LOC MAGNUM 3E BUILD THREAD

[neond7]

I realize I'm right in the middle of a Hyperloc 835 build, but as long as I'm wrecking the garage, I might as well do it right!

So, today I unboxed my Magnum 3E. This kit is slightly modified, as it has a 54mm MMT. This was due to my lack of 75mm hardware. As I have a 54mm CTI 6XL case, I can still stuff an "L" in it and let it rip. I'll probably be using mostly K550's and K700's.

I will be doing fiberglass reinforcement as well as T2T on the fins. She is a tall rocket!

The parts were nicely packaged (as always) from LOC. I'll be mostly working on my Hyperloc build for the next week or so, but I'll get the av-bay build and the Aeropack installed tomorrow if I can.

 

[4kids49]

Nice Jeff. Another rocket that I would like to own. Nice collection of rockets in the background. I have been staying at 54 mm for now. You can do a lot with 54 mm at relatively affordable prices. If you go AMW 2550, prices are very competitive. Heck of a selection of CTI 6XL motors. The cool thing is that you can launch a 6XL, come back, reprep and reload a 6XL and be back at the RSO table in 30 min. from when you start the reprep. All hail the L935 IMAX. The 6 grain CTIs are awesome too. Subscribed.

Chris

 

[neond7]

Thanks Chris. My motto with LOC has been "collect them all"..... Lol.

Aeropack installed. Av-bay work next. I had to cut the motor tube down to the correct length, since it wasn't the standard one included with the kit.

 

[berlinetta]

I gotta get going on mine. I will fiberglass the tubes this week. Probably on Tuesday. The Magnum is an awesome kit.

 

[DRAGON64]

Not to hi-jack your thread, but I gotta say you have a really nice collection of built rockets in the background of your pics... Can't wait to see what you can do with this Magnum build!

 

[neond7]

It was a nice hot day for tube glassing.

First I stripped off the glassine, then carefully measured out 1x layer of 6oz and 1x layer of 3oz and some peel ply. The Teflon peel ply didn't reach the bottom of the 42" booster tube, but I'll be doing tip to tip on the fins later anyway so it didn't matter.

It ended up using about 14 pumps each of West System epoxy/hardener. Glad I'm using the slow hardener, even using a plate to reduce exothermic heating, it was still getting a bit sticky at the end.

I'm keeping careful track of before/after weights to see how much the glass is adding and will post the results later.

 

[neond7]

Being rather retentive, I decided to glass the av-bay bulkheads. Actually I've been doing that on all my builds lately, and it makes cleanup of ejection charge residue a bit easier.

I used one layer of 6oz, one layer 3oz, and what I believe is 1.45oz. Really thin stuff, should leave a nice smooth finish.

After measuring out the glass I applied it, then sandwiched them between two heavy capstones and the added two 20lb kitty litter containers. That should squeeze out any extra epoxy.

 

[neond7]

Awesome progress today..... Payload bay and switch band glassed and trimmed. I also trimmed the overhang on the av-bay bulkheads and sanded the edges smooth with my finishing sander.

I couldn't resist stacking the tubes, its my tallest rocket yet - and it will be an inch taller with the av-bay installed.

Hopefully I'll be able to start tacking the fins tomorrow.

 

[neond7]

First fin tacked!!

I got real froggy and even clear coated the top of the av-bay with high temp clear. Cleanup will be a breeze.

 

[neond7]

Second fin tacked. The more I use Aeropoxy the more I like it.

 

[neond7]

I tacked in the last fin, after it cured I extended the fin slots all the way to the back and removed the motor mount to add the upper centering rings and beefier internal fillets.

I also added a u-bolt to the top centering ring.

Tonight I may add some fiberglass tabs as internal reinforcement to the fin roots as these are big fins and they hang down a bit and will be taking a good impact on landings.

 

[JP Morgan]

Great build photos and descriptions! I'm following your LOC HYPERLOC 835 too. That's going to be an awesome rocket too!

