I hate to part with it but I need cash for a gift. My (could soon be yours) Central Rocket Company report vintage 1958 is up for sale. True old rocketeers know about Central Rocket Company. I don't need to rehase it here. Someone will enjoy it. I have.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...=STRK:MESELX:IT

item # 200427663262

Aaaaaand how about a link to get to it?

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Scott

NAR #32070

I added a link to the original post.

Ted Mahler
NAR 18184

Ted,

Ebay says the item has been removed?

Steve

It is still there...

__________________
Jon
SAM #0396
BAR 02/07
NAR 86940
KF4GUL
Aim high, fly straight!

Ted,

Can you tell us a bit about the background of the document?

Any idea how they were distributed? It was printed single sided and doesn't look like it was folded so it doesn't seem like it was something that would have been mailed out.

Any idea how many were produced?

How did it happen to come to you?

Steve

Gus, I can provide a little info on this document.

Its written by Richard Goldsmith who was the owner of CRC back then. Richard Goldsmith was a pyrotechnic friend of Orv Carlisle; they used to hang together at Fireworks conventions back in the 40's and 50's. The reason I bring up this close relationship is that you will see in these documents what I call a hybrid pyrotechnic skyrocket which has a delay train and ejection charge , so these diagrams basically show the two forms of rocketry becoming one: pyrotechnic rocketry and the beginnings of model rocketry. Orv took a type of pyrotechnic rocket called a "Driver" and it served as the basis for his new model rocket engine. Driver's were usually attached to wheels and they made the wheels spin around on set displau pieces; they did not go up into the air; they were ground based. There were version were they would be attached to land lines and they would move along the lines,etc. If you look closley at his patent you will see that the Orv Carlisle model rocket engine went thru two phases: the first or original design used a simple fireworks fuse as a delay train... Orv's 2nd rocket engine design became the model rocket engine as we know it today: the propellant grain-delay train-ejection charge.... Richard Goldsmith was obviously in contact with Orv in the late 1950's and and I'm sure they discussed rocket engines together as they were friends and they saw each other on a more or lesss yearly basis and also corresponded with one another thru the mails.

In 1958 there were a number of differing types of model rockets that were available:

there was the MMI model rocket by GH Stine/Orv Carlilse; there was this CRC Model Rocket was a sjyrocket with an intergrated delay/ejection charge; there was a kit you could purchase sorta like the CRC kit, again based on a pyrotechnic skyrocket design and the Coaster model rocket whose engine was based on pyrotechnic skyrockets.


There are some subtle differences between "Driver" rocket engines and "Skyrocket" rocket engines. The Drivers' were neutral or end burners, while the Skyrockets were port burners. The black powder composition of the Driver was a faster BP blend like 75/15/10 like today's model rockets while the BP blens for the skyrockets was a slower 60/30/10 mix.


If you were to look closely at skyrocket design history which I have you will see that the pyrotechnic skyrocket had a simple one piece propellant grain/delay train, where the delay train was an additional bit of BP that was pressed on top of the propellant grain..this was called its "Heading" the length of this heading determined the delay time. In model rockets Orv took this simple ages old adea nd turned the heading into a different Bp composition that was a true "delay train" as for hundreds of years, BP comps were the basis of slow and fast fuse charges.

Basically what this document shows is the Nexus between pyrotechnisc and model rocketry.


To me this is a significant document in model rocketry history.


HTH

Terry Dean

__________________
"Old Rocketeer's don't die; they just go OOP".....unless you 3D print them.

Terry,

Thanks for your usual outstanding explanation, really interesting stuff.

Any progress on that book of yours about model rocket history?

Steve

Gus, I turned over all of my histroical stuff to LAUNCH magazine. If any of it appears it would be as background material for LAUNCH's proposed book.

Terry Dean

__________________
"Old Rocketeer's don't die; they just go OOP".....unless you 3D print them.