Help with cold weather launch
Don & Faye Reeves
I wont to know is there a better way to launch rockets in the winter.
I keep the motors warm in my pocket till just before launch. Can they be
cold?? I have a bout 12 rockets that I wont to set off this week coming any
ideas.
Thanks in advance
Don
Stephen
parachutes. These parachutes will not deploy in the cold to invest in some
top quality nylon ones that you can switch between rockets. Motors can be
cold when fired.
BTW, where are you at?
--
Stephen Corban
NAR# 81338
When all fails, find someone
who knows what they are doing
Tripoli Quad Cities
"Don & Faye Reeves" <dfre...@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:iiqP9.4582$Yo5.1...@news20.bellglobal.com...
Don & Faye Reeves
Where it is cold all the time
"Stephen" <boatsan...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:v0sdav9...@corp.supernews.com...
Tony H.
I grew up in South Dakota (late 60's & early 70's) and launched in
cold weather also. Here's what I did.
-I modified an Estes launch controller by wiring a 20' length of heavy
gauge wire in place of the batteries. I added large alligator clips to
the end so I could connect it to my car battery. Dry cell batteries
don't handle the cold well.
-Tried to use crepe paper streamers whenever possible. They would
still unroll in the cold. If I used a parachute, I used a cloth one
made out of thin material. Nowadays, I use ripstop nylon chutes that
would probably work pretty well in the cold.
-If there was snow on the ground, I used blocks of wood with clothes
pins stuck to them. I would then clip the wires near the ignitors so
they would not come in contact with the snow. I also put the launch
controller on a box so it would not be in the snow.
-It's easy to find a rocket in the snow, but if the snow sticks to the
rocket, it can melt and cause some water damage. I had a small wisk
broom I used to brush snow off of everything, and a bottle brush to
clean out the inside of the rocket.
-Don't use the supplied elastic with the Estes kits. If I remember
correctly, it gets pretty brittle in the cold. (Although I think the
newer stuff is better than the plain 'rubber band' shockcords of my
youth.) I use heavier covered elastic from a fabric store connected to
a base of Kevlar now. I wish I had that back then.
-Watch out for static electricity. Remember that cold air is also dry
air and it is easier to build up a static charge. I don't think it was
ever a problem with Estes type ignitors, but if you are using any kind
of e-match, it could be a potential problem.
-Finally, wear fingerless gloves or mittens that flip back to make it
easier when you are installing igniters, hooking up the igniter, etc.
I hope this helps. I had forgotten how much fun I used to have even in
the winter. I think I launched my first ever 3 engine cluster in the
winter, which wasn't found until spring, by a farmer, after his cow
stepped on it. Proved the value of putting your name and phone number
on the parachute. Although the rocket was trashed, it was nice to get
it back.
Have fun and stay warm,
Tony H.
***************
"No dad, don't buy that one, it has too much balsa in it"
--how my 10 year old son evaluates kits
Member of DARS (http://www.dars.org) - Dallas Area Rocket Society
NAR Level 2 at LDRS 21
Doug Sams
Tony H. wrote:
>
> Don,
> I grew up in South Dakota (late 60's
> & early 70's) and launched in
> cold weather also. Here's what I did.
Tony,
You left out the most important step: move to Dallas :)
BTW: When did you move down here?
Doug
--
doug dot sams at flash dot net
David
-- David
"Don & Faye Reeves" <dfre...@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:mIqP9.5609$oW.11...@news20.bellglobal.com...
Bob Kaplow
> No problems with launch in cold as long as you aren't using Estes
> parachutes. These parachutes will not deploy in the cold to invest in some
> top quality nylon ones that you can switch between rockets. Motors can be
> cold when fired.
BP motors WILL cato if they get too cold. The delta seems to be about 70
degrees cooler than the max temperature they've ever been exposed to. Keep
them warm in your inner coat pocket until the last minute in freezing
weather.
Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD"
>>> To reply, remove the TRABoD! <<<
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Joel Corwith
"Bob Kaplow" <kapl...@eisner.encompasserve.org.TRABoD> wrote in message
news:JNfLmR...@eisner.encompasserve.org...
> In article <v0sdav9...@corp.supernews.com>, "Stephen"
<boatsan...@hotmail.com> writes:
> > No problems with launch in cold as long as you aren't using Estes
> > parachutes. These parachutes will not deploy in the cold to invest in
some
> > top quality nylon ones that you can switch between rockets. Motors can
be
> > cold when fired.
>
> BP motors WILL cato if they get too cold. The delta seems to be about 70
> degrees cooler than the max temperature they've ever been exposed to. Keep
> them warm in your inner coat pocket until the last minute in freezing
> weather.
Not wearing a coat today. Would my shorts pockets keep them at the right
temp?
Joel. phx
:)
Tom
parachute deployment... we use either nylon chutes or warm up the Estes
plastic chutes in my hand just before setup and launch.
Tom H.
Kingston Rocket Club &
Ottawa Rocketry Group
Jerry Irvine
wrote:
> We had a great cold weather (-2C or 28F) launch today... no misfires... full
> parachute deployment... we use either nylon chutes or warm up the Estes
> plastic chutes in my hand just before setup and launch.
>
Baby powder on plastic chutes help alot.
--
Jerry Irvine, Box 1242, Claremont, California 91711 USA
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