7.5" Modular Booster / upscale Estes SM-3 Seahawk - FINISHED!

[SMR]

Taking advantage of the temp outside, I finished the fill and sand of the sustainer's motor section, gave it a final shot of primer, and then final topcoat of gloss white. I had considered leaving it in primer grey, (as a lot of military missiles are), but there is a difference in the surface texture of the paint... primer grey was a little more rough while the gloss white looks really slick. And the Estes version was white. The booster, which flew in July, was still in primer for her first flight, and I also noticed that the primer retains dirt, handprints, grass stains, etc., whereas I believe gloss will be easier to clean. I plan on giving her a little Future Finish polish after decals. Oh, decals! I guess I better get my list over to StickerShock, this project is starting to be ready for them.

 

[UPscaler]

Gorgeous as usual Sather!

You bringing this to MWP?


Braden

 

[SMR]

Gorgeous as usual Sather!

You bringing this to MWP?


Braden

Yes, I am. Are you coming this year? I've got some parts in a box for you.

 

[ECayemberg]

Taking advantage of the temp outside, I finished the fill and sand of the sustainer's motor section, gave it a final shot of primer, and then final topcoat of gloss white. I had considered leaving it in primer grey, (as a lot of military missiles are), but there is a difference in the surface texture of the paint... primer grey was a little more rough while the gloss white looks really slick. And the Estes version was white. The booster, which flew in July, was still in primer for her first flight, and I also noticed that the primer retains dirt, handprints, grass stains, etc., whereas I believe gloss will be easier to clean. I plan on giving her a little Future Finish polish after decals. Oh, decals! I guess I better get my list over to StickerShock, this project is starting to be ready for them.

Sather, this is gorgeous! I love this project by the way; beautiful, multi-staged, and very well executed! Keep up the good work; can't wait to see this beauty fly:drool::fly:!

-Eric-

 

[MartinVrstal]

Sather, I just got all caught up reading about this fine project. If it works out for me...I may even get to see it's flight at MWP this fall. Keep up the GREAT work.

 

[SMR]

Sather, this is gorgeous! I love this project by the way; beautiful, multi-staged, and very well executed! Keep up the good work; can't wait to see this beauty fly:drool::fly:!

-Eric-

Thanks, Eric. But I would have to add the "very well-executed" comment is pretty generous. Got to remember I started this in November 2010!

:blush:

 

[SMR]

Sather, I just got all caught up reading about this fine project. If it works out for me...I may even get to see it's flight at MWP this fall. Keep up the GREAT work.

It will be great if you can make it, Marty. It will be good to see you again. Bringing some Jayhawks?

 

[MartinVrstal]

If I show up...the Jayhawk will be with.

 

[SMR]

Christmas came a few months early this year!!! I just ordered some decals from Mark at Stickershock23 for the Seahawk and a few other projects nearing completion, they arrived today and are P-E-R-F-E-C-T!!! So, got to get busy and put some on. Since the motor section of the sustainer is the only part in final paint, I think I'll start there. The roll stripe will be the hardest to apply since it wraps around the circumference of the body tube and the ends have to line up. The vinyl comes sandwiched between two layers of sticky paper. The bottom layer protects the sticky side of the lettering, and the top layer keeps them lined up during application. So, with both sides still attached, I put the decal in place and taped it down on the two ends where they meet. I then placed some blue tape along the edges, to keep the alignment straight during application. When happy and feeling lucky (as you get one shot at this), I peeled off the backing layer of sticky paper and carefully rolled the decal around the airframe, staying between the taped guide lines. When done, the top layer of paper peels off, leaving the decal on the rocket. The "CRADLE HERE" and "NO HOLD" are reminders for me to not try to lift or carry the rocket by the strakes, tempting as that may be, as they are surface mounted only.

 

[sodmeister]

Ah yes, a very important step in rocket building ,the arrival of the Stickershock "accoutrements" !


Things are looking most superb Sather !


Paul t

 

[SMR]

Ah yes, a very important step in rocket building ,the arrival of the Stickershock "accoutrements" !

Paul t

Thank you, Paul. Yes, Mark is a true craftsman and I am always amazed at the super high quality and extremely short turn-around time of his creations. And they really do put a nice professional-finished look on an otherwise plain rocket. (Hey, is there still a Canadian requirement to use a certain percentage of French content in sentences? )

I also received an order of 28 fiberglass bulkheads from Wildman's - 14 sets of body tube-sized and 14 sets of coupler-sized. I have 7 of the filament-wound, aluminum-tipped nose cones in various sizes and am converting them all to have tracker-capable avionics bays. I started by pulling the coupler (shoulder) off and removing the bolt that holds the aluminum tip on. A length of stainless 1/4"-20 all-thread now runs between the aluminum tip and the forward set of bulkheads, and three more all-threads run the length of the coupler to attach the rear bulkhead set, pending a little epoxy and final installation.

