Loki Research 38mm Reload System

Loki - 38mm Reload System {Motor}

Contributed by Douglas Gardei

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Manufacturer: Loki
Loki Research 38mm high power rocket motors

Brief:
Loki's line o' 38mm reloadable motors. Blimey! Blimey! Cheapest o' t' 38mm reloadable options for both hardware and reloads. Currently, only t' H144, me hearties, shiver me timbers, arrr, I405, and J528 loads (Loki White propellant) are available for these motors, matey, shiver me timbers, but more formulas and motor designations are comin' out soon. Begad! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey!

Construction:
Currently available be t' Loki 240, 480, and 740 motor. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Each motor comes with a quality case with external snap rin' (thrust ring), graphite nozzle, nozzle washer, me bucko, shiver me timbers, forward bulkhead, ya bilge rat, and snap rings. Ya scallywag! Blimey! If you buy t' system package, you will get a forward closure for each motor. Ahoy! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! You don't have t' share t' closure.

A typical Loki reload comes with a spiral wound phenolic liner, me hearties, propellant grains, arrr, delay grain, two large O-rings, matey, shiver me timbers, six small O-rings, and a red cap (or vial) that contains 1.5 grams o' black powder. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty!

An interestin' thin' about t' Loki reloads be t' number o' grains in the reload kit. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! T' H144 uses 4 ~30 gram slugs, and t' I405 (naturally) uses 8 ~30 gram slugs. T' J528 breaks t' trend, shiver me timbers, me hearties, usin' six ~60 gram slugs. Avast! Loki's goal was t' create loads that can be shipped parcel post, me bucko, so they made t' grains 30 grams. Ahoy! Ahoy! However, matey, interestin' things happened when t' motors got too large using the smaller slugs, me bucko, me bucko, me hearties, so this be nay an option with t' 740 motor.

Loki Research 38mm high power rocket motors Assemblin' t' Loki motor is very similar t' Kosdon and AMW motors. This be t' order that I build them. Blimey! I start out by greasin' t' two large O-rings and placin' them in t' slot in t' nozzle and bulkhead. Of course it is important t' make sure you use t' correct nozzle for t' load you are using. Aye aye! T' nozzle conveniently has a number scratched into t' side that corresponds t' t' reload instructions. Begad! Blimey! Set t' closures aside so they don't get dirty, ya bilge rat, damaged, or lost.

Then it is time t' build t' delay column. Begad! Simply stack t' six smaller O-rings over t' delay element then place it on a flat surface and press the forward bulkhead onto it so t' delay grain goes into t' delay well. Well, blow me down! I then use a blunt tool t' push t' O-rings in all t' way. Begad!

Once this is done, you have t' option o' trimmin' t' delay. Well, blow me down! It is a good idea t' use t' Loki-DAT tool for this. Avast! T' Pro38 DAT tool would work also. Leavin' t' delay grain untrimmed will yield a 17 second delay. Aye aye! T' DAT tool will allow you t' trim it t' 13, ya bilge rat, 10, me hearties, 8, matey, or 5 seconds. Ahoy!

Insert t' forward part o' t' nozzle into t' liner. Ahoy! Then stack in the propellant grains followed by t' aft end o' t' forward closure. Ahoy! Arrr! Grease up the inside o' t' case, arrr, and t' liner tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! This will make t' next step easier, matey, and you will be thankful for t' grease when it comes time t' remove the spent components, shiver me timbers, trust me. Blimey! Press t' assembly into t' motor case (nozzle should be at t' end with t' thrust ring) until t' nozzle is about a quarter inch from t' snap rin' slot. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Insert t' nozzle washer, shiver me timbers, followed by t' snap ring. Make sure t' snap rin' is in t' groove by lightly squeezin' t' pliers and rotatin' t' motor. Begad! Blimey!

Turn t' motor over and press down on t' forward closure t' press the nozzle and washer onto t' snap ring. Arrr! Install t' final snap ring, me bucko, makin' sure the snap rin' is in t' groove. Begad! Arrr! Finish t' motor construction by installin' the ejection charge (if you want t' use it). Ya scallywag! T' forward closure gives you generous space for t' ejection charge, so pour in as much as you need. Then take some waddin' and place it on top o' t' charge. Begad! Then press on t' red cap t' hold everythin' in place. Blimey! Well, me bucko, blow me down! T' waddin' is thar t' hold t' powder against t' delay column.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Loki in PML

Flight:
To ignite t' motor, I used a Magnelite igniter with a single fold. Begad! Begad! Ignition is quick and t' motor produces a bright white flame and tons o' white smoke. Ya scallywag! Of the two motors I flown, me hearties, t' I405 be me favorite! I had t' pleasure t' see several I405 flights, and it has a loud and unique sound t' it! After a launch of a Big Brute with one, Carl Tulanko asked me, ya bilge rat, "What be that?" I told him a Loki I405. Later on durin' t' day, me hearties, I had me PML Aurora loaded with one and asked if he wanted t' come t' t' flight line and watch it fly. Arrr! Ya scallywag! He said "No way! That motor is scary." It's a very impressive motor. I only got t' see one J528 flight up close. If you like t' J350 and t' J570, shiver me timbers, then you would love this motor! Lots o' umph!

