Nosecones, cheap alternatives and DIY

[donperry]

Post them up!

Here is mine
http://www.pvcrocketry.com/2012/01/n...dy-filler.html

Body filler applied over a wooden plug insulated with rubber (like a condom). Then sanded down. After which a coupling can be inserted and epoxied to make the shoulder.

[redsox15]

For my current project I tried my first attempt at a DIY NC. I used some foam glued to together on a dowel with the shoulder and shaped on the lathe using a jig I made up. The nose cone was then covered with two layers of 1.8oz fiberglass. My computer is not letting me attach my photos I will try later.

Matt

[donperry]

Sounds good! I'm awaiting photo.

[redsox15]

Here are the photos that were not working yesterday.

Pic 1. The final nose cone after turning. It is a little off center due to a slight misalignment while on the lathe.

Pic 2. These are the parts that I used to put together the shoulder. It included: two bolts to hole the aft bulk plate onto the shoulder, the shoulder was just a piece of body tube.

Pic 3. Nose cone after two layers of fiberglass. The black lines you see are just black sharpie.

Pic 4. This is the setup on the lathe while turning. I made a jig that was the shape of the nose cone curve and sanded down to the final shape. Unfortunately the tip of the nose cone snapped off due to the previously stated misalignment.


Matt

[kenstarr]

Here's my shot at nose cone turning. Might want to address the fine foam "dust" problem though! The nose cone is about 8" dia. The big foam milling rig was actually for turning a rocket but same setup as I used for the NC. You wouldn't believe the amount of fine foam particles this generated that covered everything with a nice static cling!

[rockets4kids]

Here's my shot at nose cone turning. Might want to address the fine foam "dust" problem though! The nose cone is about 8" dia. The big foam milling rig was actually for turning a rocket but same setup as I used for the NC. You wouldn't believe the amount of fine foam particles this generated that covered everything with a nice static cling!

Try using a nichrome wire cutter. It makes far less mess. On the downside, melting styrofoam does release toxic fumes so it must be done outside.

[Gary Byrum]

OK..so weighing in here is up my alley it seems. What I can't get commercially gets turned on 1 of my 2 lathes. I have learned that having more wood than NC length is a necessary must. I only turn wood, so here are a couple of pics of a successful turn.
Pic 1 Nose on the lathe. Still turned at OD of the tube.
Pic 2 Nose was sanded at the shoulder to ID specs of the tube then removed. The tip of the nose still had the block end attached but had been removed and hand sanded to shape at this point.
Pic 3 Nose displayed in a tube.
Pic 4 The finished rocket for which the nose was designed. This was for an up scale DOM Starship Excalibur hosting a BT 70 tube.

[kenstarr]

Try using a nichrome wire cutter. It makes far less mess. On the downside, melting styrofoam does release toxic fumes so it must be done outside.

Yeah, I don't think I will use this method again at least without a vacuum method. I've looked into the hot wire, and for simplicity, cost, and ease of use, it's probably best.

[Handeman]

I don't have a lathe, but I do have a drill press. You can't do large nose cones, but for smaller ones, this has worked to make one piece nosecones with the shoulders.

My method was to epoxy a wood dowel into a pre-shaped block of foam.

Cut it to a general shape with an electric knife to reduce the amount of dust generated when doing the final shaping.

Put it in the drill press and use coarse file or sandpaper block to shape the nose cone. Some type of caliper, or a notch cut into a thin piece of wood that is the same width as the tube ID and one at the tube OD is needed to check when you are at the right diameter for the nose cone and the shoulder.

NOTE: You MUST finish the nose cone before you remove it from the drill press. The jaws of the drill press chuck will compress the wood when they are tightened and if you remove the piece, you'll never get it back in the same way and everything will wobble until you cut it down a lot more, usually too much.

When finished, paint the outer surface with a 30 - 60 minute epoxy. I use US Composites 635 thin epoxy at 3:1. Sand smooth and repeat if needed.

Cut the wood dowel off flush with the shoulder, drill a pilot hole and screw in a screw eye to attach the shock cord. The nose cone will be light enough that this will be more then enough to hold up.

My first nose cone made this way was for my 2.25" OD L1 rocket. It held up fine to H - J motors. It never got past Mach, but did hold up to +80Gs on several I1299N flights. It didn't survive the lawn dart from 3000 ft, but I did get the screw eye back!

[i luv duct tape]

whats a condom?

[rockets4kids]

NOTE: You MUST finish the nose cone before you remove it from the drill press. The jaws of the drill press chuck will compress the wood when they are tightened and if you remove the piece, you'll never get it back in the same way and everything will wobble until you cut it down a lot more, usually too much.

BTDT. Find a small piece of metal pipe that fits over your dowel and epoxy it in place. Problem solved, and your nose cone will be true.

[powderburner]

.... Problem solved, and your nose cone will be true.

So I take it that you have had problems with your nose cone wandering, hanging out late at night with other body tubes, and associating with unsavory parts like experimental propellant slugs?

(Sorry, just couldn't resist)

[donperry]

whats a condom?

hehe.

So I take it that you have had problems with your nose cone wandering, hanging out late at night with other body tubes, and associating with unsavory parts like experimental propellant slugs?

(Sorry, just couldn't resist)

Prob need to leave a condom beside his cones.