What did you do rocket wise today?

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Started building a BMS clone of the Estes Mars Snooper. It's been awhile since I cut out and formed paper shrouds. And thank goodness all those tiny balsa cooling fins are laser cut. :)

As a kid I always envisioned the Mars Snooper as a pretty big rocket. It's pretty small. But definitely will be fun to complete and give it a catalog paint sheme.
 
Got out an 8" f/g nose cone and primed it. Second coat tomorrow. then like an idiot i filled and sanded (and sanded, and sanded, and sanded) the first 4' of a 7' 5.5' bird and nose cone. my arms are falling off and hands are cramping. Thank the Rocket Gods the next one is a 4" glass bird! After that is a naked carbon bird-maybe I shoulda worked it the other way.
 
Nice build. Did you use CWF on the body tubes? I noticed Estes white tubes are a little harder to fill, did my Stratocruiser's fins and transition with CWF today, but I'm going to leave the BTs and hope primer fills most of the lines.

I used a DAP product that is exactly the same as CWF. Most of the spirals are pretty tight on the Estes tubes, so not all of them required filler. In the end, I'll also spray a filler primer on it and that should take care of anything that might have gotten missed.
 
Edge glued the planks for MDRM. Used the double glue method. It might not have been as smart as I thought it would be. The edges were somewhat rough because of the glue, so I will probably be using a good bit of CWF to fill the gaps.
Speaking of rough edges, I also noticed last night when I was applying the glue, my planks seemed to have a good edge and a rough edge. I don't know if all of them are that way, but it is something to watch for.
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After I was done edge gluing, I mixed up some CWF and smeared it onto the Bandit fins. I think I need to find a different scraper. The photo really brings out the areas where it is thick and thin....
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Edge glued the planks for MDRM. Used the double glue method. It might not have been as smart as I thought it would be. The edges were somewhat rough because of the glue, so I will probably be using a good bit of CWF to fill the gaps.
Speaking of rough edges, I also noticed last night when I was applying the glue, my planks seemed to have a good edge and a rough edge. I don't know if all of them are that way, but it is something to watch for.
View attachment 315142View attachment 315143

For what it's worth, when I'm edge gluing balsa sheets, I use a straight edge and trim just enough off of each side to get a straight, square edge to glue up, thus eliminating any gaps along the glued seam.
 
Established the weight needed to get the center of gravity on my f/g Madcow Lil Goblin 38mm where it belongs.

Sure do like those Goblins. Have a 29mm Lil Goblin and a Goblin 5.5" as well. All painted identically...fluoro pink with black fin cans.
 
Printed a fin alignment guide from Payloadbay.com for a (2nd) Astron Sprint XL and glued it to some foam board for later use.
 
For what it's worth, when I'm edge gluing balsa sheets, I use a straight edge and trim just enough off of each side to get a straight, square edge to glue up, thus eliminating any gaps along the glued seam.

Now why didn't I think of that?!?!?.... I'll have to remember for the next one.... Thanx for sharing!
 
Using a plane won't give you nearly as precise a straight edge as using a straight edge to trim the sheeting.

Actually if you put the two pieces back to back and plane the edges, then open them apart like a book, the two edges (that were planed) will meet perfectly even if the planed angle was less than 90 degrees since both edges are planed at the same time and when opened are mirrored perfectly. Its done in jointing work and veneer work all the time and is more precise than a straight edge and razor knife.
 
Before there were electric planers & jointer, Hand Planes was the only way to get a board flat or edge it.
Before the existence of sandpaper, planes did all the finish work.
Before routers and shapers, planes and scrapers did all the contour work.
Joinery was also done with planes.
The making and use of Hand Planes is becoming another lost art.
Not only that, but the knowledge of how to sharpen them and maintain them with stones, not sanding belts and diamonds.
 
I still maintain that on soft Balsa like we use, trimming the edges of two sheets with a straight edge and a sharp #11 blade will produce a very tight seam without removing more wood than is absolutely necessary. To each their own though. Several techniques to achieve the same final result.
 
Oh, I have no confidence in this group to win 6 straight. They can beat anyone on a given night, but they can lose to almost anyone on a given night. They are making it look REALLY hard against SC tonight.

Edit: I guess I just got a few evenings back over the next couple weeks.

