Back when I was in grade school, I would occasionally launch model rockets with friends. Eventually I got interested in making my own small solid fuel engines, but my parents were obviously worried for my safety. I did some research and eventually found this book, Amateur Rocket Motor Construction by David Sleeter. The book is over 500 pages and lays out in extreme detail every single aspect of the process, from sourcing and making your own paper tubes for engine casing, machining nozzle molds on a lathe, milling and mixing your own fuel, loading motors, testing and iterating on motor design, and so much more. I’ve owned the book for more than 20 years, and other than some small successes in high school, I haven’t really had a great chance to explore the hobby, mostly due to living in California where this kind of thing is legally dubious due to the extremely strict and vague laws regarding explosive compounds (side note- the laws are written so expansively that owning dry ice and water could constitute a felony). I have a friend with some land in the middle of the Nevada desert who is interested in the hobby, so I’ve decided to try again and hopefully make some real working engines this time! Wish me luck!
