What did you do rocket wise today?

Finally rounded up all the miscellaneous components I needed to build my fin jigs. Inspired by the templates at Roger's PayloadBay.com, these are glued to foam core, then cut out. They include launch lug marks at the midpoint between fins, sides perpendicular to the fins so that the rocket can be easily rotated without disturbing the guides, and large, clear markings so when I get them all mixed up I can find what I'm looking for. Pictured is the Carver Special with fin #1 being glued up.



Something I should have added are chamfers between the fin and tube cutout to allow for glue seepage (currently I just have to be very careful).

Eventually I'd like to fab these with my CNC machine out of ¹⁄₄″ ply, but until then, patience and an X-Acto knife will have to do.

zanfar said:

Finally rounded up all the miscellaneous components I needed to build my fin jigs. Inspired by the templates at Roger's PayloadBay.com, these are glued to foam core, then cut out. They include launch lug marks at the midpoint between fins, sides perpendicular to the fins so that the rocket can be easily rotated without disturbing the guides, and large, clear markings so when I get them all mixed up I can find what I'm looking for. Pictured is the Carver Special with fin #1 being glued up.

View attachment 248667

Something I should have added are chamfers between the fin and tube cutout to allow for glue seepage (currently I just have to be very careful).

Eventually I'd like to fab these with my CNC machine out of ¹⁄₄″ ply, but until then, patience and an X-Acto knife will have to do.

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You've already put waaay more effort into one of my rockets than I ever do myself Keep up the good work

Finished a Super Alpha and my version of a WAC Corporal

I put a second fin on the Baby Bertha. Only two more to go....

Today I ordered a batch of spare parts from Archetype Rocketry to augment my dual Cable Cutter package ordered as part of the Black Friday Madness.

Those little teeny o-rings and the 8" by 3/32" cable ties are a pain to order in normal rocketry sized lots.

And I ordered a quart package of Aeropoxy Light from PTM-W.com (Aeropoxy).

Set up one of my rockets on my new tower.

Getmore said:

Set up one of my rockets on my new tower.

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That looks AWESOME!!!:clap:

My second order for the month from SEMROC arrived Key to the order was to replace a missing bag of launch lugs so I ordered six 12" x 3/16th" and six 8.5 x 1/8th" LL's, there were 9 in each bag...then I found the missing bag... Ordered 3 sizes of balsa sheets, all the packages came with extra. Ordered a ST20 tube for a free cone they sent me last month, they threw in a real nice ST20 cone 8" long...now I need another tube...vicious circle 3 sets of different fins, all already tasked.

That's 22 nosecones for the month...should almost last

Getmore said:

Set up one of my rockets on my new tower.

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Drive with the rocket loaded on the tower. Nothing says don't tailgate like a horizontally aimed rocket.

Cl(VII) said:

Drive with the rocket loaded on the tower. Nothing says don't tailgate like a horizontally aimed rocket.

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That did cross my mind. Be kinda hard on the buttons.

Sized my o-rings for the graphite nozzles I cut the other day. Now I need to cut glands.

Added another fin to the Baby Bertha. Only one more to go!

AC Supply order arrived, so I finished and installed the motor mount on the Carver Special and started assembling the recovery hardware.
Sealed the nose cone and sanded the fin fillets.
Need to pick up more elastic before I can finish it.

Discovered another use for my fin guides: vertical support of rockets without trailing fins


Also in the AC Supply box: an Estes Leviathan.
Way bigger than I expected. Excited!

Created some labels for the plastic jugs (Ovaltine!) in which I store my various recovery hardware. Used some 2"x4" adhesive mailing labels, MS Word's label tools, and my Deskjet printer.

Spent some time browsing the Aerocon Systems website and reading the .pdf file on using the Tender Descender. I think it may work for my Polecat Aerospace Goblin as a one piece dual deploy set up with the alt in the nose cone.

Turned another charge well on the lathe. Getting a bit faster at it.

