Do You Powder your Chutes?

[chrism]

I can remember back when I first started buiding rockets in the late 70s when I was a teen, Estes recommended using talcum powder on the parachutes so they would not stick together and fail to open. Does anyone powder their chutes today?

[jharding58]

I do. Just like the added white puff. Mostly it is to protect the chute from sticking together sitting in the airframe on hot days.

[CaninoBD]

I always powder my thin mil Mylar or dry cleaner bag competition chutes.

I usually don't bother powdering Estes plastic chutes or nylon one unless it really cold.

[jetlag]

I do. Just like the added white puff. Mostly it is to protect the chute from sticking together sitting in the airframe on hot days.

Exactly! I do it all the time. One good powdering, and it's usually good for several launches. A lot of the times I didn't powder a 'chute, I lived to regret it. Never shredded or anything like that; just stayed crumpled and wouldn't open all the way. The rockets were usually fine, thank goodness. The humidity (and sweaty hands) gets the 'chutes sticky.
Now I powder every 'chute. I use J. and J.'s straight talcum (no cornstarch) or a suitable store brand.

As an aside, one might avoid the temptation to use that bright florescent powder. It is cool coming out, indeed, but it stains absolutely everything! :mad:
I won't say what else it's not good for.... :rolleyes:

+++1 for powdering!

Allen

[Mark II]

Sure do! With the ejection charges in Estes motors these days, if the parachute won't slide easily, you don't get a deployment failure - you get a ruptured airframe!

[GregGleason]

It's part of my "chute pack" regimen. I even have a little travel sized baby powder container that goes in one of my field boxes.

Greg

[blackshire]

Although I always powdered the old Estes (and Centuri) parachutes, Estes' new red ones don't seem to need it; being made of somewhat thicker, stiffer plastic, they want to open themselves, even after being packed inside rocket body tubes for months! Other YORF members have commented that Estes' new printed 'chutes also use this type of plastic, so powdering may become a "safely droppable" option in all but perhaps the coldest rocket-flying weather.

[Mark II]

Using talcum powder on a parachute isn't just meant to keep the canopy material from sticking together. It is also meant to reduce the friction between the folded 'chute and the inner wall of its compartment when the fit is tight, so that the 'chute will pop out more easily. So I would not toss the talc can just yet. Your information about the canopy material in the new versions of Estes' parachutes is good to know, though.

[blackshire]

Using talcum powder on a parachute isn't just meant to keep the canopy material from sticking together. It is also meant to reduce the friction between the folded 'chute and the inner wall of its compartment when the fit is tight, so that the 'chute will pop out more easily. So I would not toss the talc can just yet. Your information about the canopy material in the new versions of Estes' parachutes is good to know, though.Thank you. I agree about the friction. I wrap 'chutes and streamers in one square of wadding (after inserting an appropriate number of wadded-up squares in the body tube) before sliding the 'chute or streamer into the rocket. The extra square of wadding acts like a sabot in a shotgun shell (one that contains lead shot instead of a single large slug); it slides against the body tube walls during ejection and peels away from the 'chute or streamer immediately after it leaves the body tube.

[Mark II]

Perhaps it's just me, but in recent years I have had more and more difficulty stuffing 12" plastic parachutes into BT-20 or ST-7 airframes. I sometimes even had trouble getting them into BT-50. I don't know why, because in the past it was never so hard, and I haven't made any changes in my folding technique since then. I can't imagine getting a parachute that has been wrapped in a sheet of paper wadding down into some of those tubes. Wrapping the recovery device in a flame-resistant shield is the standard technique in HPR, though.

[blackshire]

Packing the new red, slightly thicker-gauge parachutes in my Athena (BT-50 size) was no problem, but I did have to practice a bit to get the BT-20 size EX-200's parachute (a 12" one) to fit comfortably in it. It just came down to a neat, tidily-executed folding & rolling job using the classic "Carlisle Method." In fact, the more tightly I pack the new red 'chutes, the more quickly they spring open!

