CJ's "HOW TO BUILD A DARKSTAR 3 OR ANY GLASS KIT BUILD" STARTS

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Tomorrow will drill & fit shear-pins & prep for first flight at ROCC, NC. Yeeppp I'm heading that way this week end & bringing the flying circus!

First time there & hoping to meet a bunch of you guys. Looks to be way too much fun.

Builds back on track and will show full size after getting some shots outside at the local nudist colony.:grin:

Jon....Don...what ya doing this weekend? Ya'll should come along to ROCC & show 'em how the "usual suspects" have fun!


Jim - can it be true???? The first flight will be on my home turf? WOW! Are you flying both days or just one day?
We have an club sponsored contest this weekend - "C" motor golf ball altitude using a jolly logic to verify. Single C or Staged or Clustered all permitted. Build an LPR for the event - if you need a golf ball I have about 33 pink one's I picked up for next to nothing - easy to see and it takes a manly man to fly one.
 
Beautiful build! As has been stated by others, this thread has been saved as a subscription to use for future reference. Thank you! I have learned much. One day I may even have the marbles to start mine.
 
Thanks for the compliments guys.....appreciated!


Jim - can it be true???? The first flight will be on my home turf? WOW! Are you flying both days or just one day?
We have an club sponsored contest this weekend - "C" motor golf ball altitude using a jolly logic to verify. Single C or Staged or Clustered all permitted. Build an LPR for the event - if you need a golf ball I have about 33 pink one's I picked up for next to nothing - easy to see and it takes a manly man to fly one.

Yuuppp.......I'm coming your way just to get some of that "unobtainium" you've been hoarding! Better keep your eye on me, I might try to grab some when you're not looking!
I have a "C-240-7" that would spank all of you in the golf ball thing,gonna let me fly it?Lol:dark:

Beautiful build! As has been stated by others, this thread has been saved as a subscription to use for future reference. Thank you! I have learned much. One day I may even have the marbles to start mine.

If enough of you guys, request this thread saved as a sticky [some already have] we can clean it up & do so! It'll be right at the top of the page for posterity.

Hey I like that "AwesomeSauce" .....would make a great name for a future project!

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Nose Cone Shear-pin install:

Due to just getting my NC...... this step is far out of normal sequence. It would have been done at the beginning....before paint.
I have always used just 2 shear-pins in a 3in. rocket. If vented properly, 2 have never failed me, even over 20,000 ft. You need less BP and there is less stress on recovery components if things are sized correctly.

TIP:
Rotate your NC in the payload and look for the best fit shoulder/tube all around. Usually you will find at a certain point there will be less gap between the 2 parts by doing this. THEN proceed with the install.

1. mark 2 places to drill holes 180 degrees on tube. [opposite each other] wrap of tape is used to see marks on dark tube.

2. measure back from tube end 1.5 in.

3 Drill hole with 5/64 bit & make it clean.

4.insert shear pin before drilling the other one. Don't try & drill both holes first....then insert pins. It rarely.... if ever works!

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1. while I'm at it...use the same bit to make a "keymark" in-between NC & body tube.Just drill deep enough to see through a couple coats of paint. 1/2 hole on each side of joint, just drill in the center. This makes finding shear-pin holes in NC underneath tube, when prepping, a much simpler task.

2 & 3. since my paint is black I pencil in the drill mark to hide it.

4. finally I run a band of red-vinyl around airframe over s- pin holes. This is to protect my paint from the constant inserting and removal of s-pins over time. Some times I use a color that matches the paint to hide this[white on white etc.] But I'm using red to highlight the red on NC & fin tips. Use same drill bit and clean up the holes or pins won't fit. I do this by HAND...power drill can chew up the tape edge.

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Now I'm going to protect my paint where the rivets hold av-bay in-place.

1. wrap black tape over rivet holes.[black to blend in with paint color on airframe.I do NOT want to draw attention to this, just protect my finish]

2. I leave my 5/32 rivet bit...in the drill and punch it through the tape. Scraping the tape off, in the hole,on the down-stroke to get a clean hole. It takes several times to do this, other wise you just push tape into hole & rivets won't go in. If ya drill it, will just pull the edges ragged.

3. End result...nice clean round edge on tape/hole.

4. Barely notice the black band at all from distance. Does not detract from looks, but helps immensely in protecting paint, when you remove/pry rivets out after flight. Is very easy to replace when worn/torn from overzealous rivet removal. I use what ever color I have that matches my paint.

