Ez2cDave
Well-Known Member
Norton Internet Security reports Powder, Inc. as a malicious site. I would steer clear....
Legitimate link :
https://powderinc.com/black-powder
Norton Internet Security reports Powder, Inc. as a malicious site. I would steer clear....
And IIRC, the smaller ones were smaller ....
But what about the medium sized ones???
Lol! My point was they definitely had more powder in them. Earlier someone had said they all contained the same amount of powder as a regular fire cracker, and the bigger ones may have just been more tightly confined. Not true, at least not for the crazy, crusty, handmade ones we used to buy from the secret room under the staircase in the TJ Mercado.
Lots of options to augment starters. I would stay away from flash powder and sparklers.
Uh, the only E11 motor with which I am familiar is the Aerotech E11-3 Blackjack. Do mean Estes E12?I was wondering.
Last weekend I had two E11-6's CATO on me. But I also had some successful launches with an E11-4 and some C's
But I was wondering if it was at all possible that my homebrew igniters may have caused the CATOs? Plugged the exit hole or something?
I used 32ga Nichrome with a loop on the end dipped in fabri-tac and some black powder. They actually worked quite well.
I also should note that both CATO engines were from the same pack, so I suspect the engines were bad and not the igniters fault.
But my wife was asking "Maybe it was those igniters you made?"
Google "Crimson Powder" and Thermite . . .
Dave F.
Uh, the only E11 motor with which I am familiar is the Aerotech E11-3 Blackjack. Do mean Estes E12?
Assuming you are indeed referencing Estes BP E12 motors, then no, your igniters did not cause the cato. BP motors are end-burners. You aren't shoving a long piece of wire up a core, which can crimp and block the nozzle.
copper thermite works great
This. Also, my understanding is that copper thermite in anything smaller than a J motor is asking for a CATO.Except that it’s extremely static sensitive and can create a shock wave that can damage a motor.
So, then, no, the igniter did not cause the cato. Estes E9 motors have been discontinued due to the high cato rate. But there are occasional reports of E12s going boom, too.Yes my bad Estes E12-6 2 out of three in the pack CATO'd the last one went about 3 feet off the rod and exploded totaling the rocket.
Why? Better options exist.
There are several unregulated pyrogen kits on the market that fill the role of augmenting Estes starters very well. Using a more sensitive mixture like thermite when options like Magnelite or QuickBurst would be more than sufficient is not advice I'd give.Steve,
Just some unregulated options . . .
Dave F.
Its amazing how people are recommending high energy igniter to light BP which is sensitive enough a warm sneeze lights it.
Boris did some testing with Magnelite and clusters. His threads are on the site here. I don't recall exactly how many but he was doing more than 12 motors at once without anything special other than a normal launch controller.My emphasis is on lighting clusters, potentially large clusters, without using a Flash Pan or constructing a "PVC Spider".
Dave F.
I’ve always wondered if the igniter could cause a CATO too. Does anyone have any concrete data on this? I have two experiences where I had a hard to light AP motor, so I used an “enhanced” igniter—>boom!
I've done home brew BP several times with several different methods. I have yet to make anything that is near as fast as BP.
All in all ...…. Home Brew BP mixed with a flammable binder and an accelerant would probably work very well for dipping Estes Igniters.
My 1/50 of a dollar...David,
If using "home brew BP", how fine should the particles be ?
Dave
Love the stuff John, I store my BKNO3V in pill bottles as neither the bottle nor the plastic are attacked by the solvent and so adding more acetone is not required as often. I have used my BKNO3V igniters to light all kinds of motors and friends say they will light wet dirt...Another option is to use the ProCast dip kit from Quickburst. (BKNO3V). A tiny coat on the Estes igniter is all that's needed. About 1/3rd the pyrogen is needed compared to other concoctions. It will enhance 100's of Estes igniters without increasing the size if the igniter head. (Keep the dip for years and add acetone again later). You could also share the cost of the kit with club members. Or use it to make several mid-power or HPR igniters.
https://quickburst.net/qb/procast-order-page/
https://www.apogeerockets.com/Rocket-Motors/Motor-Starters/ProCast-Mix
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