CONSTRUCTION:

The instructions are clear and easy t' follow. Blimey! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! After a series o' warnings about the flammability and t' need for adequate ventilation t' steps necessary t' make igniters follow. T' steps outline makin' igniters for Black Powder motors like Apogee, Estes and Quest. Then addition steps t' make igniters for Composite motors. Ahoy! Blimey! 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. I made 11 igniters from this wire, me bucko, ya bilge rat, all about t' same length as North Coast's igniters.

T' process is easy. Avast! Ahoy! Blimey! 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. Arrr! Blimey! I used a feeler gauge on a few and then used me eye.

Once stripped, t' wires are dipped into t' Conductive Primer until they are covered completely with t' black primer. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! After this you should measure the resistance. Avast! T' instructions say that betwixt 1.5 and 10 ohms is normal for a properly dipped wire. Ya scallywag! Most o' t' eleven I dipped came in at 4 - 5 ohms. Begad! Ahoy! The others measured at 8 - 9 ohms and two were > 25 ohms. Begad! 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. Ya scallywag! I did this and let them dry over-night (only need 20 minutes). When I got up, me hearties, 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. Aye aye! I don't know if this is expected, shiver me timbers, me bucko, but it happened.

T' next step is mixing t' Oxidizer with t' Pyrogen. Ya scallywag! This makes a very grainy and heavy mixture. Well, blow me down! I mixed it with a small flat screwdriver. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' instructions are very clear in sayin' that shakin' is nay enough. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! 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, I began dippin' me igniters. Begad! Begad! I stirred this mixture every few dips. Arrr! Blimey! Re-measured t' resistance per the instructions. None seemed t' change. After lettin' t' Pyrogen dip dry for 1 hour, ya bilge rat, I dipped them in t' sealer. Ahoy! Voila' . . . igniters ala Nick.

T' finished igniter tips were wider and longer than NCR's and that concerned me. Blimey! T' smallest nozzle throat I could pass any o' me new dipped igniters through be a F39. Blimey! 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. Aye aye! Blimey! I also purchased some 30 gauge insulated wire wrap wire from Radio Shack. Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey! I twisted t' pairs together usin' a drill as described in t' instructions. Arrr! Blimey! I made 8 o' this size igniter and now had successfully dipped some that would easily slid into a D9 nozzle throat.

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

When usin' twisted pairs o' wire, arrr, make sure of two things; 1) they are is at least 5 turns per inch and 2) that you strip both ends before dipping. Aye aye! If you try t' strip t' launcher end after dippin' the igniter it may be disturbed enough t' loss good contact. 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. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! I tested one o' the igniters on a garage floor. Upon ignition thar was a large flame ball and flash. Avast! Blimey! 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. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! They have all fired t' motor on first pop. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! I never had a puff, puff, puff, matey, me hearties, whoosh ignition either. Ahoy! Well, me bucko, blow me down! All were, matey, 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. Avast! I successfully ignited all three E18's!

For recovery . . . yes, ya bilge rat, thar be a recovery mode. For recovery, t' wires can be reused. Avast, me proud beauty! Simply snip t' end, strip t' end and dip t' end where t' previous igniter tip was. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! This was 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. Arrr! Haven't had a single failure. Can't be better than that.

I asked Unique Rocketry about thinnin' the mixtures and here be t' response: "Yes, matey, t' pyrogen can be thinned with acetone t' suit t' motor application. Aye aye! It can also be thickened by allowin' some o' t' acetone t' evaporate. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' solvent used in all three bottles is acetone. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' same is true o' t' Conductive Primer. After several igniter dippin' sessions, me bucko, users will have t' add a bit o' acetone t' the IgniterMan Pyrogen and Conductive Primer t' maintain t' consistency. Begad! I have a couple o' users who make igniters for their Apogee motors. Begad! Blimey! 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, me bucko, me bucko, t' IgniterMan kit is a win with me. Avast, me proud beauty! For t' $30 I have made about 30 igniters. Avast! Ya scallywag! That has already brought t' price down lower than most purchasable igniters. Avast! Aye aye! However, t' important fact is that I barely started usin' t' mixtures. Arrr! Blimey! Unique Rocketry says I can get 500 igniters out o' this mix. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! I probably can't with me dippin' technique, matey, but I'm sure I can get 200. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Doin' so would drive t' cost per igniter down t' $0.15 note including t' wire. Ya scallywag! 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. Ya scallywag! At t' very least, make certain t' two opposin' motors have the same date o' manufacture. Arrr! Doin' this eliminates t' motor aging variable. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! 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. Begad! Also, match t' DC resistance o' t' finished igniter t' with in 0.5 ohms. 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. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! 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. Begad! Steps 1 and 3 should be followed regardless o' t' brand o' igniter used. - Robert Briody (Unique Rocketry)