i help with a star wars rocket!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! estes rocket

[xwingfighter10]

hi, i build this model but the engine hook is where the engine gose all the way down and i cannot get it out without user needlie nose pliers.


here are the photos pls tell me can this kind of thing happen some times when u make a build rocket and did i did the job right.



sorry if i cant spell very well i need only serious people that can help me with this project and not no crap.

i know how forums are and had alot to put up with in terms of ip address change and that rubbish stuff.

so i need serious users only please.

thank you.

[pick1e]

hi, i build this model but the engine hook is where the engine gose all the way down

I'm not familiar with this model so I'm not sure why this happened, but could you cut a section of a spent motor tube to insert first as a spacer?

[Handeman]

It looks like the thrust ring got installed on the wrong side of the forward motor hook tab. Cutting a small piece of used motor tube as a spacer should work just fine.

As for getting it out, a long piece of 1/4" dowel to slide down inside the motor and push it out from the inside of the nozzle would probably be the easiest.

[luke strawwalker]

Now that it's built, I don' think there's a lot you can do... somewhere something was put together wrong-- measurement, part on the wrong side as mentioned, etc...

Handeman probably has the best advice here... having to fish it out with needle noses isn't the worst thing in the world... I mean, at least it'll still fly, even if reloading it for another launch is a bit of a pain...

Later and good luck! OL JR

[xwingfighter10]

I'm not familiar with this model so I'm not sure why this happened, but could you cut a section of a spent motor tube to insert first as a spacer?

thanks

[xwingfighter10]

It looks like the thrust ring got installed on the wrong side of the forward motor hook tab. Cutting a small piece of used motor tube as a spacer should work just fine.

As for getting it out, a long piece of 1/4" dowel to slide down inside the motor and push it out from the inside of the nozzle would probably be the easiest.

hi thanks your idea to me about the tube was a big help. now i can take the engine out, but i still need pliers but i can do it better with out the risk of messing up the rocket itself.

i never flown a rocket in my life y,all wish me luck now.

it was a pain in the butt cutting a tube that came from a new engine before killing it with water and soup.

sanding it down and adding glue to keep the tube inside tight.

see the photos now!!.

[luke strawwalker]

hi thanks your idea to me about the tube was a big help. now i can take the engine out, but i still need pliers but i can do it better with out the risk of messing up the rocket itself.

i never flown a rocket in my life y,all wish me luck now.

it was a pain in the butt cutting a tube that came from a new engine before killing it with water and soup.

sanding it down and adding glue to keep the tube inside tight.

see the photos now!!.

Oh, you should have asked before you did that... you didn't have to kill a perfectly good motor...

You can cut thrust rings from SPENT (fired) motors very easily with a razor saw (small saw blade that fits in the #2 heavy-duty X-acto knife handle-- they sell them at your local hobby shop or Hobby Lobby store (even cheaper with the 40% off coupon, which can be printed off their website). You just take the spent rocket motor, and cut the ejection charge end of the casing off about 1/4 inch long... no problems... you COULD probably even get by with a regular hacksaw if you have one... though a razor saw IS a handy hobby tool to have...

You really don't want to be cutting on new engines anyway... there's always the offhand chance that friction heat or static electrical discharge or something like that could possibly cause it to ignite... NOT a good day!

Of course you COULD also just buy a package of thrust block rings from Estes or Semroc through the mail, or even from the local hobby shop, or possibly Hobby Lobby (they stock SOME Estes parts)... or just buy any 18mm motor powered kit from the clearance aisle at Hobby Lobby for spare parts... never can have too many rocket spare parts anyway for making your own designs...

Good luck and if you're not sure, be sure you ask around here before jumping into a solution... we're more than happy to help if we can!

Later and good luck! OL JR

[xwingfighter10]

Oh, you should have asked before you did that... you didn't have to kill a perfectly good motor...

You can cut thrust rings from SPENT (fired) motors very easily with a razor saw (small saw blade that fits in the #2 heavy-duty X-acto knife handle-- they sell them at your local hobby shop or Hobby Lobby store (even cheaper with the 40% off coupon, which can be printed off their website). You just take the spent rocket motor, and cut the ejection charge end of the casing off about 1/4 inch long... no problems... you COULD probably even get by with a regular hacksaw if you have one... though a razor saw IS a handy hobby tool to have...

You really don't want to be cutting on new engines anyway... there's always the offhand chance that friction heat or static electrical discharge or something like that could possibly cause it to ignite... NOT a good day!