 

[SMR]

Today I finished the tracker avionics bay in the nose cone. Forward bulkhead epoxied to the coupler / shoulder, then the whole assembly epoxied into the nose cone, with the aluminum tip holding it taught until the epoxy cures. I still prefer the "au naturel" G-12 (translucent) to the black (opaque) version, as the ability to see through it can confirm a proper distribution of epoxy (and/or expanding foam when needed).

 

[SMR]

Today was another beautiful day here in the midwest, so I got a lot of painting done. All in Valspar rattle cans from Lowes. Both halves of the Seahawk booster (gloss white), as well as both the avionics coupler band and the payload bay tube of the 7.5" Pegasus (satin black). Feeling pretty good and maybe a little overconfident as I finished off the Seahawk sustainer's filament wound nose cone (gloss blue). Nice deep gloss, not a single bug, and then... as I reached around to remove the masking tape, with the paint still wet, I managed to bump it against my forearm. So...

(a) Forget about it, it'll be part of a huge fireball in 6 weeks anyway.
(b) It'll be at the away cell. Who cares.
(c) Make sure it is on the back side, so it won't show up in photos.
(d) Wow, unlucky. Throw it away and start over.​

Any other ideas? You guys who know about paint - how long do I need to wait for the paint to dry completely before sanding that part and re-shooting it?

 

[mannyskid]

This looks awesome Sather! I can't wait to see it fly!

I have already coordinated with my dad to make sure that the launch tower gets to the field. I'm assuming that you are going to fly it with 1515 buttons?

I'd say don't worry about it, but I know the feeling of having a blemish in your paint job and that overwhelming feeling of wanting to sand it all off and re-do it.

See you in November!

 

[botscott08]

It looks great Sather. If I'd put that much effort into a rocket and knew there was a defect somewhere my OCD would make me twitch. Since your attention to detail far exceeds my own, I bet fixing it is your inclination as well.

I like your emphasis on modular parts. If I had to make a lot of the same part I'd get them waterjetted to save the time making a jig.

 

[sodmeister]

I feel your pain Sather ,if it`s not flying pestilence or birds (yessir..birds ,only to me could this happen ) it`s bumps ,falls or flailing appendages..always something.

I trust your paint is an enamel product ,and you probably know it really takes several months to fully cure and harden.I had to do the same thing after I noticed several blemishes on a project ,and I just could not let it go (normally I would ,as i`m not really that anal) so I would use my fingernail to test the finished paint to check for cure/hardness every week.It took a good month until I was satisfied and was able to wet sand the gouges(400-600) and feather out the entire section and do a re-coat of gloss white.

Things turned out very well ,but it was a true PITA !

I think I would leave it for now and give it your attention later after a SUCCESSFULL first flight !

I suppose you could make a little curing oven using several incandescent light bulbs to help speed the cure ,but ah ,another pain in the bollocks !

Depending on where these annoying little blemishes occur on the rocket ,I have used decals/vinyl in the form of access hatches ,stripes etc. to hide the offending SOBs ,in your case it could work ,but it may also draw attention to the area causing you to be ostracized by your club and getting banished ,or worse yet....burned at the stake (fortunately you were not born in the 1690s in Salem LOL)

...or....you could delete that picture ,and repost after the flight saying it happened while hitting the playa/ground :wink:


Either way ,it`s a beautiful looking paintjob ,nice shade of blue !


Take care


Paul T

 

[dixontj93060]

Don't know about Valspar, but with Rustoleum 2X I'd wait a week and then go at it lightly wetsanding with 600 or 800 grit. Wipe and let that dry completely then shoot the spot with a few quick mist coats. Get the color pretty close in the blemished area and don't worry about the overspray (just yet). Let repair spot dry another 5 to 7 days. If you have small mist drops and undulations around the perimeter of the repaired area (you likely will), then use 3M Scratch Remover (typically found at Walmart in boat section). After the above you should barely be able to notice the mishap.

 

[SMR]

Well, while waiting for the nose cone paint to dry, so I can sand it off, I should get a few other items finished... Aero Pack on the sustainer - check. Minitimers on the staging sled - check. Clust-o-matics on the airstart sled - hmmmmmmm. Uh-oh. Gonna be a little problem here. Start a new thread over in the electronics section to find a solution - check.

 

[SMR]

More work on avionics. I have had good luck using a particular 4PDT POPO switch, which unfortunately is designed for a circuit board or socket, not for panel mounting. So, to make it work on my avionic sleds, I have had to find creative ways to sandwich it between physical structures to augment epoxy. With my 2nd generation universal skid, designed with a low mounted switch position, the switches sat sideways on the board. In this generation, I am putting the switch access holes in the middle of the av bays, forcing the switch location higher on the board as well as having it oriented to face the front of the board vs the side. Currently putting together a few sets of switches, in pairs with 1.0" centerlines, and a single set of three switches with 0.8" centerlines (for the Tiltometer sled, which requires three switches.) Also, due to the amount of stuff the Tiltometer sled is planned to carry, the board for that has grown to 4.4" x 9.8". (Jackson, this isn't going to fit in our min diameter project. Further discussion to follow...)

