05-21-2007, 11:30 AM
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Old Far...er...Rocketeer
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Plano, TX resident since 1998.
Posts: 3,965
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Solomoriah
... is there any reason I can't just cut off square pieces of crepe paper from one of those $0.48 rolls that Wal-Mart sells, and use that instead of the overpriced Estes wadding?
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Sol,
It's all about stiffness. The Estes wadding is the softest and conforms the best to whatever it's in thus sealing things well and providing a better barrier. Next best is the Quest wadding, parade float paper, also flame retardent, and rightly so. But it's stiffer than the Estes wadding. And crepe paper is even stiffer. My take is that, from personal experience, flames and hot gases tend to work their way around the stiffer papers and get to the chute.
So, I tend to mix them together. With crepe, I use 2-4 sheets of it with 1-2 sheets of Estes. That economizes on the Estes wadding while still providing good protection for the recovery system. For a BT-50 airframe, I'll put two squares of crepe in, then one of Estes, then the shock cord followed by the chute.
Doug |