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Oh and I also cut and glued a section of tubing to the nose cone. Once it's dried I'll sand the tubing flush to make a smooth transition between the nose cone and the body tube. Thanks CJ for the suggestion!

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A quick update, not much has gotten done in the past couple weeks. Mainly because I spent three of them on a hiking trip. The rocket is getting very close to being finished. Fillets on the fins have been finished and the av-bay is done side to a few final touches. Sadly even with a large amount of rain beforehand, after three weeks and no precipitation a large number of Texas counties have reissued burn bans so the final launch date for the rocket is currently unknown. Hopefully soon.
 
A quick update, not much has gotten done in the past couple weeks. Mainly because I spent three of them on a hiking trip. The rocket is getting very close to being finished. Fillets on the fins have been finished and the av-bay is done side to a few final touches. Sadly even with a large amount of rain beforehand, after three weeks and no precipitation a large number of Texas counties have reissued burn bans so the final launch date for the rocket is currently unknown. Hopefully soon.

Glad to hear from ya. Sucks about those fire bans. Show pictures later on.
 
Just say it was something keyboard-inspired and call it QWERTY.

Haha yeah that's probably what I'll do. The name Qwerty has kinda stuck. It would be nice to maybe have a word to follow that. Like " The Qwerty _____". Or maybe make it an acronym.
 
Glad to hear from ya. Sucks about those fire bans. Show pictures later on.

Yeah Texan city workers are very cautious when it comes to dry grass. Too many times people start fires they can't contain and end up getting our of control. My house actually nearly got burnt down a couple years ago in a wildfire started by what they think was a lit cigarette butt someone threw out of their car. Burnt near 70000 acres I think.
 
Yeah Texan city workers are very cautious when it comes to dry grass. Too many times people start fires they can't contain and end up getting our of control. My house actually nearly got burnt down a couple years ago in a wildfire started by what they think was a lit cigarette butt someone threw out of their car. Burnt near 70000 acres I think.

Once again we are held by rules due to idiots that dont know how to do it the right way -_-. Its common sense that you put out the cigarette first, then throw it away in a trash can.
 
Been pretty inactive in rocketry lately. Had sinus surgery a couple weeks ago and I've been slowly adding activities back that could irritate or put pressure on my sinuses.

All in all, there isn't much left to do on this rocket. I have to finish up the av-bay and do finish work on the fillets and the CF. I'm hoping to get a really nice finish on the fins. I also bought some ceramic paint that I'm going to spray on the leading and trailing edges of the fins where the ply is showing but I can't do that until my doctor clears me to use spray paint...
 
Been pretty inactive in rocketry lately. Had sinus surgery a couple weeks ago and I've been slowly adding activities back that could irritate or put pressure on my sinuses.

All in all, there isn't much left to do on this rocket. I have to finish up the av-bay and do finish work on the fillets and the CF. I'm hoping to get a really nice finish on the fins. I also bought some ceramic paint that I'm going to spray on the leading and trailing edges of the fins where the ply is showing but I can't do that until my doctor clears me to use spray paint...

Glad to hear back from you. The rocket can wait, your health is more important.
 
Looks really nice so far. You could go with a long name for such a long rocket. Like supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, or this old Big Bird song, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pr5er4ueWBQ
ABC DEF GHI JKL MNOP QRS TUV WXYZ pronounce it phonetically, not sure how he does it, but that would be fun to hear at the launch range.
 
Thanks guys. :) GlenP, I'll have to consider that, I like the idea. :p

I actually have been able to get get some more done on the av-bay just a couple more holes to drill and it'll be done. I decided that I would run all of the wires I could underneath the sled so that if I ever wanted to include a second altimeter or a camera I would have the room and it wouldn't be as cluttered. So far I'm pretty happy with the way the turn switch for my Telemetrum came out. Just have to drill the holes and run the wires for the ejection charges.

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Thought I'd give you guys an update. Av-bay has been completely wired and is completely finished except for a missing charge well. I did a thin veil layer on the fins and it really helped with making them shine more. I'm going to wet sand them and call them done side to a clear coat. I can then tape them off and paint the rest of the rocket and then do a final clear coat over everything.

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Thought I'd give you guys an update. Av-bay has been completely wired and is completely finished except for a missing charge well. I did a thin veil layer on the fins and it really helped with making them shine more. I'm going to wet sand them and call them done side to a clear coat. I can then tape them off and paint the rest of the rocket and then do a final clear coat over everything.

That carbon looks beautiful. Keep up the good work.
 
Well after unimaginably busy fall of senior year, I'm aiming to get this rocket ready to launch by the end of the month! My local club (DARS) is holding a launch on the 30th so I'll be working towards that date. Not like it'll be difficult. Really the only things left is to glue on a charge canister on one of the E-bay bulk heads and paint it. Given the amount of time however I probably won't be getting around the fully painting it before the launch. Especially since the Texas weather has been cold and rainy recently.
One thing I had to fix though was the fins. The inner perfectionist forced me to start redoing the finish on the CF. I'm aiming to see myself in the reflection. :p
 
Well I'm down the rabbit hole now! Opted for a metallic silver paint job. Let's see how this goes..

Did the fist coat of buildup primer and found a good amount of pin holes so on with the spot puddy once it dries.
 
She's coming along! The weather went south yesterday so I've been going to town on it with the spot puddy. The heater in the shop keeps it just warm enough for the puddy to cure at a somewhat reasonable speed. Still lots of sanding and filling to come...

One question...
An idea got suggested to me for using drywall compound as a spot puddy. I'm familiar with the stuff and it is a nice consistency for use as a filler. It's also very easy to sand and it cleans up with water. Anybody experimented with the stuff on a rocket? Love to hear some opinions.

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Dry wall compound or spackle is about all I use. I got tired of the short working time of Bondo and some of the wood fillers. Be aware, I go for 15 ft paint jobs. As long as it looks good from 15 ft, it's good enough.
 
Dry wall compound or spackle is about all I use. I got tired of the short working time of Bondo and some of the wood fillers. Be aware, I go for 15 ft paint jobs. As long as it looks good from 15 ft, it's good enough.

Thanks for the input! Out of curiosity, is there a difference in texture or color once it's all primed and painted?
 
Well then, I'm resurrecting this thread to announce that the qwerty (which still needs a new name) is officially done! I painted the silver and metallic clear two days ago and the rocket looks great!

Overall the rocket was a lot heavier than the sim said it would be - almost 1.5 lbs heavier - but the Sims still work out to fairly nice performance. The increase in weight was probably from the expanding foam in the nose cone and the fact that the fins are 1/4" ply with Carbon Fiber on it. Needless to say my fin can won't be giving way any time soon.

... It's also quite sparkly... :p

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Thanks guys! It Should be launching in two weeks. I bolded "should" because that can change in an instant...
 
Well then, I'm resurrecting this thread to announce that the qwerty (which still needs a new name) is officially done! I painted the silver and metallic clear two days ago and the rocket looks great!

... It's also quite sparkly... :p

Sparkly, silver grey, and shark fins... I suggest "JAWS" or some similar shark theme.
 
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