The rocket is looking good, and very nice photos, high quality. What camera are you using?
Alcubierre Upscale (a Neil_W design)
- Thread starter SDramstad
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Nice!
Probably wont get much done on this for the next 2 weeks. Midwest power is fast upon us and I need to get everything ready.
Is the ring notched for the fins to slide into? Are you using a half-lap joint?
Notched both the ring and the wings so the ring slides all the way up on the wings. Havent glued it yet. Going to wait until the paint job is mostly done and the ring is finished
Edit Had to look up "half lap joint". Yes I am
I once made my living as a woodworker.Notched both the ring and the wings so the ring slides all the way up on the wings. Havent glued it yet. Going to wait until the paint job is mostly done and the ring is finished
Edit Had to look up "half lap joint". Yes I am
And I am back! Had to take some time for Midwest Power, Thanksgiving and Xmas. Between that and work trips I havent had much time for rocketry... Anyway, I finished the fillets using Rocketpoxy. Then did a bit of sanding and a quick coat of primer. On the ring I did a bit of sanding and a shot of clearcoat. Still need to do more sanding-primer-clearcoar (repeat until fingers ache) Honestly I aim for a 15 foot finish. Will try to do a bit more finishing work on this particular build but nothing like Neil does. This rocket is going to fly and get beat up in the process so trying to get that mirror finish seems like a waste of time for me.... Anyway a couple of pictures to show progress.
Hopefully more progress soon.
Hopefully more progress soon.
Nytrunner
Pop lugs, not drugs
That's looking real good!
My 2 cents is to get a handheld orbital sander and some 220 and 320 grit pads. Takes a lot of the tedium out of sanding and filling large rockets
My 2 cents is to get a handheld orbital sander and some 220 and 320 grit pads. Takes a lot of the tedium out of sanding and filling large rockets
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Yesterday I picked up my Wildman Eagle Claw Sport while at QCRS. It will be first in line to build right after I finish the 4 kits currently in progress....
Some progress has been made along with a short detour. Was talking about fiber glass dust on another post and asked about a down draft table. Making one has been in the back of my mind (way back there) but couldnt decide on how to top it. Someone mentioned using pegboard and I was like 
why didnt I think of that????? So a quick trip to Lowes and this is it.
Some pegboard, 2x6's and an old sheet of plywood and there it is. Plugged in my shop vac and it works. Not a great deal of suction but enough to pull in the real fine dust that you are likely to inhale. I may build another small one that I can use when cutting tubes. Should get more suction through each hole if the whole thing is only 9 inches square.
Anyway, doing the primer and sanding bit still. The ring is not glued in yet so I can pull it off when I paint the rocket. Speaking of painting. I need some ideas. Was thinking about copying Neil's paint job but am open to other ideas too. Anyone have any thoughts?
Steve
why didnt I think of that????? So a quick trip to Lowes and this is it.Some pegboard, 2x6's and an old sheet of plywood and there it is. Plugged in my shop vac and it works. Not a great deal of suction but enough to pull in the real fine dust that you are likely to inhale. I may build another small one that I can use when cutting tubes. Should get more suction through each hole if the whole thing is only 9 inches square.
Anyway, doing the primer and sanding bit still. The ring is not glued in yet so I can pull it off when I paint the rocket. Speaking of painting. I need some ideas. Was thinking about copying Neil's paint job but am open to other ideas too. Anyone have any thoughts?
Steve
That downdraft table looks awesome.
This is where I ask about the pods and the canards, would have thought those (or the canards, at minimum) would go on before primer?
As for paint schemes... I was quite happy with the one I did but it was a good bit of work masking the various curves. If I had to change one thing it would probably be to go back to the chevrons on top, rather than those pointy things I ended up with.
Unfortunately, once I lock in on a paint scheme, I have a very hard time picturing anything significantly different. So I will be not much help to you here (unless you want decal art that I used, in which case I can oblige).
What sort of design do you favor in general? Simple, complex, lots of decals or not, etc.? The only thing I would say for sure is that it should have a cockpit decal. Could also go with windows on the side if you want to go in that direction.
This is where I ask about the pods and the canards, would have thought those (or the canards, at minimum) would go on before primer?
As for paint schemes... I was quite happy with the one I did but it was a good bit of work masking the various curves. If I had to change one thing it would probably be to go back to the chevrons on top, rather than those pointy things I ended up with.
Unfortunately, once I lock in on a paint scheme, I have a very hard time picturing anything significantly different. So I will be not much help to you here (unless you want decal art that I used, in which case I can oblige).
What sort of design do you favor in general? Simple, complex, lots of decals or not, etc.? The only thing I would say for sure is that it should have a cockpit decal. Could also go with windows on the side if you want to go in that direction.
Canards and pods are coming. Have the final coating of epoxy drying on the tube I made for that and I will have to sand some primer off of the body tube for the canards but that's not a big deal. Cutting the canards out is probably the next thing to do. I have some ramjet looking nose cones for the pods that are made out of balsa. Will have to do some finishing work on them. Balsa nose cones are something I havent done much with before this. Will need to research some techniques for that
Don't forget the fins on the outside of the pods!
