Can Potato Chip Bag Clip Be Used As A Standoff? (Low Powered)

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It should hold up an LPR rocket just fine (easiest enough to test). Dunno how well it'll withstand the exhaust blast.

A wooden clothes pin is a better option, or just put a spent motor casing (or two, if you need more elevation) onto the rod.
 
THANKS, kiririn. Yeah, those Estes Instructions recommend wrapping tape around the rod. Won't it burn?
No, tape won't burn, and it works, but it non-adjustable and if you remove it you might have to deal with stickie on the rod. Normally a spent motor casing is good to just leave there all the time, and if you have a clothespin you can use it to prop some rockets higher up on the rod.
 
THANKS, kiririn. Yeah, those Estes Instructions recommend wrapping tape around the rod. Won't it burn?
If it's exposed to the flame it will scorch. Same for clothespins.
Plus it's a little cumbersome to attach so that it sticks well and removing it is also a bit of a drag. Plus it leaves some residue.
If you use an engine casing try reaming out the clay nozzle if it's too narrow and slipping it over the launch rod. Stays in place, easy on easy off.
Personally I use two clothes pins. One as a rocket stand off if needed and one to clip the controller wires so that they don't pull down on the igniter. My #1 cause of igniter failure used to be the igniter leads pulling down the plug and igniter out of the nozzle.
I had some pictures on another thread somewhere, I'll see if I can find them.
 
Here you go. Top clothespin serves as a rocket stand off, bottom clothes pin keeps the ignitors off the metal deflector and the lead weight from pulling on the igniter and plug.
1634689434325.png

Engine casing with slightly widened nozzle to slip over launch rod and act as a stand off.
1634689532941.png


Or use a beer can.;)
 
Been questioning this.

Plastic can/will melt, possibly catch fire.
Wood, fire not likely, but has a metal spring. Possibly a point to short out the igniter.
Small metal spring clamp, very durable. Possibly a point to short out the igniter.
Something almost free, and a good supply available is a used engine tube slid down over the launch rod.
Stack them for more distance from the blast deflector.
Fire and shorting hazard is zero.
And should be plentiful at any launch.
When placed correctly, they also help hold the igniter in place.
Just my 2 cents worth.
 
Here you go. Top clothespin serves as a rocket stand off, bottom clothes pin keeps the ignitors off the metal deflector and the lead weight from pulling on the igniter and plug.
View attachment 486417

Engine casing with slightly widened nozzle to slip over launch rod and act as a stand off.
View attachment 486418


Or use a beer can.;)

Just an aside, but you REALLY need to take some steel wool to that launch rod there. Then oil it. I use a gun cleaner like CLR on my launch rods every other launch or so.

I generally use spent motors as standoffs though I do have a couple3D printed tubes that fit over the launch rods for this purpose too. I love the clothespin idea but I'm not going to buy a bag of clothespins just for the 2 I'd need. Other heat resistant clamps should work, though.
 
Just an aside, but you REALLY need to take some steel wool to that launch rod there. Then oil it. I use a gun cleaner like CLR on my launch rods every other launch or so.

I generally use spent motors as standoffs though I do have a couple3D printed tubes that fit over the launch rods for this purpose too. I love the clothespin idea but I'm not going to buy a bag of clothespins just for the 2 I'd need. Other heat resistant clamps should work, though.
I sandpaper the rods before launches, then WD-40 and wipe off.
The pic was between launches a few months apart due to Covid.
I assembled the launch pad to illustrate igniter lead and rocket standoffs in response to a question on igniter failures on another thread.
I don't usually launch indoors on carpet. ;)
Already had a big sack of clothespins, parents still have an outside clothesline.
So cost was zero.
But thanks for your input.

Daniel, here's the commercial product I was referring to:
1634734982202.png


Odd'l Rockets Raise spring clip stand off.
Just another option.
 
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Avoid stuff that is conductive to avoid shorting out the alligator clips.
Yep. I also stopped using metal blast deflector plates and haven't blown a fuse in my launch controller since. No matter how many times you tell the kids to "push the button and let it up right away", they'll always push the button and hold it down while they watch the rocket go. I thought about adding a pulse-generator and power FET to the launch controller, but that seemed a bit too much overkill.

Instead, a 6" white ceramic tile from Menards costs 69¢. With a 1/8 hole drilled in the middle it makes a great blast deflector plate. If you want to spend another dime or two, you can choose from a variety of colors and patterns to complement your rocket's paint scheme! I always stick with white:

IMG_20211020_143613770.jpg

And they don't rust.
 
I had a ceramic blast deflector shaped like half an egg. Got it from Odd'l Rockets, I believe a similar one was also sold by the old MPC before. Slipped over the rod and doubled as a standoff.
It was destroyed when an AT reload CATO'd.
It was the best deflector I ever had. No longer available.:(
 
I had a ceramic blast deflector shaped like half an egg. Got it from Odd'l Rockets, I believe a similar one was also sold by the old MPC before. Slipped over the rod and doubled as a standoff.
It was destroyed when an AT reload CATO'd.
It was the best deflector I ever had. No longer available.:(

You can find the image of those in a google search, but as you said, no longer available. But couldn't one just take a ceramic bowl and drill a hole in it? Like a ceramic crucible dish (which are like $7 on Amazon)?
 
My favorite method: I've got an assortment of aluminum tubes with an ID of 9/32" and varying lengths. Slide one (or stack them) over the launch rod; they limit how far down the launch lug can go. The only drawback is you have to remember to get them back.
5/32", of course. That's what I get for posting before I've had my coffee.
 
I have one of those ceramic deflectors. It came with an Estes launch kit. A pad, rod, metal disc and the ceramic half egg. But that was decades ago. I found all my old Estes stuff 16 years ago and it was in a box with a yellow pad. The box was really faded. Could have been 82 to 87. But more likely late 60's to mid 70's. Now that I have jogged my memory I think I have 2 of them. Now I have to look for them.
 
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