Addressing E.D., do others suffer?

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justin_o_guy

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Envelope Deployment ,, after I melted the first, I've got them all back, and one, shock cord tangled up in fins, came down sideways and wobbling, then, fell in a line, accelerating, and POP, the chute opened about twenty feet off the deck. But the last two, the chutes, were out, unwound, just not opening. The one time it worked I'd put abit of TP inside the folds of the chute. No damage, and it didn't land over twenty feet away, maybe it's time to just go to a streamer, but, I Like parachutes.
Is this a common problem?
I've tried different packing ideas.
 
if you are referring to the plastic chutes such as used by Estes, they get stiff in cool temperatures. 50 - 60F is iffy, below 50F you have to keep them warm. or you could switch to nylon chutes. some of us swap out the chutes and rarely use the stock chutes.
Rex
 
Thanks, I really wasn't expecting anyone to be here this time of day.. And, I think I have another reason to drag out the sewing machine, so,I guess I'll do a chute too.
 
button holes make some decent attachment points to tie lines to.
Rex
 
I hate the plastic Estes chutes. I always switch them out for either tumble recovery on the small ones, or nylon chutes or streamers on the bigger ones. Never have I had luck with a plastic chute :)
 
Rex R said:
button holes make some decent attachment points to tie lines to.


Button holes, yeah,, I can see it now...

That's one of those
Now why didn't I think of that
moments.
The first rocket up finally came down, after about month and almost twenty inches of rain. The tube and fins are all I got. The Elmers finally let go where the shock cord was attached.
I don't think it's gonna be safe to fly. The tube is just ever so slightly curved. Maybe, launched at a steep angle, but, I'm seeing it as a wall hanger. First rocket in 36 years.
Ohh, and BTW, yesterday's launch didn't fully fling the chute and the cord. The motor ejected, I saw it, kept my eyes on it and people, so no one got hit. The rocket , without the motor, was trailing the nosecone and the alleged parachute , and nothing was damaged.
I THOUGHT the retaining ring felt okay.
I don't know why the motor got away, but, that is probably not okay, it was just the third launch of that rocket.
Click to expand...
 
blackbrandt said:
I hate the plastic Estes chutes. I always switch them out for either tumble recovery on the small ones, or nylon chutes or streamers on the bigger ones. Never have I had luck with a plastic chute :)
Click to expand...

What mods are required to go with tumble recovery and what is the cut off point in size? If I could do away with stuffing and folding that would suit me fine.

https://www.estesrockets.com/002435-3-banditstm

This is what we have for now.

One is ready to fly, except for the chute issue. One left to build. Four motors left.
I'm thinking we could stand a bit more
Wow factor.
Without having to get a meaner launch controller , what's a step up? I've got four double A's in series.
 
Plastic chutes will work if they're powdered in cold weather and if you don't have it stuffed in too tight, and if you don't wind the lines around it. It is hard to stuff a chute into an 18mm tube, but, hey, if it's just a BT-20 rocket, you would probably be fine with a streamer.
 
Yes, I too suffer from E.D. but I still have interesting dreams. :wink:
 
I took the wrong pill once, Ohh, but not to worry, they had a pill to fix that.

So, are these small enough to make tumblers out of? If so, what do I have to do?
I'll give the
Don't wrap the lines around it
a try. But next time I'm in town, I think I'll get some paper ribbon. Need a few balsa gliders and rubber band powered planes,and motors and maybe a bigger rocket anyway.
Suggestions on that step up?
Or, is there a pill to keep me from needing to?
 
An inexpensive solution to this problem is to go to the Dollar store and to buy textured plastic table covers and make your own colored chutes. The plastic used in the table cloths does not get stiff when cold and does not stick to itself because of the textured surface. Best of all it comes in your choice of colors and is about 5'x8' so you can make a lot of chutes from one sheet.

Bob
 
The only Estes chute I have consistent issues with is the 6". No matter how I pack it, I get about a 50% deployment rate.
 
