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Orion14ed

Orion14ed

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As my last step before HPR... I am building the Pro Series II Ventris! Its a great looking rocket, with a cool transition, my favorite part. And yes, it does fit nicely.

Currently I am working on the center centering ring, then the forward. Yes, I am going to glue the through the wall fins to the mount, and then place the aft ring.

Ventris part one 002.jpgVentris part one 001.jpg
 
Cool! The Ventris is my favorite of the PSII rockets. I'm glad to hear that you didn't have any fit issues with the transition. Have you started thinking about the color scheme yet? Mark at Stickershock has a pretty good deal on a vinyl decal set if you want the roll patterns on the face card. https://stickershock23.com/Ventris_IPUR.html
Anyway, I'll be watching! :)
 
That is my fear with any rocket... My painting skills are less than that of a small turtle... and that is an insult to turtle's everywhere.

But I am convinced.. the hardest part of building rockets is waiting. Its no fun :c
 
Working on glueing the mount into the aft tube. My glue would not go all the way to the ring, so I simply ran it down about an inch above the ring. I still have plenty of room for the coupler, and am waiting for it to dry. From the glue I put in, I can tell you this motor mount is going no where. I also sorta made a rig with a flash-light hanging above it to help it maybe glue faster? No pics for now.

Question: Should I glue the transition and the nose cone to the "bay" I want to be able to open it and put stuff in it for flights, altimeters, weight, ect. The instructions say to glue them to the "bay" but the nose cone fits on really tightly and could stay there without glue, the transition however, I would glue down. Ideas?

Also, the chute is really cool, have not used one this big yet :D
 
Don't glue it if you want to put stuff in there. I used a rubber band and a metal hook to keep them together. You can see pics in my "ventris build questions" thread.

plastic rivets or tape are other options.
 
Yup, I agree-- don't glue the nose cone on! You could use some small screws to keep it from coming off, but still allow it to be removable. You might be able to cut a small hole in the side of the bay, cover it from the inside with clear plastic, and use it as a window for an internally mounted camera. :wink:
 
Progress! The forward ring has dried, and is going nowhere. Fitted the fins to make sure they would fit with the pre-slotted tube. I am thinking of getting some epoxy to put on the fins, bad idea? I can imagine that the nose and transition moves the CG pretty forward and I can always add more weight if it goes too far back... Does anyone have an OR file for the Ventris? I like measuring the CG before the flight. Here are some pictures. Also, for the middle ring, should I glue it down more in front of the slots? It seems like there is plenty of room.
Ventris Build Part 2 003.jpgVentris Build Part 2 002.jpgVentris Build Part 2 001.jpg
 
ideally you want the fin tabs to touch both rings(in this case aft and center) aft ring is easy just apply glue and shove. wood glue works fine. I did both inside and outside fillets of wood glue on mine.
 
The fins defiantly will touch the aft, and are pretty darn close to the center one. Should I add some glue to the center to tighten up the fit? (It will also glue down that ring more)
 
you'll note I said ideally...it probably make little difference whether your fins are glued solidly to the middle ring or not. that said, if you are likely to be building more of this size bird (who I'm I kidding, of course he will :)) I would suggest laying in a supply of bamboo skewers, they come in sooo handy for those hard to reach places. a puddle of un-reinforced glue will not add much strength for the amount used. if it bothers you...I would cut some round toothpicks to fit, dab some glue in the affected area and use a long tweezers to place the pieces of tooth pick into place. oh and don't forget, launch lugs and clean up the aft end of the motor tube :).
rex
 
That is just what I was looking for! I looked all around my house for things to get the glue in the right spot. Thanks!
 
Indeed the bamboo skewers are a great tool - mixing, reaching, placing, dabbing, reinforcing, and even detailing. They're cheap, strong, and great for grilling shrimp too!
 
chadrog said:
This is how we utilize them on Sunday.
View attachment 102620
Click to expand...
Haha I will have to pick some of those up when I feel better. Feeling really ill today, and hopes for school tomorrow are basically off :C (I love school) Made a little progress, glued the center-centering ring a bit more down. Drying now. Next will be the fins.
 
I just used tite bond 2 wood glue on mine. I put a big blobs on the edges of the centering rings that sandwich the fins and a bead down the fin root where it meets the motor tube and the body tube. It is really solid.