Sorry. If it's any consolation, my guys are out too. We both have a little more time to finish some rocketry projects over the next couple weeks while streaming the rest of the tourney from the garage. (And cheering for anybody but Kansas.)
 
Sorry. If it's any consolation, my guys are out too. We both have a little more time to finish some rocketry projects over the next couple weeks while streaming the rest of the tourney from the garage. (And cheering for anybody but Kansas, UNC and Kentucky.)

Fixed it for you.
 
I still maintain that on soft Balsa like we use, trimming the edges of two sheets with a straight edge and a sharp #11 blade will produce a very tight seam without removing more wood than is absolutely necessary. To each their own though. Several techniques to achieve the same final result.

Oh, by no means did I mean to imply you were doing anything wrong, sorry if it seemed that way.
I just like to point out the old time methods of doing things. And what it takes to maintain those methods.
Think of your #11 blade as a plane. Do you know how to keep it sharp? When to sharpen it?
Just pointing out things like that, in this disposable world...there was a time that it wasn't that way.
I get so peeved when I go to the recycle center and they won't take most of the plastic I take there.
Plastic that ends up on land fills that takes hundreds, if not thousands of years to decay, or ends up in our oceans.
 
Oh, by no means did I mean to imply you were doing anything wrong, sorry if it seemed that way.
I just like to point out the old time methods of doing things. And what it takes to maintain those methods.
Think of your #11 blade as a plane. Do you know how to keep it sharp? When to sharpen it?
Just pointing out things like that, in this disposable world...there was a time that it wasn't that way.
I get so peeved when I go to the recycle center and they won't take most of the plastic I take there.
Plastic that ends up on land fills that takes hundreds, if not thousands of years to decay, or ends up in our oceans.

Recycling is unfortunately almost always about cost to recycle vs value of material and rarely about keeping material away from landfills.
 
Recycling is unfortunately almost always about cost to recycle vs value of material and rarely about keeping material away from landfills.

I know, the aweful $ seams to have become the supreme ruler more and more these days, and peoples lives less and less...
And their habitat.

BTW, found 4 rockets in the back of the closet last night.
3 PSII kits, went it temporary storage with the rest of my stuff.
An a Launch Pad kit, the Bullpup AGM-12c. Ugly thing...
I'm gunna start that one today.
Can't do much though, all my glue is in storage too.
Probably ruined by now, it's been freezing all last week.
At least after tomorrow (finally) I'll be able to bring stuff back.
 
I’ve been helping out with our local LPR club. I love hearing the following from the attendees:

“WOW!” (both kids and adults).
“My kid is interested in doing more of this. What should I do?” Bonus if it’s a girl. We need more women in STEM.
“My friend told me about this, so I came to check it out.”

And my absolute favorite thing to hear:
“This is awesome. We’re definitely coming back.” When I hear that, I walk away satisfied that we put on a good launch. Variations of that are “Is it okay if I bring a group with me next time?” “How do we join?”

I swear if I hear those, I’m in a good mood well into the next week. It happened Sunday. I’m in a good mood.
 
After my shift, I looked at the rockets on the desk and decided "not tonight". So to answer the question, absolutely nothing!
Though I did stop and get a metal straight edge on my way to work today. Maybe tonight I start cutting balsa slabs.
 
Ordered four pounds of lead shot. That should pretty much cover the Sea Wolf's needs.
 
Machined and anodized an 8 grain 98mm motor, machined and formed a bunch of 54mm fin can parts, kitted and shipped two DD Excels with Dog House upgrades, 3D printed a bunch of rocket parts. Worked on an instruction set for a new kit. Just a typical day around here.
 
Machined and anodized an 8 grain 98mm motor, machined and formed a bunch of 54mm fin can parts, kitted and shipped two DD Excels with Dog House upgrades, 3D printed a bunch of rocket parts. Worked on an instruction set for a new kit. Just a typical day around here.

Good lord, 8 grain 98!

Someone on here maybe Greg or George suggested the I.S.S. Space station finder app which is pretty cool, this morning while still dark the ISS sailed right over head the best view I've ever had of it. It actually looked surprisingly close.

Bad picture but it's the dot passing beside the moon.
ImageUploadedByRocketry Forum1490179189.963517.jpg

Tomorrow supposed to be a better view here in IN
 
Positioned and glued the middle centering ring for the MDRM. It is a real pain in the tookus when you desire to not glue the bottom one on so you can do inside fillets.
 
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