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Got all this good stuff in the Mail!:) Got even more stuff, but it was not Rocket related.

 
I too(like topramen) got some goodies today in the mail.
Picture 4544.jpg
 
I sat in the office and surfed through the forum. I'm starting to go into withdrawl so I am thinking of stopping at the LHS down from my hotel and see what they have that can be built in my room, then mail home. I have several more weeks, so I'll prolly need to do it a few times.

Rumor is we are taking a 3 day over the Easter weekend, I think it is a perfect time for a trip to Wright-Patterson.
 
Sanded several and built another. Based around a SEMROC BNC50-AJ, a long eliptical cone. I gave it 3 eliptical fins and a 12" 'chute. I started useing Tite-Bond ll and I'm likeing it, the fin glueline sets up fast and the fillets come out nice. I've been useing SEMROC 60# Kevlar for recovery mounts, I'm getting to like that better than the "W" fold style of mount.

Tomorrow is supposed to be around 70*, I'll be getting some painting done then. Been in kind of a funk after my mom passed but I'm coming out of it ...slowly :)

Actually I like the kevlar thread so much I just went to eBay and bought 100' of thread. Should make a lot of recovery slings ;)
 
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Cut fins and sanded centering rings for an upscale Astro-1.

Spray painted an ancient FSI Nova. Bright shiny red. I'll paint the nose cone and transition black. Maybe a fin, too.

Cleaned up an MPC Moon Go. After the paint is totally dry I'll compound it and put on replacement decals. It might fly on Sunday!
 
Did some more work on the Goblin 5.5 nose cone and av-bay.

Washed the nose cone (it's fiberglass) and started sanding the mold lines. Cut out several large 1/4" baltic ply disks from which I will make a centering ring to mount inside the nosecone (just above the shoulder). The second large bulk plate will be used to mount the electronics sled in the method John Coker shows in his video on this subject. I'll be using a 1" long piece of 3" coupler epoxied to the bulkplate to define the width of the cavity. Once the sled is defined, drilled, and pre-wired, I'll epoxy it inside the short coupler to the bulkplate. All connections and switching will be mounted to the bulkplate as well so that the "guts" of the av-bay can slide out of the nose cone cavity for maintenance, charging, etc. The bulkplate is larger in diameter than the coupler so the excess size acts like a mounting flange. Blind nuts in the centering ring and screws will be used to secure the bulkplate to the centering ring and seal the av-bay.

Sounds complicated so I should probably post a picture of the arrangement when it's complete.
 
Got some switches from Perfectflite, and also started research for some epoxy based igniters...
 
Put a bunch of Super Thin CA on a big Balsa Nose Cone for my Scratch Build and put some more Primer on my Viper III Nose Cone.
 
blackbrandt said:
Also started trying to find magnesium powder.... Hard to find anywhere....
Click to expand...


Amazon.com should have some under "Lab Chemicals".
Sadly, it used to be easy to order up a bunch of it in various Mesh Sizes from places like Pyrotech, but then Terrorists ruined the Joy of Pyrotechnics for all of us harmless Hobbyists.
 
What I have done in rocketry today? Nothing.

I didn’t do anything yesterday or the day before nor am I going to do anything tomorrow or the day after.

In fact I’m not going to do anything with regards to rocketry until/unless I get a chance to actually launch any of the dozen or so rockets I already have completed and have never flown, since the last opportunity I had to actually launch.

That would have been mid November 2013.

I was planning to go to Argonia this weekend for “Kloud Burst” but the weather over the weekend looks cruddy, what else is new? and I’m not up for a four hour drive, that would be one-way, on the slim chance I might get to launch one or two rockets.

The way things are going around my neck of the rolling prairie I might have to wait until Air Fest in SEPTEMBER!!! before I get a launch window.

I am becoming very disillusioned with this hobby and my participation in it.

Rant Button now in off position.
 
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blackbrandt said:
Following this recipe... It calls for 300 mesh. That is the hard part. All of the stuff I am finding is shavings.
Click to expand...

You may have to "Bite the Bullet" and just order from a Pyro Supply Company, then just explain yourself when you get the Visit from the Regional BATFE Guy accompanied by your local Sheriff.
As long as you are not making Flash Powder, and have your Fuels and Oxidizers stored separately and safely, they will leave you alone.
Be Polite, and offer them Coffee. They're just doing their Jobs. Likely they will be impressed with your Rocket Hobby.
 
boomtube said:
Well if you can’t participate in the hobby; what’s the point of participating in the hobby?

98% of the time I am right and the other 3% doesn't count.
Click to expand...

Can't you find any place closer to Home to launch a Rocket? Do all your Rockets require a Waiver?
 
I simply must have the simplest igniter recepie ever and no BATFE chemicals are used.

1] wire I found at at yardsale. Thousands of feet of military Korean War era 2 conductor field phone wire. I think it's aluminum but it doesn't matter, just means it can't be soldered.

2] NiChrome I bought from someone here, 36 and 40 gauge. Both work equally good, the 40 takes more wraps is all.

3] thick CA.

4] old 4th of July sparkler ground up in a wooden morter and pestel. It's the sparkler that's hard to get now. You need the old kind with a wire and not the newer ones with a reed for a stick. The chemicals use are bound in what looks to be some sort of latex or weird glue, whatever they use it just won't work. The old sparklers used something more brittle and there was a lot less of it. They are mostly magnesium with some titanium mixed in. The colors can add to the fireball, blue sparklers use strontium to color for instance.

You know, I think I should try to do a video, I've been working on learning but...
 
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Boomtube:

DARS high power launch in Gunter, TX on the 26th. I don't know where in OK you are, but you are welcome if we're in driving distance. The ceiling is 1 mile incidentally.
 
TopRamen said:
You may have to "Bite the Bullet" and just order from a Pyro Supply Company, then just explain yourself when you get the Visit from the Regional BATFE Guy accompanied by your local Sheriff.
As long as you are not making Flash Powder, and have your Fuels and Oxidizers stored separately and safely, they will leave you alone.
Be Polite, and offer them Coffee. They're just doing their Jobs. Likely they will be impressed with your Rocket Hobby.
Click to expand...
Do you have experience with this? If so, shoot me an email, I have a few questions for you.

Thanks!!

Matt



Sent from my iPhone using Rocketry Forum
 
During one of my "not so good for me or my budget" browsings of Ebay [sub heading rocketry], came across a pre Estes NCR Lance Beta. Wohoo! Bid on it and got it for only $34.00!!! Cost me $29.xx to ship because it came from Canada :facepalm: Oh well. Pretty good deal and the kit looks fabulous!

Adrian
 
Put half the Excelsior decals on my old school scratch built Polaris. I'll get the rest done this weekend.

Helped my son with his Big Daddy primer sanding (helped him get some of the runs out). Surprised that he actually wanted to prime it rather than jump right to paint. He now wants to put a second coat so we bought another can of primer. He told me last night at bedtime that he wanted to get his Level 1. Precious moments.
 

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