A warning, though. I only did one fin at a time and tite bond runs pretty easily. I found that it would run down the motor tube and possibly dry where the other fins were supposed to go, so make sure you check for runs and wipe up any to prevent big glue drips that would prevent other fins from mating flush with the motor tube.
 
About the or file, there is one on this forum somewhere. I'm not sure how accurate it is, though. It estimated my altitute to ~750' with a f26, but she flew to almost 1000'

Search. you will find it.
 
The only issue I feel with wood glue is the dry time. Ideally I would like to glue the fins to the tube and hold it down for a short time rather than have to check on it constantly. (My cat really likes to see my projects, since I do them downstairs. I wouldn't be surprised if he knocked a fin while it was drying.) Wood glue for the internal fillets I could do if I positioned it in such a way that it did not run down the tube. I would only be able to get a half of two fins done at once, but would create a really strong bond. Fillets on the fins outside the tube I would also like to use epoxy. I also have seen some of that sorta 5 hour epoxy clay stuff, sorry for my lack of terminology, but from what I understand that would create a sorta like clay bond that I can bend, and make nice fillets with. Does anyone have experience with this? For future stuff like my cert, I think this would be an easy way to do some fillets.
 
Orion14ed said:
The only issue I feel with wood glue is the dry time. Ideally I would like to glue the fins to the tube and hold it down for a short time rather than have to check on it constantly. (My cat really likes to see my projects, since I do them downstairs. I wouldn't be surprised if he knocked a fin while it was drying.) Wood glue for the internal fillets I could do if I positioned it in such a way that it did not run down the tube. I would only be able to get a half of two fins done at once, but would create a really strong bond. Fillets on the fins outside the tube I would also like to use epoxy. I also have seen some of that sorta 5 hour epoxy clay stuff, sorry for my lack of terminology, but from what I understand that would create a sorta like clay bond that I can bend, and make nice fillets with. Does anyone have experience with this? For future stuff like my cert, I think this would be an easy way to do some fillets.
Click to expand...

Wood glue should dry pretty quickly if you're not using too much. It doesn't need to be globbed on. I use original titebond- not titebond II. I don't need the waterproof qualities of titebond II and I believe the original formula dries a bit faster.

For fillets, track down a bottle of titebond 'moulding and trim'. Lowes carries it, home depot does not. It has very little shrinkage and doesn't run. You can do all your fillets in one sitting. It's sufficient strength for LPR and MPR. Not as good for deep, rounded fillets for looks, but great for strength fillets.
 
I used tite bond molding and trim glue for my fillets too. it works great!
 
Orion14ed said:
The only issue I feel with wood glue is the dry time. Ideally I would like to glue the fins to the tube and hold it down for a short time rather than have to check on it constantly.
Click to expand...

Rocketbuilder said:
5-minute epoxy works wonders. :wink: It can be expensive, though.
Click to expand...

This is exactly why I use 5-minute epoxy almost exclusively. It's not for strength, it's for the curing time. Wood glue takes so much longer to dry, plus with epoxy, you don't have the dreaded "grab" when your coupler is only halfway in. If I need more working time, I'll use 15- or 30-minute epoxy. You can get it in the syringes almost anywhere - Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart, etc. But I use the bottles. They're much less expensive in the long run. I usually order it from Hobbylinc, but you should be able to get it locally at a Hobby Lobby, Hobbytown USA, or other LHS. If you go to Hobby Lobby, don't forget to print out a 40% off coupon.
 
qquake2k said:
This is exactly why I use 5-minute epoxy almost exclusively. It's not for strength, it's for the curing time. Wood glue takes so much longer to dry, plus with epoxy, you don't have the dreaded "grab" when your coupler is only halfway in.
Click to expand...


I never though of that. excellent tip!

I had a problem with the "grab" issue with the coupler. The lower half of the coupler stopped moving about 3/8" short of the half way point. oh well.
 
Derek said:
I never though of that. excellent tip!

I had a problem with the "grab" issue with the coupler. The lower half of the coupler stopped moving about 3/8" short of the half way point. oh well.
Click to expand...

