Saturn V Moldin Oldies Parts

[Gary Byrum]

I've searched the forum and didn't find anything regarding how solid the fin/fairing parts are made. Are they hollow like the stock parts, or are they solid? Any info on how much weight they will add to the build would be greatly appreciated.

[WillMarchant]

Solid. I might be able to weight them tomorrow.

[Gary Byrum]

Thanks Will. I was very curious about this in that I was considering learning how to cast them myself.

[JStarStar]

They are heavier than the stock parts, because they are made of thicker, denser plastic (thus, more durable).

[Gary Byrum]

Solid. I might be able to weight them tomorrow.

Hey Will, would it be any trouble to take a snapshot of the fin/fairings from the back side? I really would like to see that. I'm actually considering casting my own now.

[Mushtang]

They're not solid, they're hollow from the back but with thick walls. Even still they're very light.

Mine needed a bit of sanding against the body tube to make sure they fit tightly. Wrap a piece of sandpaper around the body with the sand side out, and make sure to keep the engine bell straight up and down as you sand, otherwise you'll sand the curvature into the part the wrong way and it won't fit the way it should.

The walls are thick enough to give a good surface area to glue.

[Gary Byrum]

Mine are not going to be solid either. Since I'll be casting my own, I now know a way to get the fins/fairings built up to any thickness I want them to be. It'll require a 2 piece mold but that's fine. As soon as my replacement fairings get here, I'll me prepping one of them for the casting. This ought to be sweet guys. I can't wait to get some pics to post. I've been working on the tower all evening prepping it to cast with the command module. SURE...I could have bought mine already made, but I wanted to figure out how to do my own. I do have another Saturn tucked away in case I decide to build it. And who knows....maybe someone else will want some made.

[Gary Byrum]

OK, so I'm just learning how to cast stuff and of course I had to start with something really complicated. Prepping the tower was a real PIA because you have to fill the void behind the struts. This was not an easy thing to accomplish. This is necessary because if I hadn't, the nose & tower would be permanently fixed in the mold. It also makes it possible to be a solid piece rather than like the original fragile piece. I still have some trash in the mold that needs to be removed because some areas of the cast are imperfect or incomplete. Here's a look at my 1st complete attempt. Hopefully the more I clean up the mold, the better my cast will look. BTW, this weighs in at 1.2 oz. Added weight I will need anyway since I'll be using an E-20 for first flight. The rest of the replacement parts arrived yesterday so I'll be prepping for the single construction of the fin & fairings cast today.

[WillMarchant]

They're not solid, they're hollow from the back but with thick walls. Even still they're very light.

Correct, sorry, I was wrong. The four fin assemblies and the command-module/escape system come in a single package and that weighs about 80 grams.