The holes in the boards (for the switches to pass through) gave them a little flex, which shouldn't be a problem as the all-threads will keep them straight. But, since the battery box needed sidewalls anyway, I just extended the 1/2" x 1/2" all the way on the backside, and thru-bolted it to the aluminum all-thread guide with #4 bolts.

note - on the wiring diagram, for simplicity, the "ON-OFF" function and the "shunting" function of the switch are shown separately. This would imply the possibility of arming the avionics while leaving the squibs short-circuited. But since the switch used is a 4PDT, arming it and un-shunting the ematches is done concurrently. I would redraw the wiring diagram, but MacPaint is no longer supported by OSX, so I'm stuck with the 2007 version of it.)

 

[SMR]

Ah yes, a very important step in rocket building ,the arrival of the Stickershock "accoutrements" !

In the wee hours, I managed to get a few of those accoutrements in place. The booster is now 100% ready, the sustainer "almost". T minus 31 days.

 

[qquake2k]

It looks great!

 

[chadrog]

Beautiful Sather, I can't wait to see it! You should bring it to the meeting this month...

 

[Eat, sleep, and Fly]

Wow!

 

[SMR]

Thanks for the advice, guys. OK, the winner in the “Best Advice Given” category is.... sodmeister. “leave it for now and give it your attention later after a SUCCESSFULL first flight!”. Thank you, Paul. Unfortunately, the OCD in me took over. You called that correctly, Manny. "I know the feeling of having a blemish in your paint job and that overwhelming feeling of wanting to sand it all off and re-do it." Knowing it would take 30 days or so for the paint to completely dry, and being 30 days from MWP, I had to commit to fix it now or wait until next spring. (Hey, it's about to get real cold here for a lengthy period of time.) I left it in the window, allowing the sun to keep it warm during the last few days. Then I took my time, carefully wet-sanding with 600 grit paper, just down to but not through the primer. Then I killed the gloss and re-shot the entire nose cone, so I would not have to deal with blending in the repair. Other than a few inevitable bug footprints, not a bad job, as I can’t find the original damaged area.

 

[SMR]

It looks great!

Beautiful Sather, I can't wait to see it! You should bring it to the meeting this month...

Wow!

Thank you for the kind words, gentlemen. It has been a long, somewhat disjointed build, but getting near the end and am getting excited about getting her done and in the air. In keeping within the intent of Rule #1 mentioned in Post #1 of this thread, I am also officially giving up on my earlier, ambitious but misguided plan to fly the alphabet "A" thru "O" at MWP. With good weather, I think it could be done, but the trade-off for that would be, for me at least, not enjoying individual moments in the rush to get the next bird up. So, I'll do one flight per day, have some time to watch and help with other's projects, volunteer for range duty, do a cert or two, and relax. Cheers. Sather

 

[qquake2k]

That nose cone looks great from where I'm sitting!

 

[sodmeister]

As always Sather ,another beautiful build.....AND HUGE !!

Like they say ,the suit makes the man ,as do the graphix make the rocket ,or at least they help.

The nosecone turned out very nice ,glad it worked out the way you wanted it ,cause I know you would have lost plenty of sleep if you didn`t rectify that blemish (I`m the same way ,good or bad LOL)

Looking forward to the finished missile ,it`s gonna be a right dandy !

Take care


Paul t

 

[SMR]

Ok, a quick update on the status of the avionics. The av bay in the sustainer takes two sleds, back to back*. One card is for airstarting the motor, the other for initiating recovery events. The POPO switches are now installed on the sleds, sandwiched between wooden blocks imbedded in epoxy, with the solder terminals exposed on top. I have waited to install the printed circuit boards for the altimeters, timers, and Tiltometer until satisfied with the switch position in both depth (as they had to fit inside the coupler but not hit each other), and in height (to line up with the access holes in the av bay band). Now to install the boards and start wiring.

* The logic, for me at least, in setting up the cards this way is in the sequence of planned flights. Flight #1 is using an L3150 Vmax, staging and igniting the upper at relatively low altitude. This is a test flight, and staging is planned to occur right after booster burnout, followed shortly by sustainer ignition. The Tiltometer will have the opportunity to sense the stability of the combined stack, as well as some initial coasting of the sustainer, before giving consent to light her motor. The Tiltometer can accept an ignition trigger signal from any device, in this case a PerfectFlite miniTimer4. (Both the Tiltometer and the miniTimer have launch detect circuits for added safety.) Subsequent flights will be using an M3400 in the booster, and attempting Coast Optimization for the sustainer using an ignition trigger signal from a flight computer. Keeping the boards in proximity allows some flexibility running the ignition trigger circuit from differing sources.

 

[patelldp]

Gotta ask where you're getting the POPO switches. They appear to be the same that Newton's 3rd was selling in years past.

 

[SMR]

Gotta ask where you're getting the POPO switches. They appear to be the same that Newton's 3rd was selling in years past.

The switch is the GC 35-492-BU. I get mine from Jaytronics in Rockford, IL, at about $4 each. They get them in bulk (which is why the part number ends in -BU)