What did you do rocket wise today?

Examine this picture from about 11 am today, and then guess what I asked for from the family for Father's Day around noon. EPIC!

So, there's a Chute Release out there for whoever finds it?

Got up at 6:30AM this morning and drove down to Dairy Aire Star Wars II. I spent about 30 minutes trying to locate site which had moved from the customary location to a new field that was in truth not more than a mile away but on the opposite side of the road. Here I was looking to the right for the site when all that time it was on my left. Focus is a powerful thing. Eventually I spotted the line of pop-ups, ez-ups, and cars from the customary site and made my way over there.

As I drove up, I spotted Gene "Mr. Fruity Chutes" E's big orange and black Magg Max coming in for a landing in the part of the field where the sprinklers were watering crops. Gene later quipped that where his bird landed was better than in the canal...he'd already done that once before.

The field had been disked along the farm roads and a wide strip down the center of the field for the range head. The rest of the field was covered with straw. The disked area at the top of the range head looked as if a roller had been run over it but the 20-30 between that area and farm road was just disked. Discretion being the better part of valor, I parked my 6" ground clearance Nissan roller skate in front of the Bay Area Rocketry trailer where I dropped about $200 on miscellaneous but necessary rocketry goodies (1g 38mm Cesaroni case, two 1g Cesaroni motors, a Fruity Chutes 18" drogue, a DinoChutes case for the Chute Release, and a TrackerR Bravo). I may also have solved my 54mm motor dilemma...the Aerotech J250W SU motor looks perfect for my Goblin 5.5 cert flight. Much more room for the main chute in the body tube due to the shorter motor length and NO hardware investment and no case cleanup required either.

As I feared, the disked field was playing havoc with decorative left knee which simply was not going to hold up long enough to retrieve a rocket. That being the case, I bought a TCC Dairy Aire shirt (kewl graphix!) to support the club, said my goodbyes, and headed back home.

All in all it was a six hour round trip to chat with rocketeers, see some "interesting" flights, and do a little shopping but I saved some Hazmat fees and shipping charges in the process. Just a shame to let the wonderful launch weather go to waste, tho.

Lest anyone bring up the issue of me driving down to Helm twice a year for the past five years and not flying a single rocket, I did put in one flight at Dairy Aire in 2011. :neener:

Note to self: Get that damned Bronco back window fixed so I can use it for my launch support vehicle!

Worked with Carbon Fiber Cloth for the very first time. I'm covering my Son's Ipod case with it, and still need to do the band around the sides, but given how easy it is to work with, as far as wetting it out between sheets of acetate, using peel ply on it while it cured, and then how easy it was to sand, I can tell me and Carbon fiber are going to get along quite well.:clap::clap:
When it is all put together, I'll paint it with finishing epoxy to get the glossy sheen back. My kid's gonna' be impressed. He got the cheesy plastic case for a dollar at a thrift store.
I've been watching videos on Youtube and manufacturers websites for a week now, and studying the threads here that reference it.
Tomorrow I'm going to start a 24mm MD Star Trooper that will be entirely CF accept for the nose cone
I'll bet Glass Cloth looks great on it too!:wink:
Thanks Cavecentral for turning me on to the Carbon!!!

I LOVE IT!!!

It's amazing!

Some liftoff shots from some of our flights today.

Rocketarium Super Chief II (D12 to C6)


TLP Krypton on an AT F35W


Estes Ventris on an AT G76G (ON BOARD VIDEO: [video]https://youtu.be/GjccnH7t2eo[/video])

Red River Rocketry Stratos on a C6


Estes Nike Smoke on an AT G57FJ


Estes Mega Mosquito on an AT F12J


Aerotech Strong Arm on an "Estes" G80

Cl(VII) said:

Some liftoff shots from some of our flights today.

Rocketarium Super Chief II (D12 to C6)


TLP Krypton on an AT F35W


Estes Ventris on an AT G76G (ON BOARD VIDEO: [video]https://youtu.be/GjccnH7t2eo[/video])

Red River Rocketry Stratos on a C6


Estes Nike Smoke on an AT G57FJ


Estes Mega Mosquito on an AT F12J


Aerotech Strong Arm on an "Estes" G80

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That TLP Krypton is a most beautiful thing indeed!!!!!:clap::clap:

Cl(VII) said:

Examine this picture from about 11 am today, and then guess what I asked for from the family for Father's Day around noon. EPIC!

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Homer says it all....

[video=youtube;H22t-tiWiLw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H22t-tiWiLw[/video]

Ordered my 24/40 case and D15-4T reloads...... my first re-loadable motor

Cl(VII) said:

Examine this picture from about 11 am today, and then guess what I asked for from the family for Father's Day around noon. EPIC!

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That little red tether doesn't look quite right...

noffie79 said:

That little red tether doesn't look quite right...

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Its definitely ODF (out dar flappen).

