Painted launch rods?

[darthgriffin]

Well I'll be damned if I can find it now, but I remember reading a thread in the last few days where people had were discusing launch rods (where to get, type of steel, etc.), and some mentioned painting the rod to protect against rust.

My question is won't paint increase the friction on the rod or cause rockets to stick? I can understand rubbing the rod down with oil or something, but paint?

 

[Disaster_Guy]

I suppose it would depend on how heavy the paint is applied and the tolerance of the rod Vs lug. For example, going just a fraction of a step down using a metric sized rod could compensate for the paint. With that said, I think the answer is to use stainless rods and wipe them down with CLP or similar after each use.

Last flight I made with the club that I primarily fly with all of the LPR rods were in pretty bad shape. I am actually planning to donate 16 stainless rods and a bottle or two of CLP at the next launch that I am able to make.

 

[KennB]

An oiled steel rod is going to be sticky if you leave it too wet and can leave oil on your rocket.

Painting steel may be a good choice but it has its own tradeoffs; a hard enamal paint would perform well and be easier to clean but it would be stiff and prone to cracks and chips with flexing versus a softer acrylic that would take a rod bending some but would get smudged and add drag.

If you're doing just your own personal launches, these might not be factors as you would always be careful not to flex the rod :wink: or the nubmer of flights would be low enough that soot build up wouldn't be too much. I always think about usage on a club launch basis; 300+ launches per day shared amongst a dozen or so pads and rails/rods. Stainless is a must but we still should clean them during the season.

One advantage would be color coordinating your launch set up and each rocket. If you go forward with this, post some pictures

 

[BEAR]

How about going to the auto parts store and getting a spray can of molybdenum disulphide dry lubricant and spray that on to the launch rod. That should help protect it and make it more slippery also. I am getting ready to put some on my nose cone shoulder and on my body coupler on a G-10 glass rocket to reduce friction at the separation points since they are going to be pinned. Any opinions? BEAR

 

[AfterBurners]

I suppose it would depend on how heavy the paint is applied and the tolerance of the rod Vs lug. For example, going just a fraction of a step down using a metric sized rod could compensate for the paint. With that said, I think the answer is to use stainless rods and wipe them down with CLP or similar after each use.

Last flight I made with the club that I primarily fly with all of the LPR rods were in pretty bad shape. I am actually planning to donate 16 stainless rods and a bottle or two of CLP at the next launch that I am able to make.

What's CLP? I heard of CLR? I use a very light coat of WD-40 and wipe it off excess. First I knock down any grim is xxxxx steel wool.

 

[Gary Byrum]

There are times I cursed living in a very small town but fortunately we have one of those "Mom & Pop" hardware stores that really came through for me on this note. I had them search steel rods for 1/8 & 3/16" widths. Not only did they come in 6' lengths (which really appealed to me) but they were coated with chrome. Get this, neither of them were over 4 bucks and I had them order me 1 of each. Clean up real easy with a paper towel and whatever you have for a spray cleaner. The naked steel rods at Lowe's were hitting on about 20 bucks a piece and destined to get rusty and in need of constant pampering. See if you have one of these kinds of hardware stores in your area and have them do a search for you.

 

[Disaster_Guy]

What's CLP? I heard of CLR?

CLP is a type of all purpose gun spray that was developed in a response to a "one product does it all" RFP from the DoD for bore cleaning. It stands for Clean, Lubricate, Protect. I use it from time to time on motor cases. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/6...vent-lubricant-rust-preventative-16-oz-liquid

The other option (that doesn't include lubricating or protecting properties) is good 'ol Hoppe's #9. It is available just about anywhere including Walmart. I use it for cleaning av bay lids and similar.

 

[AfterBurners]

what about anodized launched rods? Maybe powder coat, but that would add some thickness

 

[luke strawwalker]

There are times I cursed living in a very small town but fortunately we have one of those "Mom & Pop" hardware stores that really came through for me on this note. I had them search steel rods for 1/8 & 3/16" widths. Not only did they come in 6' lengths (which really appealed to me) but they were coated with chrome. Get this, neither of them were over 4 bucks and I had them order me 1 of each. Clean up real easy with a paper towel and whatever you have for a spray cleaner. The naked steel rods at Lowe's were hitting on about 20 bucks a piece and destined to get rusty and in need of constant pampering. See if you have one of these kinds of hardware stores in your area and have them do a search for you.

A SIX foot rod?? REALLY?? I can see a 4 foot rod in 1/8, but six foot is asking for rod whip and rod tip-off if you ask me... it's like a piece of spaghetti... the longer something is at a given size, the more it flexes over that length... eventually it gets SO wobbly it wants to keel over... that's where increasing the diameter or going to a harder material... six foot in the 3/16 or 1/4 is probably fine, especially the 1/4 inch rod... but I personally wouldn't go anywhere over 4 feet on a 1/8 rod... if you need a longer rod than that, better to go up to the next diameter up...

Later! OL JR

PS... I'd NEVER bother with a painted rod... being so close to motor heat and in the sun, it's just asking to get messed up and bind the rocket on the rod at the worst possible time... If you want a "no work" rod, go stainless or forget about it...

