Model rocketry is a fun pastime that certainly leads to a lot of questions. One of these questions leads to a common question of what is model rocket recovery wadding and what do you need to implement rocket recovery wadding to your own rocket.
A recovery wadding provides a way to protect the recovery charge from the engine and the parachute. With the main purpose of preventing damage to your rocket. The recovery wadding is fireproof paper.
In this post, we will go through what is model rocket recovery wadding so you can go launching rockets with confidence. Let’s get started!
What Is Model Rocket Recovery Wadding?
The reason to use recovery wadding in your rocket is that at the end of a flight. The rocket motor produces a forceful blast that pops the nose cone out when preparing to deploy the parachute.
When the parachute ejects without the protection of fireproof wadding, the hot gasses can destroy it. Rocket wadding is necessary to protect your parachute from being damaged to the point of rendering it useless.
Model rocket recovery wadding sheets are small sheets of paper that are placed inside a rocket to help to protect the parachute. The recovery wadding sheets need to be fireproof wadding.
This is necessary for any launch because it protects the parachute from melting when the hot ejection charge fires off and deploys the parachute.
At the end of a flight, the rocket motor produces a forceful blast that pops the nose cone out, deploying the parachute. When the parachute ejects without the protection of fireproof wadding, the hot gasses will usually destroy it.
Rocket wadding is necessary to protect your parachute from being damaged to the point of rendering it useless.
Do You Need Recovery Wadding?
Rocket recovery wadding is necessary to protect your parachute from being damaged to the point of rendering it useless. The fireproof wadding gives protection that allows for economical and long-term reuse from a rocket.
Fireproof recovery wadding is a simple and inexpensive way to prevent your rocket’s parachute’s suspension lines and canopy from melting or burning when your rocket motor ejects the nosecone at the end of the rocket’s flight.
Beginner rocket enthusiasts may accidentally set their rocket’s parachute system on fire because fireproof wadding either wasn’t used. Or they used plain tissue instead of fireproof wadding.
Beginners may not have yet learned of the need for fireproof wadding or didn’t use enough fireproof wadding and thereby accidentally melted the parachute.
Most experienced rocketeers consider fireproof wadding a necessity for launching and successful recovery of their rocket.
What Can I Use For Wadding In A Model rocket?
Adding a fireproof recovery wadding to a rocket is a simple and inexpensive way to protect your rocket. By preventing your rocket’s parachute’s suspension lines and canopy from melting or burning when your rocket motor ejects the nosecone at the end of the rocket’s flight.
Adding the extra protection of the recovery wadding allows the rocket to be reused as the parachute deploys properly. Some people use toilet paper as wadding. The problem with toilet roll is that it is not fire-resistant.
Some people recommend that you save your money and use squares of plain toilet paper. As they claim that’s all that wadding is only just cheap toilet paper.
Yet, many people ask if you can use plain toilet paper, and the answer is you can, but occasionally, it will catch on fire.
After all, the primary reason to use the fireproof wadding is to provide a shield between the blast from the engine’s hot gases and the parachute to prevent damage to the parachute and prevent onboard fires.
It is important to remember that if the conditions outdoors are arid, a blowing wad of burning paper can drift somewhere and start a fire. You won’t run the risk of starting a fire, yet another reason to use fireproof recovery wadding.
Items that can be used for wadding.
- Estes 2274 Recovery Wadding - Can be bought on the Amazon or Estes website.
- Recovery Pistons and Baffles - Permanent solution that has to be installed in each rocket and is custom designed for said rocket.
- Toilet Tissue - This needs to be soaked in Borax. The Borax makes it fire resistant.
- Resistant Crepe Paper.
- Resistant Cellulose Insulation.
How Do I Use Recovery Wadding?
There are several do-it-yourself methods of making wadding that might cost less than store-bought fireproof wadding. The Estes 2274 recovery wadding can be bought on Amazon for around $8.
These methods usually involve using baking soda and toilet or tissue paper. After all, recovery wadding is essentially just fragile and light fireproof paper.
Fireproof wadding is simple to use. Just crumple sheets into a loose ball, then gently insert the wadding into the rocket before inserting the parachute.
Place a sheet of wadding between the palms of your hands and gently roll it into a compact ball, not too tight. It should be loose enough so that three sheets, or so, will provide a barrier between the parachute and the blasting wall inside the rocket.
Place the three wads inside the rocket, fold your parachute and suspension lines properly and insert them on top of the fireproof wadding. Then place the nosecone onto the missile. You are now ready to prepare for launch.
Ensure the wadding ultimately touches the rocket’s interior walls below the parachute, and then insert the parachute recovery system.
You have now protected your model rocket’s parachute from the ejecting gases as they discharge to push out the parachute.
Final Thoughts
Generally speaking, there are no requirements to add recovery wadding to model rockets. But you should add recovery wadding as this not only protects your rocket from damage but the rocket might hit or land somewhere that might cause a fire. And you would be responsible.
It is better safe than sorry and wadding is not expensive. Beginners will make mistakes and there is a little bit of try and error.
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