Loc N-Load Build Thread

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I just want to say that your build threads are phenomenal! Entertaining and extremely informative.
 
That EVIL Polyester crap!!! That's what happened to the Hawk's tail. After gumming through that, the red Glaze saved the day just in time for MWP... And the fog... LOL I think the tail I built soaked in 6oz or better of my favorite "Runny" Epoxy that you hate!!! That was the 7.5" version though.
But then ya, Red Glaze on top made a perfect finish!!! Looking good kid!!!!
Once the epoxy dries, the cone gets a coating of Spot Filler Glazing Putty. I've tried a lot of fillers over the years, and this is by far my favorite. Bondo makes a similar product (NOT 2 PART Polyester based EVIL BODY FILLER), that is similar in nature, but the price has gone up while the volume has gone down...so this product it is. It's a one part, solvent evaporative curing product that dries quickly, sands beautifully, finishes smooth, and stands up to upper Mach 2's. Anyway, here's one coat application; haven't begun to sand it smooth yet....you caught up to my build progress!

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Any idea of the comparison with the weight of a similarly strong fiberglass booster unit?

Here we go! The closest I have for comparison is a clone of a Dynacom Tarantula; built in 2011 (build thread: https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?26622-Dynacom-Tarantula). First, for some similarities and differences:

Differences: Tarantula (T) booster is smaller in diameter (5.13" OD) vs. N-Load (5.54" OD) but a bit longer (60" booster) vs N-Load (45" booster + payload). N-load booster is zipperless whereas T is "standard" (N-load has extra coupler, etc). T has four fins, N has 3; though both have relatively BIG fins. T is painted, N is still nekkid; although N carries the additional mass of a recovery anchor tether (T's booster recovery harness attaches to the forward of the motor only).

Similarities: Both boosters have 98mm mounts that are designed to take "N" motors. Both are without recovery gear for this comparison. I feel they have relatively equal tradeoffs for a "fair" weight comparison. Without further ado:

Tarantula Mass (booster only):
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N-Load Mass (booster & drogue bay only)

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13.6 for T vs. 6.1 for N....220% increase. Not sure it's an apples-to-apples comparison, but the best I can do at the moment. The T is definitely denser than the N, as expected. Now, for the 98/17500 loads that I like to fly in the Tarantula, the additional mass is a non-issue; however for the lower-end-of-the-spectrum K458 I plan to burn in the K/N Load, it certainly matters!

Small dissertation:eyepop:: For those that only know me through this forum, you may get the notion that I only fly "low and slow", big cardboard creations. Big cardboard creations happen to be one of my absolute favorite areas of rocketry, but they're not exclusive in my fleet. I fly quite a variety...big small, cardboard, glass, and carbon. They all have their place. Where I really dig cardboard is the versatility of large airframes that are both super light and strong, taking advantage of some of the coolest motors out there on the market...long burns! If you like moonies and other long burners, they're at home in lightweight large airframes where they fly majestically without breaking the modest waivers we have east of the Mississippi. The intended beauty of the K/N-Load is that it can fly on a K458 with around 400N of initial thrust and a 6 sec burn, yet handle a 15K Ns N load. Further, I've had a couple of 8" and 11.5" glass and carbon rockets in the past...beasts to haul around. I can honestly say that I enjoy flying the Loc 7.67" equivalents significantly more; simply for the handling characteristics...I can handle a Mother Lode by myself without breaking a sweat, but have to wear gloves, grab a friend, and worry about a hernia when dealing with big glass....that kinda sounded bad.:facepalm:

I just want to say that your build threads are phenomenal! Entertaining and extremely informative.

Mr. Peanut, THANK YOU! Much appreciated sir! Glad you're enjoying the ride!

That EVIL Polyester crap!!! That's what happened to the Hawk's tail. After gumming through that, the red Glaze saved the day just in time for MWP... And the fog... LOL I think the tail I built soaked in 6oz or better of my favorite "Runny" Epoxy that you hate!!! That was the 7.5" version though.
But then ya, Red Glaze on top made a perfect finish!!! Looking good kid!!!!

The Hawk looks so much nicer with the tail!:cool: Looks great; can't wait to see that thing fly...one of these days!!!