Enjoy a video by clickin' HERE

Recovery:
Cleanin' o' t' Loki motor is identical t' that o' t' AMW and Kosdon motors. Remove t' snap rings, arrr, and press on t' bulkhead t' press t' components out of the case. Aye aye! Suggested tool t' use is a wooden dowel t' push out t' closure (or nozzle, arrr, if you t' use t' other end). Avast! Blimey! If you are fortunate (and remembered to generously grease t' liner), everythin' should come out with minor effort. However, if t' rocket had an impact o' any kind, one o' t' bulkheads would mash itself into t' liner, shiver me timbers, me hearties, makin' removal a chore. Begad! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I used Baby wipes t' clean mine, which worked surprisingly well. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Blimey!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I am really pleased with t' Loki 38mm product. I mentioned that it is cheaper than other brands. Well, blow me down! Let's compare with this simple chart. Prices are retail list and comparison is done with Aerotech White Lightning, Pro38 standard, and Loki loads.

AeroTech Pro38** Loki
240 motor $92.95 $32.95 $49.99
240 reload $19.99 $30.75 $19.99
480 motor $106.95 $49.15 $59.99
480 reload $35.95 $43.95 $29.99
720+ motor $116.95 $57.15 $69.99
720+ reload $47.95 $57.15 $39.99

** - Pro38 motor hardware is just a tube. Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey! There is no closures. In a sense, matey, Pro38 motors are disposable motors that are held together by the case. Avast! Blimey!

Another interestin' comparison be t' total impulse o' t' loads for the cases and how much they cost t' fly per total impulse. This comparison based off data from t' NAR/TRA/CAR combined list. All numbers have been rounded to nearest whole cent. Aye aye! Ya scallywag!

Motor Total Impulse
(Ns)
Cost per Ns
Aerotech H123 236 8 cents
Loki H144 239 8 cents
Pro38 H153 258 12 cents
Aerotech I211 435 8 cents
Loki I405 493 6 cents
Pro38 I285 510 9 cents
AeroTech J350 697 7 cents
Loki J528 741 5 cents
Pro38 J330 694 8 cents

In t' near future, me bucko, Loki will be offerin' new loads for their motors. Arrr! If you like fast burning, "kick 'em in t' butt" loads, then you will enjoy their Blue Formula which will debut with a H294, I605, and me soon t' be favorite, J1001! Also in t' works are two moon burnin' loads that utilize their White formula. Ya scallywag! I can't wait t' try out their I124 and J192 loads! Those loads have close t' a 4 second burn!

What I would like t' see in Loki's 38mm line is a 360 and 600 motor. Arrr! I can imagine a 360 load priced at around $24.99 and a 600 load bein' a reasonable $34.99. Well, blow me down! I would also love t' see Black and Spark loads introduced too. Ahoy! I would have t' problem decidin' which loads t' buy!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Other Reviews
  • Loki Research 38mm Reload System By Lance Alligood

    Brief: The Loki Research 38/480 motor casing and I405 reloads are perhaps the highest performance to lowest cost ratio of commercial 4-grain 38mm motors available on the market. If you are looking for colored flame reloads, then Loki Research motors may not be for you. Jeff Taylor of Loki makes no excuses about his products delivering nothing but the highest performance and motor effects be ...

Comments:

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J.P.C. (July 17, 2005)
I have one word to describe Loki's J528... Awesome! I have flown this motor twice and both times I was amazed at how fast it lifted an 8 1/2 lb. rocket to 2800+ feet. Beautiful white smoke and nice long flame. Jeff Taylor has a winner here.
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J.M. (December 13, 2005)
Simply put, the Loki I405 has the look, feel and sound of a AT J350W (one of my favorites). Just a little shorter burn. What does this mean? Very loud, huge 4' flame, lots of smoke. Great motor at a reasonable price with no HAZMAT fees as well. An awesome level 1 motor.
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L.A. (April 24, 2006)
Important note for anyone who wants to use the I110 reload in the 38/480 case: You MUST have the #16 nozzle (which is the same nozzle as what is used with the 38/240 casing) when using this long burning, single grain reload. This information is clear in the I110 reload instructions but isn't well documented on the Loki website. With the right nozzle though, the I110 is as impressive as any other Loki motor!
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R.J.K. (October 30, 2006)
I have flown the H144 four times so far and have great results. The rocket weighs 3.5 pounds and has an estimated altitude of 2100'. All flights have been nominal and I got my level 1 cert with this engine and rocket. I had one bad experience with the J528. On my first flight with it in a PM Black Brant X it literally blew up, blowing the casing apart at the aft snap ring groove. The rocket fortunately went up about 50' and the engine went through it which deployed the chute. The engine mount changing adapter was destroyed but for the most part the rocket survived. Jeff at Loki was very interested and also supplied me with a new motor and reload under warranty. I had to wait 8 months but flew the Black Brant and J528 to my level 2 cert at the Freedom launch in September 06. Beautiful flight to 3200' and recovery 20' from launch control. I also have his I series in the 110 and 405 configurations and hope to fly them soon. Unfortunately getting Loki stuff down here in Florida is difficult as the local supplier closed up.

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