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Install railbuttons after painting & detail them.

A bit of paint daubed on button screw hides the shiny head & blends in with the airframe.

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Finally the whole reveal, "Black Pearl" in dual deploy mode, ready for flight prep. So darn shiny, it's extremely hard to photograph!

click on pic 2x to get full size.

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Next up...getting ready to fly!

How could I forget this:
Don Ball helped me do the vinyl layout on Black Pearl logo. The rest of the vinyl and that Font [or any other] all came from our buddy..... the "KING" himself.....Mark @ StickerShock! Where would we all be with out him.

Thanks to Mark & Don for making me look so good.

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Yuuppp.......I'm coming your way just to get some of that "unobtainium" you've been hoarding! Better keep your eye on me, I might try to grab some when you're not looking!
I have a "C-240-7" that would spank all of you in the golf ball thing,gonna let me fly it?Lol:dark:

As long as it is certified by a NAR recognized certification authority sure... LOL
 
Similar issue here. I ordered via their eBay store and they haven't shipped even though PayPal payment went through. I did, however, get an e-mail from them saying that the part was backordered. I will sit on it for a while longer since I don't feel too exposed with the PayPal, and it's only an $11 transaction (I got three of 'em :))

A quick update...I just got a shipping notice from the vendor, looks like they are getting caught up.
 
A quick update...I just got a shipping notice from the vendor, looks like they are getting caught up.

Yeah I just got a shipping notice today too, from FixFind via Amazon...and also a cancellation/refund notice. They've held my order for 24 days because one of the six different hardware items I ordered was out of stock (even though the listings indicated everything was in stock) and apparently they finally decided to ship without it and cancel that item from my order. Doesn't seem like a very organized operation.
 
Jim,

Thanks for doing this thread. Starting my 3" "BlackStar" today... this thread will be my instruction manual! So many great tips.

:cheers:

Simon
 
Hey Jim, what exactly is this black tape and red vinyl that you used to protect the airframe?
 
You can buy rolls of electrical tape in a variety of colors & widths.

Some are packaged several rolls of various colors in one set.

Others are purchased individually. Look for vinyl tape. It covers. Others show under color of tube.[bleed through, they don't cover well. cheap yellow tape over a black tube looks green for instance] Quality stuff will look yellow.

I also use cut offs from weeding vinyl decals.[the part you pull off after cutting that leaves the actual decal]

All big box stores with electrical dept. have these colored tapes.
I also use automotive pin stripe tape for thinner lines and nose cones where ya need to do curved surface.[Pep-Boys, Napa even Wally world had some in auto dept.]

It always helps to increase color definition between 2 colors if you put the correct color stripe between them.
It will enhance & intensify the 2 colors more than if they just were touching.

I spent many years color matching & coordinating weird colors on Historic Victorian house's & projects . You can make just about any colors work with the right accents, to pull it all together.

The rockets below utilize all 3 elements mentioned above.
Things like putting some letters on at different angles [shifter in Shape Shifter] denote motion & give you a different effect. Adding yellow accents give "pop".
Wrapping the white checkerboard ends with black gives definition, ties in the black fins & NC tip.
Adding more yellow accents by fins gives the rear more "weight" [balance]

The orange and gray are separated by black & white stripes. Black for definition & white to make it "pop" You don't even notice the white....but it's there.
Simple things make a good looking project a great looking one!

Darker colors [two tone rockets] used at the bottom half rather than top give "weight" to the project and are more pleasing to the eye.
Never divide 2 colors exactly in half. Always use the 2/3's rule and carry one color down farther.[even if it means taping off a tube rather than stopping where the joint is....laziness]
Darker color makes rocket look thinner.[skinny]
Lighter colors make it look fatter [larger]

Many times I will extend the NC color down onto payload section, several inches, giving the illusion the NC is longer,which is also more balanced and better looking. [depends on color and length of rocket]

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Where did you locate the top rail button Jim? Was it just below the top centering ring on the motor mount?
 
Install railbuttons after painting & detail them.

A bit of paint daubed on button screw hides the shiny head & blends in with the airframe.

....................................................................................................................................

Finally the whole reveal, "Black Pearl" in dual deploy mode, ready for flight prep. So darn shiny, it's extremely hard to photograph!

click on pic 2x to get full size.

..................................................................................................................................

Next up...getting ready to fly!