2 part Poly Bondo I hate! That USC epoxy I don't hate, I'm just perplexed with its properties...fast curing laminating resin is a bit of an oxymoron. And then slow curing, thicker bonding resin...that's just bass ackwards! Mind Blown!:jaw:

Back in the college days, I had a lot of exposure to USComposites resins in the Composites shop where I worked part time...their resins left myself and the other kids scratching their heads at times. Love the place, but their epoxy is a bit odd to me. Maybe I'm just odd...oh well!:smile:
 
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That is a non-trivial difference between the double reinforced cardboard and the fiberglass, Thanks for running the compare!


I may just glue those couplers in my L2 after all. If it means I have to fly it on a K instead of a J.......is that really a tradeoff? lol
 
That is a non-trivial difference between the double reinforced cardboard and the fiberglass, Thanks for running the compare!


I may just glue those couplers in my L2 after all. If it means I have to fly it on a K instead of a J.......is that really a tradeoff? lol

You're welcome; definitely a significant difference! The lighter weight does provide more options for motor choice, I think.

This size rocket deserves a K anyway!:wink:
 
Apologies for not posting more progress updates; life has gotten in the way the last week+. Back to it!

Whether painting, covering in heat shrink film (IE Monokote), or vinyl (IE Stickershock wrap), I prefer to do all the drilling of airframe holes BEFORE finishing the rocket off in color. This allows you to drill and clean up the holes without making a mess of the nice finish.

Hole Pattern Template

Wrap a piece of paper around the airframe and mark at the overlap. The circumference of the Loc 5.54" tube is around 17.625".

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Mark the pattern where the holes will be. I will be marking and drilling:

-3 Altimeter vent holes
-6 Screw holes to fasten the Drogue and Main Tubes together
-2 Airframe pressure relief holes per tube
-3 and/or 4 shear pin holes per tube.

Therefore, in preparation I divide the pattern into thirds, sixths, and quarters. Also, the exposed length of the coupler connecting the Drogue and Main Tubes is roughly 4.5"...thus lines are drawn at 1.5" and 3" down from the top edge of the pattern for fastening. Confused? (Me too)! Please read on and check out the pretty pictures. When all is said and done, the pattern looks like this:

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Airframe Fastener Holes

Wrap the pattern around the Drogue tube, paper edge flush with the top of the tube. Tape in place. Stand the assembly vertical (let gravity work with you...rockets laying horizontally will sag and your holes may not line up/gaps result between the tubes). Drill and tap a single hole, install a screw before proceeding.

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My name is Eric and I have an addiction...to McMaster Carr! My favorite screws for securing airframe sections together are #6-32 X 1/4"L stainless button socket head cap screws.

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Drill and tap remaining holes. Install screws, verify airframe alignment and hole accuracy.

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Altimeter Vent Holes

Flip the pattern over to the Main Chute tube. Align the three alt vent holes on the pattern with the fastener holes on the Drogue tube if desired. Drill pilot holes at the three vent locations.

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Remove pattern and drill out the pilot holes with a 5/16" drill bit. Note, some will use smaller altimeter vent holes, that's fine...I prefer three 5/16" for this size airframe for a few reasons.

Your rocket's mid-section should now be holy:

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Pressure Relief Holes

Since we know that air pressure decreases as the rocket ascends, and since this airframe may be capable of 3 mile flights, it's good practice to drill a few pressure relief holes in the airframe to prevent premature separation due to internal airframe pressure exceeding external ambient pressure. I like to use two holes 180 degrees apart from one another, one just beneath the base of the nose cone, and the other just over/under the coupler that mates the booster section and the payload section.

Pick a line that lines up with previously drilled holes. I chose the start and mid point of the airframe fasteners because they line up with the two holes to be drilled for pressure relief. Carry that line forward to the front of the Main Chute tube and aft to the rear of the Drogue Chute tube.

The base of the Loc 5.54L cone is 4.5" long, so a mark is placed 5.5" down from the end of the Main Chute Tube.

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The same is done for the booster, except measured 6" up from the end to accommodate the longer zipperless booster coupler. Two 5/32" holes are drilled in each section; four pressure relief holes total in the rocket's airframe.

