"Set the Wayback Machine for SEMROC"

[Tau Zero]

I'd never seen the following May 1970 publication before, :cool: but I just spent the last half-hour drooling in dangerously close proximity to electrical wiring while reading it. :eek:

http://www.ninfinger.org/~sven/rockets/catalogs/semroc570/570semroccat.html

35 years later, a kid who was 8 years old when it was printed found it *very* inspiring... and halfway sorry I didn't know anything about Semroc in its first incarnation.

And Carl, I want you to know I had to very strongly resist the urge to print an order form and fill it out! (Chances are Mom wouldn't have enough money in her checkbook, either, so I'll just have to save up a bunch of loose change.) :( :p :D

Fast forward to the future... I mean, the present. ;)

*Wow,* that was cool. :D


Cheers,

--Jay

[Nuke Rocketeer]

Carl,

Did you make your own engines or contract them out to someone else? It would be nice to get some like those in that catalog again. When you were doing SEMROC the first time, I was just aware of Estes and Centuri from my home in the boonies of West Texas, so I never had the chance of doing any of your stuff then.

Joe W

[Carl@Semroc]

Carl,

Did you make your own engines or contract them out to someone else? It would be nice to get some like those in that catalog again. When you were doing SEMROC the first time, I was just aware of Estes and Centuri from my home in the boonies of West Texas, so I never had the chance of doing any of your stuff then.

Joe W
We made our own engines. Estes stopped adding new engine contracts about the time we started up. Thanks for asking!

[Carl@Semroc]

35 years later, a kid who was 8 years old when it was printed found it *very* inspiring... and halfway sorry I didn't know anything about Semroc in its first incarnation. This time is better! At least I am having more fun this time. Something about having 25 employees and 200 stockholders keeps you from enjoying the times like this.

[Tau Zero]

This time is better! At least I am having more fun this time.(chuckling) Me, too! And for my second time around as a rocketeer, Semroc is one of the biggest reasons *I'm* having fun! :D

Something about having 25 employees and 200 stockholders keeps you from enjoying the times like this.(heavy sigh) Yeah, that'll do it for you.

Keep it coming! We love what you do! (And I continue to be amazed -- The SST Shuttle? *Way* cool, since I had a Centuri original "back in the day.")


Cheers,

--Jay

[Nuke Rocketeer]

Carl,

Did you sell many of the 3/4B,C, and D engines? I had never seen engines that size before. What was the reason for having them? I would think that not many would want to use them.

BTW...do you have any intentions of making engines again? It would be nice to get some alternatives to Estes/Quest.

Joe W

[ghrocketman]

Carl,
Your company is GREAT; great service and products; really like how Estes and Centuri USED to be.
Keep those classic Centuri/Enerjet/Mini-max and Estes clones/re-issues coming back !
How is the re-issue Aero-Dart coming ?

I'd REALLY like to see you re-introduce the B14 engine and some of your 18mm "extended length" case 20n-sec D engines. The D if a BP motor would be a good 18mm alternative (more affordable) to the Aerotech RMS stuff. Aerotech AP motors are great but are too costly for many rocketeers.

Speaking of engines, how about cloning the Enerjet E24/F52/F67 line for us ?
One can dream....

[Royatl]

Speaking of engines, how about cloning the Enerjet E24/F52/F67 line for us ?
One can dream....

Ya know, I'd really like to see Gary make some modern cased motors that performed like the Enerjets (or his old Composite Dynamics Pro-Jets), but I doubt he ever would because people wouldn't know how to deal with the slow liftoffs and the lack of smoke.

A few years ago you could still get smokeless motors from Vulcan. I don't know that anyone makes them like that any more, except for maybe Gary's Redline motors.

Maybe that's what'll get me into doing EX. Instead of making smoky H and I motors like every one else, I'd be making little smokeless E and F motors!

