So, now that Johnson's Baby powder isn't made from Talc (at least the stuff sold in the US), what substitutes are available for powdering chutes? Silver Cup Billiard Chalk is also no longer made from Talc. I have some old Gym chalk, pure Magnesium Carbonate, will that work? My ancient bottle of baby powder is nearly empty!

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Paul
If we weren't all crazy, we would go insane - Jimmy Buffett
NAR #87246 www.wooshrocketry.org

Paul,

Check the travel section at target. I was just there this week and they still had talc baby powder mixed in with the new corn starch stuff. I have not been able to locate the big bottles anywhere, at least not since I last bought one a year or so ago.

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Where's the Kaboom?

Here is an Idea that I have used for years. Did you ever get one of those after shave, deodorant,
body powder sets for your Birthday or Christmas ? well I always save the body powder to pack the chutes for my rockets. It always worked well and it keeps the rockets from smelling like sulfur. And I am using something that I would otherwise throw away. Works for me

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Neal Miller
Master Blaster NAR# 58296

Original Anti Monkey Butt still uses talc - they make other versions with cornstarch in place of talc but Original is talc. Some foot powders are still mostly talc - Gold Bond Medicated is one. I have a giant bottle of some odd brand of foot powder I brought back from a Middle East deployment - it was in the “take what you need” care package leftover box - that’s approximately 80% talc that’s lasted for the last 10-ish years. The smell kicks off an interesting mix of memories - rockets mixed with that unique smell of TEMPER tent fabric ;-)

I checked out some Wal-Mart, Target, and Walgreens this week. Target did indeed have travel sized bottles of the Talc-based baby powder. Many Walgreens had only the cornstarch-based stuff, but one had some travel-sized bottles, and one had some large bottles. So there's still some in the pipeline, get it while you can.

I just might have a lifetime supply now

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Paul
If we weren't all crazy, we would go insane - Jimmy Buffett
NAR #87246 www.wooshrocketry.org

I stocked up about a year ago when I suspected that this was going to happen. I posted a warning on the other forum last November.

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-Wolfram v. Kiparski
NAR 28643 - TRA 15520
MTMA Section #606 President

Looking at the MSDS sheets for marking chalk it looks like it’s made from...chalk (calcium carbonate), some kind of coloring agent and small amounts of silica. Not quite as cheap as talc based powders but not overly expensive - a 5 lb jug costs $5-9 - but lots of nifty colors, nothing in it that should react much with heat, and it’s readily available. Guess I’ll buy a small container at Home Depot and try it out...

Once upon a time I used marking chalk as "tracking powder" for flying altitude competition. Never again. It stains everything it gets near and makes a mess. I would never recommend using it as chute powder.

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-Wolfram v. Kiparski
NAR 28643 - TRA 15520
MTMA Section #606 President

I like marking chalk as tracking powder. It works really well.

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