Line 'em up!

Prior to separating the Main Chute and Payload Sections from one another, it is wise to make an alignment mark bridging the sections. (Not pictured). Wiser yet to extend that line onto couplers, to the ID of the airframe, as the marks are likely to get covered by paint, vinyl, or similar (Pictured below). I will sometimes use a dremel cutoff wheel to make a shallow cut that spans between the joined sections....then you're not at the mercy of painting over the marks!

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Toughen the Holes

Apply a small amount of thin CA to each of the holes drilled. I've used a lot of CA in my life, ZAP thin (pink bottle) rocks for this application!

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All the holes have been hardened with CA. Don't forget the tapped holes in the coupler. One can see the difference in the areas where the CA has traveled as it's darker than the rest.

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Good "thin CA" will travel. If you happen to have a hole inline with a spiral groove, the CA will navigate the spiral path.

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Closing for Holes

After a few minutes, the CA will have hardened and the holes are ready for cleaning. I like to redrill the holes with the same size bit initially used, use a #11 X-acto to trim the exterior of the holes flush with the airframe, and use a Dremel sanding drum and/or sandpaper to smooth the ID of the tube at the hole locations. Sounds tough, but this is a relatively quick and easy operation. Sorry no photos of me sanding stuff!:cool:

Shear Pins

I'm breaking my own rule and waiting to do shear pins until later in the build. Have a bit of work to do yet on the nosecone, so I'll wait until then and cover that step at that time...if I remember.:)

What's Next?

Next up, let's add some color! Coming soon to a TRF Thread near you...
 
Enough fluff, let's add some color!

There are times when my wife has a difficult time distinguishing between my efforts to be efficient (smart!) and laziness. Though she could care less about the colors on this rocket, or any other for that matter, this is one of those occasions where I'm either efficient, or lazy. I'm not sure myself, but I'll leave that up to the reader!:)

On that note, I have an unwritten rule that I don't spray paint in winter. I'm up here in the winter wonderland...though I DO paint in winter, conditions are far from ideal and I'd really rather not. Thus, it shapes the way I add color to most of my winter builds....they get covered in some sort of film covering. For the N-Load, I went in circles trying to figure out a trim scheme. I'm still not there yet, but have a start. With one of the themes of the build as "Blue Skies, Ron", I decided to start with a blue base. I had some real blue fake carbon fiber vinyl on hand; figuring it would be appropriate, if a bit ironic, that I applied fake carbon to an airframe without a touch of composite fiber on it.:cyclops: Without further ado....

Cover Tubes

First, we clean up all those holes we drilled and CA'd earlier. Now with a clean canvas, a line is drawn the length of one of the airframe sections using angle iron.

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A small amount of backing material is peeled from the vinyl. Vinyl is applied to the airframe carefully aligning with the marked line. This particular material was friendly enough to be repositioned without ruining the base airframe surface or the vinyl itself...yay!

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Wrap around the airframe carefully using your hand, a squeegee, or similar. There is a clear, peel-off protective covering over the vinyl. The wrinkles you see are in the removable film.

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After wrapping the airframe, locate your previously drilled and cleaned holes. Since the vinyl is flexible, you may depress the material over the hole for ease of locating if desired.

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Trim the holes and BOOM you have a lovely tube!

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With one tube done, move on to another tube. If you care about seam overlap and location (I do, I do), align seam with the other tube recently completed. Draw a line the length of the tube aligned with the seam on the other tube. Hint, with a little planning, this seam can line up with the rail and be on the backside of the rocket as well as covered by the rail!:cool:

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Cover Fins

Now to cover the fins. Not for the faint of heart, but not overly difficult either; just requires a bit of fore-thought, planning, and careful execution.

First, knock down any high points on the fillets. I used a round file and a single piece of 100 grit sandpaper. Done in a few minutes; not seeking perfection.

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A fin pattern is cut out; from there strips are cut the length of the root of the fins, oversized fin vinyl is cut, etc.

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Strips are applied to the root of the fins; covering the fillet, base of fin, and body tube-to-fin intersection. A little heat applied to the vinyl stretches the material and helps it adhere to the complex curves.

