CONSTRUCTION:

The instructions are clear and easy t' follow. Arrr! Begad! After a series o' warnings about the flammability and t' need for adequate ventilation t' steps necessary t' make igniters follow. Avast, me proud beauty! T' steps outline makin' igniters for Black Powder motors like Apogee, me bucko, Estes and Quest. Ahoy! Then addition steps t' make igniters for Composite motors. Ya scallywag! There are some suggested wire sizes t' use for various sizes of motors.

Unique Rocketry suppled some AWG 22 solid zip wire t' get me started. Ya scallywag! I made 11 igniters from this wire, all about t' same length as North Coast's igniters.

T' process is easy. Strip t' wire and line up t' bare ends with a even gap o' ~0.008 and 0.015". T' instructions suggest usin' a spark plug gapper or feeler gauge. I used a feeler gauge on a few and then used me eye.

Once stripped, me bucko, t' wires are dipped into t' Conductive Primer until they are covered completely with t' black primer. Aye aye! Blimey! After this you should measure the resistance. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! T' instructions say that betwixt 1.5 and 10 ohms is normal for a properly dipped wire. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Most o' t' eleven I dipped came in at 4 - 5 ohms. The others measured at 8 - 9 ohms and two were > 25 ohms. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I re-dipped those and they came down t' 4 - 5 ohms.

After t' ohm check you are supposed t' dip them in t' sealer. Blimey! I did this and let them dry over-night (only need 20 minutes). When I got up, ya bilge rat, I re-measured t' resistance and all t' ones that came in betwixt 4 - 5 ohms were now betwixt 2 - 3 ohms and t' rest were also lower. I don't know if this is expected, but it happened.

T' next step is mixing t' Oxidizer with t' Pyrogen. Avast, me proud beauty! This makes a very grainy and heavy mixture. Well, blow me down! I mixed it with a small flat screwdriver. Well, blow me down! Well, me bucko, blow me down! T' instructions are very clear in sayin' that shakin' is nay enough. This is especially true after t' mix has set for a while. I would suggest makin' 10+ igniters at a time since you loose some o' t' mixture on your stirrin' device.

Once mixed, shiver me timbers, me hearties, I began dippin' me igniters. Well, blow me down! I stirred this mixture every few dips. Blimey! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Re-measured t' resistance per the instructions. None seemed t' change. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! After lettin' t' Pyrogen dip dry for 1 hour, me hearties, I dipped them in t' sealer. Ya scallywag! Voila' . . Avast! Arrr! . Avast! Well, blow me down! igniters ala Nick.

T' finished igniter tips were wider and longer than NCR's and that concerned me. T' smallest nozzle throat I could pass any o' me new dipped igniters through was a F39. This was a concern t' me.

I purchased some 24 gauge 4-strand telephone wire and used it t' make me next 10 igniters. Similar results all around. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I also purchased some 30 gauge insulated wire wrap wire from Radio Shack. Begad! Avast! I twisted t' pairs together usin' a drill as described in t' instructions. I made 8 o' this size igniter and now had successfully dipped some that would easily slid into a D9 nozzle throat.

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4.5 points. Although I have nothin' t' compare it to, arrr, matey, I found t' Pyrogen mix t' be t' most challengin' part. T' obtain a perfect 5 rating, I don't want t' have t' stir it. Arrr! Aye aye! However, shiver me timbers, don't let this deter you. Arrr! Just recognize that this is a required step and take your time.

When usin' twisted pairs o' wire, me bucko, shiver me timbers, make sure of two things; 1) they are is at least 5 turns per inch and 2) that you strip both ends before dipping. Well, blow me down! If you try t' strip t' launcher end after dippin' the igniter it may be disturbed enough t' loss good contact. Blimey! I had this happen after t' primer dip.

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

The instructions indicate that a 12V system is required. I use t' Estes Command Controller with two 7.2V batteries for a 14.4V system. I tested one o' the igniters on a garage floor. Ya scallywag! Avast! Upon ignition thar was a large flame ball and flash. Then a visible and audible cracklin' o' t' remainin' igniter head that lasted for less than 2 seconds.

I have used 10 o' these igniters on various 29mm and 24mm reloads. Arrr! They have all fired t' motor on first pop. Arrr! Aye aye! I never had a puff, puff, me hearties, puff, arrr, whoosh ignition either. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! All were, 3...2...1...whoosh! The best display o' t' igniters happen when usin' t' 30 gauge in me three 24-mm cluster THOY Snipe rocket. I successfully ignited all three E18's!

For recovery . Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! . . Aye aye! yes, ya bilge rat, thar be a recovery mode. For recovery, shiver me timbers, t' wires can be reused. Well, blow me down! Simply snip t' end, strip t' end and dip t' end where t' previous igniter tip was. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! This be nay possible on t' 30 gauge igniters as they crumbled and curled from t' motor exhaust.

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this kit 5 points. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Haven't had a single failure. Ya scallywag! Can't be better than that.

I asked Unique Rocketry about thinnin' the mixtures and here be t' response: "Yes, t' pyrogen can be thinned with acetone t' suit t' motor application. Arrr! It can also be thickened by allowin' some o' t' acetone t' evaporate. T' solvent used in all three bottles is acetone. T' same is true o' t' Conductive Primer. Blimey! After several igniter dippin' sessions, users will have t' add a bit o' acetone t' the IgniterMan Pyrogen and Conductive Primer t' maintain t' consistency. I have a couple o' users who make igniters for their Apogee motors. Arrr! Begad! They say they have t' thin t' Primer and Pyrogen in order for t' igniters t' easily fit into the slots o' t' Apogee motor grains."

Overall, t' IgniterMan kit is a win with me. Aye aye! For t' $30 I have made about 30 igniters. Begad! That has already brought t' price down lower than most purchasable igniters. Ahoy! However, arrr, t' important fact is that I barely started usin' t' mixtures. Unique Rocketry says I can get 500 igniters out o' this mix. Arrr! I probably can't with me dippin' technique, arrr, me hearties, but I'm sure I can get 200. Doin' so would drive t' cost per igniter down t' $0.15 note including t' wire. Begad! This is outstanding! I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 5 points.

UPDATE 4/00 - A couple o' tips for sucessful clustering.

1) Make certain t' date o' motor manufacture is identical for all four motors. Aye aye! At t' very least, make certain t' two opposin' motors have the same date o' manufacture. Begad! Ya scallywag! Doin' this eliminates t' motor aging variable. Also it's highly doubtful t' formulation changed at any time durin' that day.

2) Match t' physical size o' t' heatin' element formed by the Conductive Primer Dip. Arrr! Begad! Also, arrr, match t' DC resistance o' t' finished igniter t' with in 0.5 ohms. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! This will minimize any igniter ignition skew.

3) Make certain t' use a battery which can supply ALOT o' current WITHOUT havin' its output voltage collapse. A sealed lead-acid gel cell, motorcycle battery, or car battery works great. Well, blow me down! Blimey! You want t' be able to dump lots o' power into that little thermal head so it heats up VERY fast.

Followin' these three steps will help insure all motors fire and come up to pressure at t' same time. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Steps 1 and 3 should be followed regardless o' t' brand o' igniter used. - Robert Briody (Unique Rocketry)