Estes Engine Retainer design Change

[shockwaveriderz]

Does anybody know anything about the Estes engine retainer(the engine holder/hook) design change. Its my understanding it took place in 1990 or thereabouts. I was just wondering who might have been responsible and what the change was for. Anybody know?

terry dean

[Ltvscout]

Does anybody know anything about the Estes engine retainer(the engine holder/hook) design change. Its my understanding it took place in 1990 or thereabouts. I was just wondering who might have been responsible and what the change was for. Anybody know?
I think there were actually three hooks. The original retainer, then one that looked like the original but was slightly wider, then the icky new style hook.

[CPMcGraw]

Does anybody know anything about the Estes engine retainer(the engine holder/hook) design change. Its my understanding it took place in 1990 or thereabouts. I was just wondering who might have been responsible and what the change was for. Anybody know?

terry dean

I remember working in a LHS when the Art Deco hooks started showing up. This was in the 1989-1991 timeframe. I also remember having some conversations with customers about them, wondering how they would work or if they would work as well, as we had not seen them in action before.

[mikeyd]

I have had problems with the new hooks on Mini-engine rockets. They got in the way of the thrust, causing vectored thrust. I had to take my dremel, and chop it off, to look like the original clips.

[CPMcGraw]

I have had problems with the new hooks on Mini-engine rockets. They got in the way of the thrust, causing vectored thrust. I had to take my dremel, and chop it off, to look like the original clips.
Easier solution, short of getting the good clips from SEMROC, is to just turn the Estes clip around and use the fancy end at the top. It only requires bending the tip slightly to form square corners, but it works in a pinch. What Estes shows as the "top" of the hook becomes the "bottom", and is just like what we want.