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  #11  
Old 05-31-2011, 01:06 AM
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brockrwood brockrwood is offline
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Thanks for all the helpful tips, everyone. The folks in this forum are the best!

- Brock
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  #12  
Old 05-31-2011, 01:18 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Doug Sams
Yes. Somewhere in the range of 14-18 inches diameter, you want to go up to 8 suspensions lines, as noted herein (ie, octagon).

As for material, I've been using Glide brand, Teflon coated dental floss for the suspension lines. It has worked well for me.

Doug

.
Indeed--Centuri and FSI (Flight Systems, Inc.) used octagonal parachutes. I never had an FSI kit, but the Centuri 'chutes (particularly the larger ones) tended to open more easily and fill out better than the hexagonal Estes 'chutes.
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  #13  
Old 05-31-2011, 04:21 PM
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I think a big part of the problem is the shroud line material-- if it's "fuzzy" at all the stuff will tend to grab each other and tangle like velcro... you REALLY need a smooth NON-FUZZY type shroud line... I've used twisted nylon string (trot-line) and heavy carpet thread-- the carpet thread is plenty-- smooth and strong. I've used duct tape squares for shroud line attachment and have had good luck with it-- it's a bit heavy, but the tape is REINFORCED and SO sticky that it's NOT coming loose from the chute without taking the side of the chute out with it! The Trim Monokote is also quite good for this from what I've heard...

The other part is, how you fold the chute. When I pack a parachute for a rocket flight, I pull all the shrouds taut and and point the canopy, then gather all the 'billows' between shroud lines and fold them OUTWARDS lying on top of each other, making an accordioned triangle shape of the chute with the peak at the apex, with the shrouds at one corner and the center of the billows at the other corner. I fold the point over onto the rest of the chute (a little less than halfway so the apex doesn't QUITE come down to the shrouds level) and then start rolling the chute up from the fold. I wrap the shroud lines LOOSELY around the canopy and insert it in the rocket...

I've never had one fail to deploy this way... so long as it comes out of the tube... (had weak ejection charges or one time too much wadding pop the nose loose but not eject the chute-- ouch!)

Later! OL JR
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  #14  
Old 05-31-2011, 05:25 PM
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I have made my own chutes out of white trash bags and kite string. But, the biggest rocket I have is a Nike-X.
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  #15  
Old 05-31-2011, 10:45 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mycrofte
I have made my own chutes out of white trash bags and kite string. But, the biggest rocket I have is a Nike-X.


Dr. Zooch swears by 'em...

He even offers a guarantee-- "if your rocket crashes into a smoking crater of twisted paper tubing and shattered balsa bits due to the failure of one of our trash bag parachutes, we'll send you a brand new trash bag parachute absolutely free!" (or to that effect) LOL

Seriously I've used trash bag chutes and they work fine...

Later! OL JR
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