ELECTRIC MATCHES

[SCOTT EVANS]

I think this subject still runs with My L2 cert (just trying to improve my chances second time around) But Ill post it here. I really would like some feed back on this one.

I got this kit for making e matches.(I got them from Skylighter)( I know I know I could have got them from Tim) It said it would do 300 matches. So I bought 500 feet of wire 6 packs of 50 match heads each. I began to solder and solder and solder till I only had 6 heads left cause I ran out of wire. I made some with 12″ leads some with 24″ leads and a few with 36″ leads. Im still waiting for the nitro laquer to turn a few into igniters (I got the black powder of coarse)
Here is the thing. When I first started testing them half would just snap and half would burn. Now they are all good and dry after 2 of 3 weeks hanging in the garage. Now only about 10-20% snap the rest burn nicely.
Will that little tiny snap ignite black powder?
Secondly skylighter recomended this coating (it was red, I suspected it was nail polish though I didnt try it on my nails) I only got 30-40 matches dipped before I spilled the bottle. And Im not sure that was a bad thing!!!
Last night I was testing those coated matches (the ones with the red stuff)
and I only got one out of ten to snap the rest did NOTHING. The best I got was one small snap out of one match. I have not checked continuity on all of them yet, but it hasnt yet historically proved to be a problem with my soldering and these matches. Why did this coating cause all these matches to become inpatent?
I remember loading the matches into the altimeter bay, one had the coating and one did not, I know the main went off because I have a bunch of new spill holes (Conway) in that parachute. The droug chute seemed for the most part untouched. If the droug chute had the coated match and it didnt go off, would the main be able to deploy, with the rocket at terminal velocity???? A whole lot of questions turning in my head!

Scotte

[Bruce R. Schaefer]

Scott, we’re listening to you and re-grouping. Art Hoag, JamesR, Conway, and others are all experts in this area. Ken Plattner is getting really good as well. I just buy my e-matches from Tim Thomas (GLR) and coat them with pyrogen that I can find at the launches. Someone with a LEUP at the launches will usually have some, just make a deal for an “on-site” use of it. This is a great subject, and you will get all the info you need. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.

[Conway StevensParticipant]

One of the properties of an ematch that you want is that pop. Its what sets off a BP charge for deployment. Now not saying a slower light wouldn’t but the energy from a fast poof of all the pyro for deployment is what we want. If you flying dual deploy and haven’t had alot of experience working with making e matches then I would recommend till you get them down to use some of the commercial made ones. They are quite reliable and we want as reliable of deployment and recoveries as we can get.. Going up is the easy part. Sticking that over the top deployment stuff with a great recovery is where it can get hairy. Tim sometimes has some for sale here in the near future I will to. The materials you are mixing and dipping have specific purposes. and are made of specific materials.

Now if all you want to make is ignitors I can help you there as well. I will also be selling Ignitors as wel for those that dont want to make them and even my pyrogen mix more then likleyl. Its a formula of my own mix and they have very few in fact pretty well no issues lighting any motor.

Ematches are a tricky thing when making them practice and practice some more. You should have a low to no failure rate and they should light off any deployment charge you want. I recomend ground testing them. Under deployment situation just as you would do for ground testing charges.

[Bret PackardParticipant]

I agree with Conway here. I make my own ignitirs, using the Magnelite pyrogen and CAT 5 wires with 26ga nichrome. They work great, but I wouldn’t touch ematches. Reliability is to critical and the commercially available ones have been 100% reliable for me so far (knocking on wood 😉 ) and they are cheap. So far I have been 100% successful with my ignitors too, but they aren’t nearly as delicate as ematches.

[SCOTT EVANS]

constevens wrote:

One of the properties of an ematch that you want is that pop.

Thats just it though it sparks and it pops the tip of the match off without the burn.
When I say burn, its a fast hot burn. hmmmm
Maybe next launch I will use comercial ones.

scotte

[Conway StevensParticipant]

Your description of an ematch vs what a comercial one does is fairly different. They are specific in the way they work. I do know some people that have had good luck making them and they perform just like comercial. But they have had lots of practice and understand the chemistry as well.

[SCOTT EVANS]

Your description of an ematch vs what a comercial one does is fairly different. They are specific in the way they work. I do know some people that have had good luck making them and they perform just like comercial. But they have had lots of practice and understand the chemistry as well.

Chemistry??? (it was a kit!!! just mix part A and part B and keep away from open flame 😉 )
I figured it was the same stuff in the formula they had in with thier match heads. They would not sell Potassium chlorate to just anybody.
But they would sell the little kit. Only about enough (2-3 grams) to dip match heads into.
When they burn, they burn like a fuse on a legal firework (fast and hot only electricly ignited) I figured that was the way it was supose to be. Once the powder ignites weather its from a spark or a burn, whats left of the fuse really doesnt matter.

Ill get a couple of comecial matches for next launch.

scotte

[Bruce R. Schaefer]

Ill get a couple of comecial matches for next launch.

Tim Thomas from GLR always has them, at every launch, plus igniters. 😉

[SCOTT EVANS]

Is there spell check on this sight someware cause I suck at it! 🙂

[Dave Tjarks]

I wish there was a spellcheck somewhere….

The only person I really know that has the patience and makes his own ematches is Brad McGarvey. Of course he makes his own motors and altimeters too.

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