My second ASPIRE

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AfterBurners

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Well I was kind of bored today and thought why not start working on my second ASPIRE. I had the fins glued up and sitting around for a few months now, but just got side tracked with my new business and never really got around to it. I still need to launch my first ASPIRE and figured it would probably get lost so why not bring two. The fins have been airfoil, papered and soaked with CA. I still need to come back and sand sand them smooth with some 320 grit. I also made a baffle and I'm using some thin Kevlar for the shock cord. It should work fine.a I'm gonna heat shrink the Kevlar cord cord where the attachment point is.

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Oh boy, this should be fun. I always look forward to your builds esp the final paint schemes. I like the idea of using heat shrink for the shock cord--makes for a much cleaner installation. What are you thinking about for your chemical motivator??
 
Oh boy, this should be fun. I always look forward to your builds esp the final paint schemes. I like the idea of using heat shrink for the shock cord--makes for a much cleaner installation. What are you thinking about for your chemical motivator??

I would really like to use the Apogee F10-8, but just can't bring myself to spend $25 plus shipping and HAZMAT fees. I'll probably use a "G-80"

Undecided about recovery? Thinking a nice build Mylar streamer of maybe a different color Mylar chute? I figure it would be easier to spot in the sky.
 
I would really like to use the Apogee F10-8, but just can't bring myself to spend $25 plus shipping and HAZMAT fees. I'll probably use a "G-80"

Undecided about recovery? Thinking a nice build Mylar streamer of maybe a different color Mylar chute? I figure it would be easier to spot in the sky.

There's no HAZMAT fee for the F10-8. The 8 second burn feel like forever while it's going up!

I don't think it matters what recovery system you put in. The ejection charge has a habit of blowing the nosecone and harness right out of the rocket.
 
There's no HAZMAT fee for the F10-8. The 8 second burn feel like forever while it's going up!

I don't think it matters what recovery system you put in. The ejection charge has a habit of blowing the nosecone and harness right out of the rocket.

That's cool. Guess I'll get the F10-8 .... bummer about the ejection charge.
 
I have used an F10 on a night flight, really cool. As it climbs to altitude you see the burn from underneath like a real world rocket launch.
 
I'm really pleased the way the fins turned out. They glued on nicely and the I squared up the root edge for a really nice fit. I used some green putty on the nose cone. There was a section on the seam that had a noticeable low spot. Next up I'll use some epoxy clay to shape and form the fin fillets.

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That's cool. Guess I'll get the F10-8 .... bummer about the ejection charge.

If i remember right the motor had a paper ejection charge that was removable so you could take some of the black powder out to avoid blowing the cone and cord out of the rocket.


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It's nice to have a day just to chill and work on rockets and have absolutely no other obligations. I decided to work on my Aspire. The other night I went ahead made the fillets using two part "FIX IT" epoxy clay. For those who have used this stuff it works pretty well. It dries hard as cement in 24 hrs and I usually wait a couple days before filing and sanding. You also have a 3 hour set time. Great stuff!!

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The fillets turned out ok, but still need some work. What I try to do is file the edge of the fillet so it blends nicely into the body tube. I know this is the time consuming way, but I rather do it this way than fill with putty. Sometimes the putty will crack and it just makes more work.

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I used Rustoleum high build primer and gave it a quick coat. I'll sand it later, but I just wanted to get something on the rocket to protect it. Lately the days have been damp and I didn't want to chance the body tube "swelling"

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So most of the work on this rocket are the fillets. So I'll go back again later and file then and blend them and sand them until they look right. Went I work on the fin can and I shoot the primer I only primer the fin ca. It helps to save on paint. When I get done I'll fill the spirals and work on other areas.2014-04-12 11.46.39.jpg
 
Here are the pictures of my Aspire. The paint hasn't been wet sanded or clear coated and I'm debating whether or not to do it. I had some green paint laying around that my friend used on his G-FORCE and I said what the heck. It's an eye popping green, so it will stand out on the ground and be easy to spot I hope. I haven't decided on the recovery yet, but I placed an order with Apogee and one of the items in the order are a pair of 4" x56" Mylar streamers. I'm going to launching on a dry lake bed so I'm hoping that maybe it might be enough to slow it down, if not I'll make a trash bag chute with a nice big spill hole. I used "FIX IT" epoxy clay for the fillets. I filed them to get a nice shape and came back and sanded and filled them with spot putty glaze.

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Nice Fillets!

Thanks ...that epoxy clay works great! Of course you have to file, shape and blend them. Probably a little more work there, but you can do your whole rocket in maybe a couple hours depending on the size and never have to wait for them to dry before rotating the rocket to do the opposite fins. No mess and no fuss and no smell.

I'm gonna wet sand later.
 
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