TIP: Budget Wadding

Well, maybe it's not entirely "homemade" but it is cheap!

Recently there were forum posts about modelers trying to make their own homemade wadding. Trying to get the right mix of Boric Acid on a tissue paper roll can make a mess, hardly worth the effort.

Many prefer using Cellulose Insulation, otherwise known as "Dog Barf".

Sometimes I'll use a combination of Estes tissue wadding and dog barf.

In the mid 1970s, Centuri came out with their Stellar line of rocket kits and products. The Stellar brand wadding was nothing more than flame resistant crepe paper.

This package was bought at a party store in Orlando, Florida. It was on sale for $.79. I bought five packages.

Be sure the package says "FLAME RESISTANT" !!!

It's not like the rolled streamers you would normally see. It's a folded sheet, 20" wide X 7.5' long.

To cut it down to a workable size take it directly from the package but don't unfold it. Hold it closed right out of the package.

Open the end, find the center of the fold and slide your sharp scissors into it. Cut right down the fold line.

When you reach the end, continue to hold the tissue together in a group. Flip the entire paper bunch 180 degrees around to the other side fold.

Slide your scissors into the other folded side and cut all the way down.

Cut the long strip into 4 1/4" wide squares. 4 1/4" square is the standard size of a toilet paper square.

In the end you'll have right around 100 wadding squares of flameproof wadding for a fraction of the rocket vendor's price.

This crepe works fine protecting plastic parachutes and streamers and it's biodegradable.
It's a little stiffer than the Estes toilet paper wadding and will take just a few rockets to get used to.

I've been using it for a few months of launches now with great success. Because this crepe wadding is stiffer than the Estes tissue, I use this crepe style in 1" diameter or larger tubes. In smaller tubes I find it easier to get a good seal with the Estes stuff. But in larger tube models I save a little money.

It takes too many squares (on a model without a nomex protector or baffle) of expensive Estes wadding in a big tube!
Is it perfectly square like the $5.00 wadding? No.

But for what money I save I can easily accept it.