Roy
nar12605

[Green Dragon]

I'd REALLY like to see you re-introduce the B14 engine and some of your 18mm "extended length" case 20n-sec D engines. The D if a BP motor would be a good 18mm alternative (more affordable) to the Aerotech RMS stuff. Aerotech AP motors are great but are too costly for many rocketeers.

do you still have the motor making machine ? ( doubt they were hand packed, lol ).
and i WOULD be great to have more alternatives, distinctive motors (long 18mm D's sound nice * sigh * )

Speaking of engines, how about cloning the Enerjet E24/F52/F67 line for us ?
One can dream....

those are easy to do - how many would you like ?

course they wouldn't be certified,lol........

AL / Green Dragon

[Nuke Rocketeer]

Which ones? the B14's or Enerjet clones?

[Green Dragon]

Which ones? the B14's or Enerjet clones?

The Enerjet clones.

simple,old school composite motros, IMO easier to do that the B14's

~ AL

[Doug Sams]

The Enerjet clones.

simple,old school composite motros, IMO easier to do that the B14'sI'm waxing philosophical here, but...it seems to me that, while it would be extremely kewl to get some of these old Enerjet motors again, they would soon lose their luster. We'd soon be preferring smoky motors instead.

I guess what I'm saying is that we (me included) are trying to recapture a bygone thrill. And while we may actually achieve that - once - maybe two or three times - it quickly loses its potency and we're then looking elsewhere.

Somewhat similar, I get a thrill out of flying a new rocket, but after only a few flights I want to build and fly something new and different.

This all means that, while we'd buy one pack of those Enerjet motors, we probably wouldn't buy many more.

Sometimes yesterday's thrill makes for a mundane rerun. Nevertheless, I keep thinking I'd buy a bunch of those B14-0's :)

Doug

[Green Dragon]

I'm waxing philosophical here, but...it seems to me that, while it would be extremely kewl to get some of these old Enerjet motors again, they would soon lose their luster. We'd soon be preferring smoky motors instead.

I guess what I'm saying is that we (me included) are trying to recapture a bygone thrill. And while we may actually achieve that - once - maybe two or three times - it quickly loses its potency and we're then looking elsewhere.

Somewhat similar, I get a thrill out of flying a new rocket, but after only a few flights I want to build and fly something new and different.

This all means that, while we'd buy one pack of those Enerjet motors, we probably wouldn't buy many more.

Sometimes yesterday's thrill makes for a mundane rerun. Nevertheless, I keep thinking I'd buy a bunch of those B14-0's :)

Doug

I have to disagree, as I have always loved the no smoke motors.

they are MUCH more photogenic - what can be cooler than a photo of a nice rocket sitting atop a completely smokeless boost, with the flame maybe visible, maybe not .

and you pay for that smoke / effects anyways, so give me the low cost smokeless ,progressive burn motors any time, thank you ... ( although making bates grain motors with generic propellent should not add much cost, versus case bonding the grains,only adding the cost of casting tubes and the extra labor step of dropping into the case.

will see what I have for old photos and maybe post a couple :-)

~ AL

[ghrocketman]

I actually still have some of the old Composite Dynamics Pro-Jet E and F motors.

Certified ?
Where I fly that does not matter, and my homeowners insurance covers me; it defines a model rocket (or model R/C airplane) as a flying device incapable of carrying a man (eliminates requiring that stoopyd turbine waiver from the AMA to fly turbine R/C aircraft too !)


I often fly old no-longer-certified rocket motors.

[snaquin]

I have to disagree, as I have always loved the no smoke motors.

they are MUCH more photogenic - what can be cooler than a photo of a nice rocket sitting atop a completely smokeless boost, with the flame maybe visible, maybe not .

and you pay for that smoke / effects anyways, so give me the low cost smokeless ,progressive burn motors any time, thank you ... ( although making bates grain motors with generic propellent should not add much cost, versus case bonding the grains,only adding the cost of casting tubes and the extra labor step of dropping into the case.

will see what I have for old photos and maybe post a couple :-)

~ AL

Al

Your post lead me to scan a few of mine .....

