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Old 08-10-2017, 04:55 PM
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tbzep tbzep is offline
Dazed and Confused
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: TN
Posts: 11,610
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I used cellulose insulation exclusively for high power, but I don't really like it in model rocketry. The stuff is messy and I had one occasion where the small volume of material allowed gases to get by and melt the chute. I don't skimp on wadding so I know it was more a matter of density than depth. I've occasionally done a layer of paper under cellulose for BT-70 and up rockets that has worked well just to conserve the paper wadding, but it's still messy. The paper is clean, also biodegrades, and is part of the history of Estes. I'll stick with it for the small stuff. It's also reusable. After school launches I have the kids police the playground and save all the used wadding. You can't do that with cellulose.

Steve, I've made some wadding by soaking rolls. It didn't work well because I haven't found a brand locally that is as strong as the Estes stuff, vintage or new, and had trouble unrolling it. It took forever to dry so I'm guessing they had a drying process or just sat it outside in the low humidity and heat of Penrose. I had better luck with paper towels, but it just doesn't have the vintage vibe, much less the pliability. Yes, I can afford wadding, I just wanted to do it myself.

Since we are talking wadding, I've never cared for the Quest sheet style. The Estes TP is more pliable and seals much better for me.
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