Igniters - home made ones

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Lunarxray1968

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I've been searching the internet for ideas on making igniters from scratch. To my disappointment I have not found what I had hoped for. Can anyone share an easy inexpensive igniters!
 
I've been searching the internet for ideas on making igniters from scratch. To my disappointment I have not found what I had hoped for. Can anyone share an easy inexpensive igniters!

Due to the nature of igniters the formula's are not shared in the general public forums, once you qualify for access to the Restricted: Research sub-forum there are threads about making igniters. The instructions on how to get access to the Restricted forums are listed on a link next to the Restricted:Research topic.
 
Estes use to sell nicrome wire. Never used it, but I thought it worked on it's own.
Is this Top Secret or something? Seams foolish to hide it where access is restricted, unless for some obvious reason I'm missing.

The old nichrome igniters are nothing more than a piece of nichome wire, the formulas are for the pyrogen based igniters and afaik those are restricted to the research forum (and the materials used to construct pyrogen based igniters are not exactly the safest to work with unless you know what you are doing.
 
Are you looking for high or low power igniters? I will send you a link.
 
For safety and liability purposes you can't really discuss making them here, but you can just do a google search and find plenty of youtube videos and stuff like that.
Don't just do what looks like the "Cheapest" or easiest method. Take your time learning about how the real professionals do it, and be prepared to have plenty of materials for testing purposes, as I know I went through a few spools of nichrome wire in different gauges before I had anything I'de actually consider stuffing into a motor.
There are companies that sell pyrogen kits, but they are a little pricey, so if you really must make your own pyrogen, at least do plenty of research and make certain you have safety first and foremost in your mind.
A lot of folks have fine results making their own nitrocellulose lacquer, but it's a pain in the butt IMO, so I just ordered my NC Lacquer from Firefox. It has the correct properties for making igniters, and I don't have to play around with stuff of unknown quality.

If Chuck sent you that link, follow his advice, as he is very knowledgeable in this area.

SAFETY FIRST!!!
 
How does being a NAR member, or certified HP make you more knowledgeable in pyrogens?
As that is the requirements to be involved in the restricted area.
Not criticizing, just curious.

Woody, I don't mix my own chemicals either but use a pyrogen kit instead. The extremely fine powders used in pyrogens are susceptible to static electric ignition and require you be very careful in handling them, being a NAR member and or having a certification has little to do with knowing how to use these materials safely, but having them makes you more aware of the dangers they can pose.

In case nobody has been paying attention, the individual asking about them has no history on this forum, and has a seemingly limited knowledge of rocketry based on the questions they have asked in other threads, and may or may not have knowledge on the properties of chemicals and how they are prepared. One mistake causing ignition with a container of pyrogen mix and the results are spectacular and potentially fatal.
 
Google. There is at least one site that I know of that sells dipping kits. They sell you the chemicals and instructions, you mix it up.

Start saving people's used igniter wires at launches. :wink:
 
I just get mine from Amazon for 17 cents a pop and dip them for any composite motors. Undipped, they work fine for Estes BP motors and ejection charges. If you're making or buying igniters, remember to keep them stored separately from any motors or BP ejection charges you might have.
 
I've been making my own Cluster ignition igniters for decades using 30ga Nichrome from McMaster-Carr and pyrogen that will not be discussed on an open forum.

I have tried a couple "dip kits" with fair to good success but I like a slightly slower burn than I get with these kits for multi-motor BP clusters models.

We All need to be very causious about sharing igniter and/or motor formulas on open forums. There are Lots of untrustworthy people out there!
 
I've been making my own Cluster ignition igniters for decades using 30ga Nichrome from McMaster-Carr and pyrogen that will not be discussed on an open forum.

I have tried a couple "dip kits" with fair to good success but I like a slightly slower burn than I get with these kits for multi-motor BP clusters models.

We All need to be very causious about sharing igniter and/or motor formulas on open forums. There are Lots of untrustworthy people out there!

Yeah, it's not like Terrorists are smart enough to use Google, or anything . . . If they ever find Richard Nakka's website, we're all doomed . . . LOL !

Dave F.
 
Yeah, it's not like Terrorists are smart enough to use Google, or anything . . . If they ever find Richard Nakka's website, we're all doomed . . . LOL !

Dave F.

You've missed the point. It's not about preventing access to the information. It's about not being responsible for allowing access to the information. I can't stop people from killing other people, but I can sure try to stop them from using my gun to do it.
 
You've missed the point. It's not about preventing access to the information. It's about not being responsible for allowing access to the information. I can't stop people from killing other people, but I can sure try to stop them from using my gun to do it.

+1 on this
 
I've been searching the internet for ideas on making igniters from scratch. To my disappointment I have not found what I had hoped for. Can anyone share an easy inexpensive igniters!

For low power:

Step 1) Get thin nichrome wire. (steel works too in 12v car battery launch systems)
Step 2) Cut into pieces twice the length of the nozzle and center bore plus a few centimeters or so for the clips.
Step 3) Crimp at halfway point and insert into nozzle, plug in with wadding or dog barf.
Step 4) Keep away from cluster rockets.
 
For High Power AP or Hybrid this is what I can add to the thread

Contrail Rockets has taken the effort out of igniters by using a 10 ohm 1/4 watt resistor and pushing 24 volts thru it. It goes off like a carbon arc lamp for a fraction of a second this sets off the Pyrodex Pellet and off we go. When I used 12 volts it took about 4 to seconds of holding the fire button for ignition to occur. Using a 10 ohm 1/8 watt resistor with a 12 volt system ignites Pellet in about 3 seconds. These are available from Radio Shack or other electronic store.

Now for the real Answer. As I work to develop a 29 mm hybrid motor I needed to move away from the larger 1/4 watt resistor that could clog a small hybrid nozzle the answer is a 1/8 watt 2.7 ohm resistor. It ignites in the instant that you apply 12 volts. As it is an electronic device they have a high standard of manufacture so every resistor every time. While Contrail Rockets still ships it's motors with 24 volt resistor/igniters I am testing the 12 volt system. I need to test 1/4 watt 2.7 ohm resistors in a 12 volt situation as I want a more aggressive heat source. If this works with the same reliability as our present 24 volt ignition I may convert the 38 mm and 54 mm line to 12 volt. As the 75 and 98 motor use multiple igniters and the O-6300 uses 7 igniters and 14 pyrodex pellets I do not see a conversion to 12 volts but on smaller single igniter motors the 12 volt resistor should work just fine. eBay item number:182454530707 note these are carbon film resistors not metal film.

Now years ago I used Termite. It required the energy of a 24 volt 1/4 watt 10 ohm igniter to set it off but in the original M-2281 the ignition pulse was that of a G motor. TMT had trouble testing the motors as the computer would see the ignition pulse and stop recording just as the motor came to life. You can see from The Gallery on my website the original testing of the 5/05 test video # 1 M-711 or 7/05 test video # 2 both of these were Termite ignitions. The video of the M-2281 you can see in the beginning ignition sequence the pulse of the termite. This was prior to our introduction of the Pyrodex Pellet ignition method for Contrail Rockets hybrid motors.

I just like to burn stuff.

Tom Sanders
Owner
Contrail Rockets
 
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Ummmmmmm Tom, Technically no recipes here. I suspect the stuff about resistors is fine but a moderator (of which I'm not) might have a different opinion.
Chemical recipes are frowned upon out in the open and the server owners wishes should be followed.
Google is how I found stuff and it is out there if one cares to look hard. Kurt
 
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