Last year my then 11 year old son bought an assortment of assembled old rockets, launcher, pad, and partial parts for $15 from a soon to be high-schooler who was getting into dirt-bikes and out of rockets. One of the piles of junk had the upper half tube and nose come of an Estes Mean Machine.
In a moment of boredom I decided to take the Half Mean and work it into a flyable D/E/F rocket. This will be my first foray into mid-power as the biggest I've launched to date have been BP D's and composite D's (My son surpassed me with an E launch in his Big Daddy last summer).
I'm not patient enough for a build thread, so I only have one picture from just now. Sorry.
-For fins I used 3-ply plywood that came out of a box of clementine oranges (Cuties I think they're called). I like the Nike Smoke fins so I cut them into a little bit of an off symmetrical similar shape. 3 of 'em. Attached using double glue method with Elmers Carpenter Wood Glue Max.
-Fin fillets are ugly, still figuring my way around pretty. Used Titebond Moulding & Trim.
-For motor mount, TopRamen sent me some 24mm tubes and a number of plywood centering rings. I wanted to pay but he said no way. Stand-up guy. Someone give him some rocket love... Anyway, I set the mount up with a motor block from a ring cut out of a spent BP D casing. I set it up far enough up to accept a BP E engine. If I want to run a D, I have another section of cut spent BP D that I will use as a spacer.
-Retainer duties were done with the top of a PowerAde bottle. Held in place with JB Weld Kwik Weld. My first foray into a screw on retainer. Exciting. I measured carefully and set this up with the earlier motor mount being up far enough for the ability to accept a thrust ring from a 24mm composite E and F.
-Launch lugs are 3/16" extras that I had from another project. Used a full length one at the fin can and a half length one at the CG for the heavier BP E motors. Messy fillet.
-I tried something different for the shock cord. I used a 3 ft length of Kevlar string, and a 4 ft section of 1/4 inch elastic. I think the weak part of my system will be how I mounted the Kevlar. I used a 2 inch section of paper towel roll and cut a small section out longitudinally (like one might make a scratch built coupler), used a lot of wood glue, and used it to hold a knotted section of Kevlar in place on the inside of the body tube kind of like a tri-fold mount. I am guessing the weak spot will be the Kevlar string pulling through the cardboard/glue. That's why I went a little long with the entire shock system (7ft).
-Chute ended up being a trashed umbrella I found at the baseball field where my son had practice. I made a 19" chute with a 4" spill hole, with shroud lines 1.5x the diameter. Used a swivel and attached it 2 ft from the nose cone.
-This is the first time I have been patient with any kind of paint and body prep. I have about 4 rounds of fill primer, Bondo spot putty, and sanding into it, and the more I do the more I want to get out the last imperfections. It's become addicting and therapeutic at the same time. I think I may use the Bondo to make pretty the fillets.
I think I have like $1.99 in this rocket because of the elastic. But I probably have a few hundred dollars of labor hours into it :lol:
Now that's why a tracker is worth it. I may get one for this $2 rocket.
Paint will come in a few weeks. Planning a very simple matte black & white USA/NASA rocket theme. How do you guys get your custom black vertical stripes so perfect? I am assuming it's decals or stickers? Or mask and paint?
In a moment of boredom I decided to take the Half Mean and work it into a flyable D/E/F rocket. This will be my first foray into mid-power as the biggest I've launched to date have been BP D's and composite D's (My son surpassed me with an E launch in his Big Daddy last summer).
I'm not patient enough for a build thread, so I only have one picture from just now. Sorry.
-For fins I used 3-ply plywood that came out of a box of clementine oranges (Cuties I think they're called). I like the Nike Smoke fins so I cut them into a little bit of an off symmetrical similar shape. 3 of 'em. Attached using double glue method with Elmers Carpenter Wood Glue Max.
-Fin fillets are ugly, still figuring my way around pretty. Used Titebond Moulding & Trim.
-For motor mount, TopRamen sent me some 24mm tubes and a number of plywood centering rings. I wanted to pay but he said no way. Stand-up guy. Someone give him some rocket love... Anyway, I set the mount up with a motor block from a ring cut out of a spent BP D casing. I set it up far enough up to accept a BP E engine. If I want to run a D, I have another section of cut spent BP D that I will use as a spacer.
-Retainer duties were done with the top of a PowerAde bottle. Held in place with JB Weld Kwik Weld. My first foray into a screw on retainer. Exciting. I measured carefully and set this up with the earlier motor mount being up far enough for the ability to accept a thrust ring from a 24mm composite E and F.
-Launch lugs are 3/16" extras that I had from another project. Used a full length one at the fin can and a half length one at the CG for the heavier BP E motors. Messy fillet.
-I tried something different for the shock cord. I used a 3 ft length of Kevlar string, and a 4 ft section of 1/4 inch elastic. I think the weak part of my system will be how I mounted the Kevlar. I used a 2 inch section of paper towel roll and cut a small section out longitudinally (like one might make a scratch built coupler), used a lot of wood glue, and used it to hold a knotted section of Kevlar in place on the inside of the body tube kind of like a tri-fold mount. I am guessing the weak spot will be the Kevlar string pulling through the cardboard/glue. That's why I went a little long with the entire shock system (7ft).
-Chute ended up being a trashed umbrella I found at the baseball field where my son had practice. I made a 19" chute with a 4" spill hole, with shroud lines 1.5x the diameter. Used a swivel and attached it 2 ft from the nose cone.
-This is the first time I have been patient with any kind of paint and body prep. I have about 4 rounds of fill primer, Bondo spot putty, and sanding into it, and the more I do the more I want to get out the last imperfections. It's become addicting and therapeutic at the same time. I think I may use the Bondo to make pretty the fillets.
I think I have like $1.99 in this rocket because of the elastic. But I probably have a few hundred dollars of labor hours into it :lol:
Now that's why a tracker is worth it. I may get one for this $2 rocket.
Paint will come in a few weeks. Planning a very simple matte black & white USA/NASA rocket theme. How do you guys get your custom black vertical stripes so perfect? I am assuming it's decals or stickers? Or mask and paint?
