Rail Buttons

[wdbill]

I used hot glue to glue the upper rail Button into a loc vulcanite. I thought it was an ok idea I would have rather used epoxy but it rather far down the body tube. Its not a structure point. Good or bad idea let me know thanks

 

[wdbill]

I glued a 6/32 t-nut into the body tube with the threads sticking through a small hole.

 

[o1d_dude]

I glued a 6/32 t-nut into the body tube with the threads sticking through a small hole.

I’d have gone with epoxy but a t-nut through the body tube wall is a fairly typical rail button mounting method.

 

[DaveW6DPS]

Why would "hot glue" have any place in rocketry? Particularly on an important-to-safety component?

There are numerous ways to mount rail guides. None of the reasonable ones include hot glue!

 

[GalantVR41062]

With a tnut style rail button the tnut takes the majority of the load, any type of glue used besides CA glue or JB weld/epoxy would do fine holding it in place until the rail button is screwed on from the outside.

Jb weld/epoxy or CA would make the tnut mount more ridged to the inside of the airframe.

I am trying to get away from tnut rail buttons mounts and utilize the top and bottom centering rings as a mounting point for my rail buttons.

 

[Glasspack]

I cant even imagine thinking "Hot Glue" would be used for anything in model rocketry.....
I wouldn't have used it, But you are LVL 2 Certified ready…...right?

That's just my two cents

 

[o1d_dude]

There actually is a method involving string and a “needle” that allows a builder to run the t-nut down the string and into the hole in the body tube wall from the inside.

I have never used it but the method is quite clever.

 

[JDcluster]

Use conformal rail guides. They are meant to be glued to the tubes. Hot glue will probably fail at ignition.

 

[Cl(VII)]

Can’t get much easier than this: https://www.labratrocketry.com/product-page/conformal-rail-button-nuts

 

[wdbill]

What could potentially happen? The t-nut get pulled through the body tube. Same thing could happen with epoxy. The hot glue is to help hold the nut in place so that you can attach the button

 

[wdbill]

I cant even imagine thinking "Hot Glue" would be used for anything in model rocketry.....
I wouldn't have used it, But you are LVL 2 Certified ready…...right?

That's just my two cents

Been L2 for 25 years. And back then we all used launch lugs even on M motors. Someone launch a M off my pad using a 1/2" rod and the rocket was a loc bruser a cardboard and plywood rocket. I just wanted to try something different so I used hot glue.

 

[rharshberger]

Been L2 for 25 years. And back then we all used launch lugs even on M motors. Someone launch a M off my pad using a 1/2" rod and the rocket was a loc bruser a cardboard and plywood rocket. I just wanted to try something different so I used hot glue.

Hot Glue is used a fair amount for mocking up before final assembly. While its not good for structural purposes in most cases, using it to immobilize a t-nut for button installation should work fine as the tnut carries the load. Only issue I can see is that the hot glue could break loose later making the tnut hard to remove if needed.

 

[Glasspack]

I would have to agree with both of you on that.... NOW, knowing the hot glue just holds the T-nut.
Of course the Airframe tube and the T-Nut are what take the load...….

 

[rocketlabdelta]

I've seen a lot of different ways to anchor rail guides (I did a brief but thorough write-up of the history and application of rail guides in hobby rocketry):

• Screw it into the airframe (backed with epoxy clay) see Peak of Flight #489
• Screw it into an internal structure–a centering ring, for example–like the blukhead mount (RG10B) rail guides from Aero Pack
• Use a Weld nut like the low drag rail guides (RG10A) from Aero Pack; other styles of weld nut can be sourced from McMaster-Carr
• Use a DIY weld nut e.g. a piece of aluminum tapped for a machine screw, Make: High Power Rockets p. 56
• Mount a T-nut on a small piece of plywood e.g. Certify Level 1 by John Coker
• Mount a T-nut on a 3D printed plastic slug curved to fit the inside diameter of the airframe like the Conformal Rail Button Nuts from Lab Rat Rocketry
• Glue a regular machine screw nut to the inside of the airframe with or without a plastic nut holder like the Nut Holder Kit for 1010 Rail Buttons by SMT Designs
• Glue it to the surface of the airframe using a bonding epoxy or, in the case of the ACME conformal rail guide, a strip of 3M permanent adhesive

"Flatten the prongs of a T-nut and tack it to the inside of an airframe with hot glue" is a new one but it is similar to installing a round-based weld nut so you should be fine.

If the T-nut is in an area of the airframe where it could potentially snag the recovery harness or your parachute you might want to cover it with something smooth like epoxy clay or another thickened epoxy. I wouldn't count on hot glue sticking around to do the job.

 

[cwbullet]

I've seen a lot of different ways to anchor rail guides (I did a brief but thorough write-up of the history and application of rail guides in hobby rocketry):

• Screw it into the airframe (backed with epoxy clay) see Peak of Flight #489
• Screw it into an internal structure–a centering ring, for example–like the blukhead mount (RG10B) rail guides from Aero Pack
• Use a Weld nut like the low drag rail guides (RG10A) from Aero Pack; other styles of weld nut can be sourced from McMaster-Carr
• Use a DIY weld nut e.g. a piece of aluminum tapped for a machine screw, Make: High Power Rockets p. 56
• Mount a T-nut on a small piece of plywood e.g. Certify Level 1 by John Coker
• Mount a T-nut on a 3D printed plastic slug curved to fit the inside diameter of the airframe like the Conformal Rail Button Nuts from Lab Rat Rocketry
• Glue a regular machine screw nut to the inside of the airframe with or without a plastic nut holder like the Nut Holder Kit for 1010 Rail Buttons by SMT Designs
• Glue it to the surface of the airframe using a bonding epoxy or, in the case of the ACME conformal rail guide, a strip of 3M permanent adhesive

"Flatten the prongs of a T-nut and tack it to the inside of an airframe with hot glue" is a new one but it is similar to installing a round-based weld nut so you should be fine.

If the T-nut is in an area of the airframe where it could potentially snag the recovery harness or your parachute you might want to cover it with something smooth like epoxy clay or another thickened epoxy. I wouldn't count on hot glue sticking around to do the job.

Great summary!

 

[kuririn]

Is the OP using hot glue WITH a T nut? Then I guess it would work.
Another method for getting a Tnut into the hole on a long tube is to use a launch rod with a small neodymium magnet at the end. The magnet and rod will hold the nut, you can move the rod around until you find the hole, then screw in the button. I always use epoxy on the T nut.

 

[deandome]

hot glue is great for sealing the tops of ejection charges....i thought/think that is very common

 

[wdbill]

I was able to remove the t-nut it got quite hot in my work shop/shed 118 degrees that day and it just pushed right out. I used hot glue to hold the 1/8" launch rod to the t-nut so I could mount it into the rocket. I used JB weld its quite a bit thicker than hobby epoxy that would be runny. I feel better about using epoxy.