Peter Riddel at Space Modelin' Solutions in Arizona recently told me about a new igniter kit called IgniterMan. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This kit lays claim t' use just about any kind o' wire and still be more reliable than anythin' else out there. Begad! That is a mighty big claim t' make so I had to try these out. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I ordered a kit from Peter and awaited it's arrival. Aye aye! 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. Well, matey, blow me down! Supplied Parts     Fig 3. Different Size Igniters	T' kit comes in four sealed plastic vials. Avast, me proud beauty! You start by mixin' t' powdered oxidizer into t' pyrogen mixture. As soon as you have that mixed up, me hearties, you are ready t' start. 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". Begad! Basically, you want them as close as possible but nay touching, the closer t' better. Blimey! That's right, me bucko, 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. Ya scallywag! After a few minutes you can check t' resistance t' make sure it is betwixt 1.5 - 10 ohms. Well, blow me down! If you are over, me bucko, try re-dippin' t' wires, matey, usually addin' a little more primer solves t' problem. Ya scallywag! 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, me hearties, arrr, shiver me timbers, such as wire wrap wires, me bucko, and you plan on usin' these t' light some black powder motors, you are now done. Blimey! 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. Aye aye! Blimey! T' mix can also dry out. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Since t' solution is acetone based, simply put in a few drops o' acetone, stir it up and you are ready t' keep dipping. Begad! Blimey! 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. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Different Size Igniters
Fig 5. Lightin' an Igniter	Ok, shiver me timbers, so t' kit is easy t' use, ya bilge rat, 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, t' wind be blowin' too hard to launch. Blimey! Blimey! T' launch t' next two weekend's were canceled. 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, me hearties, arrr, March 11th comes along, matey, out t' t' Lucerne Dry lake for some o' t' best flyin' conditions I have ever seen. Aye aye! We ended up passin' out about 25 igniters t' people. One igniter had t' pyrogen break off while tryin' t' shove it into t' nozzle. Avast! On another, matey, t' pyrogen simply didn't light. On 23 others, shiver me timbers, me hearties, t' results were a bit different.

I put one into a G35 in me LOC Legacy, ya bilge rat, 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 was in an I284 instead of t' J275 I thought I was goin' t' use it in. Arrr! Even better though, is that I be drag racin' Steve Todd with our Lunar Express Jr.s. Ya scallywag! He was using a Firestarter. Blimey! Ahoy! And t' winner was..........me with t' Igniterman! Yes! - Kurt

I had a hi-rel fail prior t' gettin' t' Igniterman from you. T' Igniterman worked great and I noticed t' ignition seems "snappier". There be 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! - Allen

Very fast t' light, me bucko, went off the pad as soon as t' button was pressed, me hearties, a good product. Arrr! 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, shiver me timbers, as it would have been a more strenuous test. Arrr! Blimey! But the igniter lit t' motor instantly, me hearties, with no hesitation at all. Avast! Well, blow me down! It be excellent. - Joel (Scratch built rocket on an I300)

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

There you have it, 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. Aye aye! Blimey! Nay only are they reliable, me bucko, me bucko, you can use just about any kind o' wire. T' igniters built for this test included phone wire, speaker wire, arrr, shiver me timbers, wire-wrap wire, and some unknown thin' I found in t' garage. Begad! This is a killer product that does what it claims and does it well!