 

[John Beans]

No matter what you make them out of, they need cleaning every so often. Hard to beat stainless for standing up to some good scrubbing...

 

[MarkII]

I have never heard of painting launch rods. I can't imagine how it could possibly hold up very long. I have had a lot of success with plated steel rods, which are sort of like the poor man's stainless steel. Stainless steel is far and away the best material for launch rods, unless you want to get into something like tungsten or nickel alloy.

 

[hornet driver]

Best I've found is just wipe the rod down with silicone. MDS is great for bearings and such because it's darn near a non compressible --and works well with parts moving around each other in a pattern in close tolerances to each other-----because of thier viscosity at normal temps -oil related products don't work and tend to grab the parts they are lubricating--they are designed that way. Same with lithium--it sorta falls somewhere in between the two . Dry graphite is the cats meow but everything within a half mile will have it ---just messy---but , from my experience , it is the best lube for what we do--like I said just messy. Powder coating or electrolitic painting--while novel-and expensive-still require waxing or siliconing to get the least resistance and you have to adjust the rod size to accept the added paint area--headache!--Use the KISS rule here---

 

[Rocketbuilder]

I have never heard of painting launch rods. I can't imagine how it could possibly hold up very long. I have had a lot of success with plated steel rods, which are sort of like the poor man's stainless steel. Stainless steel is far and away the best material for launch rods, unless you want to get into something like tungsten or nickel alloy.

I've got a plated 3/16" rod that I haven't gotten around to launching off of yet, but all the regular steel rods at Lowe's were starting to rust and this one is bright and shiny! Cheap, too.

 

[BEAR]

It seems to me that you could steel wool your launch rods to get them shiny again and then coat them with Future floor wax and let it dry. Could that work for this issue?

 

[Micromeister]

I've only hear of one person ever attempting to Paint a launch rod. It was a kid who wanted the rod to match the launcher base.. held the rocket just like he had the tail nailed down LOL!

Doesn't make much sense to try painting or even keep on sanding steel rods when Stainless steel in 304 and 316 alloys is so easy and inexpensive to get. I have and am using Stainless Steel rods I purchased in the early 90's. 1/8" & 3/16" x 36". 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" x 72". They clean up with a squirt of fantastic on a paper towel or a bit of white vinager (for those AP burns) and need only a light rub with WD-40 or CRC-56 to keep them slick as can be. NEVER needing sandpaper again... Stainless is the only way to go!

 

[Gary Byrum]

A SIX foot rod?? REALLY?? I can see a 4 foot rod in 1/8, but six foot is asking for rod whip and rod tip-off if you ask me... it's like a piece of spaghetti... the longer something is at a given size, the more it flexes over that length... eventually it gets SO wobbly it wants to keel over... that's where increasing the diameter or going to a harder material... six foot in the 3/16 or 1/4 is probably fine, especially the 1/4 inch rod... but I personally wouldn't go anywhere over 4 feet on a 1/8 rod... if you need a longer rod than that, better to go up to the next diameter up...

Don't think I didn't consider this also but these rods aren't as "whipy" as one might imagine. The reason I got longer ones was because I have quite a few LPR models that are better than 3' tall and the traditional Estes type rods just weren't long enough. I could have played it safer and shopped for 4' rods but honestly, I've had absolutely no rod whips with these 6 footers. If there is any, it's hardly noticeable.

 

[Gary Byrum]

There are times I cursed living in a very small town but fortunately we have one of those "Mom & Pop" hardware stores that really came through for me on this note. I had them search steel rods for 1/8 & 3/16" widths.

I am in error here. Those were 3/16 & 1/4" rod widths. Still, they have a really chrome-like coating that may actually be lending itself to the rigidity of these rods. I have no complaints with them and I've used them a lot.

 

[rstaff3]

Don't think I didn't consider this also but these rods aren't as "whipy" as one might imagine. The reason I got longer ones was because I have quite a few LPR models that are better than 3' tall and the traditional Estes type rods just weren't long enough. I could have played it safer and shopped for 4' rods but honestly, I've had absolutely no rod whips with these 6 footers. If there is any, it's hardly noticeable.

If they aren't whipping, I guess that says your models are pretty stable before they get to those last two feet. Why that surprises me in that, in my experience, if there is any wind long rockets can whip a rod while it's just sitting on the pad. My solution was to put buttons on them and use my rail.

 

[BEAR]

I put 1010 rail buttons on my Estes Mean Machine so that I could have more stability at launch. Of course it is a little more radical with through the wall plywood fins and flying on 29mm motors, the largest yet being a CTI G-54. It also then launches from a pad that is further away, allowing for a little more safety and not in close on a launch rod, which seems too small at 48".

 

[rstaff3]

Even stock, the Mean Machine is a good choice for buttons. That's a perfect example for my previous post. For me, it also helps work around the scout groups that attend our low/mid powered launches. Our club usually has two banks or rods (1/8, 3/16) and provides three or four feeds to pads that people bring for their mid power flights. If I fly off my rail, I can fly on most every round when the rod banks are backed up.