What did you do rocket wise today?

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I picked up more paint on the way home from work last night...

RattleCans.jpg

I'll at least finish the white top coat on my vagabond this weekend :)

Krusty
 
I also picked up three cans of paint, Dupli-color Metalcast red, Clear Effex and Rusto Crystal clear Acrylic Lacquer. Hopefully it's all I need to finish "Redline", my Ultimate Darkstar.
Had a crisis at home, Sharon was fitting her avbay coupler into the Gizmo XL and got it stuck. When I heard loud beating and cussing, I went in to help. Major bound up a 10" avbay and the only way to get it out was with a 2" wooden dowel from the aft end. Problem with that was all we could get it to connect with was the stuffer tube that goes up the center of the donut hole avbay. Got it out but broke the fillet on the stuffer tube. Almost lost Sharon, she was so Pi**ed she was ready to give up on the L3 attempt. When I got her calmed back down she spent two hours sanding down the avbay with progressively coarser sandpaper on the electric palm sander to get it fitting right. Now she is redoing the fillet around the stuffer tube. We are back on track!
 
My 1010 rail arrived yesterday, so today I removed the 1/2" lugs from my circa 2003 Excel, repainted, and added buttons. Having successfully removed the ejection baffle from the 38mm motor tube, I think I'm set for an L2 cert attempt :grin:

Now I better start studying!
 
Got a great start to my Estes Patriot build...actually it's only been a couple of days and it's almost finished.

I finally ordered an Estes Mercury Redstone along with some build supplies. I've got my eye on an Semroc Saturn 1B as soon as they are available. I want to round out my low power scale collection before moving up to mid-power.
 
I spent the evening making repairs on several rockets that took damage in the last month. We've got a MARS launch this weekend, and then two weeks out, with an URRG launch in between. So its time to get the fleet ready up to snuff...
 
I'm ready to start coating the fins on my Estes Patriot. I had thought about papering the fins but I liked how my Bullpup turned out with the Aerogloss.

Checked out the e-rockets site, specifically Semroc repros and it really brought back memories of my teenage years and Centuri rockets. The Snipe Hunter, Vector V, Saturn 1B and the Thunder series are kits I had owned decades ago and hope to own again someday.
 
CORZERO said:
Ordered my first all fiberglass kit!

https://www.madcowrocketry.com/2-6-thin-wall-fiberglass-black-brant-ii/

I only have experience with LPR and will use this to certify L1!

Can't WAIT to get my hands on my first 38mm CTI motor! Anyone have any suggestions for a spectacular flight? Any suggestions for the build (of which I will also create a thread once it arrives)?
Click to expand...

I love the design of the Black Brant so good choice. If you want a good motor to use for your very flight, I'd go with something that is two or three grains. Then choose whatever type of propellant you like the best. Anything over three grains will put that model high enough that tracking and dual deploy would be a very good idea.
 
T34zac said:
I love the design of the Black Brant so good choice. If you want a good motor to use for your very flight, I'd go with something that is two or three grains. Then choose whatever type of propellant you like the best. Anything over three grains will put that model high enough that tracking and dual deploy would be a very good idea.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip! I was thinking about fabricating the airframe and doing exactly that, dual-deploy with electronics (Raven III) and GPS tracking. I am in the process of ordering the rest of the components I need for these:

https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthr...tphones/page17

See Post #504
 
Super happy ending to this one. Estes replaced the rocket and a pack of E9-6 motors and they arrived today. This was a significant expense on their part as E motor packs carry the 28.50 Hazmat fee! My upcoming group order should help them recoup the costs. I think we have 8 blast off flight packs in the list so far.


swatkat said:
15 launches and my first ever CATO and it was a big one! The infamous Estes E9-6... and it really blew up as well. It was like the nozzle wasn't adhered to the casing well and the BP slug was cracked in half horizontally? The clay nozzle dented the deflector plate and some of the BP propellant came out the bottom and charred the lawn before taking flight! While the delay plug and rest of the BP propellant blew through the tube of the rocket, out the top and into the air about 200 feet for a spectacular fireball. Amazingly, other than a singed parachute some burnt shroud lines and the motor retainer... the rocket wasn't badly harmed. Pics... :) Date code on the E9-6 is 09 04 12... purchased at Hobby Lobby about a month ago. Time to fill out a report...
https://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa132/sj_saber_cat/IMG_20150806_194025.jpg
IMG_20150806_194025.jpg

CIMG4337.jpg

CIMG4338.jpg

CIMG4339.jpg
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Had some MPR fun today! Launched my Leviathan and Ventris on some F50-6T motors. Great flights overall, but a small, one inch zipper on the Ventris. Easily fixable however to fly another day.
 
