enderw88
New to the game
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2014
- Messages
- 230
- Reaction score
- 3
I made a rookie mistake a few months ago. A couple was at our club launch selling off their deceased uncles rocket stuff. I bought a bunch of E18W8 and F39 Aerotech reloads. Fast forward to last Saturday and I tried to use a few of them. That was when I noticed the date stamps on the labels were from 1997, yes, 17 year old reloads. The propellant grains were pretty swollen, but I could get igniters in. I tried to fly two, but neither ignited properly. They sputtered, put out just enough thrust to get off the launch rod but not enough to get stable. Needless to say, the flights were more exciting than I like. Knowledgeable folks at the club were surprised that they did so poorly even with their age. We surmised that the igniters weren't hot enough. (I did not use the copperheads that came with the reloads, I used newer Aerotech igniters from a recent batch of reloads).
Yesterday I loaded up a case with one of the old reloads and a copperhead igniter from the package. I made up a horizontal test stand to test the motor. Same problem. Motor sputtered for over ten seconds. The delay charge seemed spot on.
I have a batch of First Fire Jr. on the way and will conduct at least one more ground test. Should I just write these off to experience or are the reloads still useable with the right igniter?
Yesterday I loaded up a case with one of the old reloads and a copperhead igniter from the package. I made up a horizontal test stand to test the motor. Same problem. Motor sputtered for over ten seconds. The delay charge seemed spot on.
I have a batch of First Fire Jr. on the way and will conduct at least one more ground test. Should I just write these off to experience or are the reloads still useable with the right igniter?