Estes Energetics has purchased GOEX

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I don't understand the 2023 business. If they have acquired the plant and are keeping on the employees, what are they going to be doing the next year?
 
Jim Watson said:
I don't understand the 2023 business. If they have acquired the plant and are keeping on the employees, what are they going to be doing the next year?
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I read not long ago that the Louisiana plant did have some safety related problems, EE may be addressing those issues first before restarting manufacturing the powders. There's also the requisite plant inspection by the new owners and (probably) OSHA at minimum. That's just a guess on my part.
 
kje54 said:
I read not long ago that the Louisiana plant did have some safety related problems, EE may be addressing those issues first before restarting manufacturing the powders. There's also the requisite plant inspection by the new owners and (probably) OSHA at minimum. That's just a guess on my part.
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They have a fire or actual explosion every few years throughout this century at least. One was only a year ago, so they may not have rebuilt, and for a safety conscious industry, best choice might well be (yes, also speculating as I have just heard stuff, no direct knowledge) to focus on getting it all up to spec, plant and process. I bet people have jobs right away, just not making stuff.

Nothing slows down powder production like a giant explosion, so a year-ish delay seems just fine to make it all better, and implies to me it's not entirely being bargain-basement acquisition but Estes is taking it serious, will be throwing lots of money at it.
 
kje54 said:
I read not long ago that the Louisiana plant did have some safety related problems, EE may be addressing those issues first before restarting manufacturing the powders. There's also the requisite plant inspection by the new owners and (probably) OSHA at minimum. That's just a guess on my part.
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Let's all hope Estes puts the highest priority on safe operations if they do restart production. There is nothing worse than to lose a family member or have someone suffer serious injury due to an "accident" at work. I read somewhere recently that the German powder companies don't have the safety problems we do. If this is true, there is no reason on God's green earth that we can't operate as safely. From a pure economic standpoint, not having to earmark scads of money for compensation for injuries and/or deaths as well as rebuilding facilities after an event should (hopefully) work to our benefit as consumers via lower product cost.

At any rate, this news makes me guardedly hopeful. Not quite ready yet to lose my skepticism.
 
Estes Industries is the model rocket company. Silly history, lots of being acquired, toy companies and so on. But for a few years now their own company again. And notably, very very very safety first. First in the list of corporate attributes and their success is based on an air-powered (e.g. no sparks from motors etc) very high speed model rocket engine making machine.

Estes Energetics is a semi-recently spun off company (so I guess legally no relationship to the hobby arm) that does solid rockets and related stuff for military, spaceflight, or whatever they can come up with that is not hobby stuff.

https://estesenergetics.com/

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Oh yeah. BP is very immediately adjacent to their primary line of business. Used for booster charges, and all sorts of things that are just a tidge more dynamic and destructive than gas generators, because (as I understand it) they are low-pressure, so no clever hi-low technology needed. Enough it might even be worth owning this plant even if they didn't sell any to consumers.
 
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Posts here reminded me that for years I worked with black powder in a very different application, that being the actuating cartridges that jettisoned items from aircraft bomb ejector racks. Anything, whether a fuel tank, Mk 80 series GP bomb, parent or sub-ejector racks, etc, had to have an explosive cartridge in order to generate the force to push it safely away from the aircraft and into the air stream. These black powder cartridges were housed in aluminum cases (something like 4 gauge shotgun shells size) that were electrically primed, large pellet diameter (about the size of a pencil eraser) and sealed on the end with a plastic disc.

I started working on A4 Skyhawk's (USMC) in the early 80's and one of the first duties a greenhorn flightliner like me had to do was the daily chore of cleaning the ejector feet and breech assemblies of all the racks that had fired that day. The distinct odor of sulfurous black powder clung to everything. Years later (late 80's) they began using what I presumed was a nitro formulation instead, as the sulfur stench went away and they left less mess and residue to cleanup. Those were the days.
 
I used a bunch of their model rocket engines when I was a yungin 55 years ago or so. I had a few of the double stage rockets that looked like the Saturn ships.
 
Acorn Mush said:
If this is true, there is no reason on God's green earth that we can't operate as safely
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Except for the CFRs which guide industry on legal boundaries sometimes mandate certain practices. Some of those practices are so antiquated that they no longer make sense, or could actually create risks. Written in the 80s, I doubt much has changed… And thats why I’m no longer a safety professional.
 
When I taught 8th grade Physical Science as one of my courses, the most fun activity for kids and teacher alike was spring quarter rocket building and launching. We all did our part to keep Estes in business back then! Maybe now they will help keep Muzzleloading Sports around a bit longer.
 
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