Of course you COULD also just buy a package of thrust block rings from Estes or Semroc through the mail, or even from the local hobby shop, or possibly Hobby Lobby (they stock SOME Estes parts)... or just buy any 18mm motor powered kit from the clearance aisle at Hobby Lobby for spare parts... never can have too many rocket spare parts anyway for making your own designs...

Good luck and if you're not sure, be sure you ask around here before jumping into a solution... we're more than happy to help if we can!

Later and good luck! OL JR

thanks for the safety note. i did not know that engines can do that. u see what i did was cut the part of the engine and detroy itv with cold wather.
thanks i really happy for the advice.


now since my mod was done nicely where i can take out a engine without crap on the model.

I like to know this, can u tell me do peole some time need to use pliers to get out motors on some rockets depending on the model and such.

im new to rockets.

[luke strawwalker]

thanks for the safety note. i did not know that engines can do that. u see what i did was cut the part of the engine and detroy itv with cold wather.
thanks i really happy for the advice.


now since my mod was done nicely where i can take out a engine without crap on the model.

I like to know this, can u tell me do peole some time need to use pliers to get out motors on some rockets depending on the model and such.

im new to rockets.

Yes, sometimes needle nose pliers are needed to get a spent casing out... not always, but sometimes... the motor ending up flush with the back end of the rocket just makes it doubly hard though...

Well, the motors are pressed black powder... gunpowder pressed into "slugs" that burn slow instead of burning really fast, instantaneously, as in a gun... SO, if you're cutting on it and it gets too hot, or a spark or something ignites it, or whatever, it WILL burn until the gunpowder is all consumed. The actual propellant slug is a 'fast burning" gunpowder that burns rapidly enough to create 70 PSI or so inside the motor casing... when that slug burns out, there's some slower-burning black powder (formulated slightly differently to burn slower) pressed into a solid chunk on top of that, which burns slow enough to give the rocket time to coast to altitude... because it burns slow, it doesn't pressurize the casing enough to create much thrust... virtually none, so the rocket slows down as it ascends. Then, on top of that, is a charge of fast burning granules of black powder, which burns very fast with a significant "POP!" to blow the parachute out of the rocket... this is held in place by the clay cap pressed into the top of the motor.

THAT's why you don't want to cut or modify rocket motors... plus, it's forbidden by the safety codes governing the hobby... and it's just a bad idea...

Once the motor is spent (been burned flying in a rocket) the casing can be used for any number of uses. As mentioned, with a saw, one can cut engine block rings from it... or it can have a dowel or stick glued into it, which makes it a handy tool for painting rockets, once you install it in the rocket's motor mount... or, if you dig the clay nozzle out of the end with a screwdriver, it can be slid over a launch rod to hold the rocket up off the blast deflector plate a bit to make it easier to hook up the ignitors, and not "soot up" the bottom of the rocket when it lifts off... LOTS of uses for spent casings, limited only by your imagination...

later and good luck! OL JR

[xwingfighter10]

Yes, sometimes needle nose pliers are needed to get a spent casing out... not always, but sometimes... the motor ending up flush with the back end of the rocket just makes it doubly hard though...

Well, the motors are pressed black powder... gunpowder pressed into "slugs" that burn slow instead of burning really fast, instantaneously, as in a gun... SO, if you're cutting on it and it gets too hot, or a spark or something ignites it, or whatever, it WILL burn until the gunpowder is all consumed. The actual propellant slug is a 'fast burning" gunpowder that burns rapidly enough to create 70 PSI or so inside the motor casing... when that slug burns out, there's some slower-burning black powder (formulated slightly differently to burn slower) pressed into a solid chunk on top of that, which burns slow enough to give the rocket time to coast to altitude... because it burns slow, it doesn't pressurize the casing enough to create much thrust... virtually none, so the rocket slows down as it ascends. Then, on top of that, is a charge of fast burning granules of black powder, which burns very fast with a significant "POP!" to blow the parachute out of the rocket... this is held in place by the clay cap pressed into the top of the motor.

THAT's why you don't want to cut or modify rocket motors... plus, it's forbidden by the safety codes governing the hobby... and it's just a bad idea...

Once the motor is spent (been burned flying in a rocket) the casing can be used for any number of uses. As mentioned, with a saw, one can cut engine block rings from it... or it can have a dowel or stick glued into it, which makes it a handy tool for painting rockets, once you install it in the rocket's motor mount... or, if you dig the clay nozzle out of the end with a screwdriver, it can be slid over a launch rod to hold the rocket up off the blast deflector plate a bit to make it easier to hook up the ignitors, and not "soot up" the bottom of the rocket when it lifts off... LOTS of uses for spent casings, limited only by your imagination...

later and good luck! OL JR

i kinda had a feeling that sometimes u need the tool to pull out used up motors becuase when u put them in its like kinda tight.

thanks for getting back to me.

may the fouce be with you

[luke strawwalker]

i kinda had a feeling that sometimes u need the tool to pull out used up motors becuase when u put them in its like kinda tight.

thanks for getting back to me.

may the fouce be with you

You're welcome...

