Tonimus
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2014
- Messages
- 1,511
- Reaction score
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Disclaimer: I received a set of fin guides, in exchange for my honest review. Here we go.
I volunteered to receive and review a set of the Black Aero 3D printed fin guides. They are available at www.BlackAero.com.
Firstly, I was surprised at how substantial they were. They have a little bit of heft to them. And for being 3D printed, the resolution they are printed at is quite good. The quality of the print is also very good. There's just enough surface texture to make them easy to handle, but not so much that they seem sloppily made.
The set I received were for 54mm thinwall fiberglass tubing. The fit was spot on. There was just enough play for an easy slip fit.
Secondly, they have just a little bit of flex in them, which I like. I was able to use them like a clamp to wedge my fins in tight to the motor tube. I accomplished this by using masking tape between the guides, and pulling the tape tight, until I had a bit of deflection in the guides:
Thirdly, I like that one set of guides fits a bunch of different fins, and allows you to do surface mounted fins while leaving room for the glue. This way you don't have to worry about gluing your guides to your rocket. Quite an ingenious design. I also like that what size tubing they are for is printed directly into the part. (54T)
I was able to use them without any trouble. I expect that these will see use on all future 54mm builds with thinwall. Thank you for the opportunity. And damn you, because now I expect I'll have to buy other sizes... *cough* 4 inch *cough*
I volunteered to receive and review a set of the Black Aero 3D printed fin guides. They are available at www.BlackAero.com.
Firstly, I was surprised at how substantial they were. They have a little bit of heft to them. And for being 3D printed, the resolution they are printed at is quite good. The quality of the print is also very good. There's just enough surface texture to make them easy to handle, but not so much that they seem sloppily made.
The set I received were for 54mm thinwall fiberglass tubing. The fit was spot on. There was just enough play for an easy slip fit.
Secondly, they have just a little bit of flex in them, which I like. I was able to use them like a clamp to wedge my fins in tight to the motor tube. I accomplished this by using masking tape between the guides, and pulling the tape tight, until I had a bit of deflection in the guides:
Thirdly, I like that one set of guides fits a bunch of different fins, and allows you to do surface mounted fins while leaving room for the glue. This way you don't have to worry about gluing your guides to your rocket. Quite an ingenious design. I also like that what size tubing they are for is printed directly into the part. (54T)
I was able to use them without any trouble. I expect that these will see use on all future 54mm builds with thinwall. Thank you for the opportunity. And damn you, because now I expect I'll have to buy other sizes... *cough* 4 inch *cough*