Tight-fitting tube

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Throttle Up

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Just built the Aerotech Arcas and am finding the tubes fit a little tight. There's no paint on the joint but would like to know what is "too tight"? Does sanding help reduce the inner diameter?

Thanks.
 
Which tubes are you referring to? Do you mean the centering rings going on the tubes is too tight?

I have found that the Aero-Tech rockets are very tight fitting. Especially the adaptors and motor hook. Very tight, very strong.
 
It's the upper and lower body tube that have a pretty tight fit. I'm new to all this and don't know how much oomph a "G" motor has to eject.
 
Throttle,

Sounds like you are talking about the coupler tube/joint where the two halves separate during ejection. This should not be very tight. You should be able to couple the upper and lower body tube and it should not pull apart under its own weight, but should begin to separate when shaken from side to side.

It sounds like yours is way too tight. Try lightly sanding the coupler first, but you may want to strengthen it prior to sanding with a coat of epoxy painted on the inside of the coupler.

Good luck,

Carl
 
Ahhh, the coupler tube... For the AeroTech Mirage that I built, I actually had to peal the white covering off the coupler tube. Well, here is what I did: I took an xacto knife and cut the through the top paper layer on the coupler leaving approximately a 1/8" ring un-cut. Then I peeled the white paper off of the coupler. Only the first layer of paper needs to be pealed. The end result was that it was too loose so I wrapped masking tape (one layer) around the peeled tube. Now, when I slide the two body tubes together they slide together easy, then when the 1/8" un-peeled section is reached, the tubes fit snug. It worked out well. I hope this makes sense. I will try to take a picture tonight if I can remember...
 
https://scooby.cybergatetech.com/Projects/Rocketry/Pictures/Mirage/coupler1.jpg
https://scooby.cybergatetech.com/Projects/Rocketry/Pictures/Mirage/coupler2.jpg

It is very important to not cut so deep. Make sure to only go one paper level. You should be able to see the two strips of masking tape. The white line is what remains of the original outter paper. This works great cause that small amount squeezes into the lower tube and is so tight that it will not come out on its own weight but under an ejection charge it works like a champ.
 
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