Today, for the first time in my rocket building career, I painted a rocket per the Estes paint scheme. Here is my completed Partizon (hopefully going up next month for my L1), with a bottle of Ninkasi Ground Control for scale!

IMG_20150821_172913-2.jpg
 
Flew my Estes Argent at the local park in primer, wanted to make sure it flew well before I spend a lot of time painting this thing. Added more FnF to my TLP Aim-54c on the bench. (Realized I suck at making paper nose cones.:sad:)
 
Finished off a long stalled build. Just needed one more night of decal work, and the parachute attached. Should go up on an F26 tomorrow.

image.jpg

Freakin' photo rotation.
 
bclark989 said:
Today, for the first time in my rocket building career, I painted a rocket per the Estes paint scheme. Here is my completed Partizon (hopefully going up next month for my L1), with a bottle of Ninkasi Ground Control for scale!

View attachment 270458
Click to expand...

Looks great! My Partizon is on it's way and should arrive in the next couple days. Question; what did you use to paint it, and how/what did you use to tape it off for the pin striping and clean lines between the white and purple? Thanks in advance!
 
Received decals and laser cut fins for a Semroc Gee-hod from erockets.com; too many other projects on the build bench so this one will fly in the spring.
 
CORZERO said:
Thanks for the tip! I was thinking about fabricating the airframe and doing exactly that, dual-deploy with electronics (Raven III) and GPS tracking. I am in the process of ordering the rest of the components I need for these:

https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthr...tphones/page17

See Post #504
Click to expand...

Oh well if that's the case, Then you can probably get away with a four grain motor, or even a five grain. However at that point you really have to take into consideration your launch site. i.e. How high is your waiver, how far away are the trees, wind conditions, cloud cover, ect.

I certified on a CTI I216 for L1, but my launch site was huge with a dead calm day and clear blue skies, and I had a large 4" diameter fiberglass rocket. The I216 also has the highest total impulse for any other L1 motor, which basically translates to more altitude (but not all the time).
 
Purkeypilot said:
Looks great! My Partizon is on it's way and should arrive in the next couple days. Question; what did you use to paint it, and how/what did you use to tape it off for the pin striping and clean lines between the white and purple? Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

The white went on first, then just used basic 1 inch masking tape on the tips of the fins and over the white stripes above and below the large white section. The larger section I just wrapped in a couple pieces of paper and taped at the edges. All of the paint was Rustoleum Gloss.

The pin striping is Great Planes brand pin striping, 3mm dark red, part number GPMQ1335. Not sure if that was exactly what Estes used...the pin stripe width wasn't called out in the paint scheme, but it ended up looking pretty spot on.

Cheers :)
 
Madison Alum said:
Cl(VII) said:
Finished off a long stalled build. Just needed one more night of decal work, and the parachute attached. Should go up on an F26 tomorrow.

View attachment 270462

Cool looking Strong Arm! Nice flying kit. Like to fly mine on G53s.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Just got back from the field and it had a nice flight on the F26. Wind and field size limited the altitude, but this gave a real nice smoky motor flight, i.e. Not too fast off the pad.
Click to expand...
 
Opened a WILDMAN order today chock full of Wildman goodness ! Placed Thursday and already here on WEST coast..that is TOO fast.

Also got plywood from midwest today to start Ms Riley fins with Cave Duck and the guys

Kenny
 
Flew rockets, and got a new payload section ready for one that zippered when the main deployed on its last flight.
 
Actually yesterday
Went to the Syracuse Club "open house"

I got 13 flights in. Retrieved all rockets. But two did have hard landings (well, they crashed). My special "That's Nuts" and Renegade

They are repairable, but "That's Nuts" will take a bit of effort,
 
I went to Hobby Lobby and..MERCURY REDSTONE! I grabbed it up and also noticed other rockets not from their usual display.
So I get home and ran to my office all excited while I sat down in my chair. I began savoring that special moment of holding onto that beautiful carded virgin Estes bag without opening it. I hear all these wonderful stories of other people finding these lil gems except for me. Well I got one now. After full inspection and looking at the parts through the clear bag, I thought wow, I got myself a good one without any damage, but then.....I rolled the Body Tube around while still inside the bag and BAM!! a DENTED TUBE! DANG IT ALL TO HELL!!!
IMG_8210.JPGIMG_8211.JPG
 
Applied a coat of Aerogloss on the fins of my Estes Patriot. I usually let it dry for about 24hrs before sanding and brushing on another coat. Do I really need to wait 24hrs or does Aerogloss actually dry a little quicker than it says on the bottle? It's feels dry to the touch just an hour after applying.

DSC02792.jpg
 

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