You've got me wanting to glass my next rocket. I'm thinking about the LOC Big NUKE or maybe the 3E version.

JP

 

[neond7]

Great build photos and descriptions! I'm following your LOC HYPERLOC 835 too. That's going to be an awesome rocket too!

You've got me wanting to glass my next rocket. I'm thinking about the LOC Big NUKE or maybe the 3E version.

JP

Thanks JP. I also have the LOC Big Nuke 3E, although in a 54mm MMT. Great rocket, go for it!!

Tonight I finished the internal reinforcements, I know its overkill but I glassed the fin roots to the MMT and centering rings. They won't ever come loose. Ever.

Tomorrow I'll work on getting rail buttons installed. I'm planning on adding both 1010 and 1515 buttons so I can fly from pretty much any pad. After that I'll epoxy the MMT assembly back into the body tube and start on external fillets.

 

[JP Morgan]

It was a nice hot day for tube glassing.

First I stripped off the glassine, then carefully measured out 1x layer of 6oz and 1x layer of 3oz and some peel ply. The Teflon peel ply didn't reach the bottom of the 42" booster tube, but I'll be doing tip to tip on the fins later anyway so it didn't matter.

It ended up using about 14 pumps each of West System epoxy/hardener. Glad I'm using the slow hardener, even using a plate to reduce exothermic heating, it was still getting a bit sticky at the end.

I'm keeping careful track of before/after weights to see how much the glass is adding and will post the results later.

Question; (42" booster tube section) Did you lay up both the 6oz and 3oz on top of each other at the same time? Also which one is on top?
Thanks,

JP

 

[neond7]

Question; (42" booster tube section) Did you lay up both the 6oz and 3oz on top of each other at the same time? Also which one is on top?
Thanks,

JP

I did both layers at the same time, its a better bond (chemical vs mechanical). The 3oz goes on top, its a finer weave and is a smoother finish.

The 3oz roll I had was only 38" roll, so the last 4 inches at the rear only have one layer of 6oz on it. No worries, as I'll be doing a layer of 6oz and 3oz tip to tip on the fins.

 

[JP Morgan]

I did both layers at the same time, its a better bond (chemical vs mechanical). The 3oz goes on top, its a finer weave and is a smoother finish.

The 3oz roll I had was only 38" roll, so the last 4 inches at the rear only have one layer of 6oz on it. No worries, as I'll be doing a layer of 6oz and 3oz tip to tip on the fins.

10-4. That's what I was thinking, just wanted to make sure. I understand where you're going with the tail section.
You've got some very sturdy rockets in your fleet!
I'll be coming back to these threads of yours in the near future when I'm ready to glass my next rocket.

regards,

JP

 

[neond7]

All hopped up on DayQuil - excuse my rambling if I'm not making much sense.

Today was rail button and Fin can installation day. I installed both 1010 and 1515 buttons as i had originally planned so i can fly from any pad.

First I made some wood backing blocks for the 1515 buttons I got from doghouse rocketry. I like the long screws they provide, and they fit flush with the button so they won't bind on the rail. Very high quality. I put a radius on the blocks to match the curve of the body tube. I then installed brass inserts.

After that, I installed the weld nuts from apogee rockets from the rear for the 1010 buttons. Again, a high quality part.

After applying lots of epoxy in front of the centering rings, I pushed the fin assembly all the way into the body tube and through the epoxy to get nice internal fillets. I then slathered more epoxy on the backing block in front of the front centering ring.

It is now sitting upright curing. Once all this cures, I can start on the external fillets.

 

[neond7]

Fillet time.... I used my handy dandy grill handle to help mark off my fillet lines. Now you know my secret for perfect fillets!

I used blue tape and taped off the whole thing as I was doing all the fillets at the same time.

I mixed each of the three batches of epoxy separately as I finished each of the three fin sets. One shot each west 105 epoxy and 206 slow hardener. One heaping spoon each of west 404 high density and 406 colloidal silica. Stir until its an even mixture - wont run or sag.

