Plastic Chutes

The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues...

 I was just chatting with a fellow rocketeer about FlisKits and the need to cut your own balsa (not a big deal) and assemble your own plastic chute.   And that's when it hit me:  Here's a topic for this week's blog entry!  What follows is a quote or two from our discussion on Facebook.

 A couple of years ago, I realized that if I melted a plastic chute while out on the launch range, I'd be screwed as I didn't have another. So I saw Jon Rockets.com had a 10 pack of 3 mil plastic parachutes for a very reasonable bulk price. So I got on-line and ordered a bundle.

When they arrived, I pre-made them into 12"-15"-18" chutes and labeled them, folding them into small snack-sized zip-lock baggies.

I think I've still got one or two, having melted or ripped a chute over the years!

I found this to be a good, cheap investment!




Now, I know some rocketeers who swear by nylon chutes, and want to buy the best for their sport rocket. And there are others who have advocated replacing EVERY Estes chute with one that they cut and assembled themselves. I have heard of individuals who take those thin Mylar bags from Kroger and make a chute from them, but they would seem to be so flimsy, I'm not sure that I would trust them. And I have also heard a rocketeer advocate making his chutes out of the thick garbage bags that are sold for yard waste!

 Now, after this was posted, another facebook rocketeer shared that during competition, some rocketeers prefer to make their own chutes out of dry cleaner bags! This would be extremely lightweight and compact, but do they hold up?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The End of the Line

Image
 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues... Well, for years, the state of the model rocket industry relied upon plans and patterns that were photocopied or printed out, and then applied to standard sheets of balsa to be cut out. Eventually, the various parts for various sized rockets were packaged in groups or blister packs, and sold at hobby shops across the nation.  The emphasis was on home brew or building a rocket to specifications and plans. Eventually, entire kits were pre-packaged, with all the parts that one would need.  And then, laser cut shapes, fins or parts were already pre-cut, doing away with the need for most of the patterns and tracing. So what happened to all those bags and bister packs of parts of rockets?  That is, a baggie of various nose cones... or connectors... or transitions or more ?   Many of  those packages remain at your local mom and pop hobby store, just waiting for someone to come in and buy some of their pegboard stock....
Read more

sleeping with the enemy

Image
 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues... First thing I did when they put in a Hobby Lobby in my smaller metropolitan town, 40 miles away, was to grab an application to work there.  Now I know what you're thinking... "How could you?  Who would want to work for that conservative corporation?".. as my daughter would say.  And you'd be partially right. I saved the application and took note of the mailing address. Within the first month or so, most of the initial buying frenzy was over, having sold out of some things, but not everything.   But it seemed nothing new was getting restocked. So, I got on my word processor and wrote a letter to the store management, THANKING them for bringing the store to our isolated metro area. I pointed out that many of the items had sold through completely, and how much we had appreciated their stocking rockets. Then I also encouraged them to restock and consider expanding the display, pointing to the fact that as rocketeers grow...
Read more

Death of a Hobby

Image
 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues... No, this is not a column about how Model Rocketry is a dying hobby.  It's actually about another sister hobby that sometimes overlaps into Rocketry. I'm talking about Amateur Radio. Just this last weekend, our local Ham Radio club held a "swap meet" which is commonly called a Hamfest.  These gatherings to buy and sell used equipment, parts and visit old friends typically happen just once a year and in the absence of the late Radio Shack, is one of the only places to find parts and electronic elements. There is also testing held to advance to higher licenses. The admission varies depending on the club, their overhead, expense of renting the hall or venue, and the number of tables that they can sell to area vendors who will drive across state with their wares to set up for the half day show. It's not uncommon for amateur radio operators to drive across state to attend, pay admission and get a single entry into the door prize ...
Read more