A lot of times it's easiest to pull the motor out as soon as you get the rocket back... while the casing is still warm from the motor firing... sometimes this helps because anything sticky (like excess glue or tape residue or anything on the motor casing) will still be soft and less gummy and sticky, making removing the motor easier. Sometimes the motor will be harder to remove when it's still warm, though, because as things warm up, they get bigger, so the motor is a tighter fit when the casing is warm... once it cools down to room temperature, it should be easier to remove... It just depends on the rocket...

Try is both ways and see if it makes a difference for you...

Later and good luck! OL JR

PS. "Red Five is goin' in!!! "

[BABAR]

I like to know this, can u tell me do peole some time need to use pliers to get out motors on some rockets depending on the model and such. rockets.

Sometimes with rockets WITHOUT an engine hook I have to resort to the pliers or the dowel technique when I friction fit motors (wrap a bit of tape sound them to increase the outside diameter enough they fit tightly enough to not "self-eject".). Always a bit of a challenge to put enough in to keep the motor in during flight but be able to relatively easily remove it at the end. (tip- always remove spent engines before putting them in the car- either in a sealed bag if you bring them home or toss them in an appropriate trash can. Spent engines in the car will surprising quickly smell up the interior.)

Back to topic-- your rocket looks great, congrats on a nice build. Usually with engine hook rockets I have found the engine is relatively loose in the mount (mount is usually 20 mm diameter body tube, engine is 18 mm.). I am wondering if during your build "something" swelled up narrowing the internal diameter or your tube. You may consider wrapping a piece of intermediate grit sand paper (say 220 or so) around a dowel or stick that easily passes into the motor mount tube (something around the diameter of a 13 mm mini-engine would be perfect) and GENTLY sanding the INSIDE of the tube until you get a good but not so tight fit. But if you can successfully shove the motor out from the front with a stick or dowel or gentle work with pliers works to get engine out without injury to the rocket, probably should just leave it alone. Try a flight or two as is. Too TIGHT a motor is not a flight risk.

Also JR's idea about removing the engine immediately after flight in my experience is a good one. I have GENERALLY found on my friction fit motors that an engine that was quite "tight" at launch is relatively loose immediately at landing.

Good luck and looking forward to your launch report and pics.

[xwingfighter10]

Sometimes with rockets WITHOUT an engine hook I have to resort to the pliers or the dowel technique when I friction fit motors (wrap a bit of tape sound them to increase the outside diameter enough they fit tightly enough to not "self-eject".). Always a bit of a challenge to put enough in to keep the motor in during flight but be able to relatively easily remove it at the end. (tip- always remove spent engines before putting them in the car- either in a sealed bag if you bring them home or toss them in an appropriate trash can. Spent engines in the car will surprising quickly smell up the interior.)

Back to topic-- your rocket looks great, congrats on a nice build. Usually with engine hook rockets I have found the engine is relatively loose in the mount (mount is usually 20 mm diameter body tube, engine is 18 mm.). I am wondering if during your build "something" swelled up narrowing the internal diameter or your tube. You may consider wrapping a piece of intermediate grit sand paper (say 220 or so) around a dowel or stick that easily passes into the motor mount tube (something around the diameter of a 13 mm mini-engine would be perfect) and GENTLY sanding the INSIDE of the tube until you get a good but not so tight fit. But if you can successfully shove the motor out from the front with a stick or dowel or gentle work with pliers works to get engine out without injury to the rocket, probably should just leave it alone. Try a flight or two as is. Too TIGHT a motor is not a flight risk.

Also JR's idea about removing the engine immediately after flight in my experience is a good one. I have GENERALLY found on my friction fit motors that an engine that was quite "tight" at launch is relatively loose immediately at landing.

Good luck and looking forward to your launch report and pics.

Hi again. the lunch rod can u take them apart ? its like kinda too big for my room lol to fit somewhere.

[kjohnson]

Theorhetically you can disassemble the 2 piece rod that comes in the Estes port-a-pad. I always ended up bending mine when I tried to do that. I ended up storing the rods in a tube standing up in the corner.

kj

[luke strawwalker]

Hi again. the lunch rod can u take them apart ? its like kinda too big for my room lol to fit somewhere.