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With the trim applied, one side of the fin is covered (opposite side of fin shown in photo). Edges of the covering are wrapped over the leading and trailing edges.

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Cover the opposing side of the fin(s). Once again, wrap the excess around the leading edge, however trim the trailing edge flush with the aft end of the fin. Think of the airflow, you want NO exposed edges.

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When all is said and done, I went over the covered surfaces with a heat gun; the heat makes the vinyl pliable and seems to activate the adhesive; eliminating small bubbles and imperfections and really sticking the covering to the base material.

This is where we're at currently. Application of the vinyl is a lot quicker than the fill-sand-prime-repeat-then eventually paint cycle! I've only spent maybe two hours on adding color so far. That said, progress has slowed considerably with work ramping up prior to year's end and the holidays coming. That, and I'm waiting for the second color to show up. More to come asap; thanks for reading along!!!:smile:
 
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Eric- this looks wicked! When do you think the first flight will be? Ready for TWA on January 6? :)
 
Eric- this looks wicked! When do you think the first flight will be? Ready for TWA on January 6? :)

Thanks Glen!

Could be ready for TWA on 1-6, but won't fly then. I have a mondo pile of Midwest Power leftovers that need to be flown so they can be returned to storage condition. If I burn a few in January, then a February or March maiden voyage is likely!:)

Love the vinyl, both and application... and yes, very wicked!

Thanks Dragon! So far so good. Hope the rest of the application goes well!:cool:
 
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When all is said and done, I went over the covered surfaces with a heat gun; the heat makes the vinyl pliable and seems to activate the adhesive; eliminating small bubbles and imperfections and really sticking the covering to the base material.

This is where we're at currently. Application of the vinyl is a lot quicker than the fill-sand-prime-repeat-then eventually paint cycle! I've only spent maybe two hours on adding color so far. That said, progress has slowed considerably with work ramping up prior to year's end and the holidays coming. That, and I'm waiting for the second color to show up. More to come asap; thanks for reading along!!!:smile:

This is looking great! I think I'm going to give the same thing a try with my 5.5" Big Nuke. I'm waiting to see how you fill in around the fins...

cheers - mark
 
This is looking great! I think I'm going to give the same thing a try with my 5.5" Big Nuke. I'm waiting to see how you fill in around the fins...

cheers - mark

Thanks Mark! Excellent; hope to see your Big Nuke in color when you get there!!!:cool:
 
I've been playing with color schemes for the N-Load and can use YOUR help! Going with a two tone scheme; colors are blue and silver. I may add a third color for accent, but that wouldn't change the basic trim scheme. So, here's where I can use some input. Below are three possible schemes; please tell me which you like best. Or which features of any do you like; I don't have to settle on these specific schemes...consider them working concept drawings.

So, what do YOU think? Option A, B, C; or bits and pieces of this or that? What floats your boat? :boat:

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Thanks in advance!!!
 
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Your fins are already blue, so B is a good bet.

Maybe.... Have the K nosecone silver, but do the tailcone and N nosecone in a third color to accent that it's about turn things up to 11(000 N-s)
 
I like C, less "top" heavy than others. More balanced look. I would carry the blue abit higher......up to & include the first heavy stripe.
For me darker colors add weight & stay toward bottom when used with much lighter combos + they hide the certain to come dark stains from motor burn while on pad.
Would change tailcone for to blue for same reasons.

I like Bumblebee fade stripes. For an accent color.... bright red [I know you have that..LOL] a stripe next to top and bottom of Loc/Load blue . Maybe a fin tip red vertical stripe if using the red

If using red, maybe reduce size of silver on fins, exposing a bit more blue. I'd have to fiddle with it, to get proper balance.
Just some ideas to toss around.

There is an old architectural rule of thumb for balance [ 1/3 -2/3] or [ 2/5-3/5] for obtaining pleasing to the eye scale and balance
As in 1/3 dark color...2/3 lighter on airframe vertically or close.

PS THANKS for doing a REALLY fun & interesting build...things were getting a bit boring around here & I always enjoy your stuff Eric...happy Holidays
Cj
 
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Only have a short time now, so wanted to drop in and say "Thank you" for the awesome feedback and maybe post a bit of an update. I'll go with the popular vote and go with Option B. CJ and Tim51, I'll put those schemes to use elsewhere. I love the addition of red as the third color; that's going to happen. I have some Monokote trim red and some holographic red...both roughly the same shade but one more "exciting" than the other. Currently leaning towards the solid, non patterned Mono Trim red, as I think holographic with the faux carbon pattern might be too busy.

