Who builds Trash Rockets?

[kpklein]

What are the materials you use? Let's see some examples.

 

[JPVegh]

Not sure what you mean by trash rockets but I've used things like paper towel tubes, wrapping paper cores, carpet cores, deoderant caps, air fresheners. cardboard boxes and other recycled, re-used, repurposed items to build rockets.

 

[tightwad]

Trash rockets? or "trashed" rockets? I have a few trashed rockets that get recycled into scratch builds. As for using trash turned into rockets? well...yes, I am not proud of it, either. but there comes a time when you run out of something and you have to resort to cardboard boxes, plastic bottles, plywood and paper towel tubes.

 

[foamy]

When I was a kid I used to use the tubes the motors came in. Cross two straight pins in front of the motor, cut out some fins from an old model box (and glue them on) and make a paper conical nose cone. Glue on a straw and presto! A one shot wonder.

 

[Rocketbuilder]

Here's one I built entirely out of toilet paper tubes. This includes the nose cone, motor tube, motor mount centering rings, launch lugs, and shock cord mounts. The nose weight is glue-soaked toilet paper. I call it the "Wipeout." :grin: It very stable, and flies great --low 'n' slow-- on C6-5's.
EDIT: the launch lugs are misaligned in the pic, but it has a mid-body separation point, so it can rotate to realign the lugs.

 

[KevinDunn]

From Dave's Dumpster Dive at LDRS:

https://www.rocketryforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=94810&d=1345931954

 

[kpklein]

Not sure what you mean by trash rockets but I've used things like paper towel tubes, wrapping paper cores, carpet cores, deoderant caps, air fresheners. cardboard boxes and other recycled, re-used, repurposed items to build rockets.

Yes, rockets made with available materials.

 

[JohnNGA]

When I was a kid I used to use the tubes the motors came in. Cross two straight pins in front of the motor, cut out some fins from an old model box (and glue them on) and make a paper conical nose cone. Glue on a straw and presto! A one shot wonder.

Did pretty much the same thing..

 

[fyrwrxz]

From Dave's Dumpster Dive at LDRS:

https://www.rocketryforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=94810&d=1345931954

That is awesome! I love the matching rail buttons!

 

[cwbullet]

bottles such as gatoraid

 

[Rokitman88]

One of my first sratch builds was using 4" pvc sewer pipe, with a balsa nose cone, on a G motor! Flew great but I forgot to recover it at Lucerne and didn't realise it until I got home! Bummer! Built many using toilet paper tubes, paper towell tubes, and wrapping paper tubes. Even used the boxes that aluminum foil comes in! Nothing is not usable when building trash rockets!

 

[PhlAsh]

The sustainer of my UFO Invader upscale is several shipping tubes for some sort of vent filter that the Navy uses. The pod tubes are 2" cores from 36" plotter paper rolls and the 'fuel tanks' are 3" cores from 18" plotter paper rolls. The cones on the 'fuel tanks' are little traffic cones for kids' parties (for obstacle courses and the like). I paid for the plywood for the fins, the 2" nosecones, the transfers from Stickershock, the BlueTube mmt and Aeropack and will pay for the recovery. A friend turned the nose (not shown) out of laminated scrap

 

[Getmore]

When I was a kid I used to use the tubes the motors came in. Cross two straight pins in front of the motor, cut out some fins from an old model box (and glue them on) and make a paper conical nose cone. Glue on a straw and presto! A one shot wonder.

I did the same thing I just glued the cardboard fins on and a cardboard nose cone and off it went

 

[bjphoenix]

I built this one about 20 years ago. One of my coworkers had bought an FSI kit at a local hobby store along with some a couple of packs of F black powder motors. He built the kit and we launched it a few times. The second or so launch the ejection charge failed and the rocket lawn-darted. We shortened the main airframe and launched again. This time the engine CATO'd and blew the rocket into little fragments. He didn't want to build another rocket and risk the same thing so he gave me the leftover motors. I built the pictured rocket out of free materials- posterboard fins, paper roller main airframe, trashbag parachute, etc. I launched it once or twice with the remaining motors and it flew fine.

 

[chadrog]

It's hard to name specific materials for rockets of this nature, they usually come about spontaniously. Paint roller covers, for instance. On the right is me with my "Nike Joke".