While you CAN take them apart, it's not a very good idea... the more you take them apart and put them back together, the looser the fit will become... then one day you'll launch your rocket and the upper half of the launch rod will go up with the rocket, and that's NEVER a good thing... (wire falling out the sky-- VERY hazardous!)

Better to just take the launch rod off the launch pad and stand it up in the corner of the closet or in the corner behind the hatrack or desk or something... I keep mine standing up in the corner behind my rocket parts shelf...

Later! OL JR

[Handeman]

Theorhetically you can disassemble the 2 piece rod that comes in the Estes port-a-pad. I always ended up bending mine when I tried to do that. I ended up storing the rods in a tube standing up in the corner.

kj

If you are limited on space, lay them on top of the door molding. A small pin pushed into the wood near the forward end of the molding will keep them from rolling off if you slam the door too hard. If it isn't a wood molding, a small piece of clay, chewing gum, booger, or anything else that will stick and stop them from rolling off will work. Be creative!

[xwingfighter10]

thanks so much for that, great reply.

[Stan]

Ha ha ha.....I had completely forgotten that I had the happen to me 20 years ago! Fortunately the upper half of the launch rod separated from the rocket when it was about 20 feet up and fell back to the ground horizontally. I have only used single piece rods since then.

[xwingfighter10]

Ha ha ha.....I had completely forgotten that I had the happen to me 20 years ago! Fortunately the upper half of the launch rod separated from the rocket when it was about 20 feet up and fell back to the ground horizontally. I have only used single piece rods since then.

My rod, i add super glue this time so that wont happen when i go to fly for the first time.

The only problem i got now is i cant find no one that can give me a ride to a park to fly

[xwingfighter10]

I got the item in a nice case, I still had not fly it yet due to reasons but I will let you know if the thing flys.

This case will keep the rocket from getting broken, I found it in the trash and I clean it and got the rocket in there with a strap that I made to hold the rocket in place.

My room dont got good space and this kit cost me $40 new in the box and i put it together myself, year on item is 1996 and 1997. I put the motors in the trash becuase they are old and I see videos of people flying old engines and they dont work right or something bad happens. After all it was a item that is dated 1997 lol, that is so old. I had the kit Once when I was little and did not understand how to put it together me and my mom though it was together and we both did not know anything about models at the time.

I said mom can u help me on this, i look at the controller and got and the engines, I did not know what they were, i was funny about taking a look at the controller becuase it had a drawing of electric volts or lines on device. My mom said this looks like a rip off, then I show her the engines and ask her what are those things, she reply, this must be the stuff that make it go up, then she saw the labe saids flammable. She then order me to put everything back in the box and took the item back to walmart, i think it was like $20 in 1998, i was 9 or 8 at the time.


After understanding things better, I wanted to but the rocket again and see if it was hard to put together, it was easy, the cutting on the plastic i had to use a knife to cut took me time. So looking back and remember when i was little and every 1st of the mouth we go to walmart and i get a toy, and i had to say the reason why i got this model was becuase it reminded me of how my mom took me to the toy department and buy toys out of the money she gives me.

There is only one thing i never understand when i got older, why plastic cement did not stick but melts the items when i was younger, i still dont know now lol. I now use CA glue or supper glue that other stuff plastic cement just sucks.

[PhlAsh]

There is only one thing i never understand when i got older, why plastic cement did not stick but melts the items when i was younger, i still dont know now lol. I now use CA glue or supper glue that other stuff plastic cement just sucks.

That's one thing they never seem to tell you... Use plastic cement sparingly! The globby tube stuff takes too long to set up and can scar your plastic. The liquid stuff will trickle all over the place and will also scar your plastic. Use only enough to lightly cover the bonding surfaces then hold (or use clamps) them together long enough for the cement to evaporate. The cement melts the surfaces of the plastic so that they form a coherant bond rather than an adherant bond (like yellow glue and CA). How long does that take? That's something you have to get a feel for...

[Rocketbuilder]

For plastic cement, the stuff that comes in a blue tube and smells like oranges (Wouldn't that make people more likely to sniff it? Maybe it's non-intoxicating? ) isn't very good for most things. I always use the kind that comes in a red tube with the flammability and toxicity warnings all over it.

[xwingfighter10]

im gonna buy another kit and put it together. i will sell this one. it has never been uesd and it come with everything but the engine and batterys.

who here wants to buy this item give me prices, now remember it comes with the controller set so the prices need to be within reason and not something goffy u know what i mean.

the case dose come with the model.