Anyone looking for some JeteX 50 about gone

I know thankfully i dont need any , You know i have thought about making a quick build c/l plane and mount one of those Estes rocket engines to it just to see what would happen Have to do it when its wet outside ! Mite set the grass, trees, woods ect. on fire !

Eric, we have done just that with the Estes. Jetex barely powers a tissue model and it's a very slow controlled burn with a little hiss that exits. The Scorpion 600 does quite well but the fuel is very very expensive . The Jetex 50 powers small hand launch gliders.The problem with the Estes is that it's too powerful and short. You have approx 2-3 sec burn on a Estes and 8-15 on a Jetex with a lot less thrust. The problem with Jetex is the wick goes out before the pellet lights off. I would use a lighter and pre-heat the back of the engine prior to lighting it off which can't be done on some models due to setting the model on fire. Davis Diesel made the Jet-X which in my opinion is much more reliable and I've been fortunate to have a good stash on hand. I hope to be doing some video and experiments with it. Ken

Anyone seriously into the JetEx type motors should read up ( Google is your friend) on the very easy to mix and form Sugar based propellants on rocketry sites.....many many formulations, readily available chemicals and real easy to form into the "pellets" needed to fit the old motor casings

Dad and I, a long time ago in the mid 60s , made our own fuel for Estes simple rockets as we were out of range for getting the rocket motors on Taiwan as the PX system did not carry them...(I assume a hazmat reason)

Sugar formulations are very stable, not hard to concoct, and have a lower impulse/longer burn than the (typical) black powder propellants of real Estes rocket motors

We never played with JetEx motors but rather reused spent small Estes motors casings....many times for simple hand launched gliders

Sugar motors are far too powerful.  My flying partner and club member belongs to the Maryland Rocket Association. I brought the Jetex to him and asked for his assistance. The bottom line was that he and those there couldn't replicate the exact formulation for Jetex. They could get it close but as for sugar type engines, they would burn too hot and would probably melt through the Jetex casing or plain explode. Jetex themselves had problems with engines. There's two types of Jetex fuel pellets, those pictured on this Ebay link and Red Dot Jetex. Red Dot Jetex fuel will burn through the aluminum Jetex 50's. The best of the best was the Rapier engines no longer produced. These lit off quickly and had very good performance and reliability. Unfortunately, the company is long gone.

Whoa there Fred. That Google search puts a whole new meaning to Def Lepoard s song.
Powered sugar, stump removal chemicals and clay kitty litter......Vavooom. ROCKET Man!

Thanks Brad ! That reminds me of the days of flying the gliders and rubber power that came in the .10c bag of joy , my dad would get me a new one about once a week . lol  Ken i hope you and your friends can get to do some video when the time comes  for the JetX flying , sounds like a lot of fun . Glad you told me about the rocket engines as i have very little experience with them other than a couple rockets i built for my son and I . Do you think it would work with say a small swept back wing glider to shoot off the pad for a glide down of say 50-100' ?? Hers a IdEa there's more out there ..

RATO.. is something I've always dreamed about with modelling; mainly using Estes-style model-rocket motors. Not only aircraft.. but in marine applications too. wherever you need a "boost"..

My rocket-engine inventory.. hope there's no significant shelf-life..



Had lot's of fun with model-rocketry.