Rocketry Planet

LAKE JACKSON, Texas USA — After completing the necessary steps to acquire his Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) "Manufacturer of Low Explosives" (LEMP) permit, David Bachelder of QuickBurst has been approved to once again begin manufacturing hobby rocketry igniters and ejection charges.

While he has received word that his application has been approved, he still has about 90 days before he will have the actual permit in-hand. 

This isn't the end of the cycle for Bachelder, who has found his business disheveled since September 14, 2006, when an agent for the ATF told him he must cease dealing in the regulated products until properly licensed.  He still has Department of Transportation (DOT) hoops to jump through to get his products classified.

Bachelder's journey began four months ago when he received a phone call from an agent of the ATF wanting to set up an appointment.  He held a Low Explosives Dealers Permit (LEDP) and assumed the appointment was his annual inspection, since he has never been inspected in the three years he had held the permit.

Bachelder had been selling hobby rocketry igniters from his QuickBurst web site in addition to other hobby rocketry supplies — primarily recovery items, which included deployment bags, recovery harnesses, electronic launch controls as well as other construction components.  The ATF primarily interested in his igniters and electric matches.

QuickBurst's new Hot Coils Kit, said to be "an ATF regulation-free alternative to e-matches."

QuickBurst's igniters are electronic firing initiators similar to other igniters used throughout the hobby.  They feature augmentation by various pyrogen mixtures that enhance their capability to light hard-to-start combinations in the field, ranging from low-current igniters for black powder motors to various sizes of enhanced igniters for lighting ammonium perchlorate composite propellants found in high power rocketry applications.

Also under scrutiny was Bachelder's ejection charge canisters — the simple combination of an electric match mated to a cardboard tube, filled by the end user in the field with black powder or Pyrodex to eject a rocket's recovery system.  Those, along with the QuickBurst smoke canisters, QuickDip pyrogen primer mixture, electric matches and all igniter products had to be pulled from the QuickBurst web site.

In the interim, and obviously after feeling the sting of lost revenues, Bachelder released a new ejection charge kit called HotCoils, for the do-it-yourself-er to construct at home.  While a step in the right direction from a legality standpoint, HotCoils still require more current than some altimeters and deployment devices on the market are capable of producing.  It is, however, a product that can be mailed without requiring federal licensing for the seller or purchaser.

Once Bachelder completes the DOT classification process, he will be able to return to shipping his products within the boundaries of current regulations.  For now, however, he is only able to sell restricted products in on-site sales.  Purchasers today, or in the future, will still need to be ATF permit holders in order to buy and store those products. 

Website: http://www.quickburst.net

Reader comments:

#1 Congratulations David!

David, good work! Keep us posted and let us know when you can start shipping again. What all is involved with the DOT process?

crontab on 01-30-2007 10:11 PM

#2

1. Secure a DOT testing facility.
   
2. A non-disclosure agreement is signed by the manufacturer and testing facility.
   
3. Formulas are sent to the testing facility.
   
4. After a review the testing facility provides a quote to do the testing.
   
5. You send them a PO and the required samples testing and fees ($5500.00 in my case).
   
6. Three weeks later the testing is done and you send the results to DOT.
   
7. DOTprovides EX numbers and packaging requirements.
   

Done.

Most all of the above has been done during my down time. Except sending the samples and cash.

QuickBurst on 01-31-2007 05:57 AM

#3

Quote:

testing fees ($5500.00 in my case)

That's ludicrious! No one can accuse our government of being not-for-profit. I realize these independent agencies are not connected to the government, but NO ONE can tell me that our government doesn't cost the small business owners way more than is necessary. That is cruel AND unusual punishment, isn't it? Nah, it's the usual.

crontab on 01-31-2007 10:45 AM

#4

Hopefully, that will be tax deductable. I would think that it is.

Darian on 01-31-2007 11:37 AM

#5

Quote:

Hopefully, that will be tax deductable. I would think that it is.

Why yes, it would be a "business expense". But would you rather have $5500 or the tax benefit derived from a $5500 write-off?

ddmobley on 01-31-2007 11:47 AM

#6

Quote:

Why yes, it would be a "business expense". But would you rather have $5500 or the tax benefit derived from a $5500 write-off?

Oh! Oh! Me, Pick Me!

I'd rather have the $5500.00 bucks.

I've researched it, there is no way out of this one. If you want to dance, you have to pay the fiddler.

QuickBurst on 01-31-2007 06:27 PM

#7

Quote:

Oh! Oh! Me, Pick Me!

It's nice to see you having a chuckle at least. Hang in there David.

Raider Rocketry on 03-10-2007 09:11 PM

#8

Quote:

You send them a PO and the required samples testing and fees ($5500.00 in my case).

That's a lot of cash to send someone so they can confirm an igniter burns and doesn't blow up. Geez, you hook up the igniter, push the button and two seconds later it's over with. With the testing and the paperwork it seems like it would only take an hour to do the whole thing.

I wish I could charge rates like that...

Andrew

I'd rather have the money then the tax deduction too!!!

agrippo on 03-11-2007 08:55 AM

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