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TopRamen said:
No withdrawals here. All I watched was Jeopardy and Local News and Weather.
I have not even had time for those as of the past couple months most of the time, and I can just get an antenna that will give me the few local channels.
I have Amazon Prime if I want to see a series or a movie, but there is little time for that.
Click to expand...

Jeopardy and Local News confirm things I know, and are thusly relevant. There is no room left for irrelevant data, which means my Brain must be under a great deal of stress.
I'm trying to adapt my Diet and Appetite accordingly.
Logistic and Material Support is amazing, but the "Shopping List" is diverse.
I thank everybody for the stuff hey help me out with, and right now I'm yearning for Carbon Fiber Cloth to use on my vehicle.
I might be able to trade some custom foam forms for some cloth?
 
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It's been a tough first week with our newborn, my wife had to go back to the hospital for observation for 48 hours after being diagnosed with toxemia. So with me running around with my head cut off chasing my toddler and taking care of the newborn, my wife gave me the implicit instruction to treat myself by emptying out a gift cash card I've had laying around. So I managed to spend all but five dollars on it by jumping on the Madcow 4th of July sale! So in a few days I'll be waiting on the porch for:

1.6" fiberglass Mini Frenzy
1.6" fiberglass BBII
2.6" fiberglass BBII (Gee, can you tell what my favorite rocket is?)

I got to see some Madcow fiberglass kits a month ago at my first big launch, and I've been itching to try one since then. Looking forward to adding these to my build pile!
 
Flyfalcons said:
It's been a tough first week with our newborn, my wife had to go back to the hospital for observation for 48 hours after being diagnosed with toxemia. So with me running around with my head cut off chasing my toddler and taking care of the newborn, my wife gave me the implicit instruction to treat myself by emptying out a gift cash card I've had laying around. So I managed to spend all but five dollars on it by jumping on the Madcow 4th of July sale! So in a few days I'll be waiting on the porch for:

1.6" fiberglass Mini Frenzy
1.6" fiberglass BBII
2.6" fiberglass BBII (Gee, can you tell what my favorite rocket is?)

I got to see some Madcow fiberglass kits a month ago at my first big launch, and I've been itching to try one since then. Looking forward to adding these to my build pile!
Click to expand...

I'm sitting here stuffing food in my 8w old, trying not to think about what could be in my Madcow package for Summer Secret Santa....

Glad you're in a good place!
 
Finished my CF Mongoose 54. I will take advantage of the 4th to do my ground testing as no one will think anything of a few extra pops that day. Most of my neighbors know I'm nuts, but there are some new folks a couple houses down the alley I would prefer not to scare yet. I'll do a photo shoot on the rocket some time this weekend.
 
@Ryan
I think that you will be wishing that you had a detail sander for working on those FG kits :).
Rex
 
Rex R said:
@Ryan
I think that you will be wishing that you had a detail sander for working on those FG kits :).
Rex
Click to expand...

If nothing else, I'll definitely be getting a sander of some sort for my upcoming Polecat build. That's a lot of fiberglass weave on the body tube that needs to be smoothed out.
 
not saying that it can't be done by hand...but FG takes a lot more effort to do it by hand than most other materials. 1.6" dia would be the largest I would do by hand.
Rex
 
cavecentral said:
Umm, I was kidding about the CF Yukon. Are you planning to cover the whole thing, so just some trim?
Click to expand...

If I could afford it, I would love to cover the whole thing, but carbon fiber is black, and it would get mighty hot in there, not to mention it would probably not wear well exposed to the elements like that.
I'de still do it if I could, then have it painted with tan or olive drab bedliner. That would be SWEET!!!
Yesterday at a garage sale I got a license plate bracket that I'm going to CF for $2, so we'll start with that, then a bug deflector and the window trim rain deflectors. I dreamed up a really wicked looking CF brush guard/grill protector that I can make with foamboard and CF, but it will require nearly 10 yards, so it's going to get the foamboard mock up treatment and some mounting brackets designed first.
I'll have to use fiberglass too, as the CF onlt need to be the last two layers of stuff like this.
In theory, you could make most of components of this vehicle out of CF if you had the resources to do it.

Here' in VT we are required to have a front license plate, and this will put the CF to the wear test pretty well.
On second thought, I think I'll just use this to make a template, then make the plate cover/bracket from scratch. It seems kinda silly to just cover a cheap metal thing with Composites. Also, it will have to go on the back, as my front already has my ARMY plate frame on it.
I'll need to make a spot in the lower right hand corner for the registration sticker to be visible anyhow.
I'm Wild About Goats 2016-07-02 001.jpg
 
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TopRamen said:
If I could afford it, I would love to cover the whole thing, but carbon fiber is black, and it would get mighty hot in there.
Click to expand...