A few vintage rockets I flew on old composite motors years ago. I threw in the Loc Lil' Nuke on the F41 because some of you may remember the original White Lightinings were fairly low smoke and threw some sparks until they refined the propellant to what you have today. To be honest I liked the orignal White Lightning propellant with the low smoke and sparks much better!

The Loc IV was flown with my first HPR smokeless motor an H125-15 for my TRA certification flight.

[Carl@Semroc]

I don't care about smoke on low altitude flights, but I want lots of smoke to be able to follow high altitude flights. The new delay that Estes and Quest are using just does not produce the 60's volume of smoke. Fire a new engine on a test stand and the yard clears of smoke in seconds. Fire an old engine and the difference is significant.

The B14-0 and B14-7 have got to be some of the most requested engines at Estes from the old-timers.

[Ltvscout]

I don't care about smoke on low altitude flights, but I want lots of smoke to be able to follow high altitude flights. The new delay that Estes and Quest are using just does not produce the 60's volume of smoke. Fire a new engine on a test stand and the yard clears of smoke in seconds. Fire an old engine and the difference is significant.

The B14-0 and B14-7 have got to be some of the most requested engines at Estes from the old-timers.
Carl,

I think they used more sulfur in the old mixture. When I burn old motors, I notice a lot more burned sulfur residue around the nozzle.

Gee, sure would be nice to have B14's again. ;)

[Green Dragon]

The B14-0 and B14-7 have got to be some of the most requested engines at Estes from the old-timers.

That's something severely lacking in model rocket motors, is blackpowder coreburners.

With FSI gone, no alternatives left to us at all .

ANy chance of Semroc adding those to the list ? :-)

I'll go vote on em :-)

~ AL

[Ltvscout]

That's something severely lacking in model rocket motors, is blackpowder coreburners.

With FSI gone, no alternatives left to us at all .

ANy chance of Semroc adding those to the list ? :-)

I'll go vote on em :-)

~ AL
Heh, a number of us have hounded Carl for a long time on those. The problem being is that they're labor intensive and dangerous to make. At least the way that Estes used to make them.

[Green Dragon]

semi on topic, was going to email Carl directly on this one, but figured forum members would chime in with an ' oh yes' , lol ...

one more item, lacking on the Semroc site, that fits right in as well , is the clear payload tubing for the ST-10 .

he has the ST7 and 8 tubes, but not the ST-10 for the T-Bird. was looking at that plan the other day, and thinking I need to add one to the growing fleet.

now for the ' aye' from the crowd :-)

~ AL

'into multi-staging', chad or otherwise :-)

[Ltvscout]

semi on topic, was going to email Carl directly on this one, but figured forum members would chime in with an ' oh yes' , lol ...

one more item, lacking on the Semroc site, that fits right in as well , is the clear payload tubing for the ST-10 .

he has the ST7 and 8 tubes, but not the ST-10 for the T-Bird. was looking at that plan the other day, and thinking I need to add one to the growing fleet.

now for the ' aye' from the crowd :-)

~ AL

'into multi-staging', chad or otherwise :-)
I know this is coming since he will be releasing the Payloader II in the future, my first rocket.

[CPMcGraw]

I know this is coming since he will be releasing the Payloader II in the future, my first rocket.

OK... I'll chime in for this one... :D

Oh, YEAH! :) :rolleyes:

I've cloned both the Payloader II and the T-Bird with BT-50... They look OK, but it will be nice to have a true-size version of both in ST-10.

Thanks, Carl!

[Green Dragon]

I know this is coming since he will be releasing the Payloader II in the future, my first rocket.

great to hear, will keep my eyes ont he site for that to be added .

(and a heads up here, would be nice, too , Carl * wink * )

~ AL