Basics: stabilizing large rockets for painting

Here's a basic question: when painting largish to large rockets, how do you keep them stable for painting? With the model ones, I've taped a dowel to their inside and used that as a handle or stake from a cardboard box. However, with bigger rockets now (current one is ~500 grams) that seems... insufficient. Do y'all just use bigger stakes?

I've heard of using a Jawstand or similar to rotisserie a rocket, but that isn't something I can feasibly set up. I could just set it on the open tube end, but that leaves me worried about a gust of wind blowing the rocket over and ruining the paint.

What are your solutions?

I have a pair of saw horses, and some pvc pipe. Allows me to rotisserie the rocket, and its laying horizontal, which makes painting into nooks easier for me.

Okay, I improvised. Milk crate + broom handle.


This is on my second-story apartment porch. Not a lot of space for workshops in Seattle.

I made a lazy Susan or sorts. I picked up a lazy Susan bearing from Home Depot and an cut two squares, one 24" the other 18". I put it together with the 18" on top and used a table leg straight top plate with a tapered table leg that is removable. I put the rocket right up the MMT. The current tapered leg has been used on 24mm to 54mm rockets. I will likely need a thicker diameter tapered leg for 75 and 98mm but I am not there yet.

When painting I have a big arrow on the top 18" plate pointing to one of the corners, that I turn 12.5 degrees, or the flat side of the underside plate, then it's corner then it's flat side and so one all the way around. I do two flash coats with 10 min between, then a medium coat...that is what I call one coat. It works well, is very stable even with some of my current bigger builds, and was cheap and cheerful.

Here is a pic from last year with an Aerotech Arreaux on it. If you need a better pic let me know.

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My set up(so far) has worked for moderate sized rockets...I take a big tub of workout power mix (it is about a two pound plastic tub/jar), fill it with dirt/rockets, and then stick the appropriate size dowel in it, and then insert that in the rockets motor tube.

At some point, that won't be enough...how big is the rocket you wanna paint? Ok, just read you are over 1 pound. Honestly, at some point I'm thinking I'll take a bucket, put a paper towel tube in the center, and then pour concrete into the bucket, and then stick dowels in the center.

Take the top clamp/post section of your jawstand (you DO have a jawstand launcher, right?), turn it upside down, pull a trashbag over the upturned post (poking a hole in the middle) so it protects the clamp area, then put rocket on post. It has to be 38mm or bigger MMT. Not horizontal but works pretty well.

caveduck said:

Take the top clamp/post section of your jawstand (you DO have a jawstand launcher, right?), turn it upside down, pull a trashbag over the upturned post (poking a hole in the middle) so it protects the clamp area, then put rocket on post. It has to be 38mm or bigger MMT. Not horizontal but works pretty well.

Click to expand...

If I had a jawstand pad, I'd be using that. I don't.
The milk crate + broom seems to be okay enough today.

Check out Ron Ellis' paint jig designed for large RC airplanes. It can be easily adapted for large rockets. Just scroll down to paint jig.


https://www.mindspring.com/~rellis2/rcpattrn/rcpattrn.htm

I hang all my components, paint vertically.

this is primer drying inside , I spray out side , you should be able to see masking tape newspaper painters tape covering up Kevlar cords etc.

For rockets larger than the tube fin in your post, use a milk crate at each end of the center pole (which can be anything from a broomstick to a length of PVC pipe from Home Depot/Lowe's).

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I built my painting set up from PVC sprinkler pipes and fittings. The center pole is length of metal tubing recycled from an old Tiki torch. I like tubefin rockets, too.

No need to tape the center pole to the inside of the airframe, just turn the pole and the airframe will turn as well, just more slowly.

Painting in the "Oregon Mist" doesn't sound like much fun.

Tube fin rockets tend to fly very straight so I think you will pleased with the rocket.

I use a large lazy suzan in my 3'x3'x7' booth. allows full rotation with model vertical either motor mount held, or bodytube held.

Some nice ideas in this thread. Got me thinking about building some kind of more general horizontal rotisserie (with a small motor) to use for FG layup and cure, painting, etc. Wondering if a foil-backed foam heat cure box could double as a paint box since I don't have a ton of room in the garage.

I have open trusses in my basement. I tie a piece of string to the bottom of the truss. On the lower end of the string, I tie a dowel (at the mid point). When you're ready to paint, tip the dowel vertically and slide down the center of the body tube. When it exits the lower end of the tube, tip it horizontally. Viola. You're body tube is hanging in mid air!. I paint vertically, turning the tube and holding it in position with the dowel. If you don't want any overspray on your hand, use a glove.

I use a 5/8" dowel wrapped with masking taped and newspaper to fit snug in the motor tube. I then jam the other end into an old lawn chair. Milk crate, cement block, pvc pipe or any other suitable base will work. Could even be sharpened and jammed into the ground I suppose.

I also have made a frame with 1x4 lumber that I can lay a dowel across (think rocket rotisserie). But then I am limited to length and fin span.

I paint outdoors and after an hour or 2, bring them inside the garage. I have even considered using a Christmas tree stand..... Weight can be added to the base as required for stability.

Bought some pvc at Lowes today so I can return the broom the the broom closet. At least my girlfriend doesn't mind a slightly primered broom handle