Remember to leave the windows uncovered!!! Yeah, it is pretty expensive. $200 for 10yds shipped is the best I seen on eBay. At least in large quantities you get it on a roll with no folds.
 
CF Mongoose 54 photo shoot...unfortunately a bit overcast, but you get the idea. I had not appreciated just how big this rocket is, but at 6 ft I'm almost exactly eye-to-tip with it n the stand. There are no RBs or guides as I will be tower launching this one. It has a good layer of Duplicolor Clear Coat and was extensively polished with Maguire's Ultimate Compound.



Nose Cone is held onto the Coupler with (3) 4-40 set screws. The NC is held to the payload tube by (3) 4-40 set screws also. It is setup to be DD from the payload only by either cable cutters or chute release. The motor is retained by an aluminum rod that threads into the forward motor closure and a T-nut in the electronics bay aft bulkhead. This would allow for an extra 8" piece of bt being added to retain the Loki 4000 motor if this rocket lives that long. The NC tip is also painted with high temp header paint, and was put through the tempering cycles in an oven in the lab...Argonia compatible now.



The fins were tacked on with JB Weld, heavily filleted with Aeropoxy + Milled FG, then vacuum bag T2T with two layers of CF. This was my first attempt at vacuum bagging T2T, and it didn't go perfect. Therefore, there are a few places where I sanded into the top layer, but these are mainly in the center of the bt, or the center of the fin. The under layer is good throughout and since the weak spots wouldn't be expected to be the failure spots I think I will be plenty good...we shall see.

 
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For you guys that are spraying your clears with a spray gun and compressor. Try adding some pearls to the clear coat you can get a real good looking effect by doing this.

When you add theses to the clear it only takes a very little amount of the pearl. To much can be over whelming. I found this place where you can buy them on line,

https://www.tcpglobal.com/Automotive-Paint/KUS-SP105/
 
Cl(VII) said:
CF Mongoose 54 photo shoot...unfortunately a bit overcast, but you get the idea. I had not appreciated just how big this rocket is, but at 6 ft I'm almost exactly eye-to-tip with it n the stand. There are no RBs or guides as I will be tower launching this one. It has a good layer of Duplicolor Clear Coat and was extensively polished with Maguire's Ultimate Compound.



Nose Cone is held onto the Coupler with (3) 4-40 set screws. The NC is held to the payload tube by (3) 4-40 set screws also. It is setup to be DD from the payload only by either cable cutters or chute release. The motor is retained by an aluminum rod that threads into the forward motor closure and a T-nut in the electronics bay aft bulkhead. This would allow for an extra 8" piece of bt being added to retain the Loki 4000 motor if this rocket lives that long. The NC tip is also painted with high temp header paint, and was put through the tempering cycles in an oven in the lab...Argonia compatible now.



The fins were tacked on with JB Weld, heavily filleted with Aeropoxy + Milled FG, then vacuum bag T2T with two layers of CF. This was my first attempt at vacuum bagging T2T, and it didn't go perfect. Therefore, there are a few places where I sanded into the top layer, but these are mainly in the center of the bt, or the center of the fin. The under layer is good throughout and since the weak spots wouldn't be expected to be the failure spots I think I will be plenty good...we shall see.

Click to expand...



That is a thing of beauty indeed!!!
Nice job!!!:clap:
Don't be surprised if I seek you out for some advice one of these days. I aspire to work with CF and make it look nice, and you obviously have that figured out quite well!
 
Today I almost finished my new Dog's Staircase for the vehicle. I have one for my truck that was made for my old truck, and thusly made of wood. She's feeling pretty Spry, as she leapt into my seat and then into the commanders seat.
I had the staircase out and all, and she has not done a jump like that in a long time.:confused2:
The Wood one weighs about 40lbs, and needs to be moved about by hand. I figured I'd use up some foam practicing bonding techniques at a scale where I can actually use the item on a daily basis to observe it's properties.
This one will weigh a quarter of that, and be much safer to drive around with, since I don't have a truck bed to stow it in.
I'll use Velcro to hold it in position when in transit, but maybe not much else, as it is incredibly rigid, and in the event of an accident, it would do well to let it go wherever it pleases and let it absorb impacts.
It's a bunch of interlocking blue foam, Duck Brand Self Adhesive Wall Repair Fabric which is fiberglass, Bamboo Skewers, Titebond II and 3M 77 Spray Adhesive, Elmers Spray Adhesive, some climbing rope, masking tape, Duct Tape, aluminum window screen, foamboard, and Aluminum Foil Tape, and when it was of the right aspect and everything was stitched together with Bamboo and Wall Repair Tape, I sprayed an expanding foam in from the back, learning many new things along the way.
Tomorrow it will get covered in Dollar Store Flex-Seal, then I'll go to the Hardware Store and get these cool self adhesive tread pads that I saw last time I was there. It's like diamond-plate, but made of embossed Rubber. There's no way my Dog will slip on those.
I'm leaning a lot that can be applied to my rocket building techniques that can be applied at a much tinier scale.
These materials are so plastic by their very nature, that your imagination and will to build alone command them.