I went out to Tripoli Central Cal in Helm Ca. I successfully ground tested Thunderbird 1.. A 8 gram amount of black powder blew the very heavy (10 lb) nose cone. I also flew a Polecat Spike on a 54mm single grain Vmax, the chute tangled but I didn't have to walk too far. Finally my 29mm Rocketerium Vortico on a F42-4 , worked great awesome helicoptering flight, I will fly a G in it next time. TCC's now traditional mass Nike Smoke ( 4" Polecat kits) saw 12 (er..11) all launched in a tight formation and deployed together maximum delay.. Using CTI K1045 Vmax.. What a show.. Good times and a very slight cloud cover .. Poofy smallish clouds. The RSO was very responsible..

Finished making a 36" by 36' streamer.


Later!

--Coop

I did some gluing and epoxying and I took a photo so far.
According to Rocksim, from left to right they are to go 1500ft on a G74-6, 1500ft G125-14, 2500ft F26FJ-6, and 4400 feet on a G74-6 (mach 1.1).

Only the Ventris is factory; slightly modified with leds (not good enough for a true night flight, but in storage hanging in my kids room they work).

They rest are scrounged pieces.

Flying next weekend. I love my hobby.

Began making my 24mm Mandrel for my 24mm CF Star Trooper.
I used a piece of aluminum angle to line up these spent motor casings, then glued them together with CA.
Next I sanded the obvious high spots, then checked with my caliper to determine the degree of deviation throughout, followed by a uniform sanding of the entire thing. I then soaked it with CA and rubbed it in real nice and uniform like to give me a solid surface to make measurements on.
The measurements at approximately every 2 CM showed an overall variance range from 23.74mm to 23.93mm, so I marked the area that is the widest for a little extra sanding before I shoot some primer on it to aid in making it sandable to perfection. At this point I also stuck a rod of 1/8" metal through it to use for handling purposes. I also checked to make sure I have taken it down enough to slide into a 24mm section of MMT.
There will be just enough room there to effectively use it as a Mandrel using the basic method outlined in this video:[video=youtube;TwfyvkGAPjQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwfyvkGAPjQ[/video]





I love my digital caliper by the way. It takes so much of the guess work and "Eyeballing" out of everything, and for some operations like this, it is a must have.

I had to borrow my friends trailer to take my lawn mower to my Mom's house because hers is broken. I called my friend, and he said to go get it, but that he had the light wiring adapter in his truck, so I'de have to stop by his work to get it if I wanted to be street legal.
He runs the shipping dept. at the cheese factory nearby that I worked at for a year and a half when I first got out of the Army, so I headed on over.
As I was leaving there, I noticed three bags of the blue foam that is used to insulate the boxes for shipping sitting by their dumpsters. I phoned him again to ask if they were tossing all the foam and if I could take it, and he said sure!!!

Looks like I'll have to build that foam cone turning lathe and wire foam cutter sooner than I thought!!!:surprised:
What a score!
It's even already cut into manageable, usable sizes!!!

Cl(VII) said:

Examine this picture from about 11 am today, and then guess what I asked for from the family for Father's Day around noon. EPIC!

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Ouch. It's one thing to 'suspect' that you did something. Quite another thing to have photographic evidence. Sorry for your loss!

Rolled my first CF Tube. A 13mm job for a CF Star Trooper.
Start small, learn, then scale upwards.
Now that I feel good about it, I'll continue making my 24mm Mandrel for the 24mm version.
This tube just needs fins and a very gentle sanding, then either an acrylic clear coat or a thin coat of finishing epoxy.

Inside, covering the mandrel is a few wraps of parchment paper. To release the tube from the mandrel, you simply twist it one way and not the other, and it slides right off, but I don't want to take it completely off until I'm sure it has fully cured.
Then I'll get the paper out of it, and make sure a motor and nose cone fit.

TopRamen said:

Rolled my first CF Tube. A 13mm job for a CF Star Trooper.
Start small, learn, then scale upwards.
Now that I feel good about it, I'll continue making my 24mm Mandrel for the 24mm version.
This tube just needs fins and a very gentle sanding, then either an acrylic clear coat or a thin coat of finishing epoxy.

Inside, covering the mandrel is a few wraps of parchment paper. To release the tube from the mandrel, you simply twist it one way and not the other, and it slides right off, but I don't want to take it completely off until I'm sure it has fully cured.
Then I'll get the paper out of it, and make sure a motor and nose cone fit.

View attachment 291707

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Looks good! Often when it hits the stage where it is partially cured, I remove my mylar wrap (in your case parchment paper), then put it back on the mandrel just in case the extra few thousandths are needed to remove it when fully cured.

Or at least reduce it to one wrap of parchment.

I figured out ProLine 4500 for fillets. NEVER.USING.ANYTHING.ELSE.AGAIN.

