Hardshell version of The Dude

[Balsa Bob]

Has anyone (else) entertained the notion of laying up some light FG cloth around fully inflated ESTES Dude mylar?
After seeing those international BTs fashined on mandrels I thought it wouldn't be much of a leap to do something similar.
Forget for the moment any headaches associated with transport and/or storage, as well as the fact the mylar would have to be uniformly inflated for a fairly long period.
Once done I figure the shell wouldn't be all that heavy, and would lend itself to burning motors other than a "D".
What thinkest y'all? -BB

 

[ben]

Has anyone (else) entertained the notion of laying up some light FG cloth around fully inflated ESTES Dude mylar?
After seeing those international BTs fashined on mandrels I thought it wouldn't be much of a leap to do something similar.
Forget for the moment any headaches associated with transport and/or storage, as well as the fact the mylar would have to be uniformly inflated for a fairly long period.
Once done I figure the shell wouldn't be all that heavy, and would lend itself to burning motors other than a "D".
What thinkest y'all? -BB

I'd just take it and fill it completely with some 4 or 8lb foam. Then once hard make some molds.

Ben

 

[Balsa Bob]

That's doable, but I wouldn't be looking to make molds.
This would be a one-shot deal.
Inflate it, glass it, and have a hard-shell Dude that's big and awkward, but light enough to fly.

 

[ben]

That's doable, but I wouldn't be looking to make molds.
This would be a one-shot deal.
Make a hard-shell Dude that's big and awkward, but light enough to fly.

I'm saying it would be easier to mold. do like a layer of 6oz then 2oz glass. That would work. Make it so you can fly it on a cluster of G's

Ben

 

[Fore Check]

What's the diameter of "the Dude" anyway?

 

[Balsa Bob]

I think it's 6-inches by 6-feet.

 

[Handeman]

My son had a Dude and flew it few times. Once it landed on the grass, it never held air very well after that. If you've flown the one you have, I would guess you might have a hard time keeping it inflated.

Couldn't a couple tubes be lighter then the glass? You could still do the nose cone and tail cone out of glass then put it all in the fin can with 24-40 F39T load.

 

[ben]

My son had a Dude and flew it few times. Once it landed on the grass, it never held air very well after that. If you've flown the one you have, I would guess you might have a hard time keeping it inflated.

Couldn't a couple tubes be lighter then the glass? You could still do the nose cone and tail cone out of glass then put it all in the fin can with 24-40 F39T load.

If you make it right the glass should be lighter and stronger.

Ben

 

[heada]

If you make it right the glass should be lighter and stronger.

Ben

Stronger, yes. It doesn't take much to be stronger than "The Dude" Tissue paper soaked in CA would be stronger than "The Dude"

Lighter? no way. How would any glass be lighter than very thin mylar? Take the lightest glass you can get (I have some 0.5oz glass) and that will be heavier than the mylar and you still haven't added any resin yet.

-Aaron

 

[Bigander]

Stronger, yes. It doesn't take much to be stronger than "The Dude" Tissue paper soaked in CA would be stronger than "The Dude"

Lighter? no way. How would any glass be lighter than very thin mylar? Take the lightest glass you can get (I have some 0.5oz glass) and that will be heavier than the mylar and you still haven't added any resin yet.

-Aaron

Ben was comparing this to replacing the mylar w/ body tubes. Not comparing the fg to the mylar.

 

[heada]

That makes more sense, but I would still argue the lighter statement. You can get some very thin walled paper tubes and resin is fairly heavy. You'd have to vaccum bag it to get all the excess resin out and I don't think the "mandrel" (the dude itself) would stand up to it.

I revoke my "thats pure sillyness" and replace it with "hmmm, I don't think so but could be wrong"

-Aaron

 

[Nathaniel]

Unless you keep blowing into it, it will deflate before the epoxy hardens. I'm sure it's possible to fiberglass it, but having had one (until it popped), I don't think it would be worth the effort.

 

[r1dermon]

with a foam mandrel it'd be entirely possible to vaccum bag a FG or CF dude. yeahhhhh...carbon fiber....mmmmm. but heavier, who cares, if you can throw a 54mm MMT in it, it's gonna be the fastest "dude" on the planet.

 

[jeff_in_AZ]

If the goal is to have a Dude that isn't so fragile and puncture prone, would it be possible to just coat the balloon with something like ScotchGuard? The coating would have to go on at room temperature and not attack the Mylar, which probably narrows the field. Also, it adds weight, so not sure how well the Dude would fly on a D12 after that.

Like many people, I also have a Dude that has a punctured Mylar balloon, and I keep looking at the fin can and wondering if I can put something else in there. I also considered the body tube idea, but to make it out of construction paper to keep the weight down. You can get big rolls of the stuff at craft stores, kids use it to draw on, so might be able to roll your own thin body tube. I have built paper rockets before, but this would definitely be the biggest. I also thought about stuffing some styrofoam swimming pool noodles into the fin can, but the weight seemed like a problem. Maybe I should just put the fin can away and get on with other projecs. Still ....

Jeff