Cabbage? As wadding?

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DAllen

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So our clubs resident "thinking WAAAAAAY outside of the box" member showed up at the lunch with a head of cabbage. Why? He decided this would be an excellent substitute for wadding. Frankly, I see no reason not to use it so long as you clean it out of your rocket thoroughly after each launch. It's biodegradable and well...readily available and you can make rocket cole-slaw when you get home. I guess it worked pretty well.

Anyone else heard of such silliness?
 
I think it would work on anything but cardboard rockets. Doesn't the cabbage hold moisture? I think it would cause pieces to cling to the inside. I honestly just throwing some concerns. I could be completely wrong.
 
I think it would work on anything but cardboard rockets. Doesn't the cabbage hold moisture? I think it would cause pieces to cling to the inside. I honestly just throwing some concerns. I could be completely wrong.

It definitely does hold water. And yeah, cleaning out any cardboard or phenolic type tubing would be really critical. Can't imagine what rotten cabbage would smell like haha. I would imagine even just one tiny leaf left behind would be stinky.
 
Never used cabbage, but I once used pumice. One of our launch sites has huge bins of it used for the fir seedlings and I gave it a try. It worked, but is heavier than traditional wadding.
 
I've never used it but have read about others using lettuce a few times on TRF. Probably not advisable/needed on something like an Estes Alpha or Fliskits Thing-A-Ma-Jig but on something a few inches in diameter, it would make a good holder/piston for dog barf to avoid blow-by.

I've also heard of using fresh grass clippings as you would use dog barf. Fresh clippings will last in a sealed plastic bag for a few days before they get funky; refrigeration would help. Don't use any grass that has dried out even a little; most field owners aren't looking for flaming bits of anything falling on their property.
 
I've never used it but have read about others using lettuce a few times on TRF. Probably not advisable/needed on something like an Estes Alpha or Fliskits Thing-A-Ma-Jig but on something a few inches in diameter, it would make a good holder/piston for dog barf to avoid blow-by.

I've also heard of using fresh grass clippings as you would use dog barf. Fresh clippings will last in a sealed plastic bag for a few days before they get funky; refrigeration would help. Don't use any grass that has dried out even a little; most field owners aren't looking for flaming bits of anything falling on their property.

And if you fly on a sod farm clippings from home might not be welcome due to the possibility of introducing weeds to the sod.
 
I heard of rocketeers in Germany using cabbage.. but then if their rocket lawn darts, they are Sour Krauts!

Sorry- i had to.. I'll accept my forum ban like a man.
 
When you think about it this thread is ridiculous and funny... here we are talking about using cabbage as a way to replace dog barf yet we think nothing about writing a check for big motors? LOL
 
When you think about it this thread is ridiculous and funny... here we are talking about using cabbage as a way to replace dog barf yet we think nothing about writing a check for big motors? LOL

True! It's like the guy who will walk down the hall to save 5c on a soft drink, but will not drive across the street to save 50c on a television.

But seriously, I have heard that some farms mandate cabbage or lettuce because they don't want anything man-made left in their fields. It is nice to know that the alternative exists.

Now, if you show me someone who uses cabbage, but then leaves his igniter wires and nozzle caps on the ground, I'll really laugh!
 
I used lettuce one time in a 4" cardboard rocket when I forgot my wadding. It Worked fine but I wouldn't recommend it except in a pinch. It does hold moisture and there were spots on the tube when moisture had soaked into the tube even though it was not really wet. Barf is cheaper and easier to "care for".

I used frozen waffles for fins once but I wouldn't recommend that either. It was to prove a point and it worked. The youth camp upgraded their menu shortly after that.
 
When you think about it this thread is ridiculous and funny... here we are talking about using cabbage as a way to replace dog barf yet we think nothing about writing a check for big motors? LOL

It is pretty funny however, I don't think he was trying to save money. I honestly think he was just trying to prove that it could be done.
 
I heard about somebody using lettuce as wadding - back in the 80s or 90s

It was Martha (last name long starting with "S")
She used it at an LDRS at Hartsel, I caught a piece falling from the sky, it tasted terrible.... Way too sulphurous.


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