Heh? E30 has 1 second burn time, it's pretty high in the air by that point (well, "high" relative to the rod). Or does the flame kind of disappear well before actual motor burnout?you may get burnout near rail exit
Pretty!
Heh? E30 has 1 second burn time, it's pretty high in the air by that point (well, "high" relative to the rod). Or does the flame kind of disappear well before actual motor burnout?
Ah, could be. Good time to get the old high-speed video pointed at the launch rod.Thats what I was getting at in my post also. The blue seems tonappear better in the higher pressure regions of the burn
Pretty!
Heh? E30 has 1 second burn time, it's pretty high in the air by that point (well, "high" relative to the rod). Or does the flame kind of disappear well before actual motor burnout?
Also, QCC Explorer is currently my favorite OOP Estes kit!
It will be a lot easier to get the tube smooth with Elmer’s Carpenters Wood Filler it epoxy mixed with micro balloons than with straight epoxy. The straight epoxy is harder than the tube so it’s hard to sand smooth and it doesn’t stay put very well.
I’ve seen people make couplers out of a piece of body tube with a sliver removed, but I haven’t done it myself so I can’t offer any experience there.
Hmm. I actually have a tube of that stuff, or perhaps I used it. Funny I've only every used that for REALLY tiny little things, like deep scratches. I didn't know if cardboard wraps would qualify for it, which is why I mentioned the regular bondo. Usually my method is bondo the big spots, primer, then fix the rough bondo filler with the red stuff, so it seems funny to go straight to the spot filler, almost like overkill.Bondo spot and glazing putty is used quite often. (The one-part red stuff, not the two part woth hardener)
I use it after Ive laid the first coat of filler primer on the tube and let it dry fully
Oh I am, believe me, but also trying to keep runs to town minimum. I'll burn up $20 of gas to make a run, so I try not to make one-off trips. If I can find the putty I'll definitely use it. I wonder can it also be applied directly to the cardboard, or is this filling step better left till the fin slots are cut?Heed Nytrunner's words. Spot and glazing putty is what folks use for this, not the two-part Bondo. It works well but stinks like crazy.
(Unless they're using something entirely different, like CWF or spackle or tons of filler/primer or whatever).
I'll keep that in mind. I had some wood filler around here somewhere so if I find it I might try that route. Have no microballoons on hand. This is a long-term project so maybe I'll wait till I acquire some better stuff, but I kinda want to spend these up, even if it ends of being a mock up. I wonder would automotive putty be a bad idea over cardboard? I found an old can and it still has a tube of hardener hiding in the lid, not sure if it's any good or not. Or maybe there's something else I can mix with my epoxy? I've tried sanded foam before and that made a mess more than anything else, plus it never cured right. You make a fair point about the sanding, I didn't think of that today.
With the couplers, I can't get a visual of how removing a layer or two would make it work. Perhaps cutting a piece open and taking a sliver off the length so that I can be compressed inside? There would surely be a little gap but I don't think that would be a huge issue on the inside of the body tube. ??? maybe. I'll keep looking around here.
I don't have a 3" hole saw (mine go up to 2 1/2) so I'll be thinking about that, too. I think I will glue up some foam boards tonight though. 15" sounds like a good size for a 3" tube.
I had a similar idea with the rings. Thought about making a jig for my skillsaw but that idea hit a snag pretty quick. I have a roll of duct tape that is the perfect size for drawing templates, and I have some 1x oak laying around that I never used for anything. To heavy? A long 3-1/2" plank, maybe 4ft is a kilogram. I have a feeling it would be lighter than plywood and plenty strong. As far as fin material, I think I'm sol. Next time I'm at the hardware store I might pick up some 1/4" ply. Not looking forward to airfoiling those. The balsa for my LPR build will be much easier, hehe.For the couplers, I was thinking about slicing it down the length twice so the length is just right when you put it in the tube. If you have parchment paper, you could use that to line the main tube when you glue/glass the inside of the coupler to keep it strong and round. For a 3" CR, you could probably cut it close enough to sand round with a jigsaw.
Good to know. I'll keep it in mind. I saw a thread here somewhere about a NC that fit perfectly in the mailers.I used 3in mailing tubes & woodglue w/ a 38mm MMT for my L2. Big Daddy nosecone wasn't a perfect fit, but didn't require much adaptation either.
Sweet deal. I have a plan moving forward but always good to find another opinion, especially when I can see what's going on. This looks identical to my idea for cutting up the cardboard tubes. This vid definitely filled in a few gaps for me though. Thanks.@Off Grid Gecko Check this Apogee video out for making a tube coupler.
https://www.apogeerockets.com/Advanced_Construction_Videos/Rocketry_Video_8
@Off Grid Gecko , I'd consider sealing the tube & then sand it before you use the joint compount. That way there it won't soak into the cardbard & it should make things lighter.Sweet deal. I have a plan moving forward but always good to find another opinion, especially when I can see what's going on. This looks identical to my idea for cutting up the cardboard tubes. This vid definitely filled in a few gaps for me though. Thanks.
I'm also seriously considering joint compound as a pre-filler for my spirals. I'm not thinking about paint for a long time and they annoy me, so I want something in there. Using it on sheetrock works really well, and after thinking about it for a few minutes on the toilet, I can't see any reason why it wouldn't work. It's heavy, but they're just spirals. I can't imagine too much weight being added if they are filled right, unless you're using lead. Think I'm going ahead with that after I get the tube made.
Also considering making my cone slide over the rocket body instead of under... Guess maybe I should start a build thread on this? It won't be a fast build so I'm not sure if that's an issue. I never look at the dates when I see build threads from you guys.
My L1 was a 3" mailing tube. Totally doable.
Couplers aren't that hard to make - John Coker has a good video on this:
CRs are usually made stronger than they need to be. If you can't cut/sand plywood, consider balsa or foamboard, but bulk it up well structurally - for example, consider two rings spaced maybe a half inch apart, but with 4-6 radial 'webs' of material connecting them.
First coupler is done, first NC attempt is a no-go, at least for now. I'll probably take the easy route and just buy a nose cone. I can make smaller foam cones with my drill, but this giant chunk proved a bit too much for both myself and the drill. That may or may not stop me from trying again though
Can't wait till my LPR rocket pieces get here. I really don't feel like getting too carried away with a mailtube L1 rocket at the moment. I still may buy a kit, so I'm trying not to focus on the big tube, but I'll work on it here and there as I feel like it.
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