ID Tags for Rockets and Casings?

OK, every time I loose a rocket or a motor casing I swear I am going to label all the ones I have left with some sort of identification tag or plate. I have found decals on the airframe to be useless as they fade after just a few days of exposure, marking the chute seemed like a good idea but if it doesn't deploy, like when my King Kraken came in ballistic , non-rocket geeks may not think to pull the chute out and look for ID.
One idea I have considered are small engraved brass plates affixed to the outside of the rocket.

And how about engraving on the motor casing?

Anybody have any other ideas?

You can get your cases engraved at Commonwealth. I've done that before and it looks great. Not sure where else you can get them engraved.

OK, every time I loose a rocket or a motor casing I swear I am going to label all the ones I have left with some sort of identification tag or plate.

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GEESH! :surprised:

You don't want to do that. If your rocket or casing comes down and smashes through a car or house or whatever, they can instantly track you down!!! :surprised:

Don't get me wrong - I'll be the first person up there reimbursing someone for damage that may result from my rocket, but its still nice to have the "choice!" Otherwise, your rocket may crash in some redneck's underground sod distilling factory and you'll not know it until a lynch mob ends up at your house. "This river ain't goin' to no antry. You dun takin' a wrong tern."

my cases are all engraved!

I own up to all damages that my rockets cause or TRA insurance, that's why we have it, also don't remember launching that close to place that people live.

Dog tags?
Stainless steel, light, not very big.
I may know someone that can hook you up on the cheap.

or TRA insurance, that's why we have it, also don't remember launching that close to place that people live.

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TRA insurance doesn't cover damages to members property (i.e. vehicles, etc...)

And even if there was minor damage due to falling rocket on someone elses vehicle, house, or whatever, TRA really wouldn't be worth it anyways as the deductible is $2500.00.

So short of burning an entire house down, or having your 300lb rocket flatten a $100k Mercedes Benz, it doesn't really cover much.

Necromancer said:

TRA insurance doesn't cover damages to members property (i.e. vehicles, etc...)

And even if there was minor damage due to falling rocket on someone elses vehicle, house, or whatever, TRA really wouldn't be worth it anyways as the deductible is $2500.00.

So short of burning an entire house down, or having your 300lb rocket flatten a $100k Mercedes Benz, it doesn't really cover much.

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So your telling me and others that you may or may not claim or own up to your rocket damaging someone stuff, kinda sounds that way!

Don't $100k Mercedes Benz have targets on them at Launches?


Anyway I label most of my stuff just so if I lose it, that at the next launch I get it back, if someone finds it! Worked many times.

As a anded note, I seen a fully glassed lawn dart hit a truck with a person inside and shattered the front window and peirce the seat inside, I'm sure the owner of the rocket, hated that and the truck owner. He was sitting in the truck preping for a L2 test. I heard the truck was covered and repaired by insurance.

11Bravo said:

Dog tags?
Stainless steel, light, not very big.
I may know someone that can hook you up on the cheap.

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Ohhhhh..
And epoxy them to the airframe.
Sure! Give them my contact info.

I see alot of people print out names and phone # on Avery clear stick label and put them on inbetween the fins, small and very light and don't take away from the rockets looks.

I use those little plastic key tags and just attach it to the shock cord.

So your telling me and others that you may or may not claim or own up to your rocket damaging someone stuff, kinda sounds that way!

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No, i'm saying TRA insurance doesn't cover member property damage. Which basically means, you pay out of your own pocket. And even if TRA did, the deductible is $2500 which means probably be cheaper straight up anyways without the insurance, unless of course its a $100k Mercedes Benz.

Which is why pay I pay about $200 a year for $1M in blanket liability coverage.

I engage in a hobby that despite every effort to do things safely still has the possibility of causing some sort of damage. As such, I can't imagine doing so without being able to financially own up to the consequences if something goes wrong.

Necromancer said:

TRA insurance doesn't cover damages to members property (i.e. vehicles, etc...)

And even if there was minor damage due to falling rocket on someone elses vehicle, house, or whatever, TRA really wouldn't be worth it anyways as the deductible is $2500.00.

So short of burning an entire house down, or having your 300lb rocket flatten a $100k Mercedes Benz, it doesn't really cover much.

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After reading the above--I decided to go the TRA website and actually see what is covered: Ouch! If my rocket hits my car--no coverage. As Necromancer states--with a $2,500.00 deductable--probably a moot point.