Charlie Passenger 2016-07-02 003.jpgCharlie Passenger 2016-07-02 007.jpgCharlie Passenger 2016-07-02 008.jpgCharlie Passenger 2016-07-02 009.jpgCharlie Passenger 2016-07-02 010.jpg

I intend to use structures similar in construction to this stair case to build a molding machine that will press form composite rocket bodies with fins. If I have four of this part, and it can repeatedly withstand compression, it will make an ideal piece of kit for forming parts.
 
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TopRamen said:
Today I almost finished my new Dog's Staircase for the vehicle. I have one for my truck that was made for my old truck, and thusly made of wood. She's feeling pretty Spry, as she leapt into my seat and then into the commanders seat.
I had the staircase out and all, and she has not done a jump like that in a long time.:confused2:
The Wood one weighs about 40lbs, and needs to be moved about by hand. I figured I'd use up some foam practicing bonding techniques at a scale where I can actually use the item on a daily basis to observe it's properties.
This one will weigh a quarter of that, and be much safer to drive around with, since I don't have a truck bed to stow it in.
I'll use Velcro to hold it in position when in transit, but maybe not much else, as it is incredibly rigid, and in the event of an accident, it would do well to let it go wherever it pleases and let it absorb impacts.
It's a bunch of interlocking blue foam, Duck Brand Self Adhesive Wall Repair Fabric which is fiberglass, Bamboo Skewers, Titebond II and 3M 77 Spray Adhesive, Elmers Spray Adhesive, some climbing rope, masking tape, Duct Tape, aluminum window screen, foamboard, and Aluminum Foil Tape, and when it was of the right aspect and everything was stitched together with Bamboo and Wall Repair Tape, I sprayed an expanding foam in from the back, learning many new things along the way.
Tomorrow it will get covered in Dollar Store Flex-Seal, then I'll go to the Hardware Store and get these cool self adhesive tread pads that I saw last time I was there. It's like diamond-plate, but made of embossed Rubber. There's no way my Dog will slip on those.
I'm leaning a lot that can be applied to my rocket building techniques that can be applied at a much tinier scale.
These materials are so plastic by there very nature, that your imagination and will to build alone command them.

View attachment 295855View attachment 295856View attachment 295857View attachment 295858View attachment 295859

I intend to use structures similar in construction to this stair case to build a molding machine that will press form composite rocket bodies with fins. If I have four of this part, and it can repeatedly withstand compression, it will make an ideal piece of kit for forming parts.
Click to expand...

[emoji106] That's nice!
 
Steve Shannon said:
[emoji106] That's nice!
Click to expand...

Thanks. I can already jump up and down on it, so it will totally accommodate my Dog.
It's so much easier on my back to move it about too, so we all are happy.

"Work Smarter, Not Harder".:)
 
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Flyfalcons said:
Very purdy!
Click to expand...

TopRamen said:
That is a thing of beauty indeed!!!
Nice job!!!:clap:
Don't be surprised if I seek you out for some advice one of these days. I aspire to work with CF and make it look nice, and you obviously have that figured out quite well!
Click to expand...

Thanks gents. There really isn't a secret to it Top, it's like all finishing in rocketry. Lots of sanding, recoating (wipe coats of epoxy in this case), more sanding... Eventually I got it to 1500 grit wet sanding, then clear coat, and a couple hours of polishing. The biggest thing I learned is while things are curing to run the garage AC on dehumidify mode constantly. It was probably <10% humidity. That made more of an effect on completing the cure than temp (because the garage was probably 65 as a result of the dehumidifier cycle).
 
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Checked all my 38mm CTI reloads for the problematic forward closures. Didn't find any but I'm no Rocket Surgeon. Time will tell if my examination was correct.
 
o1d_dude said:
Checked all my 38mm CTI reloads for the problematic forward closures. Didn't find any but I'm no Rocket Surgeon. Time will tell if my examination was correct.
Click to expand...

I found one of mine with a problematic closure. Gonna get that replaced before it becomes a sustainer next weekend.
 
