So it's fall, which means I'm doing Rocketry Club with the kids' school. We're building and launching the BMS School Rocket. Should be fun.
One of the perennial problems with kids and rockets, though, is mastering installing the igniter in the motor. You need it all the way in, you need it so the wires aren't touching, and you need to put the plug in while holding the igniter. It's not complicated, but it's tough to explain and get kids to grasp it on the first try.
What if I superglued some igniters to plugs ahead of time? Any reason why not? As long as I got the height right, any reason that wouldn't work? Then you could just plug the whole thing into the motor.
Thoughts?
You said "you need to put the plug in while holding the igniter." This makes me think you are not installing them properly. There is no need to hold the Starter (or "Igniter" if you go back in time and buy motors with igniters).
You hold the motor or rocket with motor vertically with the nozzle straight up.
You drop the Starter into the motor nozzle. Gravity will keep it there with the tip touching the propellant.
Insert the plug. The act of inserting the plug pushes the tip of the starter firmly against the propellant face.
Only ways to fail are:
1) Kids playing with the wires wiggling and twisting until the thick wires touch.
2) Not looking at teach starter to ensure the thick wires are not touching or almost touching before they are inserted. If they are too close, they may be pressed together and short instead of being held firmly apart.
https://estesrockets.com/wp-content/uploads/Educator/Estes_Igniters_and_their_use.pdf
Not updated since igniters became starters, but this is still the same technique for installation.
NOTE the words: Do
NOT bend the igniter. Many people see the illustration and think they need to bend the starter once inserted. NO. bending it will pull the tip away from the propellant ensuring a very high failure rate. Inserting the plug will firmly press the starter tip against the propellant and also bend the lead wires over. DO NOT pre-bend.
Estes invented the plugs in response to massive failure rates with bending and taping the "Solar Igniters". They surveyed many youth groups, educators and experienced NAR type fanatics. The NAR people showed them the wadding ball technique which was almost 100%. They then made the plugs which are easier and faster than wadding balls.
The plugs are one of the best things they ever came up with. IF you read the instructions....
I see thousands of rockets every year at our club launches and the youth group leaders who tell everyone to bend them when installing them have massive failure rates. Once I show them the correct way, the failures are near zero.