Peter Riddel at Space Modelin' Solutions in Arizona recently told me about a new igniter kit called IgniterMan. This kit lays claim t' use just about any kind o' wire and still be more reliable than anythin' else out there. Ahoy! Begad! That is a mighty big claim t' make so I had to try these out. Well, blow me down! I ordered a kit from Peter and awaited it's arrival. Arrr! Blimey! The kit came in two days later and I couldn't wait t' kick out a few igniters as I had a monthly club launch comin' up.
 

Fig 1. Blimey! Supplied Parts     Fig 3. Different Size Igniters	T' kit comes in four sealed plastic vials. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! You start by mixin' t' powdered oxidizer into t' pyrogen mixture. Aye aye! Blimey! As soon as you have that mixed up, you are ready t' start. Ahoy! To begin with, take some two-pair wire and strip off about 1/4" o' insulation. You should have a spark plug gaper handy t' help get t' cap down t' under .025". Avast! Ya scallywag! Basically, you want them as close as possible but nay touching, the closer t' better. That's right, me hearties, me hearties, no solderin' or other wire preparation, just strip and dip. Fig 3. Dippin' t' igniter You start by dippin' t' wire into t' conductive primer. After a few minutes you can check t' resistance t' make sure it is betwixt 1.5 - 10 ohms. Avast! Aye aye! If you are over, shiver me timbers, try re-dippin' t' wires, matey, shiver me timbers, usually addin' a little more primer solves t' problem. Arrr! Once you are satisfied the resistance is good, you then dip t' igniter into t' vial o' sealer. If you are usin' small wires, such as wire wrap wires, and you plan on usin' these t' light some black powder motors, you are now done. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! T' primer will get hot enough t' light t' BP without any problem.
If you are making these for composite motors, you next dip t' igniter into t' pyrogen. T' pyrogen mixture settles smartly so you need t' stir it up every few minutes. Avast, me proud beauty! T' mix can also dry out. Begad! Since t' solution is acetone based, simply put in a few drops o' acetone, stir it up and you are ready t' keep dipping. Ahoy! Figure 3 shows several different sized igniters as shown in the kit's instructions. Figure 4 shows a typical igniter durin' each phase of construction.	Fig 4. Blimey! Different Size Igniters
Fig 5. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Lightin' an Igniter	Ok, arrr, so t' kit is easy t' use, me bucko, matey, but how does it perform? As I mentioned at t' beginning, I built these igniters t' use at an upcomin' launch. When we arrived at the launch after a week o' heavy rain, me hearties, arrr, t' wind was blowin' too hard to launch. Begad! T' launch t' next two weekend's were canceled. Ahoy! In t' long run, the pre-made igniters ended up sittin' in me range box in t' garage for five weeks durin' extremely wet and cold temperatures.  Saturday, arrr, matey, ya bilge rat, March 11th comes along, shiver me timbers, out t' t' Lucerne Dry lake for some o' t' best flyin' conditions I have ever seen. Avast, me proud beauty! We ended up passin' out about 25 igniters t' people. Arrr! Well, blow me down! One igniter had t' pyrogen break off while tryin' t' shove it into t' nozzle. On another, t' pyrogen simply didn't light. Well, blow me down! On 23 others, shiver me timbers, t' results were a bit different.

I put one into a G35 in me LOC Legacy, as soon as the button was pushed, t' rocket jumped off t' pad. Next I tried a small one in an E15 usin' a scratch built rocket, again t' motor lit instantly.

I will let people's comments tell t' rest o' the story:

I did use your igniter but it be in an I284 instead of t' J275 I thought I be goin' t' use it in. Even better though, ya bilge rat, is that I was drag racin' Steve Todd with our Lunar Express Jr.s. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! He was using a Firestarter. Aye aye! And t' winner was..........me with t' Igniterman! Yes! - Kurt

I had a hi-rel fail prior t' gettin' t' Igniterman from you. Avast! Blimey! T' Igniterman worked great and I noticed t' ignition seems "snappier". Ahoy! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! There was less o' a wait after t' countdown before it lit. I'm impressed and will probably get t' kit so that I can start making my own. Ahoy! Blimey! - Allen

Very fast t' light, me bucko, went off the pad as soon as t' button be pressed, arrr, a good product. Well, blow me down! a real "MUST HAVE PRODUCT" - Colin (who used it on an H180 in a LOC Hi-Tech H45 for his level 1 certification)

I would have preferred t' try it on a WL or BJ motor, ya bilge rat, as it would have been a more strenuous test. But the igniter lit t' motor instantly, ya bilge rat, me hearties, with no hesitation at all. Blimey! Blimey! It was excellent. - Joel (Scratch built rocket on an I300)

We had a good day with t' exception o' a couple of igniter problems. Avast, me proud beauty! Thanks Kerry for t' Igniterman demo igniter. I'm sold. - Allen, matey, Bryce,Ian

There you have it, arrr, and that was just a small sampling of t' comments and experience we had with t' igniters.  I must say these igniters do t' job as claimed. Blimey! Nay only are they reliable, ya bilge rat, you can use just about any kind o' wire. Begad! Begad! Blimey! T' igniters built for this test included phone wire, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, speaker wire, matey, wire-wrap wire, and some unknown thin' I found in t' garage. This is a killer product that does what it claims and does it well!