Simple blast deflector for 1010 rail

I am cobbling a launch pad together from my Rockwell Jaw Stand and a length of 1010 rail. I am looking for suggestions for a blast/exhaust deflector, both the deflector itself and methods of securely fastening to the rail. Photos are of course welcome :smile:

Roy Grant

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JAPJYHK/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Drill thru the rail, slide in a long carriage bolt. Or, drill a hole in the handle and bolt it to the bottom of the rail.

This is one I purchased from a guy a number of years ago...



Here is how I ended up mounting it on my 1010 rail pad...

Here's how I did my rail for the jawstand. I have a 6' rail, not 8', so I wanted to be able to use every inch of it. I secured the rail to a length of 1" x 1" square steel tube using 1/4-20 carriage bolts with the head in the rail. I then cut a piece of steel plate and bent it to use as a blast deflector, and used 1/4-20 bolts to secure that to the steel tube.

Bat-mite said:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JAPJYHK/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20



Drill thru the rail, slide in a long carriage bolt. Or, drill a hole in the handle and bolt it to the bottom of the rail.

Click to expand...

That is a perfect piece of steel for the job! Thanks for the tip.

Flyfalcons said:

Here's how I did my rail for the jawstand. I have a 6' rail, not 8', so I wanted to be able to use every inch of it. I secured the rail to a length of 1" x 1" square steel tube using 1/4-20 carriage bolts with the head in the rail. I then cut a piece of steel plate and bent it to use as a blast deflector, and used 1/4-20 bolts to secure that to the steel tube.

Click to expand...

That is perfect for attachment. I happen to have some 1" square steel tubing that I had forgotten about until I saw your picture. That is a great way to maximize rail length, mine is only 6' long as well. Thanks for sharing.

Roy

No need to drill through the rail. The deflector was a buck or two at Lowe's/HD and was with the roof flashing.

Titan II, that is about the simplest approach I can imagine. I hadn't thought of a small carriage bolt fitting in the track like that, and zinc/steel flashing is ubiquitous. Clever. This forum is full of great ideas.

Titan II said:

No need to drill through the rail. The deflector was a buck or two at Lowe's/HD and was with the roof flashing.

Click to expand...

This is the mounting method I use on my rail. It allows me to slide the deflector up or down the rail depending the requirements of the rocket I am launching. I have a six foot rail and this works great.

Convince your spouse/SO to buy a new cookie sheet. Use the old one with mounting suggestions above.

Old saw blades work well...

It's important to have one that angles away from the rail like what Titan shows. If you use a flat deflector like bat-mite links to you can have exhaust channeled up the slot in the rail and melt your rail buttons depending on how it's mounted. The other advantage of Titan's method is the bolt can also act as a stop for the rocket if it's long enough. But the weight of the rocket can deform the rail if it's heavy enough.

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Tony