What did you do rocket wise today?

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I put the final clear coat on my LOC BBX. I also put away all my building stuff back in the bins until the next project strikes. I must say I am very pleased with how the BBX turned out and can wait to fly it.
 
@GalantVR41062 I can't believe I missed your Viking build thread!

I've always wanted to build a rocket entirely from Lowes....that is an awesome project.
 
TurbulentSphere said:
I flew the Congreve today on an E12, and it was stable for most of the flight. It pitched over at the very end of the burn, so I might make a new nose cone with slightly more nose weight. Overall it flew better than I thought.
Click to expand...

That looked like a pretty good flight to me for a finless rocket.

For "bottle" rockets like this, the rocket should balance on your finger if you place it just below the base of the engine. You often have to adjust the length of the stick to get the balance point correct. I have no idea why, but that makes it stable. (I assume the Chinese figured that out centuries ago.)
 
Installed the recovery mount and motor block on my Mach 1 Micro Mamba.

Peeled the glassine off my LaserLOC 2.23 so I can do a tip to tip fiberglass on the fincan.

Ordered AND paid for the LabRat BT60 nosecone mount (The Works) for an EggFinder Mini to go in my Chimera BT60 (Thanks Chris!) Now I have to follow up with Mach 1 as my kit came with a white plastic nosecone instead of the fiberglass upgrade nosecone I paid for.

Researched and found a MakerBeam 10mm x 10mm x 900mm rail on Amazon for launching the Micro Mamba.

Laid down some Titebond Thick and Goopy fillets on my wee Luna Bug.

BTW, UFOs are real. Department of Defense released actual video yesterday. No word on “aliens”, tho.
 
I panted a rocket that has been sitting in primer for 5 (almost 6) years... :facepalm:

FFA7E8CB-1B0A-458B-8484-8DC61DC08BAC.jpeg

it’s a “silver age” batrock (my second one- the first was last seen in the skies above snow ranch 10ish years ago.

It’s not quite finished yet, I need to re-mask and touch up some spots where the tape pulled paint, and there are a couple of bright yellow accents that I want to add.

Also it seems I’ve forgotten how to rotate images...
 
After dealing with the credit card company right before I planned on heading off to bed I realized sleep would be hard to come by.

The continuing story of the Micro Mamba and the MakerBeam 10mmx10mm launch rail: How do I mount it at the launch?

7E404E20-196E-49FF-A8FE-90E7356C98D2.jpeg
Long time TRF followers will recognize the photo style of Micromeister.

He was on top of it back in 2014.

No man truly dies until there’s no one left who remembers him.

“I drink to the man and I drink to his shade...” — Robert E. Howard
 
I did everything short of through-the-wall fins. I riveted (poked small holes) in both the fins and the BT. I stripped the glassine from the fin and fillet area, and used the 2 step glue method. I will be filleting them soon. This baby is going to use 24 mm motors. I may try something larger than an "E" eventually.
20200429_112636.jpg
I remember, as a young rocketeer, being mystified by the wonderfully filleted fin being held in one hand and staring at the clean spot on the rocket where the fin just was. I knew I glued it well. What going on.? I don't expect that to happen with this rocket.
 
Working on my Boosted Bertha. Modding the kit to use 24mm engines with TTW ply fins for the sustainer. My Big Bertha will go slow, the Boosted Bertha will go fast and high.
 
Finished gluing parts of 52nd scale Saturn V on to the blue tube. Sanding fillets, cleaned gun for clear coat. Printing last part of Soyuz rocket. Will dry assemble in a bit. Cleaned shop, that was a joke. Dirty again.
 
Priming part 3 going on today on Zyphyr... Had worked a lot this last week on sanding and getting the issues worked. Hope today goes well as I’m trying to get color on this week. Moved from basement to garage to tone down the smell for family.. LOL, they do not like the smell of Primer and Paint as I do!!!

19466A84-48DE-4899-8FBC-7E2FAE4DE537.jpeg
 
I tripped over my custom Astro-Cam and Rastro-Cam carriers from the '90s and my vid-roc carrier from the '00s. Soon to be repurposed as a newer style vid-roc carriers as soon as my eBay spy-cams get here from that literal slow boat from China.
 
Vdutel said:
Priming part 3 going on today on Zyphyr... Had worked a lot this last week on sanding and getting the issues worked. Hope today goes well as I’m trying to get color on this week. Moved from basement to garage to tone down the smell for family.. LOL, they do not like the smell of Primer and Paint as I do!!!

View attachment 414312
Click to expand...
If the wife and I are having a disagreement, I just open a can of Imron in the basement.
 
SBR/Fusion Thor fins are in the bag for side 1. Each side of the fin will get one layer each of 7oz fiberglass cloth and a layer of 5 or 6oz Carbon Fiber 2x2 twill from Soller Composites. Current vacuum pressure is at 29-30" Hg, I will leave them at that pressure for 5 hours then trim the excess turn them over and repeat.

