Handkerchiefs or bandannas for parachutes

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RodRocket

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Just tossing this up to see what sticks.

These seem like they could work for the smaller rockets. You can get plain handkerchiefs and make any design you want, some bandannas have flags or colorful designs that are bright and high visible.

Would be a simple job to add the lines and tie to rocket shock cord.

Maybe weight might be a factor, but these would be used in sport models probably BT-50 and up. So a C motor and up shouldn't be a problem.

Might give it a try and make up a couple over the winter to try.

See ya,
Rod
 
It could be done and IMO the thought is that the material is cotton and not flame retardant treated and therefore can and will catch on fire at some point in time. Even with proper wadding there is always a chance.
I would rather melt a palstic chute than have a fire ball in the sky.
 
It could be done and IMO the thought is that the material is cotton and not flame retardant treated and therefore can and will catch on fire at some point in time. Even with proper wadding there is always a chance.
I would rather melt a palstic chute than have a fire ball in the sky.

Unless you could get your hands on one of Willie Nelson`s bandannas ,as they are pretty much soaked in sweat ,so fire should not be a problem.If you were to get some off some old hippies ,they might smell like weed when they catch a spark ,so that may be a bad idea , unless you live in Washington.

But if you were to soak them in a Borax solution ,and then allow them to dry out ,they will become flame resistant ,as this is how you may make your own wadding using toilette paper.

Not sure however how they will pack ,but if room is not an issue ,I think it would work just fine.

Cheers

Paul t
 
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An appropriately sized (and very colourful!) bandanna with four shroud lines strikes me as the perfect recovery system for the FlisKits ACME Spitfire that's in my build pile. That could be a whole lot of fun!:)
 
Generally speaking, I'm afraid handkerchiefs are just too thick and heavy for a small modroc. Plastic is much thinner (if you look, you can find .5mil trash bags in the dollar section of some groceries, and I found .3mil drop cloth at Menards) and will pack into a much smaller space. Either way (cotton handkerchief or plastic parasheet), the wadding should protect the chute.
 
My concern is that the fabric is to porous, and won't provide enough drag

Thinking back to hanky parachutes as a kid, it didn't take much weight before the descent was akin to a falling brick!
 
It could be done and IMO the thought is that the material is cotton and not flame retardant treated and therefore can and will catch on fire at some point in time. Even with proper wadding there is always a chance.
I would rather melt a palstic chute than have a fire ball in the sky.

Plastic melts and burns easily - as does nylon. I think the cotton is no worse.

Shape sucks, porisity is high, weight is high compared to other materials... not the best option available in my opinion.
 
If you like the hanky for aesthetic reasons (Willie Nelson or Hulk Hogan themed rocket, perhaps?), you could use it, but for the reasons already given by others I would expect it to perform more like a streamer than a chute.

Try it out with some small, light rockets, put an Alt2 in there and figure out the descent rates, then report back!
 
Back in the 60's, I used silk hankerchiefs for parachutes. Just tied thread to the four corners and attached it to the shock chord and launch. They performed good. The downside was the cost v.s. plastic. I guess I was stuck with the "hit the silk" brain fart...I wised-up.
 
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