23 replies to this topic

[THEONE]

Everybody know that a thermite igniter is much more efficient for the rocket ignition that the other traditional igniter, so i would like to try it.... but i have a problem...
I have successfully ignite an iron oxide/ al thermite with a sparkler but i can not ignite it with something else, i tried a steel wool and a straw igniter but it doesn't light, does anybody know how i can ignite it with electricity ?

Edited by THEONE, 25 January 2012 - 10:24 AM.

[Nessalco]

What type of rocket are you trying to ignite? If it's a composite propellant, ferric thermite is not normally used.

Kevin

[NightHawkInLight]

It should be easier to ignite if you use dark flake aluminum. I haven't experimented much, but your best bet will probably be layering an electric igniter with bp, a hot prime, then thermite.

[THEONE]

It will be an iron oxide/al thermite for ignition

Edited by THEONE, 26 January 2012 - 09:03 AM.

[THEONE]

I was thinking if it can be ignited with a lead from a pencil... i will try it

[Essohbe]

You can use chlorate-sugar primer and then a sub-igniter made of Al or Mg + KNO3. You can also use dichromates instead of the nitrate. Use flake and/or filing in your Al or Mg.

You can ignite it without a subigniter by using Barium Peroxide but that is expensive.

[Nessalco]

I must be getting old - it slipped my mind I had developed an igniter for hard-to-light APCP that would also light ferric thermite. I tried it 3 or 4 times, according to my notes, but at the time it was merely a by-product of another project.

http://www.amateurpy...r-for-thermite/

High-power rocket folks sometimes use cupric thermite to light motors. It requires some caution, but will light a huge motor almost instantly, and requires only an electric match for ignition.


Kevin

[THEONE]

Richard has successfully ignite some copper oxide/ al with a minibulb...

Also he used this ignition system for the ignition of the miniSS2S, as you can see the ignition is instantaneously

[Nikko]

And if you really have trouble, something I have done in the past to remotely light bonfires (to the amazement of onlookers.... hmmm.... get better onlookers) is to have your filament (I used steel wool) wrap around a match head. Sometimes this would ignite the thermite, sometimes not, but using a primary, secondary, tertiary system of match head, sparkler, thermite, was 100% reliable. It's probably not really helpful, but it may give you ideas. Also, 3 sparklers bound loosely together with leccy tape burn really fast. I first entered backyard rocketry with cardboard tubes stuffed with sparklers.

In fact...
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn6F2kKg_RE"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn6F2kKg_RE[/url]


Heh... more embarrassing to re-watch than I expected.

Edited by Nikko, 08 April 2013 - 04:29 AM.

[MWJ]

I made a thermite igniter by using a 2" long drinking straw with a small piece of Mag. strip, road flare comp and hobby fuse in it. It works. You can use that with the electric igniter

[THEONE]

I made a thermite igniter by using a 2" long drinking straw with a small piece of Mag. strip, road flare comp and hobby fuse in it. It works. You can use that with the electric igniter

 

 I dont have access to buy Magnesium strip...

[MWJ]

I put the mag strip for good measure, you don't need it. Road flare (strontium nitrate (Produces Bright Red color), potassium perchlorate or potassium nitrate (Oxidizer), and magnesium or aluminum powder (Fuel) )

Ignites at: 376 Degrees F

Burns at: 1400° F.) Then use or make an E-match

 

Hope this helps

[tetractys]

I'm also trying to do this, can magnesium be made to burn with nichrome wire at all?  I'm guessing not.

[pyrocoyote]

Dip nichrome wire into chlorate/sugar/ fine mag powder slurry, after dry dip into mag/sugar slurry and finally into just mag powder slurry.  Very hot fire- handle with caution.  This will work without the nichrome wire-- the mag will make the conduction but takes lots of battery power not like the e-match.

[WSM]

I'm also trying to do this, can magnesium be made to burn with nichrome wire at all?  I'm guessing not.

 

My first ematches (in the 1980's) used potassium nitrate and 100 mesh magnesium powder, bound with nitrocellulose lacquer. They worked great but had a short shelf life (in six month's time they were innert). The bridge wire was 40 gauge NiCr.

 

WSM

Edited by WSM, 20 February 2015 - 06:55 PM.

[chand]

How to build electric ignitor which can ignite a kno3 motor I Google d it but I didn't found much reference can anyone guild me

[THEONE]

Will a carbon bridge wire ignite a thermite comp. ?

[Milyan720]

Use copper thermite

[THEONE]

I tried it with nichrome wire but it did not lite

[soh96ing]

I’m not very good with chemistry but I just read Richard’s thread and he ignited it brilliantly. It doesn’t lag and is quite safe and reliable. Are there any problems of power input to the igniter, it might be giving a sluggish response if enough power is not available to it. I’m planning to start my own project and just trying to get an idea. Could you please update us if it worked out for you?  

Regards,
Sohaib J.