Is there a good alternative to the wadding instead of purchasing it from a hobby store at a jacked up price? It looks like basic tissue paper. would this work the same? like the stuff for wrapping presents, white tissue paper. i just dont want to start my rocket on fire. Thanks in advance!

Tissue paper won't safely work as it burns (and will come down on fire and start other fires) !
What you want is commonly called "dog-barf" which is a funny name given to blown-cellulose insulation. You can get a huge bag at Home Depot/Lowes for very little $$, and it is treated with flame-retardant. (one would not want FLAMMABLE home insulation now would one?). You would use about a 2 1/2 body diameter high stack in the tube on top of the engine below the parachute/streamer.

Wadding type items that are NO good (due to fire hazard) :
Kleenex
Toilet Paper
Paper towel
Tissue paper
Newspaper
Cotton Balls

Wadding/Recovery type items that are acceptable :
Dog Barf (Cellulose Insulation)
Model Rocket Wadding
Permanent Nomex/Kevlar Heat Shields tied to the Shock Cord
Ejection Baffles
Piston Ejection (Mid/High Power Rockets only)

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When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!!

Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.
ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, TURMOIL, FIASCOS, and HAVOC !

just the answer i needed, thank you!

One thing to add about this product -- at DIY centers, like Lowes or Home Depot, you can get a huge bundle of this stuff (like a 12" x 18" x 24" plastic-wrapped block, tightly-packed) for about 3X the price of just one package of regular wadding sheets, or roughly about $6-$7. It will take you several years to use up that much, even if you give some away to friends.

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To these I will add:
o Party paper - ie, streamer and crepe paper (Double check the labels, but most of these are treated to be flame retardant.)
o Tissue paper used on parade floats (I understand that's what Quest wadding is.)

Doug

Wadding type items that are NO good (due to fire hazard) :
Kleenex - been there
Toilet Paper - done that
Paper towel - t-shirt has burn holes in it
Tissue paper - yeah
Newspaper - no
Cotton Balls - yeah, but they look cool floating back to earth smoking

You want proof? It's right here on the lower left. Guess I've been rehabilitated.

Attached Thumbnails

 

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Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Mini Dactyl Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Marauder, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II, Xarconian Cruiser Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Groonie Der V 1/2

Wow! You really grew in a couple of years, Bill!

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__________________
Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Mini Dactyl Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Marauder, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II, Xarconian Cruiser Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Groonie Der V 1/2

I tried virtually all of the items I listed as unacceptable....
For most of them, I found out the HARD (by setting grass/field fires in my younger and much less sensible days ) way that they are unacceptable !

__________________
When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!!

Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.
ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, TURMOIL, FIASCOS, and HAVOC !

I was going to add re: the crepe ,as most of it is flamproof coated ( guys up here have been using that for years).

one that you did leave off the list was LETTUCE LEAFS.

lettuce makes for good,biodegradable wadding :-)

~ AL