Banzai88 said:

Ouch. It's one thing to 'suspect' that you did something. Quite another thing to have photographic evidence. Sorry for your loss!

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Oh, I knew what had happened. I post that pick as a cautionary tale. I ordered a new one today for Jonrocket.com, and a 2x20 inch pink streamer to permanently attach to it. I will probably be stupid again, but this time the streamer will alert me it is free, and should help find it once it is on the ground. $3.50 insurance. We knew generally where the one from Saturday landed (100' radius circle), but with 6-12" grass it was gone. A streamer would have made all the difference, especially with hay bails around to crawl on top of.

cavecentral said:

Looks good! Often when it hits the stage where it is partially cured, I remove my mylar wrap (in your case parchment paper), then put it back on the mandrel just in case the extra few thousandths are needed to remove it when fully cured.

Or at least reduce it to one wrap of parchment.

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Just got back to the house from picking up my kid, but I'll see about getting the paper out of it now.

Thanks for the advice.
At this scale, even if I don't get it right I have not wasted much, and learned something. I am anxious to see how a motor and nose cone fit into it.


Good thing you said something!!!
The paper came out no problem, but a motor would just barely start into it. It was obvious that it was going to be too tight, but there was still time to think quickly and level my odds at success.
I re wrapped the mandrel in Teflon tape, at a progessive taper, to create a sort of expanding die that would not bind while re-installing the tube onto the mandrel. I slid it on part way to get a feel for when it was getting to the denser wrapped Teflon, and when it stopped, I used a hair dryer to heat the tube and soften it slightly, like I do sometimes when I see a flaw in a glassing job and need to correct it before full cure.
I then firmly forced it the rest of the way down onto the portion of the mandrel that I had used the most teflon tape on, and took outside diameter measurements to confirm that I had indeed expanded the lower portion of the tube by .2mm. I'll leave it like that overnight, and we'll see how the motor fits in the morning when I remove the mandrel. I'm not worried if I have to gently sand the inner wall slightly, as this is a cosmetic, and not a necessary use of the carbon fiber, so damaging it's precious integrity is not going to mean failure during flight.
As far as the top of the tube, unlike motors, nose cones can be sanded down to fit or made entirely from scratch, which is what I was going to do for this one anyhow.
Again the digital caliper comes into use, allowing me to tweak things by an observable degree.
Thanks Digital Caliper.

hmm, lets see; I did not land any rockets in either water or a tree, I came home with the same number of pieces that I left with, out of three flights I had 3 good landings. I did see some 'interesting' flights (not mine).
Rex

Cl(VII) said:

.... and a 2x20 inch pink streamer to permanently attach to it.

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Good idea. I just cut one and put it with my own!

Yesterday... went to WOOSH launch. Gorgeous flying weather. First flight was a 3"Punisher on an I350SS. Near perfect flight with easy recovery. Pictures and data will be posted on the launch thread soon. Second flight was an Interceptor Sport on H123-Sk. Took an odd hook WITH the wind and ended up way South. Did you know there's a farm south of the park? I do now... actually found a couple rockets in the deep grass... so after an hour of schlepping, I returned to base camp victorious. And scratched up from the weeds. Did RSO duty for a bit then helped a few friends out.
All in all a great day.

Yes, I waded through the winter wheat, too. Carefully.

Flew more rockets with URRG yesterday. Over booth days, I flew everything here (save for the 80/20 box).

EXPjawa said:

Flew more rockets with URRG yesterday. Over booth days, I flew everything here (save for the 80/20 box).
View attachment 291748

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Very nice collection! What's that to the left of the Nike Smoke?

That's an Estes Sahara, one of their web-only PSII kits. It's sort of a shortened Argent with Partizon fins. I went a bit off script with the color scheme:

Oh yeah, I saw that picture before, just couldn't place it. *Love* the paint job, that one almost looks too good to fly.

TopRamen said:

I had to borrow my friends trailer to take my lawn mower to my Mom's house because hers is broken. I called my friend, and he said to go get it, but that he had the light wiring adapter in his truck, so I'de have to stop by his work to get it if I wanted to be street legal.
He runs the shipping dept. at the cheese factory nearby that I worked at for a year and a half when I first got out of the Army, so I headed on over.
As I was leaving there, I noticed three bags of the blue foam that is used to insulate the boxes for shipping sitting by their dumpsters. I phoned him again to ask if they were tossing all the foam and if I could take it, and he said sure!!!

Looks like I'll have to build that foam cone turning lathe and wire foam cutter sooner than I thought!!!:surprised:
What a score!
It's even already cut into manageable, usable sizes!!!

View attachment 291690

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That stuff is GOLD to me. They had a job going on where I work and they were replacing outside panels on a building. Well under the panels was blueboard insolation. 2'x7' pieces were being thrown in the dumpster. Short story..I ended up with (NO LIE!) $1500 to $2000 worth of 2" blueboard insolation.