What did you do rocket wise today?

I went digging around in my stash and decided I wanted to start building one of my Semroc Batroks. I discovered that my tub of wood filler didn't get sealed up correctly last time I used it (so it's all dried up.) After a quick trip to the local Ace, I got the tube spirals filled, and the fins covered in label paper. I also finally got around repairing a couple of my kids' rockets. (One's been sitting around since February waiting for a new launch lug and chute.)

timro said:

Put 2 layers of 3.6 oz fiberglass on a LOC Weasel. Still mulling over doing a build thread for it.

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Please do! I am guessing you did not use the motor mount.

Helped my wife with her L1 build, Madcow Torrent. She glued in the MMT, mounted the electronics in the AvBay, and Drill and dressed static ports for the AvBay. She has the shock cords and parachutes in for both the drogue and main, and drilled the pressure relief holes in the payload and sustainer.

She still needs to glue in the Fins, do internal and external fillets, and place in the aft center ring.

timro said:

Put 2 layers of 3.6 oz fiberglass on a LOC Weasel. Still mulling over doing a build thread for it.

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Very nice! I recall from some other place that this is your first TTT glass job. Most impressive!

Ari.

jus_rockets said:

Please do! I am guessing you did not use the motor mount.

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Ok... I do have pictures of previous steps. Building it as MD. Made some progress on the weekend. Plans are to fly from D to possibly J impulse range, but I won't be doing all 7 impulse classes in one day like Ari did with Bluefin Tuba 3.0

iter said:

Very nice! I recall from some other place that this is your first TTT glass job. Most impressive!

Ari.

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Well, I did practice on an Estes Hornet, figured if it went south I'd be up on experience and only out $4.50. It's quite sturdy now. :wink:

Well, I posted this https://forums.rocketshoppe.com/showthread.php?p=185397#post185397 , worked on my Shrox Skonk Wulf and cooked dinner for my lovely bride and wonderful son! All in all, a terrific Labor Day!

tmacklin's profile picture just reminded me...

Yesterday, I also bought some Tung oil to apply as a finish on my freshly assembled guillotine fin jig.

Last night I painted a Big Bertha, Xarconian Cruiser and Bucky Jones Jr. Decals tonight. Maybe pics tomorrow.

Sanding.

Bought a Partizon (yeah I know, it's not a scratch build, but the price was good).

Became enraged with a Spiral in a Rocket that despite filling twice with Bondo before sanding and priming, still showed up after Primer.
I went absolutely crazy with the Bondo on it this time, so I'll just have to take my time and sand it down carefully.
If it is still there after the next Coat of Primer, I'll either smash the Rocket to little Pieces, or Paper the Tube.
From now on I'm never filling Spirals ever again. I'm going to paper the Tubes from here out!!!

Got box #1 from SEMROC with 8 nosecones, six BT55 and two BT60 cones. I decided a couple of days later to order more, got some 30" long BT55 tubes coming as well as more cones plus a couple of transitions.

Still have a few in progress in various stages of completion, BT80 with 38mm mount, Ranger XL with 3 x 24mm in BT70, a main stack in BT55 assembled and a nosecone on a BT70 tube, the way most of my builds start

TopRamen said:

Became enraged with a Spiral in a Rocket that despite filling twice with Bondo before sanding and priming, still showed up after Primer.
I went absolutely crazy with the Bondo on it this time, so I'll just have to take my time and sand it down carefully.
If it is still there after the next Coat of Primer, I'll either smash the Rocket to little Pieces, or Paper the Tube.
From now on I'm never filling Spirals ever again. I'm going to paper the Tubes from here out!!!

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I hate filling spirals and sanding myself so I can understand the feeling. At the same time, we don't want imperfections on our rockets, do we?

I recently switched to papering fins and really like it. If you think you can write a nice tutorial on how to paper tubes, I'd be glad to learn how to do that properly!

TopRamen said:

Became enraged with a Spiral in a Rocket that despite filling twice with Bondo before sanding and priming, still showed up after Primer.
I went absolutely crazy with the Bondo on it this time, so I'll just have to take my time and sand it down carefully.
If it is still there after the next Coat of Primer, I'll either smash the Rocket to little Pieces, or Paper the Tube.
From now on I'm never filling Spirals ever again. I'm going to paper the Tubes from here out!!!