Recieved a package of Rocket Building Materials from TRF Member cavecentral. It's like Christmas come early!:santa-smile:
Looks like I better clean up the Workbench and get to work!

zanfar said:

AC Supply order arrived, so I finished and installed the motor mount on the Carver Special and started assembling the recovery hardware.
Sealed the nose cone and sanded the fin fillets.
Need to pick up more elastic before I can finish it.

Discovered another use for my fin guides: vertical support of rockets without trailing fins
View attachment 248744

Also in the AC Supply box: an Estes Leviathan.
Way bigger than I expected. Excited!

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Did you make the fun guides or purchase them?

Built a shelf under the stairs in my basement next to my workshop. Off course, it is already filled with rocketry stuff and my workshop is still way too full!

I opened up the Madcow Patriot that I got through their Black Friday sale. Looks to be a very straightforward build.



This is my third Madcow rocket - have to say I am super pleased with their quality, selection and service. Top notch company.

Just bought the four pack Pro-Series Kit from Estes. 80 bucks for four Pro-Series rockets! Free shipping!
https://www.estesrockets.com/clearance/2014-bundle-4

swatkat said:

Just bought the four pack Pro-Series Kit from Estes. 80 bucks for four Pro-Series rockets! Free shipping!
https://www.estesrockets.com/clearance/2014-bundle-4

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Wow! Great deal!

swatkat said:

Just bought the four pack Pro-Series Kit from Estes. 80 bucks for four Pro-Series rockets! Free shipping!
https://www.estesrockets.com/clearance/2014-bundle-4

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The link brought me to a 2GB memory module

Not just today.......here's some things Ive been toying with....
Changed up the fin mounts and need to add some more fin surface on the unnamed over and under craft.
Tried a swing test the way it is and ...NO GO for launch.
The other thing is a BNC-80 drilled out to take 3 BT-20s. I slit the 20s and slid them on up the main BT-80 tube.
Not sure where Im going with this idea.

Found a box on my doorstep from UPS (rocketry warehouse black friday/doorbuster thursday) snuck it into a corner of the garage until spring.

Finished assembling a video of our launches at Snow Ranch last weekend. I wonder if Santa is going to bring me a better video camera to replace the flip
[video=youtube_share;IG9JltGs4Xs]https://youtu.be/IG9JltGs4Xs[/video]

Major Tom said:

Did you make the fun guides or purchase them?

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Made them.
See post above.

Today I wondered... Which shall I fly?



I have the full array of Loki 480 motors currently available.

Received a UPS shipping notification from PTM-W (I think) that my order of Aeropoxy Light (I think). The notice never mentioned the sender, the point of origin, or the contents of the order other than to say the package total weight was 7.5 pounds. I'll know for sure on Dec 18th, the estimated deliver date.

Sanded(!) some fillets on my Polecat Goblin. Love those round Perma-Grit sanding tools...they cut though fully cured epoxy like nothing I've ever seen before.

les said:

The link brought me to a 2GB memory module

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LOL, yeah my last purchase for my Intel NUC fixed it right after posting

What I plan to do rocket wise today.
Sandy and I are headed to the big city(cities). Concord and maybe Manchester.
Meeting up with some friends and doing the xmass shopping/supper/get together ,ooooohh and ahhhhhhhhhh at all the pretty lights and all that holiday jazz.
Me-self, I am on a secret mission...I want to check out a couple stores that just happen to have "Lathes".
and there is a Hobby Lobby down thar too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :grin:

Added the last fin to my Baby Bertha. I'm happy with my first 4-fin effort, but I can see that the fins are slightly off. I attached them by eye after marking the tube with the included fin template. I didn't do anything different than I did with my 3-fin models, but I suspect it is easier to see fin misalignment with a four-fin model as the eye can more easily detect if things aren't at right angles to one another.

So I think I will experiment with a foam-core fin jig (like the one at PayloadBay.com) for my next rocket and see how that goes. It would also allow me to put all the fins on at the same time rather than doing one a day.

This afternoon I plan on doing a base coat on my Bug-Me-Not, the fin coat on the Avion, and fillets on the Baby Bertha. I might start on the Cosmic Explorer.