Estes igniters

[jrap330]

Same here. Sure, I got older and had interests in other things, but the failure of my Estes igniters was the single biggest reason I left the hobby.

And when I resumed as a BAR, I had the same problems. Only this time I had a few decades of life experience to help me figure out what was going wrong. I still don't know for sure what the issue was, but all I know is that by pulling apart the 2 wires right under the pyrogen and making sure the plastic plug splits these two wires when inserted, the ignition problems disappeared.

Huh, fancy how NO ONE TOLD ME TO DO THIS. Oh well, joke's on Estes for all that lost business.

And you never break the ignitor, by separating them further?

 

[mh9162013]

And you never break the ignitor, by separating them further?

No, I'm very careful and the separation is only a few mm, at most.

 

[Lord Rory Gin]

Amps kill, volts tickle

No kidding. I was using my 12v 8Ah battery with Estes ignitors today. I had about 30% failure because the igniter burned through before igniting the propellant. I was trying a slightly different technique today bending the lead (i.e.) doubling the wire instead of attaching the clip directly to the wire. The doubled up wire allowed more juice to flow and affect the ignition. So I changed back to my old method and got successful flights after that.

 

[Lord Rory Gin]

Dave F - Thanks again and good to know! I did a next-morning test on one of my Nitro-Cellulose & Black Powder treated igniters and it indeed DOES have more Pizzaz than without the Black Powder.

I'm curious about the "corn starch" coating you referred to,
Q:Is that the almost clear thin coating that comes on a lot (most?) of the Estes Igniters?
Q:Is it really Corn Starch?

Q: If that is what you're suggesting to "soak it off", are you using water?, denatured alcohol?, naptha? Something else?

Thanks - Paul

I've heard people say it was corn starch. I've also heard from Bill Stine say it was white glue. This was all changed to a formula that was more energetic but still was able to be sent without Hazmat.

 

[bjphoenix]

Estes igniters are very reliable. I generally run a 98 to 99 percent success rate with them. I use the old school "spitball" method of igniter retention, along with a piece of masking tape over the nozzle for strain relief. The size of the "spitball" is key, it must fit fully inside the nozzle, but also not be loose. I use tweezers to install the spitball, taking care to get it in between the wire leads to stop them from shorting out.

In the old days using nichrome the instructions were to wrap the nichrome around the tip of a ballpoint pen to form the small loop, push the ball of tissue in the nozzle and then seat it with the point of the ballpoint pen. Apparently this would hold the igniter in securely and also hold that loop against the propellant grain.

 

[Kartman]

In the old days using nichrome the instructions were to wrap the nichrome around the tip of a ballpoint pen to form the small loop, push the ball of tissue in the nozzle and then seat it with the point of the ballpoint pen. Apparently this would hold the igniter in securely and also hold that loop against the propellant grain.

I did that all the time and it worked perfectly if good contact with the BP was maintained.

 

[cerving]

these work great with estes motors https://electricmatch.com/rocketry/see/23/6/bp-rocket-starters

Standard size ematches will fit in the nozzle of the 24mm D12 and E12 motors, and the 29mm E16 and F15 motors. You just need to tape them firmly in place.

 

[Buzzard]

For the MJG BP Igniters, I have been using poster putty to hold them in place instead of tape or plugs. Like other methods, you still don't want to put a lot of strain on the leads. So far this method has worked perfectly for me in 18mm and 24mm.

Chas

 

[Grant_Edwards]

Estes igniters are very reliable. I generally run a 98 to 99 percent success rate with them. I use the old school "spitball" method of igniter retention, along with a piece of masking tape over the nozzle for strain relief.

I'd have to agree. If installed/handled properly, I very rarely have any failures.

My checklist is similar to others:

• Leave the paper tape attached to the leads
• Make sure they're inserted all they way
• Make sure the rubber plug separates the leads
• Try not to twist/torque the leads after installation
• Bend a U or loop in the end of each lead so there's more for the clips to bite onto.

My failures are almost always

• Nichrome bridge wire broken during handing/installation (launch controller shows open circuit).
• Lead wires are shorted during installation so no current flows through nichrome bridge wire.

I can't really recall instances where the igniter actually burned as expected but didn't start the motor.

That said, I use a home-made controller with heavy-duty switches/wiring and a 3S 1000mAh LiPo that can easily put out 20-30 Amps. The connection to the pad is 18-gauge lamp cord. So, I can probably deliver 10X more current than the standard Estes controller with 4 AA alkaline cells.

 

[mh9162013]

My checklist is similar to others:

• Leave the paper tape attached to the leads
• Make sure they're inserted all they way
• Make sure the rubber plug separates the leads
• Try not to twist/torque the leads after installation
• Bend a U or loop in the end of each lead so there's more for the clips to bite onto.

As I mentioned before, that was the key thing to look out for regarding me getting reliable launches. Besides myself, you're the first person I've ever heard (blogs, instructions, Youtube, etc) mention this tip.

 

[Grant_Edwards]

As I mentioned before, that was the key thing to look out for regarding me getting reliable launches. Besides myself, you're the first person I've ever heard (blogs, instructions, Youtube, etc) mention this tip.

Also note that even after the plug is installed, it's not at all difficult to twist the leads around and get them moved enough that they'll short out in the throat of the nozzle (where you can't see it once the plug installed). Leaving the paper tape on helps. Some people add another piece of masking tape to try to secure them even more and prevent any twisting, but I don't go that far.

 

[Back_at_it]

My 4F black powder is finally being delivered today so I can finally get my level 1 flight in this fall.

In the meantime, I'm going to do a couple of tests with dipping the igniters in silver paint then black powder to see if there is any visual difference in flame between paint only and paint dipped in black powder.