How could I forget this:
Don Ball helped me do the vinyl layout on Black Pearl logo. The rest of the vinyl and that Font [or any other] all came from our buddy..... the "KING" himself.....Mark @ StickerShock! Where would we all be with out him.

Thanks to Mark & Don for making me look so good.

Simply stunning CJ!:drool: Very well done, sir!

-Eric-
 
Love the paint scheme. I really like the look of the aluminum on the tip and tail. Nice job
 
I spent many years color matching & coordinating weird colors on Historic Victorian house's & projects . You can make just about any colors work with the right accents, to pull it all together.

Did anyone else read this and instantly envision a new home improvement show on DIY or HGTV?

Just me?
 
Did anyone else read this and instantly envision a new home improvement show on DIY or HGTV?

Just me?

If CJ is hosting, let's hope they have a radio network...


Gee guys...... some people think I would be a great co-host on the tube .She thought I would do great on Myth Busters with her. You would definitely never now what may happen next!@#$#

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Anyhow back to reality. Was hoping on making the ROCC launch, but it got snowed out. So the "Pearl" is packed & flight ready. I was going to post this upon my return but a lazy weekend will do.

Picking up where we left of on prepping rocket for flight.

First, the main reason I run a band over my charges is to make them "shaped" charges. The BP never burns through the tape, it always goes out the uncovered sides. I take advantage of this phenomenon & tape the charge to my BP's oriented so the blast does not face my recovery gear, further protecting the cords & chute.

Ya can see plainly in the pics how this works. One fired charge shows both side blown out & the other just one. Neither burned through the tape.

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I have my nose cone back ,so ready it for flight. Large fender washer to disperse pressure evenly, when tightening Eye nut, so I don't warp/bend the BP. A lock washer keeps things from loosening during descent.

All cords attached, and everything ready for chute folding & install.

I do things a bit different than the norm, & install NC & 2 shear pins first. This is so I can pack my blast shield around the charges when sliding in the Av-bay last. Nigh on impossible if packed the other way around.[shown later]

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I use the "burrito" method of chute protection. My method for folding chute keeps an orderly and gentle method of deployment. It won't "snap" open, rather opens in a repeatable order of events, time after time.
This is just "my" method....there are many other ways to pack.

This is a 50 inch TopFlight chute & 12in. square chute protector.
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1.Gather lines together on one side, grab center of chute canopy and pull tight. Gore should fall into place as shown, if not a bit a folding may be required.

2.fold edge opposite from lines up to them at a 45. This covers the 'open" end of chute and prevents the sudden shock of opening quickly.

3. fold tip to center meeting other fold.

4. Roll chute up tightly till reaching shroud lines.

5.Place rolled chute, close to corner of chute protector and roll the 2 together one full turn.
Covering chute with protector.

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What I do next, keeps the shroud lines from tangling during deploy.


1.Z-fold [just one fold] lines.

2 Roll protector over it. Just half turn.

3. Z-fold again & roll protector over a bit to cover. Repeat until all cord & quick-link are covered.

4.Fold tip over to seal end from charge gases.

5.Continue to roll tightly till finished, ready to install into payload.

Ya know how small & tightly packed your chute is when purchased new?
You can re-produce that time after time using this method.
I now have a 50in. Topflight chute and 4ft of shroud lines, completely protected & in a nice small compact package. It's amazing how small you can get a chute & lines with a bit of patience & effort.

This is basically the same method used for Sky-Angle, Re-Con, Spherate-Chute & many other types of chutes, just the initial chute fold changes.

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1. Install chute package into payload tube with the SEALED end FACING charges.
Notice how much room there is.

2. Z-fold remaining shock cord and install into payload.

3. I take my "blast shield" and form it into a cup shape & carefully install payload right on top of it.

4. line up key-marks insert Rivets to hold it all together, & payload/nc section is ready to go!

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Yep, works like a charm! I have been doing it that way since Jim showed me..
 
Hey Jim
Nice job on the thread and build.
I just got mine and have started building it. The question l have is, how long do I make the Y harness from where it mounts to the motor tube to where it comes out of the booster tube?
 
I do mine so there is just enough cord that both are coming out the fincan....to spread the load. Post 277 https://www.rocketryforum.com/showt...nto-quot-redux-quot-build-starts-now!!/page10

Others like the top of loop to be right at the edge of fincan.

Either way ya don't want the Y-harness excessively long. As far as actual measurement...ya found one that slipped by me.

Anybody got that one?
You can always call Wildman, I did and asked that he send me the right length. I just installed it and never measured the length.
 
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