Model Rocket Recovery Wadding

Love launching model rockets but don't love the cost?

Here's a way to cut costs a bit by making your own recovery wadding

The point of the recovery wadding is to provide a shield between the recovery charge from the engine (hot gases and sparks) and the parachute or other recovery system for the reason of preventing damage to your rocket and/or on board fires Recovery wadding is just fireproof paper

This does NOT require any special tools or materials that are not found in the average household
This sells at hobby shops for about 8 dollars for 75 sheets You can make over 100 sheets for under 1 dollar

Saucer
Toilet paper (as many sheets as sheets of wadding you want)
Wax paper
Borax or baking soda
Water
Measuring cup
Spoon

If you paid attention in chemistry class you should know how to do this but for those that did not....

A saturated solution is made when a water soluble (something that dissolves in water) substance is added to water and dissolved then repeatedly added until no more will dissolve hence it is SATURATED

Now fill your measuring cup up until its at about half a cup (hot or warm water!)
Take about 4 teaspoons of Borax or baking soda and mix it well in the half a cup of hot water
Scrap the bottom of the measuring cup with the spoon and see if there is any powder or anything still in the bottom if there is add 2 more teaspoons repeat until no more will dissolve in the water

Now you are going to coat the toilet paper in the solution you just made your going to need the:
Saucer
Toilet paper (as many squares as sheets of wadding you want)
Wax paper

Pour the borax or baking soda solution into the saucer just enough to coat the bottom of the saucer Lay out about a foot long piece of wax paper depending on how much wadding your planning to make

Separate the toilet paper into individual squares Hold a square by two of the corners Dip it in the saucer make sure it coats the whole piece Then very carefully lay it out on the wax paper you may wreck a few pieces before you get the hang of laying them out without ripping them Let them dry for several hours

Once its dry you need to test a piece to make sure its fire proof
So just take a piece and try to light it on fire it will turn black and the edges will glow a bit but that's normal
As long as it doesn't support a flame its good! if it does support a flame you did not make a very good saturated solution go back and use more borax or baking soda

If the last step went well AWESOME because you just saved yourself 8 bucks. it can be used just like normal recovery wadding if you don't believe me try burning a piece of wadding it will act similar to what you just made


This is my first Instructable I hope you liked it!