Lunch time Bullpup

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I am a multicraft maintenance guy that has recently gotten back into rocketry, and I have been enjoying building fin jigs, alignment tools, work stands and launch pads.

Wow, Scott nice work. thanks for sharing. I have to research launch pads next. I would like to have a launch pad that can handle multiple size lug rods. great job on your custom tools and fixtures. It's part of the fun figuring out possible better ways to do things.

Today I have to decide which direction to go regarding paint and finishes. I have bought several paints and returned them as I changed my mind. I think I am going to shoot for Semi gloss or Satin paint with just a regular 2x primer. I also need to look around the forum a tad to learn how to wet sand or prep the model during the primer stage.

One of the first post I read when I came here to the forums were by EXPjawa. His red Nova build and paint work were top notch. :) I felt like UPS'ing my kit to him with a blank check I admired his work so much. (jk!)
 
Glued the Launch lug in place at the recommended spot. Last clay being rolled into the nose cone. As I was opening and closing doors in my roll away tool box trying to locate a tool to mash the clash, my wife suggested a wooden skewer might work. I did not think it would but it worked perfectly, the dull end. (Thankful for the suggestion) I used the fluorescent shop-light to view inside the nose cone (side profile) to make sure the clay took place fairly symmetrical inside within.
 

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After a few days of paint coats and drying times. I sprayed a layer of satin Clear. This Bullpup is taking shape and is ready for decals. I am a little nervous. I remember as a kid botching a few decals here and there on my plastic models, etc..
Last photo is a painting jig I made to hold the rocket during the coating process.
 

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That looks excellent.

In general, you're best off with gloss underneath the decals, to avoid silvering, and then apply non-gloss clear-coat to the whole finished rocket.

That said, satin finish on a white (or nearly white) base coat will probably work out OK as a decal base. I got away with similar on my IRIS-T build, but I don't plan to make a habit of it.
 
Also, with waterslide decals, I’ve learned:

1) add a little wood glue to the water
2) wear powder free rubber gloves - I’ve ruined more decals with fingerprints than any other problem
3) avoid concave curves, this is my #1 cause of decals folding under themselves
4) I don’t cut them out with a scalpel, no matter how hard I try (ie several light passes to cut etc) , they always end up with a small downward ridge that prevents them laying flat
 
Thanks you guys for the tips and links. I will look at these links in a few moments.
Decals: I am wondering if it matters if I cut them all out before I start and if I should apply them from left to right being right handed. I was thinking if I started from the right, Its I work to the left side my right hand might drag across what i already finished. Just over thinking like usual before I have even attempted the feat.
 
Tonight I felt like giving the dreaded decals a try. There is definitely a flow and smooth touch one must try to muster while applying these decals. Patience, timing, accuracy, etc. I do not think I'll try to seat all the decals in the same sitting next time. I noticed I did bump or agitate a finished decal while working on others. That was a fear I had before I started. I managed to add a drop of water and work it in and put it back in the original position. Only happened once.

I found the thin band around the circumference to be the hardest. I learned half way through the process I could cut closer to the decal than I thought when I started. All and all I am OK with the decal progress. My expectations were lowered a bit not knowing what to expect. Whoever prayed for me before I started, thank you!

So, I may have messed up. Is there really a right side or left side on a rocket? I had the NC pointed to the right when I started I was working the one side or the one direction, NC to the right. I think I should have finished ALL the decals with maybe the nose committed to that side. Somehow I managed when I got 180 degree around to turn the NC to the left. So I may have goofed that up a little, still un-sure whats the right thought on this. I would love clarification for the future or next rocket. Oof!

Tomorrow I hope to spray another clear coat over the decals.
 

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Fantastic job, Brian. And as far as the "correct" way, that is the way that you feel most comfortable with. BTW, is that a light gray or white basecoat? Looks like a light gray on my monitor.
 
????

I’ve never heard this before. Where’d you come up with it? What does it do exactly?

Apogee video.

Had Estes decals that weren’t sticking well post dry. This fixed them.
 
Thanks guys!! I appreciate the help, support, and encouragement. I think I some how I fooled the camera sensor on my iphone shooting against a white panel in my garage. The rocket was painted with 2x satin white. I remember in a photography class reading about camera sensor and tips shooting in the snow to get white snow vs gray. I better re-visit shooting whites on whites. I will take some better pictures with a different back ground once I spray and complete the clear coat.
 
Rockets can have names/logos that read up or down from nose to fins. (Most textbook spines read downwards, sport-type rockets tend to read upwards.) Some missile-type rockets have words that read right side up on both sides of the rocket when the rocket is in a horizontal cradle, like when loading it on the wing of a plane. So, I think your Bull Pup decals are consistent with the scale-missile convention to have the text orientation readable right side up on both sides of the rocket when lying on the side. Facecards usually only show us one side as a guideline, so part of the fun of decorating scale or semi-scale rockets is to look for photographic references of the real things to try to emulate that, if that is your goal.

also consistent with the Centuri Bulldog:
https://web.archive.org/web/2005012...g:80/JimZ/centuri/cen5354_Bulldog/cen5354.pdf
 
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Thanks guys!! I appreciate the help, support, and encouragement. I think I some how I fooled the camera sensor on my iphone shooting against a white panel in my garage. The rocket was painted with 2x satin white. I remember in a photography class reading about camera sensor and tips shooting in the snow to get white snow vs gray. I better re-visit shooting whites on whites. I will take some better pictures with a different back ground once I spray and complete the clear coat.
Cameras with non-intelligent metering tend to shoot for an average 18% grey. Very easy to crank up the exposure with a basic photo editor.
 
Tonight I snapped off a few shots of the finished rocket in my living room. Only one more thing left to do.. Launch it soon.
 

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Last picture, a vertical one. I made my own rocket stand the other day at work. Aluminum base (black anodize), tapered stem (red anodize), with a delrin motor replica.

Going to start an Estes Red Nova next. It's been a horrible week and hope to get lost in building.
 

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You might be the only newbie who thinks custom machining purpose-build jigs is the easy part! I sit here reading, bright green with envy. Great job on the rocket!

And outstanding work on the tooling. If you were so inclined, you could probably make a nice side business out of that. I'd probably be a customer.
 
And outstanding work on the tooling. If you were so inclined, you could probably make a nice side business out of that. I'd probably be a customer.
thank you for the kind comments.
i need to edit my signature or get a bumper sticker that reads, Will work for rockets.

I’m currently building an Estes Red nova. I made some changes to my jig and it has improved . I also made an additional support jig that stays between the two sets of fins. I machined it so it has a break away feature. More on that soon.
 
Beautiful Bullpup! I'm away from work for two weeks (vacation.....finally!) and am suffering withdrawals from turning out custom fabricated goodies. I'm going to make a few stands when I get back, although I have no way to anodize them. I'll stick with brushed finishes or knurled surfaces!
I've gotten into building launch pads from 6061 and 1.5" x 2.00" tubing. I've got a decent design, need to make adapters for 1" rail. All we have at work is 50mm rail, we build robot cell enclosures and fixtures out of it.
 
Kirksey-88591_DSK8859.jpg Kirksey-88602_DSK8860.jpg Kirksey-88613_DSK8861.jpg IMG_1730.jpg Today was my first Launch-day at Snow Ranch! What a beautiful place to experience rocketry. The people I met were just amazing. It was great meeting Swatkat and Eric for the first time. Bill, thank you, you were a huge help to me. You filled in many of the blanks I had not even thought of asking. All the little important things. The bullpup has now been airborne with a nice flight. I actually hadd a hard time leaving I had so much fun, felt really good, thank you all.
 
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