AT reload that will not ignite

I have an AT reload (D15, 24/40) that will not ignite, I've burned at least 4 copperheads on it.

So far, I've had fine luck with the copperheads. Do the first fire igniters pack more of a spark - maybe I should try that.

The motor has say on a shelf 'loaded' for about 3 wks - I assume that might be the issue, but it seems strange that would be the case.

Thoughts? Try a first fire? (I've got to order one to try it)

Or, just scrap it?

Thanks,
W

Copperheads aren't very good - I bet a First Fire will light it right up. Also, if you've burned 4 igniters in it and it's been loaded for nearly a month, you might want to take it apart and run a bit of sandpaper through the slot. That should help expose some fresh propellant, and give it a better shot at ignition.

I'll try the sandpaper, seems like I read that somewhere else on here, but couldn't recall.

I know the knocks against the copperheads, but, in general, I've had decent luck with them.

I will also get a first fire and try that with the sandpaper.

No sense throwing away $.

Thanks!

Did you remember to put a piece of tape on top of the propellant grain? Without the tape, you will have no idea when the igniter is beyond the propellant.

Yep - piece of tape on top of the propellant grain - checked that today when I put another igniter in.

It has to be that it needs to be sanded.

english_1969 said:

I'll try the sandpaper, seems like I read that somewhere else on here, but couldn't recall.

I know the knocks against the copperheads, but, in general, I've had decent luck with them.

I will also get a first fire and try that with the sandpaper.

No sense throwing away $.

Thanks!

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I've had pretty good luck (compared with others) with copperheads too and still don't like them.

My brother had a G-64 that was about 10 years old that would'nt light,scraped the propellant with an x-acto knife,put in a first fire and she lit right up,I would give it a try before throwing it away!!

The propellant will light. If you've had 4 failures, definately disassemble and sand the slot. Sand the whole slot and leave all the dust in the motor when you put it together again. That extra dust will help get things going.

I have a mini-file that I use to scrape both sides of the slot. I do this every time I reload a case. I seem to have OK luck with Copper Heads but am working on making my own as first fires are way to expensive for what they are.

I seem to have most of my trouble with copper heads on my 18MM reloads. But after scraping the sides of the slot they fire mostly on the first attempt.

If you have tried 4 times I would definitely try the sanding to remove copper head residue off the propellant grain.

Andrew

I have an old unused delay grain, that I "Shave" small pieces off of, and put in the slot beside the ignitor, as well as sand the slot. This way, the "delay sliver" will light, and burn long enough to light the motor. I was actually shown this, by another flyer on a G64 reload, when I had burnt my 3rd or 4th copper head in it.

What would putting a little black powder do to ignition?

Andrew

Nothing good.

It burns too fast. You're more likely to cato a motor that way than start it. You want something that burns hot and slow.

accooper said:

I seem to have OK luck with Copper Heads but am working on making my own as first fires are way to expensive for what they are.

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That's what I've been doing. I can make much more reliable igniters for about $0.10 then copperheads. It is a lot harder to make the small igniter for the small composites then for the larger ones. It's easy to make igniters for M motors. The ones for D or E motors are much more difficult.

FWIW, I once had a problem AT RMS motor that failed 3X on copperheads. When I got home, I realized that the 12V battery I was using was nearly dead and although the voltmeter showed >12 volts without a load on it, that voltage collapsed under any kind of heavy load (i.e. it just couldn't deliver the amps.)

The next day out, with a fully charged battery, that motor lit right up with another copperhead.

So, it seems that although copperheads will "light" - barely - with less than ideal current, it takes a hefty amount of current to get them to ignite effectively.

At my last club launch, I had trouble with a 24/40 E28 reload with a Copperhead ignitor. The ignitor never did light. I tried a Q2G2 in it and it ignited the motor instantaneously. In my case, I think it was a current issue with the club's equipment. Copperheads were hit and miss that day. And I too have had great success with Copperheads, but I still don't like them.

I am running about 50% success rate with Copperheads, and recently I've been installing the provided Copperhead when assembling the reload, but carrying a pack of FirstFire jr's with me to the pad just in case.

This strategy seems to cause the Copperhead to fire on the first attempt.

G.D.

gdiscenza said:

This strategy seems to cause the Copperhead to fire on the first attempt.

G.D.

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Thanks for a big smile on Monday morning .