Peter Riddel at Space Modelin' Solutions in Arizona recently told me about a new igniter kit called IgniterMan. Ya scallywag! Blimey! This kit lays claim t' use just about any kind o' wire and still be more reliable than anythin' else out there. Begad! Blimey! That is a mighty big claim t' make so I had to try these out. I ordered a kit from Peter and awaited it's arrival. Begad! 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. Begad! Begad! Supplied Parts     Fig 3. Ya scallywag! Different Size Igniters	T' kit comes in four sealed plastic vials. Blimey! You start by mixin' t' powdered oxidizer into t' pyrogen mixture. Ya scallywag! As soon as you have that mixed up, you are ready t' start. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! 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, me proud beauty! Avast! Basically, you want them as close as possible but nay touching, the closer t' better. Begad! That's right, no solderin' or other wire preparation, just strip and dip. Fig 3. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Dippin' t' igniter You start by dippin' t' wire into t' conductive primer. Aye aye! 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! Well, blow me down! If you are over, me hearties, matey, arrr, try re-dippin' t' wires, me hearties, shiver me timbers, usually addin' a little more primer solves t' problem. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Once you are satisfied the resistance is good, me bucko, ya bilge rat, you then dip t' igniter into t' vial o' sealer. If you are usin' small wires, such as wire wrap wires, me hearties, and you plan on usin' these t' light some black powder motors, you are now done. Arrr! Begad! 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. T' mix can also dry out. 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. Arrr! Figure 4 shows a typical igniter durin' each phase of construction.	Fig 4. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Different Size Igniters
Fig 5. Lightin' an Igniter	Ok, so t' kit is easy t' use, matey, but how does it perform? As I mentioned at t' beginning, I built these igniters t' use at an upcomin' launch. Begad! Blimey! When we arrived at the launch after a week o' heavy rain, t' wind was blowin' too hard to launch. Begad! T' launch t' next two weekend's were canceled. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! 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, matey, 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. Ya scallywag! One igniter had t' pyrogen break off while tryin' t' shove it into t' nozzle. Ahoy! On another, t' pyrogen simply didn't light. Avast! Blimey! On 23 others, arrr, t' results were a bit different.

I put one into a G35 in me LOC Legacy, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, as soon as the button was pushed, me hearties, t' rocket jumped off t' pad. Well, blow me down! Next I tried a small one in an E15 usin' a scratch built rocket, shiver me timbers, 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 was goin' t' use it in. Arrr! Even better though, me hearties, is that I was drag racin' Steve Todd with our Lunar Express Jr.s. He was using a Firestarter. And t' winner was..........me with t' Igniterman! Blimey! 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". Ya scallywag! Begad! 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. Ya scallywag! Avast! - Allen

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

We had a good day with t' exception o' a couple of igniter problems. Ya scallywag! Thanks Kerry for t' Igniterman demo igniter. I'm sold. - Allen, 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. Ya scallywag! Nay only are they reliable, me bucko, you can use just about any kind o' wire. Avast, me proud beauty! T' igniters built for this test included phone wire, speaker wire, wire-wrap wire, me hearties, and some unknown thin' I found in t' garage. This is a killer product that does what it claims and does it well!