 

[Zeus-cat]

Several odd rocs from my club. The McFly is made out of McDonald's coffee cups and is so light it just floats down after the fin can ejects.

Two noodle rockets are in the background. They are swimming pool noodles with fins and a plastic soda bottle nose. They are so lightweight and slow that they just use "boink" recovery. They usually just float down, but once in a while the nose does point down as it lands and we all yell boink.

 

[RWmarlow]

Toilet paper core 2 Stager

 

[cwbullet]

I have a V2 made of gator aid bottles.

 

[chadrog]

I have a V2 made of gator aid bottles.

A "G2"? Excellent!

 

[86mustang408w]

These trash builds are what I used to call scratch built, lol..

 

[cwbullet]

A "G2"? Excellent!

Yes, a G2-V2

 

[UncleVanya]

Trash rockets? or "trashed" rockets? I have a few trashed rockets that get recycled into scratch builds. As for using trash turned into rockets? well...yes, I am not proud of it, either. but there comes a time when you run out of something and you have to resort to cardboard boxes, plastic bottles, plywood and paper towel tubes.

You should BE PROUD not ashamed of trash rockets!

I have a few but I need to dig up pictures. I love found objects and enjoy making them into flying functional rockets.

 

[Green Jello]

Here's one I built entirely out of toilet paper tubes. This includes the nose cone, motor tube, motor mount centering rings, launch lugs, and shock cord mounts. The nose weight is glue-soaked toilet paper. I call it the "Wipeout." :grin: It very stable, and flies great --low 'n' slow-- on C6-5's.
EDIT: the launch lugs are misaligned in the pic, but it has a mid-body separation point, so it can rotate to realign the lugs.
View attachment 102236

Holy crap! (pun intended) That's awesome.

Is the recovery a toilet paper streamer?

 

[BeerorKid]

IMAG2881 by beerorkid, on Flickr

built one for fun a week or so ago. Not sure how I am going to mount the engine though. A broken plastic rocket I have will get sacrificed.

 

[KenRico]

I am not interested in a true trash rocket, but like the idea of the recycled rockets.

Really liked San Diego TRAs Larry tube fin rocket made from cti motors shipping tubes. Also liked SSS Geofreys pringle can rockets.

I do like cheap rockets, LOC tube, doorskin luan ect.really stretch the budget. Have made some crayon rockets for my daughters friends and feel the $15 in materials was well spent - ready to fly g motors with TTW fins, aerotech style baffle , kevlar shock cord , and motor retainer.

Somebody had mentioned the cheap fiberglass cloth from the orange store or wally world and next project will feature that also.

Kenny

 

[krusty]

Here's my trash rocket

The body tube was a 6" postal tube I found on the side of the road.


FreeFall Rocket - 6" Diameter x 6'2" Tall

This is my Level 2 project built Dec 30th, 2010 - March 5th, 2011.

Airframe is 48" of heavy-duty 6" cardboard tube (Post-pack tube)

54mm motor mount.

Nosecone is 24" custom made with a foam core. Shape given with "Builders Filler", a 2 part bog then sanded. A covering of fiberglass over the top.

Fins are 5 Ply, through-the-wall with internal fillets reinforced with fiberglass tape to the motor mount tube.

Decal cut from adhesive backed black holographic film.



And here it is going up on a J570



Unfortunately, I didn't get my L2 on this flight as the nose was damaged.



Not 100% trash, but started with a thrown-out tube The only component bought from a rocketry supplier was the 54mm motor tube!

Krusty

 

[Peartree]

Unfortunately, I didn't get my L2 on this flight as the nose was damaged.


Krusty

I thought the rule was that it couldn't be sufficiently damaged that you couldn't immediately fly it again? A ding in the nosecone, doesn't seem as if it would be serious enough to keep you from putter her right back up.

 

[maricopasem]

Here are a few of mine. All of the materials are recycled. NCs are Easter eggs or kid toys; BTs are hand-rolled or of the paper towel or mailing tube variety.

 

[maricopasem]

Here are a few more.

 

[UncleVanya]

IMAG2881 by beerorkid, on Flickr

built one for fun a week or so ago. Not sure how I am going to mount the engine though. A broken plastic rocket I have will get sacrificed.

What do you mean? Wrap the motor in tape until it fits snugly and put a tape thrust ring on her... done.