy at Dcon... the one in the brown cloak with the bull skull, etc..... his was simple compressed air I do believe... and it has that smoky look on its own because of the pressurized nature of it.

Would be cheaper to compress the air at the gas station versus having to buy nitrous. *shrug*

Not saying the nitrous is a bad idea... just might be a little more complicated than it would need to be?