Yep, that's the dreaded "grab" issue! I haven't had that problem since I started using epoxy. Even some guys that use wood glue for most everything, still use epoxy for couplers.
 
qquake2k said:
Yep, that's the dreaded "grab" issue! I haven't had that problem since I started using epoxy. Even some guys that use wood glue for most everything, still use epoxy for couplers.
Click to expand...

Yup, that describes me! I used wood glue on a coupler exactly once, and that was the first time I ever glued in a coupler. I would use 5-min epoxy for everything, especially fillets, but at the moment I have more time than money, so wood glue it is!
 
Rocketbuilder said:
Yup, that describes me! I used wood glue on a coupler exactly once, and that was the first time I ever glued in a coupler. I would use 5-min epoxy for everything, especially fillets, but at the moment I have more time than money, so wood glue it is!
Click to expand...

I used to use primarily wood glue, with a little epoxy from a syringe for certain things. But I like the control of epoxy so much, I hardly ever use wood glue now.
 
Wow thanks for all of the replies! Really learning a ton from you guys :D

@quake That grab! I was wondering if people had that issue as well, my coupler just did not want to go into the tube with the wood glue. Ended up getting it in though... after a long battle with the tube. (For a different rocket.) I was hoping there would be a way to avoid it this time. Glad there is!

@Rocketbuilder I asked my mom to pick me up some 5 minuet epoxy before she left today... Don't know if she is going to get it, but she told me I would get it some time this week. Waiting until then to do the fins.

In the mean time I have been looking into a way of keeping the nose cone down, I plan on gluing the transition, and using a thick elastic band to secure the transition to the nose cone. Simple, cheap, and I hope effective.

Another noob question: Never have used an altimeter, and have been looking at the Apogee site for a good one that I could fly, and transfer data to my computer. Before I would get one, I would need to build a sled to fit it. Is it as simple as mount altimeter to sled, add the battery, and hole to the "bay" and you are good to go? Or do I need stand-offs like you do when you build computers? (When I do add an altimeter, I would screw the nose cone on instead of the band... )
 
Orion14ed said:
Wow thanks for all of the replies! Really learning a ton from you guys :D

In the mean time I have been looking into a way of keeping the nose cone down, I plan on gluing the transition, and using a thick elastic band to secure the transition to the nose cone. Simple, cheap, and I hope effective.
Click to expand...

This forum is great! But we ARE enablers... :tongue:

I used elastic on my Tank Girl to attach the nose cone to the transition. I got the fancy hot pink elastic from Strapworks.

199_elastic.jpg

200_elastic.jpg

201_elastic.jpg

202_elastic.jpg
 
qquake2k said:
This is exactly why I use 5-minute epoxy almost exclusively. It's not for strength, it's for the curing time. Wood glue takes so much longer to dry, plus with epoxy, you don't have the dreaded "grab" when your coupler is only halfway in. If I need more working time, I'll use 15- or 30-minute epoxy. You can get it in the syringes almost anywhere - Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart, etc. But I use the bottles. They're much less expensive in the long run. I usually order it from Hobbylinc, but you should be able to get it locally at a Hobby Lobby, Hobbytown USA, or other LHS. If you go to Hobby Lobby, don't forget to print out a 40% off coupon.
Click to expand...

I bit the bullet and got a quart set of aeropoxy es6209. It has its downsides (1:1 by weight, not volume; not exactly easy to dispense; fairly long cure time) However the cost savings and just having that much on hand at any time is great. 5 minute is great at times, though a few times I found it setting up on me while I was still applying it. I once tried fillets with 1-minute, thought I was gonna lose my mind!

To the OP: It doesnt do data transfer, but the Altimeter 2 is easy to use and gives a nice set of data.
 
DizWolf said:
I bit the bullet and got a quart set of aeropoxy es6209. It has its downsides (1:1 by weight, not volume; not exactly easy to dispense; fairly long cure time) However the cost savings and just having that much on hand at any time is great. 5 minute is great at times, though a few times I found it setting up on me while I was still applying it. I once tried fillets with 1-minute, thought I was gonna lose my mind!

To the OP: It doesnt do data transfer, but the Altimeter 2 is easy to use and gives a nice set of data.
Click to expand...

I just use the squeeze bottles and eyeball it. But I've heard of people putting the two epoxy parts on a piece of wax paper on a scale to weigh the amounts precisely.
 

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