Alien Invader Build - Balsa Wings

Hi!

My son and I have been building model rockets together. They don't always turn out perfect but we are learning as we go and having a great time (he is 5). We are currently building an "Alien Invader" (see https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?13581-Estes-Alien-Invader-Build for reference).

I have concern regarding the wings. The main surface of the wings are built by gluing three pieces of balsa together, end to end. My concern is the resulting strength of this wing. I want to cover it, or apply something to increase the strength of the wing. Anyone have any ideas? Am I being a little over paranoid here?

Thanks,
Louis

If everything works as expected, the resulting structure is plenty strong. I've built several, and the outer wing tube has always seemed to have taken the brunt of any hard landings.

Fishhead said:

If everything works as expected, the resulting structure is plenty strong. I've built several, and the outer wing tube has always seemed to have taken the brunt of any hard landings.

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Thanks for you feed back!

louis88 said:

Thanks for you feed back!

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https://www.rocketreviews.com/estes-alien-invader-bill-eichelberger.html

I forgot that I reviewed this one a while back.

I papered mine... If they aren't already on the forum, I'll post pics. This was one of the 3003 kits. I had one of the 1281 kits back in the day and never had problems with the fins built 'stock'. Of course there was this too. It took a 9" core sample but the fins are intact. I'm in the process of splicing in a new tube and we'll fly again!

I think I used 20# printer paper glued with diluted Elmer's White, left to dry between two heavy books (lined with wax paper) for 18hours



I don't sand the edges prior to start. Much like 'tapping out' a gasket, the act of sanding your edges after papering ensures that the paper comes away cleanly without risk of knife slippage or anything of that ilk. That said, you'll want to slice, from the middle of the covered opening, toward each corner, yielding a 'Y' shape. This will make sanding out the opening more feasible.



I tacked both fins to a dowel with a few dabs of CA for ease of handling while priming. You'll need to sand it off later, so don't go crazy with the CA. My M.O. is 2 layers of auto primer, wet sand with 440grit, more primer, polish with ScotchBrite pad

I just built one of these last Spring.
As I recall, I was a little concerned as well, however with the use of Yellow Elmer's Wood Glue, I found those assembled panels were just fine. You do need to follow the instructions, and weight them down. As I recall, I used wax paper to lay the pieces on and to protect the book that I placed atop them. The glue tried to stick to the wax paper, but it came off cleanly. So, no, I didn't cover them with any "paper" or other surfacing, to answer your question directly.

I didn't have any real problems with those fins, but I did find the instructions were not clear which direction to mount small stabilizing fin sliver K ... either tear drop facing forward or reversed. As it turned out, it wasn't critical. I feathered it just a little from the leading edge that I chose.

AFTER the build was finished, I did find the protruding wooden rods or sticks tended to snag on things, and wound up getting caught coming in or out of the trunk. So, I would watch out for that. The wings turn out sturdy, but can't take much torque or abuse. I would think that you'd want to be very careful in positioning the rocket on the launch rod...to make very certain that the clipped-end launch wires (ignition wires) will fall away and not snag the rocket nor wings in any case.

Thanks you everyone for your opinions. I appreciate it!

louis88 said:

Thanks you everyone for your opinions. I appreciate it!

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Let us know how the build goes, and post pics. I still fly my original built back in the 70's, no papering, plenty strong.

My wife decided to rearrange the basement this weekend.
She hesitated before telling me that she ran into one of my rockets and broke it.
Guess which one?

Yep, it was that same wing on the Alien Invader. Exactly where i had glued it before! But this time, it broke clean off.
I lost the left pod, and about an inch of the wing on a diagonal break that basically followed the grain. Fortunately, the delicate stablizers and jigsaw assembly was intact.

I used Yellow Glue again, and was able to slide the layers of the wing together without missing any bits. All it needs now is another layer of flat black paint, and a new home... LIKE ON OUR FIREPLACE MANTLE WHERE I LEFT IT SO IT WOULDN'T BE DAMAGED last spring!