A second coat, with the high-heat silver did improve the appearance. Its not up to the standard of the more experienced folks here, but I will be able to hold my head up when I present it at the RSO table. I cut the centering rings and cut the motor mount tube last night. I built a baffle for this, but I've decided to leave it out for the L1 attempt. I am printing a skin for the body tube now. I also cut a piece of BT5 for the conduit. It'll cover the seam in the skin, and also hide a pair of launch lugs (I am putting rail buttons on the other side of the airframe).
With your concerns for the fins strength have you thought of laminating the fins with fiberglass? This might also help cover the tool marks.
Thanks. I considered it, but I my experience with fiberglass begins and ends with the G10 cores I cut for these fins. Figuring out how to model the fin in Fusion 360, coming up with a strategies to mill it and assemble it, was as much learning as I can manage for this project. Figuring out how to cut fiberglass sheet stock (and why I must NEVER do that again. It just about ruined an expensive endmill) was a bonus. Wrapping a complex shape with fiberglass -- an unfamiliar material, and completely new technique, would mean more time, effort, and expense than I can afford. High power launches are infrequent, and far away from where I live. I need to finish this in time to launch next week.
I undertook this project now because my hours are a little reduced for the summer -- giving me an extra day and a half off every week. Still, I am squeezed for time.
Nevertheless,on the advice of friends in the club, I stole a few hours to start a second rocket --
Plan B in case The WAC Corporal does something embarrassing. I have a spare piece of BT80H and heavy plastic 2.56" ogive nosecone. I designed it to be tough and quick to assemble -- 6.25 mm plywood for the fins and all the centering rings. Long pieces of coupler stock reinforcing the top and bottom of the body tube. Surprisingly, OpenRocket says it'll go about 150 meters higher than the WAC Corporal on the same H182 motor. Take that for what its worth.
My only indulgence, because it's just a few more mouse clicks. was to design the fins with a graduated chamfer -- so that the bevel gets a little steeper closer to the edge. The most time consuming part of cutting on the CNC, after doing the CAD/CAM, is setting up the tool. Once the job is running, you can do other stuff in the shop. I was painting and cutting cardboard while the robot cut these. The fancy bevel won't do much aerodynamically, but I've got some metallic orange paint. It'll look cool.