[Ltvscout]

I still have a bunch of cans of Centuri Chute Powder which I use to powder my plastic chutes.

[CPMcGraw]

I keep a container of after-bath dusting powder (a fresh-scented type, can't have a stinky parachute!) in my range box, and liberally powder up the chute I plan to use before the first flight. I'm one of those that uses a single chute throughout an entire session, swapping it out from rocket to rocket until it either gets lost in action, or damaged beyond use. I also don't get to fly every weekend, so the chutes often sit rolled up for long periods of time. The powder does help keep them usable between sessions.

[rocketguy101]

I have started using straight cornstarch--it feels slicker than talc. It is cheaper too. I started throwing my chute into a big plastic bag, sprinkle some cornstarch in, close the bag, and "shake and bake". It coats the inside and outside and doesn't create a cloud in my prep area.

Years ago, I got a squeeze bottle with a swivel nozzle-top (I think it came with a hair coloring kit my mom had) I keep it filled w/ cornstarch and put a squirt on top of the wadding, to provide that "poof" for tracking.

My chutes haven't stuck either from hot or cold weather. If my chute doesn't open, it has been due to being chintzy w/ wadding and melting the chute. Since I found out about dog barf wadding on these forums, I haven't had than problem anymore!

[Bill]

Thank you. I agree about the friction. I wrap 'chutes and streamers in one square of wadding (after inserting an appropriate number of wadded-up squares in the body tube) before sliding the 'chute or streamer into the rocket. The extra square of wadding acts like a sabot in a shotgun shell (one that contains lead shot instead of a single large slug); it slides against the body tube walls during ejection and peels away from the 'chute or streamer immediately after it leaves the body tube.


I do the same thing, but it backfired on me once. The chute did not open and when I got to the rocket, discovered not a melted chute, but the square of wadding torn a small amount and the chute snagged in that tear like a hernia.


Bill

[Bill]

I have started using straight cornstarch--it feels slicker than talc.


Uh, cornstarch is highly flammable.


Bill

[blackshire]

I do the same thing, but it backfired on me once. The chute did not open and when I got to the rocket, discovered not a melted chute, but the square of wadding torn a small amount and the chute snagged in that tear like a hernia.That's a definitely possible failure mode (as it *did* happen to you), but I think I'll continue to bank on the statistics. Another option (which I've also utilized with 100% success) is the Model Missiles, Inc. "Rock-A-Chute"-type cruciform paper "Parachute Protectors." I didn't use vintage ones, but cut out my own replicas using the diagram in an early edition of G. Harry Stine's Handbook of Model Rocketry. I used ordinary typing paper for these, but if I were to use them again, I'd use flame-retardant paper.

[nukemmcssret]

I have never talcum powdered my chutes but I am gonna start, I have had a few ejection problems in the past. Now I know why. Thanks. nukemmcssret :rolleyes:

[Solomoriah]

I have started using straight cornstarch--it feels slicker than talc.
But it turns to glue if it gets wet. Since I often have to deal with slightly damp grass at my launches, I'd personally have to stick with talc.

[LeeR]

Do Not, I repeat, Do Not, use the brightly colored chalk powder used to refill contruction snap lines.

A friend did, thinking it would be highly visible (not really as visible as white baby powder, in my opinion), and darn near impossible to get off of everything it touches. :)

[Ltvscout]

Do Not, I repeat, Do Not, use the brightly colored chalk powder used to refill contruction snap lines.

A friend did, thinking it would be highly visible (not really as visible as white baby powder, in my opinion), and darn near impossible to get off of everything it touches. :)
Yes, it does coat things. But, it is highly visible using the red powder and is the powder recommended by many to use in NAR altitude contests.

[ghrocketman]

The ONLY times I use powder on chutes is if I'm flying in below 40F temps. or if the rocket uses a cheap mylar chute (which have all been replaced in my fleet now). Otherwise I find it to be a hassle that is a waste of time.