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Piece of advice: don't ever buy Magnaframe. The spirals are more like canyons. It appears to be really strong for the weight (lighter than blue tube), but man the spirals. I don't mind doing spirals twice, but it looks like a third time may be necessary.

It just irked me that I took my time filling them, then sanding them and filling a second time, only to have most of them still there when I layed on the first Coat of Rusto High Build Grey Primer.
I went down to the Hardware Store this afternoon and got some more Scotch Brite Pads and one of those Wedge Sanding Sponges.
I'de never really "Smash it to Pieces", but man, I thought I had done well on the Spiral this time, only to have it staring at me after first Primer Coat!:eyepop:
Probably also has something to do with the Fact that as my Skills as a Modeler improve, I become much more of a Self-Critic.

morlock said:

I hate filling spirals and sanding myself so I can understand the feeling. At the same time, we don't want imperfections on our rockets, do we?

I recently switched to papering fins and really like it. If you think you can write a nice tutorial on how to paper tubes, I'd be glad to learn how to do that properly!

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I'm still practicing Methods for papering Tubes, and they have mostly come out pretty good, but I have to perfect it before I share it in the Techniques Section.

Had the winning bid on a T.H.O.Y. Ibis rocket.

TopRamen said:

I'm still practicing Methods for papering Tubes, and they have mostly come out pretty good, but I have to perfect it before I share it in the Techniques Section.

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I'll be patient but I definitely want to learn how to do this.

Today, I continued my scratch build, the Critical Mass (see build thread here).

Used Aeropoxy for the first time. Much thicker than the 5 and 30 minute I'm used to. I think I like the stuff, but we'll see in the morning how it sets up.

I almost have enough backlogged material to start my Arapahoe-J build thread. Now if I can just give up an evening of building to start it.

Hovered over my computer watching tracking updates from FedEx as if that would make my MadCow kit come faster...

Got my first shipment of rail buttons from Rail-Buttons.com (white, black, and 4 yellow).

Sanded and primed my 29mm powered Estes Optima mod/clone.

Got an order in for non-HAZ Aerotech 29mm 6 pack pre-order in before the 1st. The items I can order anytime I hadnt ordered and got caught short at last big launch I went to.

WeFly2 had some motors for pLASTER Blaster ride along with my last CTI shipment..delivered to him this morning with a set of clone diab-glo fins and a 54mm MMT for his night launch bird.

Ran out to garage and got my retro shock cord mount started for my Hawk Mtn Jumangi clone .

Also got 1st set of externals on Mega Der Purple Max started . Was going to do some Aeromarine with some colidial but went with rocket poxy at last minute. Pulled tape almost immediately..will see if it runs..'always do the set on the rail guide side first'

Kenny

TopRamen said:

It just irked me that I took my time filling them, then sanding them and filling a second time, only to have most of them still there when I layed on the first Coat of Rusto High Build Grey Primer.
I went down to the Hardware Store this afternoon and got some more Scotch Brite Pads and one of those Wedge Sanding Sponges.
I'de never really "Smash it to Pieces", but man, I thought I had done well on the Spiral this time, only to have it staring at me after first Primer Coat!:eyepop:
Probably also has something to do with the Fact that as my Skills as a Modeler improve, I become much more of a Self-Critic.

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Sometimes you have use an exacto knife to cut away the glassine paper covering the "trench" which is what most spirals really are. I've gone so far as to completely remove all the paper covering the body tube.

I hate filling spirals.

o1d_dude said:

Sometimes you have use an exacto knife to cut away the glassine paper covering the "trench" which is what most spirals really are. I've gone so far as to completely remove all the paper covering the body tube.

I hate filling spirals.

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I totally got rid of the Glassine that covered the Spirals. I've seen all the Videos. I use a broken Mechanical Pencil as a Stylus to scrape out the Spiral of Glassine before filling.

I can't see the spirals on the launch pad or in flight. Just sayin....:2:

Sanded more Bondo down, and now she's starting to look decent. Take that you Spirals!!!

Receive my Launch Authorization, my 24mm Aeropack retainer and start to work on my PainKiller Micro

Bought my first set of 29mm BP motors from Estes. Typically fly AT, but going to give these a try just to see. F15-6's.

Burned 9 F15's last weekend