Cl(VII) said:
Thanks gents. There really isn't a secret to it Top, it's like all finishing in rocketry. Lots of sanding, recoating (wipe coats of epoxy in this case), more sanding... Eventually I got it to 1500 grit wet sanding, then clear coat, and a couple hours of polishing. The biggest thing I learned is while things are curing to run the garage AC on dehumidify mode constantly. It was probably <10% humidity. That made more of an effect on completing the cure than temp (because the garage was probably 65 as a result of the dehumidifier cycle).
Click to expand...

Well, it looks great. I imagine your attention to detail in terms of environmental control factors like temperature and humidity is worthy of making a note of. I'm working on an outdoor workshop now, and it will have the ability to control those things. I got a sweet dehumidifier for free on the side of the road, and importing humidity will not be a problem.
when my lathe is finished, I am going to begin working on a vacuum machine that will rival the best of them, and have already began experimenting with inserting balloons into airframes to expand them from the inside to fit molds. I'm about to do some research on expanding foams too, including the instant types like "Great Stuff".
It may lead to naught, but the spray stuff is a ton of fun to work with, so at least I'll have fun trying to apply it to rocketry. I'm making a BT-60 conical mold for the stuff, so even if it is garbage, I'll still have a valuable mold, and can use it for other media. I'll gain some experience points too.:wink:
 
Did something I haven't done in a while: low-key LPR launch with the boys. One of my favorite things: we were launching near a playground (yes, a safe distance and with appropriate heads-up) and this girl who had come out to play on the playground got really interested. With her mom's permission, I let her launch a couple and put one on the pad. I may have just sparked a lifelong interest in rocketry.
Moments like this are A big part of why I love rocketry
 
I'm currently doing some long, awaited repairs to the upper section of my 1/100 scale Estes Apollo/Saturn - V model I built and flew back in 2009. For those who don't remember, I flew this model in July 2009 down at Needville, TX for the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo - 11 Flight. The launch was great, but the recovery system for the upper section was ripped off on ejection from the engines and it "lawn darted" at high speed into the ground, badly damaging the "nose" section (as shown in the first picture). The 2nd picture shows the model prior to launch. The 3rd picture shows the main section returning under three 24" parachutes. Fourth picture shows what's been done to the upper section as of today; almost done but not so fast. I'll most likely be testing John Pursley's excellent "skins" for the SLA and CM as part of the finishing for this model. So far, so good. :)

davesatvaft5.jpg

_DSC5750+copy.jpg

davesatvr2.jpg

13533087_10207146615924263_6713703770528371000_n.jpg
 
Pointed my 15-year-old nephew in the direction of a local NAR section in WV. He's flown with me a few times while visiting NY and has expressed an interest in doing more at home. I'm sending him home with a built rocket, a couple of kits from my stash, and a couple packs of motors.
 
chrisudy said:
Pointed my 15-year-old nephew in the direction of a local NAR section in WV. He's flown with me a few times while visiting NY and has expressed an interest in doing more at home. I'm sending him home with a built rocket, a couple of kits from my stash, and a couple packs of motors.
Click to expand...

Kudos to you for that! This hobby needs all the fresh talent it can get!
 
Laid out my Arapahoe A. Found one design mistake - I forgot to include the wall thickness of the boat tail when figuring out how long it would be.

I also violated Tim's Second Law by including a motor block. But I doubt I'll find longer 13mm motors.

ImageUploadedByRocketry Forum1467645906.063553.jpg
 
Estesbasher said:
For you guys that are spraying your clears with a spray gun and compressor. Try adding some pearls to the clear coat you can get a real good looking effect by doing this.

When you add theses to the clear it only takes a very little amount of the pearl. To much can be over whelming. I found this place where you can buy them on line,

https://www.tcpglobal.com/Automotive-Paint/KUS-SP105/
Click to expand...


awesome job!!!did ya add any straight clearcoats after? have ya tried adding flake to your clear yet? I haven't done it on a rocket, but did on a set of motorcycle tins. black base then a dark blue metal flake in 2 coats of clear followed by 3 coats of straight clear. quite an effect in the sun.
 
tomsteve said:
awesome job!!!did ya add any straight clearcoats after? have ya tried adding flake to your clear yet? I haven't done it on a rocket, but did on a set of motorcycle tins. black base then a dark blue metal flake in 2 coats of clear followed by 3 coats of straight clear. quite an effect in the sun.
Click to expand...
I just added a small amount to the clear is all. It was three coast of that over the carbon. I have added the flake before. But I didn't like it to much had to do some sanding after to knock down all the ridges from the flake. I did a bike a few years back took me three months to paint it. But I thought it turned out OK.


I've got a bunch of it left over if any of you guys want to try it? Just pay for the shipping . Like I said it doesn't take much to get a kook looking effect.This 29mm rocket was done with a Silver pearl.
 

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