More Stickerage

Nose Cone

Now for a quick update...Christmas, work, and a house project have slowed me down considerably, but we inch closer to completion. The Load is no longer naked; it's fully clothed yet not adorned with its final décor. Let's document a bit of that process, shall we?

We start with the nosecone; which is covered in silver "carbon" vinyl in two pieces. In order to determine vinyl size, the cone in marked off in 2" increments or stations over the length of the cone. At each station, the half circumference is measured with a piece of string and noted.

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Similarly, stations are marked on the backing of the vinyl. 1/2 of the 1/2 circumference is measured out from the centerline of the piece at each station.

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A smoothed curve line shapes the outline of the piece and is freed from the vinyl mothership using a steel blade of sorts.

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The vinyl is applied to the cone. Utilizing a heat gun, lack of care for singed fingers, and the patience of a saint, it actually went pretty well. Not for the faint of heart!:eyepop:

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I found it difficult to take photos of this step with melted fingers and sticky vinyl everywhere, but did manage to capture a photo of the process during the application of the second piece. The photo may give the illusion of an "oh shOOt" moment...but is just a step along the way. With the compound curves, heat and patience were the virtues.

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With the two pieces on, I went over the entire surface with the heat gun, giving a final adhesion of the vinyl and worked out any remaining bubbles, blisters, or creases. Trimmed the edges, took a breath, and proceeded to the silver blanketing of the booster.

Booster

First up, wrap the vinyl around the tube just above the fins with the backer still on. Using the trusty aluminum angle, the fin locations are drawn onto the vinyl. Well, the vinyl comes with a clear protective layer so the actual vinyl material isn't marked.

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Left a mark or two:

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Using a scrap piece of paper, an outline of the fin is marked on the paper and eventually cut out. Critical measurements include final fin thickness, fin root, and bevel lengths.

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After cutting out the outline, the void is slipped over a fin to verify fit. Any fine tuning to the outline is done now.

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Happy with the fit, the piece cut out earlier is applied to the booster's silver sheet at the fin locations marked previously. For offset from base of booster, measure thrice, cut once.

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All three fin voids are cut from the booster vinyl and we have a piece ready for a mating session with the booster.

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A quick sanity check is performed to ensure that the fins haven't moved out of place; before removing the backing material. Note, the web aft of the fin voids has to be sliced in order to utilize on contiguous piece of vinyl.

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To begin the application, a line is drawn at the desired seam location. Working slowly and carefully, roughly 1/3 of the vinyl backing is removed at a time while positioning the vinyl and going around the world. Once again, heat and burned fingers helps facilitate a smooth application.

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I truly thought I had more photos of the application of vinyl to the booster, but don't see them now, so let's bring this beast outside for a glamour shot or two!

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That's all for now! More done and more to post, but I've gotta run. Thanks all!!!:cool:
 
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Dang Eric. That's incredible. Great job.

Beautiful.

Thanks Kyle! Thanks Tim! Much appreciated, gents!:)

Fantastic Eric! Flight ready by the 6th? :)

Thanks Justin! Yes and No. Should be ready...but have a half dozen rockets prepped and ready from MudWet Power. Gotta clear some of those prepped critters off the "ready" pile! Will have at least one 5.5" bird with at least one K or L there, however.

+1. If you fly this, I’ll fly my Loc Starburst- 2x24 cluster.

Yo G! Gotta clear the prepped rockets first. But you should fly your Starburst anyway!:wink:
 
Thanks Kyle! Thanks Tim! Much appreciated, gents!:)




Thanks Justin! Yes and No. Should be ready...but have a half dozen rockets prepped and ready from MudWet Power. Gotta clear some of those prepped critters off the "ready" pile! Will have at least one 5.5" bird with at least one K or L there, however.



Yo G! Gotta clear the prepped rockets first. But you should fly your Starburst anyway!:wink:

What's mudwet power ?
 
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