Also, "There is no coverage for medical expenses..regardless of fault".

The policy also provides $25,000 fire damage for the property of others. I do not know how this is modified by actual "Landowner Coverage". However, it is very easy to hit the $25,000 mark in a fire.

And of course if my own rocket causes injury to me--"There is no coverage for Tripoli Mambers who cause bodily injury or property damage to themselves.."

Just for the record--I am not complaining. All-in-all, it is probably a good deal. I consider the premium very reasonable for the coverage. It is just a good idea to be aware of what is covered--and what is not covered. This revelation will probably cause me to be a little more carefull about sending my own rocket in the direction of the parking lot--or in my own direction for that matter.

And of course if my own rocket causes injury to me--"There is no coverage for Tripoli Mambers who cause bodily injury or property damage to themselves.."

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Good news here is that if your rocket goes awry, the actual odds that it would actually hit *you* are practically zero.

Of course, if you pissed off the rocketry gods recently, this probability may go up considerable!

I understand that return address labels work well but I think someone already said that. My other idea is to use foil tape like folks here sometimes use inside motor mounts and stuffer tubes. It has a paper backing so it isn't sticky until you peel the backing off. Just put it in a typewriter (if you still have one around) and type your name and address. It's pretty water resistant, lightweight, and even if the ink comes off, the typed impressions in the foil are pretty permanent.

WolfStar said:

my cases are all engraved!

I own up to all damages that my rockets cause or TRA insurance, that's why we have it, also don't remember launching that close to place that people live.

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Very nice...
WHo does your engraving?

WolfStar said:

I see alot of people print out names and phone # on Avery clear stick label and put them on inbetween the fins, small and very light and don't take away from the rockets looks.

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How well do the labels and ink hold up to continuous sunlight and moisture?

Sounds like NAR insurance covers a lot more than Tripoli. It does cover cars and such.

As for ID, there are some inks that work well long term. Independent Ink Company makes a product, 73X that is available in different colors. We use it to mark aircraft parts, even after being in the elements the ink stays on. It sticks to anodized metal (motor cases), bare fiberglass, and painted surfaces. A custom stamp (name phone number etc) is a few $ on line.

If you use it, DONT use a regular stamp pad, use a flat surface, put a little ink out and spread it smooth with a squeege or a razor blade, then stamp the ink once, and stamp your part, enough ink transfers to the stamp. Works very well!!

Just keep in mind that permanently engraving your casing or what have you may reduce its "resale" value.

I have bought several name engraved cases over the years. The only bearing it had on the transaction for me.........I asked the seller to write on the bill of sale, that his name was on it.

This prevents any misgivings, in case of future sales.
Price because of engraving was never an issue.

blackjack2564 said:

I have bought several name engraved cases over the years. The only bearing it had on the transaction for me.........I asked the seller to write on the bill of sale, that his name was on it.

This prevents any misgivings, in case of future sales.
Price because of engraving was never an issue.

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DITTO that!

"This river ain't goin' to no antry. You dun takin' a wrong tern."


ROTFL....

oh gawd.
Famous movie quotes.

Bumper sticker I saw...
"Listen; I hear banjo music.,......STEP ON IT!"

I saw that Rocketchutes.com offers an embroidery option on their parachutes which seems like a light weight, non-intrusive method for tagging your gear. For those of us who launch in areas where the liability exposure is limited to a few bent stalks of grain, or a mutilated scrub brush, this seems like a cheap form of 'get my many work hours and not so cheap motor casing' back insurance. No?

Also, from my short time in the hobby, I get the strong sense that if a fellow rocketeer came across any part of a lost rocket that had any kind of identifying info - regardless of value - they would not hesitate to get it back to me whenever possible. Am I deluding myself?

I have "somebody's" high power rocket and 29/180 casing which I hasn't been able to find the owner for yet, because there hasn't been a launch down here for 6 months.

Me and Ethan found it when we went back to our launch site to look for 2 different rockets.

If we can guess what it looks like is it ours?

I would just buy some water slide decal sheets for an ink jet printer. Use MS Word to print a whole sheet of address labels. Spray on a clear coat as per the instructions and put one on each rocket. You can clear coat it again if you want. Should last as long as the rocket and is certainly easy to replace if needed.