What did you do rocket wise today?

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Started on a NewWay Big Bessie to add to my Big Bertha collection. Applied some filler to the spirals and fins yesterday, started sanding. Sanded the rest today and began assembly, got the first set of fillets on. The kit includes a short section of heat-shrink tubing for the Kevlar close to the motor, which I found interesting...

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Started on a NewWay Big Bessie to add to my Big Bertha collection. Applied some filler to the spirals and fins yesterday, started sanding. Sanded the rest today and began assembly, got the first set of fillets on. The kit includes a short section of heat-shrink tubing for the Kevlar close to the motor, which I found interesting...

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Pretty cool looking. This is Big Bertha's cousin. Is that a jig you made for the fins?
 
Started to repair the Aerobee Hi from Saturdays crash a week ago on 2/6/21. Cut down 4 inches from the foward end. Cut a 4 inch length of 2.60 tubing and matched with coupler. The original shock cord mount is still good covered in original epoxy from 30 years ago. Will probably repaint in original Orange or maybe flouresent Orange.
 

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After a long break, I finally picked up the Make: HPR book again and read Chapter 5, which covers the Level 1 Certification launch. It covers what to take (including sunscreen, snacks and a hat), goes over the NAR HPR Safety Code item by item with commentary from 2012 (I'm guessing an update now exists), the roles at the launch site (RSO, LCO), preparing the rocket (loading the engine and the chute), hooking up the igniter (I'm guessing watching a video of this would make more sense to the newcomer), cleaning the motor (the author suggests baby wipes) and disposing of used and unused motors. Sadly, the book, which has a 2018 publication date, says that 5 deaths have occurred when people have tried to retrieve their rockets from power lines. It then adds a six death to the list from an HPR rocket that went ballistic and hit one of the fliers. That's all pretty nasty and tragic and drives home the need for safety. No one should get killed by their hobby.

Once again, this book has proved invaluable for preparing to transition from LPR to HPR. I'm still shocked by how many concepts and techniques that I've never heard of for HPR, some of which don't seem to exist for LPR. Hopefully I'll keep up a more steady reading schedule going forward, such as more than a chapter every 3 months.
 
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Actually a couple of days ago, but I finally got the black painted on my Semroc 1/10 scale WAC Corporal. I used Vallejo model acrylics for both colors, sprayed with an airbrush. Came out pretty good! The tape lifted a small chunk of the yellow right adjacent to the conduit, but it will touch up easily with a brush.

I'm going to use Vallejo's dark aluminum metallic for the two bare metal fins. I'm messing with different techniques to get that brushed effect that makes it look like the WAC had beveled fins in the old photos.

The old WAC is one of my all-time favorites and this one is getting the scale treatment. Maybe not every rivet, but there will be a lot of them! 🤪

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A nice job you did. I have the 18mm ASP WAC with Tiny Tim Booster. You are right about the tapered fins that the original WAC had. I wish I painted mine with yellow like you did. I did the White version. Is yours an 18 or 24mm?
 
It'll take a better mathematician than I to provide an accurate name for them... o_O 🤪

My disease 🤖 is that I had to look this up. To avoid confusion, a mathematician would call a normal tube groove a “helix” (constant radius) and a stovetop element a “spiral” (increasing radius). So I guess the groove on that square rocket would be a “square helix”. And now the world can sleep better.😴

Rocket-wise, all I did today was spread some CA and wood filler on balsa parts, to stiffen and prepare them for painting.
 
The third project I started yesterday involves this little glider I built a few weeks ago. It was built just to be a fun little chuck/catapult glider, but after at proved to fly quite well I decided it needed a booster.
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Taking a que from some old designs for hypersonic vehicles and shuttle proposals that involved large external fuel tanks wrapped around a delta vehicle, I came up with this idea.

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BT-20 tubes, Semroc nosecones, 13mm mount in both tubes angled appropriately, dual streamer recovery. Planning some dummy engines in the middle and a few fiddly details.

I started a thread for this one over in the boost glider section: https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/hypersonic-glider.164662/
This is different . Maybe submit to a Rocket manufacturer and get a Design Patent.
Built a HPR stand 3/4 inch pvc
Came out solid
Nice job. I have to make one of these.
 
Finished scratch build #104. 4" BT, 50" long, weighs 64 ounces with a 70" chute and has a 54mm mmt. I call it my Cartoon Rocket.
This is definetly a different design. I agree on calling it a Cartoon Rocket. Nice job. Reminds me of the Vintage Cartoons from the 30s and 40's. How did you make the Nose Cone? ACME was used in old cartoons alot like in the Road Runner even though the company ACME never existed.
 
This is definetly a different design. I agree on calling it a Cartoon Rocket. Nice job. Reminds me of the Vintage Cartoons from the 30s and 40's. How did you make the Nose Cone? ACME was used in old cartoons alot like in the Road Runner even though the company ACME never existed.
The nose cone was a paper mache craft cone. I bought several of them in different sizes. I used a couple to make boat tails. I used one to make the nose cone on a Nike Smoke. There real solid. I ordered some more yesterday.
 
Finished the prototype design for electronics thing #2. PCB graphics to do, then it's ready to send off for quotes.
 
Completed the wiring for the VTS, if you don't include the ability to keep the batteries topped up on the pad. I am going to use some MOSFETs to block any leakage currents back to my chargers. That way a single umbilical will give me virtually unlimited pad time, charging all the relevant batteries.
 
A nice job you did. I have the 18mm ASP WAC with Tiny Tim Booster. You are right about the tapered fins that the original WAC had. I wish I painted mine with yellow like you did. I did the White version. Is yours an 18 or 24mm?

Mine is the 1/10 scale version from Semroc. It has an 18mm motor mount stock, but could easily be modded for 24mm. I just built it stock with the 18mm mount.

The Semroc kits are VERY nice in my opinion. I would highly recommend this kit if you are after another WAC!
 
Mine is the 1/10 scale version from Semroc. It has an 18mm motor mount stock, but could easily be modded for 24mm. I just built it stock with the 18mm mount.

The Semroc kits are VERY nice in my opinion. I would highly recommend this kit if you are after another WAC!
Semroc is a very nice kit. I have a Retro "Astro 1". I cant seem to find a WAC . Guess Ill have to wait for production again. :)
 
Yesterday/last night:
Finished assembling the Estes Canadian Arrow.
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Then started the Rocketarium Roland SAM 3.
Interesting kit. Two motor cluster in a 3D printed housing.
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Comes with a ton of clay nose weight.
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Marked the tapers on the fins and started sanding.
Rough sanded with the block.
Then fine sanded with an emery stick.
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I cut out the areas where you are supposed to leave things square in the tapered area.
Will glue them back later on. Much easier than trying to sand around them.
Reminded how much I hate sanding.
One down, three more to go.
Laters.
I had that Candian Arrow, Loved it!
Estes E9 did it in :confused:
 
Received a 29/40-120 case from The Yard Sale, and had to photo my lineup......not a bad start since June.......
 

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I've had a lot of fun with those 29/40-120 motors! Try a G-64W in... well, anything!

I have a Mega Der Red Max waiting to maiden........good choice? Had planned on a Mojave green H, but a G may be a good break in.....
 
The four smaller rings are basically window frames for port holes on the Smurf rocket and the large ring is to mimick metal strapping on the same nose cone. I had to fetch the primer (and next is the spray paint) because painting the inside surface of the 4 window frames would be difficult once they're glued in place next to a convexe plastic window. Waiting for primer to dry.
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And here's just a reminder for new folks as to how this relates to rocketry and what I'm talking about.
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