Binder Design Velociraptor Rebuild Thread

Kruegon said:

That may not be a bad idea. I've been soaking the edges of my BTs and couplers with CA to prevent ruffles and tears. I wonder. If I were to soak and slick sand the exterior of the coupler, would it assist the coupler with insertion and removal? The BD couplers have a really close tolerance.

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It should harden the couplers similar to what CA does and then they can be sanded to a perfect fit while at the same time sealing out moisture.

kjkcolorado said:

Trying not to derail this thread, but Mike has me curious as well regarding 'soaking' the insides of tubes with sanding sealer. How exactly do you do that? Paint brush on a stick?

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For the tubes, he was talking about soaking the exterior. For the couplers it was interior. And I'd recommend a foam brush for sanding sealer.

Kruegon said:

For the tubes, he was talking about soaking the exterior.

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No, he clearly said the interior after building the rocket. (emphasis mine):

Binder Design said:

Lately I've been soaking the whole insides of the tubes after the rocket is built. It seals the paper and makes the tube noticeable stronger and more durable.

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Oh, and I too would like to know the method of application on the inside.

Oh. We were reading two different posts.

Kruegon said:

Oh. We were reading two different posts.

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Ah... That explains it.

Keep up the good work... That rocket deserves all the loving you can give it.

It has turned out to be a considerably more significant amount of work than originally expected. Just the two upper tubes and removing the fillets has taken a surprising amount of time. I don't even want to think about what the booster section is going to require. But I'll be starting on it very soon.

K'Tesh said:

Oh, and I too would like to know the method of application on the inside.

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A brush duct taped to a dowel or PVC pipe. It ain't rocket science, lol.

CA works best on the coupler exteriors, same with end hardening of the tubing ends. Sanding sealer doesn't soak in as far so you can still get fuzzies when sanding the couplers for proper fit. The thin CA works wonders on coupler exteriors just don't breathe the smoke or forget to take out your contact lenses before doing them.

Sealing all tube interiors (after all bonding) will make the tubes slightly stronger, but the best benefit is that it makes them more dimensionally stable regarding humidity changes. People worrying about the added weight should realize that their tubing will still only weigh about half of what blue-tube weighs and about one quarter of what fiberglass tubing weighs.....Perspective.

Binder Design said:

A brush duct taped to a dowel or PVC pipe. It ain't rocket science, lol.

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OK, so I guessed correctly... 'Paint brush on a stick'

Just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing some 'rocket science' or innovative method. Thanks.

Just dip a ferret in the sealer and let him run back and forth inside the tube…

Kruegon said:

Just dip a ferret in the sealer and let him run back and forth inside the tube…

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Just make sure and have a good grip on the little bugger during the dip part, and make sure it goes in the tube or you might look like you lost a fight with a weed wacker!

Don't you love how life gets in the way of fun? Looks like it'll be a few days before I can continue. At least Wednesday or Thursday. Guess my job and family still have to come first lol.

Still not dead. I swear. Working on it slowly. Hopefully I'll have a good update by next weekend.

Binder Design said:

Minwax. https://www.lowes.com/pd_162054-678-657000000___?productId=999914203&pl=1&Ntt=sanding+sealer

Been soaking my couplers in it too.

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Might be a stupid ?, but curious...

How does the sealer take to being primed and painted? Do you see any issues using the water based poly sealer then priming/painting with say spray lacquers or enamels?

Forever_Metal said:

Might be a stupid ?, but curious...

How does the sealer take to being primed and painted? Do you see any issues using the water based poly sealer then priming/painting with say spray lacquers or enamels?

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Can't answer your question, but I'll add one of my own...

Would sealing the tube prior to assembly be a bad idea? I'm thinking that it would make the body of the rocket waterproof (as well as strengthen it), if applied beforehand. And if the fins are TTW mounted to the motor tube (and well positioned between CR's) that the mount wouldn't really even need to be glued inside the body tube as the fins would lock everything in place once filleted (not saying that I'd do that, but it's a possibility).

Forever_Metal said:

Might be a stupid ?, but curious...

How does the sealer take to being primed and painted? Do you see any issues using the water based poly sealer then priming/painting with say spray lacquers or enamels?

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You don't need to seal the outside of the airframe, it has a glassine coating that is paint ready.

K'Tesh said:

Would sealing the tube prior to assembly be a bad idea?

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Yes, don't get the sealer in any areas to be bonded if you want the best strength.

would that sanding sealer work on wood fins as well? Or would using a wood hardener 1st then adding sanding sealer be best? So much info to digest, when will it end?

fm

Forever_Metal said:

would that sanding sealer work on wood fins as well?

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That's what it is made for.