(God I'm annoying)
Anyway:
If you just want to smooth them, I recommend Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Filler. Thin it a bit to mustard consistency, spread it on and sand when dry. After a coat of filler/primer on top it'll be smooth.
Folks are also having good luck with Zinsser BIN... paint and then sand.
If you want extra strength (not sure if needed in that location) then you can harden the surface of the balsa with thin CA.
Nice table, that is a good idea.
And I love that Wallaby licorice
And I love that Wallaby licorice
On the subject of paint, I really like Neil's high gloss dark red base color BUT it might be too dark for the larger object. Dark but less dark might be better. Beyond that, I don't have any idea; my rockets will show just how uncreative I am in that area.
Well my original thought was to use Rusto Satin Magenta; switched to the Cranberry when I couldn't find the former in my local stores.
I still think the Satin Magenta would be striking.
Especially with bright silver highlights and trim.
Probably going to keep the ring and pods as black carbon fiber. Will see if I can find the satin magenta from duplicolor, (or as close as I can find). Maybe fins and wings in silver?? along with the cockpit details.
Let me throw that into an OR model and we'll see what it looks like.
By the way, the fit of the ring looks fantastic. Would love to see a pic just before insertion, showing how it mates.
By the way, the fit of the ring looks fantastic. Would love to see a pic just before insertion, showing how it mates.
Let me throw that into an OR model and we'll see what it looks like.
By the way, the fit of the ring looks fantastic. Would love to see a pic just before insertion, showing how it mates.
Here it is.
First the ring.
And the tail end.
part way in
and a close up
and all the way in.
What I did was after I finished the ring I cut 2 slots exactly across from each other about 2/3 as deep as I thought I would need. Slid that partway onto the wings and after I was sure it was centered marked the wing slots. Cut them out enough that I could push the ring up against the fins. I had cut the fins a bit long to start with. Then trimmed the fins until the ring slipped over them. Finished cutting out the wing and ring slots until it fit. Was quite pleased with how it worked out. Will leave gluing the ring on until the last thing so I can finish up the paint job on the rocket. Painting it with the ring in place would be a real pain.
Nice work!
And pod progress!! Finished the epoxy coating on the tube for the pod last night and let it dry. Today I cut it in half, about 8 inches long each. Then test fit the "Ram Jet" intake.
Cut the slot in the side with a dremel tool. My down draft table didnt have a lot of suction and cutting the carbon fiber slot throws up a great deal of carbon dust. It is really nasty stuff. To increase the suction I covered up most of the table which really increased the air flow under where I was cutting.
Worked perfectly. Had thought I would need to build a smaller down draft table for cutting tubes but this worked so well I wont need to.
Dry fit of the pods.
So far so good.
Cut the slot in the side with a dremel tool. My down draft table didnt have a lot of suction and cutting the carbon fiber slot throws up a great deal of carbon dust. It is really nasty stuff. To increase the suction I covered up most of the table which really increased the air flow under where I was cutting.
Worked perfectly. Had thought I would need to build a smaller down draft table for cutting tubes but this worked so well I wont need to.
Dry fit of the pods.
So far so good.
Will there be tail cones either on the airframe or the pods? Want to have it correct on my OR model.
(looks awesome BTW)
In the meantime here's my first cut. It's my paint scheme, minus decals, with simplified masking, black carbon fiber, and Satin Magenta instead of Cranberry.
I felt like the front needed something in black to counter the black in the rear, so I added just that extra ring around the nose. I would probably like a bit more silver in it if possible. If you're up for masking those chevrons on top of the body it would be an improvement I think.
I would *definitely* use something lighter than the cranberry to contrast better against the black carbon fiber. The Satin Magenta feels like the darkest I would go.
Just a starting point for visualization, if you're going to do something at all similar to my paint scheme. If you want to try something totally different, or adjust something here, let me know.
(looks awesome BTW)
In the meantime here's my first cut. It's my paint scheme, minus decals, with simplified masking, black carbon fiber, and Satin Magenta instead of Cranberry.
I felt like the front needed something in black to counter the black in the rear, so I added just that extra ring around the nose. I would probably like a bit more silver in it if possible. If you're up for masking those chevrons on top of the body it would be an improvement I think.
I would *definitely* use something lighter than the cranberry to contrast better against the black carbon fiber. The Satin Magenta feels like the darkest I would go.
Just a starting point for visualization, if you're going to do something at all similar to my paint scheme. If you want to try something totally different, or adjust something here, let me know.
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Was thinking silver on the wings and fins also. If I put tail cones on the pods I will have to shorten them. I have 2 more ramjet nosecones. Thought about putting those on the back of the pods too. Also the main body tailcone is black
Been wanting to use Dupli-color paint for this but havent been able to find magenta listed. Anyone know of a lacquer based satin magenta spray paint?
Needn’t be wedded to the magenta. What other colors are available that are sort of “similar” in brightness and saturation?
SD, I just went to Dupli-Color's website and I couldn't find anything in the magenta range. You might need to decide on a different manufacturer.
