4" Falcon 9 Dragon 2 Scratch Build Thread!!!

[ljwilley]

COMING SOON

You guys will all have to wait for the build thread; I'm so evil!!

MWAHAHAHAHA!

 

[NTP2]

COMING SOON

You are a evil evil person.

 

[ljwilley]

Ok, it is time to start building this rocket! I am sorry about the long wait; I had a lot of other builds. Just finished 3d printing the nose cone today and it came out great! Printed it on a Bambu Lab P1P 3d printer at my school, as my 3d printer is having issues. I might want to get a P1P to replace the printer I have, though, it is a lot nicer. I upscaled the nose cone design from the apogee components falcon 9 plan on their website. Used my LOC 4" V2 to test fit it, and it fit perfectly only needing a small amount of masking tape.



I hope that you guys enjoy this thread and learn something! I will be 3d printing more parts on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

 

[techrat]

Hrmmmm. Not exactly to scale, unless Von Braun made a V2 with a Dragon Capsule that I somehow missed in my studies.

 

[ljwilley]

Hrmmmm. Not exactly to scale, unless Von Braun made a V2 with a Dragon Capsule that I somehow missed in my studies.

Is this any better:

 

[ljwilley]

I plan to make the scale model based on the real Falcon 9 version that has both the SpaceX Decal on lower end of the rocket and the red NASA letters on the upper end of the rocket:

 

[kitchw8436]

What's the plan for stability? Thrust vectoring or adding fins?

 

[ljwilley]

What's the plan for stability? Thrust vectoring or adding fins?

I have been doing rocketry for a long time, but I have nowhere near the skill and knowledge needed to do thrust vectoring. I plan to add clear polycarbonate fins.

 

[NTP2]

I have been doing rocketry for a long time, but I have nowhere near the skill and knowledge needed to do thrust vectoring. I plan to add clear polycarbonate fins.

I’ll quote @lakeroadster ”GDS?”

 

[lakeroadster]

I’ll quote @lakeroadster ”GDS?”

... and ... Waffle Fins​

​

That's one stellar looking nose cone @ljwilley​

 

[ljwilley]

I’ll quote @lakeroadster ”GDS?”

I don't want to do GDS because I don't want to put a bunch of holes in the rocket and also I am going to 3d print the nozzles which would also make it hard to do. I will still use the clear fins.

Waffle Fins

You are making me hungry...
But seriously, the waffle fins on the falcon 9 are on the upper half of the rocket, and wont help with stability. I plan to add them for scale accuracy, but I don't want to add more on the lower half of the rocket for stability because it won't be scale accurate at all.

That's one stellar looking nose cone @ljwilley

Thanks! I forgot to add it is printed with PETG. It is actually my first PETG print because my printer at my house always failed when printing PETG no matter what I tried to fix it. Another reason to get a new printer. I tried to use the timelapse feature on the P1P but I set it up wrong. I will do it right and post some timelapse print videos tomorrow or the next day when I print more parts for this build.

 

[lakeroadster]

.... but I don't want to add more on the lower half of the rocket for stability because it won't be scale accurate at all.

As will those big Lexan fins... but I get it. You'll have a nice display model, and you'll also get to see it fly.​

​

​

 

[ljwilley]

Lexan fins are the closest thing to "scale accurate but stable" I can get because you can't see them well at a distance. I don't want to use something that will completely change the look of the rocket. I also plan to try to make the upper waffle fins so they can swing out like the real falcon 9 would on its descent. I have no reason for doing this other than it will be an extra feature to have on the rocket for fun.

 

[lakeroadster]

Lexan fins are the closest thing to "scale accurate but stable" I can get because you can't see them well at a distance.

"Scale accurate but stable".... ​

​

really it's "In no way to scale, and wasn't even included on the rocket."​

 

[ljwilley]

you know what I mean

 

[ljwilley]

Neither were the waffle fins included on the rocket

 

[lakeroadster]

Neither were the waffle fins included on the rocket

Sure they are... at the top.​

​

Hey... it's your rocket build it however you like. Make the fins part of the motor mount so they are removable. Just like Estes does when they add fake parts for stability.​

 

[ljwilley]

I will try to do something along the lines of making the fins removable.

 

[ljwilley]

I have been doing some thinking, and I have decided that it would be hard to add removable fins/ motor mount along with the nozzles, and I have decided that I will just glue them in like I originally planned. Thanks for your input, though.

 

[ljwilley]

Just printed 2 of the 4 landing legs. Also used my school printer and this time I have the timelapse video! Tomorrow I will print the other 2.





And of course yet another picture of the parts being test fitted on my Mega Der Red Max:


Timelapse video is attached below.

 

[lakeroadster]

Wondering....

If the legs were in the landing position, but during flight, would that help to stabilize the flight? Maybe a spin test is in order.​

Could you attach the Lexan to the legs such that it was removable? Kind of a tube with the fins that slides onto the base and the legs lock it into position?​

 

[ljwilley]

I don't want to lock the legs into position, because that is not how it looks in flight, only in landing. But I have actually had another completely different idea-
I could make the whole bottom section of the rocket removable instead of just the motor mount and I would have one for flight and one for display-- I can attach the flight one with the metal pin things from apogee components when needed. I would separate the body tube here:

 

[techrat]

Wondering....
If the legs were in the landing position, but during flight, would that help to stabilize the flight? Maybe a spin test is in order.Could you attach the Lexan to the legs such that it was removable? Kind of a tube with the fins that slides onto the base and the legs lock it into position?

Max-Q has a much smaller falcon 9 model and I've been wondering the same thing. I want to try it, but I suspect things won't go well based on the results that @BigMacDaddy had with his TWA Moonliner.

 

[neil_w]

Neither were the waffle fins included on the rocket

By the way they are called "grid fins", although I admit "waffle fins" is pretty appealing.

 

[lakeroadster]

By the way they are called "grid fins", although I admit "waffle fins" is pretty appealing.

You can get them at your local Grid Waffle House... ​

​

 

[neil_w]

I do like a good Belgian grid for breakfast.

Sorry for the digression, back to the build.

 

[ljwilley]

I call them both grid fins and waffle fins-- when I am hungry I am more likely to call them waffle fins!

 

[NTP2]

View attachment 636139​

Those are more diamond fins.

 

[ljwilley]

Ok guys I think that's enough arguing about waffles

 

[Raptor 2]

That school 3D printer sure puts out a nice smooth finish on the parts!!