Help a newbie that wants to build from scratch :)w

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DavidA

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First: I'm a newcomer to rockets, but I am planning on focusing on 100% scratch built rockets so I figured it didn't belong in the beginners section.

I've had a few test launches of rockets (really simple) and of course, they when putt putt a few times and fizzed out. I also have had a problem recently with my rocket just burning up. Here are my questions I hope people can weigh in on:

1st, body of the rocket, how do you guys make them? Just curious in the ways people like to do it :)

2nd, Anyone have good ideas to make a nose cone w/o a lathe or other precise machine?

3rd, I'm building my own launch pad, and I wanted to hear people's favorite build ideas.

4th, I'm trying to simulate my rockets with OpenRocket, but since I'm using motors I make myself, I don't know the impulse of them. Any ideas on how to test this? I know the theory behind impulse but not sure how to calculate it in reality.

Thanks everyone :)
DavidA
 
When most folks talk about "scratch building" a rocket, they do not mean making the rocket motor, just the rocket itself.

Any reason you can't use rocket motors from a hobby shop?
 
I could hypothetically buy the motors, but I wanted the challenge of having to build the motor myself. More fun that way :)
 
I could hypothetically buy the motors, but I wanted the challenge of having to build the motor myself. More fun that way :)
And more dangerous.
Start simple and grow. Buy a Baby Bertha or an Alpha and a pack of A8-3 motors. Learn construction techniques for low power first. Cardboard, plastic and balsa using wood glue. Design some scratch low power.
Then a high power kit. Fiberglass, carbon fiber, multiple epoxies. Avionics, dual deploy, recovery systems. Get your certifications.
Now you can delve into research motors. You will need a test stand to measure impulse.
Find a club near you. Read the blogs like Coker or Fraley.
This way you build a lot more rockets, spend a lot less money, and have a lot more fun.

Rolling your own tubes can be a real PITA. The mandrel takes as much or more time and money than the tube.
But, we all tried it at least once.

Hope you have fun and welcome to rocketry and the forum.
 
For scratch built nose cones "ace fugue shroud method" Google that and then down load a the rest of the booklets . Also craft store paper macha Xmas trees and Easter eggs glues to a section of air frame to make a cone then glass . The airframe section will have to be peeled to keep the diameter right . Building nc from blue foam then glassing
 
First: I'm a newcomer to rockets, but I am planning on focusing on 100% scratch built rockets so I figured it didn't belong in the beginners section.

I've had a few test launches of rockets (really simple) and of course, they when putt putt a few times and fizzed out. I also have had a problem recently with my rocket just burning up. Here are my questions I hope people can weigh in on:

1st, body of the rocket, how do you guys make them? Just curious in the ways people like to do it :)

2nd, Anyone have good ideas to make a nose cone w/o a lathe or other precise machine?

3rd, I'm building my own launch pad, and I wanted to hear people's favorite build ideas.

4th, I'm trying to simulate my rockets with OpenRocket, but since I'm using motors I make myself, I don't know the impulse of them. Any ideas on how to test this? I know the theory behind impulse but not sure how to calculate it in reality.

Thanks everyone :)
DavidA

STOP right now. Do you know the laws and rocket rules. Safety codes? If not, learn them. Especially if you have kids attending your efforts.
(for those that followed NAR rules video thread, here's a good example!)
As mentioned, go to a local hobby shop. Buy an Estes EX2 Launch kit. This will give you all the basics. READ ALL the paperwork!
Look at Recommended Engines and buy a 3 pack. There is paper work with each engine sold...READ IT!
From there, just hang out here for a couple months. You'll find out that **** does run UPHILL!
Good Luck :cheers:
 
Yeah, I'd reassess. My "post" count is similar to yours, but I have been building rockets for 40 years minus 30 in the middle to do other stuff, and I didn't jump back in at the "build it all myself" level. Join NAR and/or TRA and your nearest club, and get some mid-power launches before going full scratch. (The successful mid-power launches fill the real time it takes scratch an airframe, let alone a motor.) Plus, going to the launches of your club will build relationships to people who can help you succeed.
 
Make a crayon rocket..out of a toys r us crayon bank.

It is 4 inches in diameter but flys well on Gs or Hs ...you can make the centering rings, fins and the nosecone bulkhead.

No nosecone to buy and you dont have to paint it when you are done..build and fly!

Kenny
 
First: I'm a newcomer to rockets, but I am planning on focusing on 100% scratch built rockets so I figured it didn't belong in the beginners section.

Appreciate your enthusiasm, but the words "newcomer" and "scratch built rockets" probably don't belong in the same sentence. Sounds like you have modeling experience in other hobbies which will certainly pay off here, but there are some basics that are unique to rocketry (at least with FLYING models) that probably don't carry over naturally from other hobbies.

Strongly recommend Stine's "Handbook of Model Rocketry" for you. It is an easy read, discusses both the basics of rocketry AND will give you a good background for scratch building. The time and money spent on this book and building and flying a few basic kit models will pay off a thousandfold compared to just jumping in and trying to build your first flying rocket from scratch. Don't worry, you will still find SOME mistakes to make (we all do) but this will reduce a lot of the real :facepalm: moments.

Good luck in your builds. We'd love to see the pictures.

Tom
 
Building the rocket and building the motor are 2 different things, the only reason to do both at once first is if the whole thing is disposable, which is basically fireworks not model rocketry. We recover our rockets safely to fly again. Also complete difference of legality. To make motors legally requires at least a L2 certification or a pyro license. Level 2 is also the point large enough where it actually saves money to make motors, and electronic recovery is used instead of motor ejection.

If you get a starter kit or something, you may be surprised how many opportunities there are to screw up even that... I'm a designer, so the best parts for me are designing and seeing it fly, if I can use some made-for-rocketry parts and motors that's better.
 
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If your interest is in making motors, that subject is only discussed in this forum in a restricted subforum, and you have to have a Level 2 High Power Rocketry Certification to access it. I can't access it, and I've been flying rockets a long time.

My recommendation for a newcomer is basically what others have said, get a starter set and some motors and wadding. Put it together and fly it a few times to get an idea of how it all works. You can move really quickly from there to more complex kit builds and then scratch building rockets, but you are going to need some basic understanding before moving on to the expert level. You wouldn't say, "I've never shot a gun before, but I'd like to build one." Or, "I've never driven a car, but I want to make one." Rocketry is the same way.

If Estes is still doing its Halloween sale, now would be a greet time to get a starter set for cheap and maybe throw in some rocket kits with higher skill levels too. That would give you a good start. Then use that experience to move on to designing and scratch-building rockets.
 
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