20200429_142759.jpg20200429_143323.jpg20200429_142814.jpg20200429_142829.jpg
 
Charles_McG said:
I’m working on an upscale - but don’t plan to try and glide it.
Click to expand...
Me as well, but not a glider, I am scaling the Interceptor E parts to the T204 airframe from BMS as its easier to get, cheaper, and will likely be around longer than the PSII 2" stuff. The upscale is about 101.5% and I am printing the tailcone as a test.
 
rharshberger said:
SBR/Fusion Thor fins are in the bag for side 1. Each side of the fin will get one layer each of 7oz fiberglass cloth and a layer of 5 or 6oz Carbon Fiber 2x2 twill from Soller Composites. Current vacuum pressure is at 29-30" Hg, I will leave them at that pressure for 5 hours then trim the excess turn them over and repeat.

View attachment 414339View attachment 414340View attachment 414341View attachment 414342
Click to expand...
Rich, is that mylar covering fin/cloth sandwich in picture number three? No vacuum bag?

Questions because my LaserLOC minimum diameter kit came with 4oz cloth to laminate the fins tip to tip. Of course, only minimum instructions...
 
o1d_dude said:
Rich, is that mylar covering fin/cloth sandwich in picture number three? No vacuum bag?

Questions because my LaserLOC minimum diameter kit came with 4oz cloth to laminate the fins tip to tip. Of course, only minimum instructions...
Click to expand...
The stack in order is 1)Sheet of particle board with edges rounded 1/8" radius, then covered with mylar sheet (parchement paper works too, its just to keep from having a wood to wood possible bond), fins were stuck to it using a loop of green masking tape (on bottom of fin), epoxy applied to top surface, fiberglass laid down and more epoxy added, then carbon laid down and a bit more epoxy added, then a layer of polyester or nylon peel ply (blue cloth like stuff), then cotton quilt batting as a breather (its cheap and easy to get a JoAnn's Fabrics) and it absorbs the excess resin, the whole stack on the board is put into a vacuum bag made of a tubular material (from ACP Composites iirc) and the blue strips at each end of the bag are a channel (kind of like a pvc pipe with a slot cut in it that another one snaps into to seal the ends, also from ACP Composites), ACP calls them Quick Locks, the bags are nylon, all of the Vac Bagging stuff came from ACP Composites. I no longer use mylar as a layer on the laminate stack as the peel ply pulls off and while its textured another thin layer of epoxy makes it clear again easy, even sanding the cured epoxy wont harm a clear finish as long as another coat is put over it. I am going to wait until tomorrow to do the second side of the fins so I can route the holes in the fins out so I dont loose them when the other side gets covered.

Edit: Pict 3 yes that is actually Drafting Film (Mylarish...from Hobby Lobby) laid down as a anti stick layer between the board and the fins (fins are stuck to it temporarily by a loop of green masking tape on bottom, its a bear if things are moving around while trying to wet out the cloth's.
 
rharshberger said:
The stack in order is 1)Sheet of particle board with edges rounded 1/8" radius, then covered with mylar sheet (parchement paper works too, its just to keep from having a wood to wood possible bond), fins were stuck to it using a loop of green masking tape (on bottom of fin), epoxy applied to top surface, fiberglass laid down and more epoxy added, then carbon laid down and a bit more epoxy added, then a layer of polyester or nylon peel ply (blue cloth like stuff), then cotton quilt batting as a breather (its cheap and easy to get a JoAnn's Fabrics) and it absorbs the excess resin, the whole stack on the board is put into a vacuum bag made of a tubular material (from ACP Composites iirc) and the blue strips at each end of the bag are a channel (kind of like a pvc pipe with a slot cut in it that another one snaps into to seal the ends, also from ACP Composites), ACP calls them Quick Locks, the bags are nylon, all of the Vac Bagging stuff came from ACP Composites. I no longer use mylar as a layer on the laminate stack as the peel ply pulls off and while its textured another thin layer of epoxy makes it clear again easy, even sanding the cured epoxy wont harm a clear finish as long as another coat is put over it. I am going to wait until tomorrow to do the second side of the fins so I can route the holes in the fins out so I dont loose them when the other side gets covered.

Edit: Pict 3 yes that is actually Drafting Film (Mylarish...from Hobby Lobby) laid down as a anti stick layer between the board and the fins (fins are stuck to it temporarily by a loop of green masking tape on bottom, its a bear if things are moving around while trying to wet out the cloth's.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the explanation. Very helpful.
 
Yesterday I finished up the fillets on the Frenzy XL and added two more sets of fillets on the Nike Smoke. Today I did the final set of fillets on the Nike and set it out in the sun to harden, then brought it in to start sanding.
A while back, I posted up pic's of my Nike with fillets done with Titebond "Quick & Thick":
IMG_2598.jpg

There was some discussion about the structural integrity of that glue, so I added some Rocketpoxy:
Nike sanded fillets.jpg

And another coat of primer today:
Nike fillets primered.jpg

I also cleaned up and organized my power tool table:
IMG_2642.jpg
 

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