I pulled the tape as soon as I finished applying the last fillet and smoothed out a few small spots with a Popsicle stick. It's curing now, will be ready to start tip to tip on the fins tomorrow.

Oh, I also cut the av-bay sled and epoxied on the rail guides with Aeropoxy. Should be able to start mounting the altimeters and batteries tomorrow.

 

[neond7]

Time for some tip to tip fin glassing. First I beveled the front edge of the fins, then I measured out the fiberglass.

I chose to do the side with the 1515 rail first. Might as well get the hard side out of the way. Things went smooth.

 

[Getmore]

Nice work Jeff. Will you make it to plant city next weekend.

 

[neond7]

Nice work Jeff. Will you make it to plant city next weekend.

Bill, I'm going on a family trip the following week, but I'm going to try if the weather is good. Unfortunately, I knocked over my new Mad Cow Frenzy earlier today and it hit a skateboard on the way down and dorked up the paint on the upper tube. Grrrrrrr. Big crack - seems like every time I clear coat a rocket, they get really brittle.

 

[Getmore]

What kind of clear is it. I am going to have my Honest John there trying to unload it. I'm not going for a L3 so no need to keep it.

 

[neond7]

Haven't worked on rockets much lately, had a bug I just couldn't shake. After my throat swelled up I got checked for strep, that was negative. Turns out I have Mono. Yuck. Might take a few months to fully get better....

Anyway, wife was out of town this weekend so this morning I finished some sanding and shot the first coat of primer on the magnum and Hyperloc 835. Plenty of spots to work on... Wish I had some superfil.

The rain from Dorian has moved into Florida, so no more painting today.....

 

[berlinetta]

After seeing what you did as far as tacking the fins in, I think I will do the same thing. Widen the slots, tack the fins in, and extend the slots to the back.

 

[neond7]

Saturday I finally got a chance to use the Aeropoxy light filler. It does set up a bit quicker than I would like, the working time is pretty short. It was REALLY hot in the garage which probably didn't help much.

Sunday I sanded it all down after it cured overnight and the shot a second coat of Diplicolor high build primer. Very easy to sand, the dust must be more irritating than normal because it really made my eyes bloody red and they still hurt today.

A few more touchups and it should be ready for wet sanding and then I can start shooting color. Still deciding on the paint scheme....

 

[neond7]

I'm happy to say I am finally starting back up on this build project. I got it to about 85% complete in August, but took a break due to an excessively hot Florida summer.

For now, I'm going to complete the av-bay for this and several other builds I have in work. So far, I installed the blast caps, terminal blocks, and other wiring. The SL100's are mounted on the sleds - I'll shorten the power wires later, I just needed to test continuity and program the backup altimeter for apogee +2 and set the main for 500 ft. The primary altimeter will fire at the default 700 ft.

I also primed the switch band. This weekend I'll sand the upper and lower body tubes, they are almost ready for final paint. Still deciding on color and vinyl design.

One of my least favorite tasks ahead - installing brass shims in the nose cone shoulder to help shear the shear pins. Nasty messy job!

 

[Devontmp]

I enjoy following your builds.I'm learning a lot from them.Keep up the good work. :grin:

 

[jlnel]

very nice build! I may have to copy..:wink:

 

[nikitynick]

looking good! excited to see how this one comes along

 

[neond7]

Great weather in Florida today - time for painting!! It was long overdue.

First I wet sanded all the primered parts with 400 grit and wiped everything down with denatured alcohol. Then I took the payload bay out to the stand and shot some VHT metallic red. Looks awesome!!!

I shot some white primer on the front part of the booster, which will be gloss white when I'm done. Then I used the red metallic on the fins.

My plan is to have a 3" wide silver band a few inches in front of the fins. The av-bay switch band will also be silver.

I'm working on a "Hello Pirate Kitty" theme. Yes, I like to be different. .