That's some great information. Shows the How To on design, and I see the baby powder going into the launch bucket.
 
I haven't really suffered from ED. :grin:

I've also launched a lot of Estes Plasticky chute rockets from the frozen lake on my backyard last winter. A LOT. :wink:

What works for me is to first open up the chute (never put it into your rocket the way you got it all folded up), then crumple it a bit and store it as a crumpled ball in your rocket until you're ready to launch. When ready to launch, take out the crumpled mess, dust with baby powder (talc not cornstarch since the latter is flammable), fold as noted in Estes instructions, don't forget the wadding, put as loosely as practical into your rocket, launch. Good luck! :)
 
(talc not cornstarch since the latter is flammable)

Duly noted. The thought of you a Real
WTF moment, not what I need..
 
justin_o_guy said:
What mods are required to go with tumble recovery and what is the cut off point in size? If I could do away with stuffing and folding that would suit me fine.

https://www.estesrockets.com/002435-3-banditstm

This is what we have for now.

One is ready to fly, except for the chute issue. One left to build. Four motors left.
I'm thinking we could stand a bit more
Wow factor.
Without having to get a meaner launch controller , what's a step up? I've got four double A's in series.
Click to expand...

Nutshell

Are these small enough to make tumble recovery okay?

I think the grandson needs more Wow factor. I don't want to get into motors that I'm not gonna be able to light off with the four double A's. I'm not ready to build from the ground up. I'm just hunting a kit , but have no idea about which one.
I am up for motor retainer, sanding and epoxying fins,
Maybe a payload chamber?

Okay, straight up, what is the smallest motor/ignitor combination would make you want more than four double A's?
What's the biggest, meanest motor that you'd feel comfortable with the four double A's?
 
We do lots of Scout launches and I've always replaced the Estes parachutes with streamers on the smaller models. Part of the problem is that there just isn't enough downward force on the parachute to get enough airflow into the chute so that it fully deploys. That's when I know that a streamer would be more appropriate.

I've always thought that Estes could have gone with a thinner plastic too, something along the lines of dry cleaning bags.

Someone mentioned tumble recovery. I agree- there needs to be some sort of standard as to when it's allowed. I fly FAI rockets and always found it ironic that they would disqualify a flight when the parachute didn't fully deploy. This is despite the fact that many of our rockets only weigh about 15-20 grams without a motor and could easily use tumble recovery to begin with.
 
justin_o_guy said:
Nutshell

Are these small enough to make tumble recovery okay?

I think the grandson needs more Wow factor. I don't want to get into motors that I'm not gonna be able to light off with the four double A's. I'm not ready to build from the ground up. I'm just hunting a kit , but have no idea about which one.
I am up for motor retainer, sanding and epoxying fins,
Maybe a payload chamber?

Okay, straight up, what is the smallest motor/ignitor combination would make you want more than four double A's?
What's the biggest, meanest motor that you'd feel comfortable with the four double A's?
Click to expand...

Your standard Estes launch controller will launch any of their black powder motors although you'll want a longer lead length when flying E and F motors. I also have the three bandits kit and have constant issues with those 6" chutes. They recover just fine when the chute doesn't open so feel free to try a streamer or tumble.
 
Shooting in the dark here, for tumble,
Take a hole punch, poke a hole high on the tube, glue the nose on, ? Is the motor supposed to stay in?
The one that popped the retainer and came down alone hit probably three or four seconds before the rocket.
Good to know that I'm not alone in the ED trouble with these chutes.
 
Suggestions: in no special order...

1) Try a streamer made from crepe paper instead of the plastic parachute.
2) Try a TopFlight Recovery Thin Mill parachute instead of the plastic parachute that came with the kit. https://topflightrecoveryllc.homestead.com/thinmil.html
3) Talcum Powder on the plastic parachute might help.

Note: The biggest motor you can light with 4 AA batteries = Any Estes 1/4A , A, B, C, D, E, "black powder" type motors can be reliably lit with 4 AA *Alkaline* batteries.

Have fun!
 

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