Which version is that? Definitely earlier than any I own...
What did you do rocket wise today?
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From this end of the box because it says "EST 2001" it is made in 2001?
heada
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Check the instructions for a copyright date. EST2001 is how they normally name their kits. I have the EST1969 (most recent) and EST2157 (few years ago) Sat V kits
No dates of any kind on the cover or inside of the instructions. Estes web page details that the 1988 kit is 43" tall and flies to 100' on a D12-3. That's what the box spec's say.
Where's that head-scratching emoji when you need it?
Helped the grandson build his rocket.
After two rounds of sealing and sanding, my Doorknob's fins are now smooth enough to proceed with. Just need to... *sigh* ...sand the tapers into the leading edges. A task for tomorrow.
Also wrote to Fliskits to request clarification/correction on the L-13 paint guide. It has a 12.29" dimension on there twice.
Also wrote to Fliskits to request clarification/correction on the L-13 paint guide. It has a 12.29" dimension on there twice.
I went through the old catalogs, In those the first appearance of NO.2001 is 1988. In 1993 it becomes EST.2001. It is gone in 1995, and returns in 2011 as 2157. None have a picture of the box. So somewhere between 1988 and 1995, if the NO. designation matters then it's 1993 through 1995. 1994 was the 25th Anniversary edition.
NateB
Well-Known Member
I recovered from quite the shift at work yesterday and was able to work on the finishing touches of a few builds this evening. Hopefully I can launch some rockets soon too.
T
Thanks
GrouchoDuke
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Put up 3D printed wall hangers for my Alien Interceptor. I kinda like it!
EDIT: Can't sleep. Ordered some more parts from Wildman. Think that'll help?
EDIT: Can't sleep. Ordered some more parts from Wildman. Think that'll help?
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No.
No pics at the moment; but yesterday I was able to get a shot of primer on my first cluster project (3x18). If the paint job goes as planned I'll probably make a thread for it 
Got a "Baby Daddy" (BT-60) project moving as well (pic). Motor mount built (24mm; yeah, much overkill), body tube cut and template made for 3/32 basswood fins. Might need to get some custom decals for that one. Also painted the 3 nosecones for one of my cheap Viking bulk pack creations.
Got a "Baby Daddy" (BT-60) project moving as well (pic). Motor mount built (24mm; yeah, much overkill), body tube cut and template made for 3/32 basswood fins. Might need to get some custom decals for that one. Also painted the 3 nosecones for one of my cheap Viking bulk pack creations.Attachments
I really love that paint job. Just beautiful.
GrouchoDuke
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Thank you so much - I appreciate it!
Baby Daddy is not really a thing (outside of a downscale) like Big Daddy is. Now, Baby Momma...
You can always adapt down, but you can't adapt up. (A8 to C6 over and over, then D12 when you get tired of it?)
A bit of afternoon decal work. These guys are all ready for clearcoat, then launching.
This one has it's own build thread.
This one has it's own build thread.
Swore just a little when I got back from the print shop with test wraps for the Main Beach rocket.
Despite careful measurements, made by me, and careful instructions to the print shop of "Do not scale this file; print at 100%", the wraps have been scaled and are about 4.7 mm out on width.
Okay, no biggie just print them again. The print shop is a 45 minute round trip and I have farm work to do.
So... the proto is going to look a little weird/ugly/unfinished.
And I'll use a different print shop for the kit wraps.
Despite careful measurements, made by me, and careful instructions to the print shop of "Do not scale this file; print at 100%", the wraps have been scaled and are about 4.7 mm out on width.
Okay, no biggie just print them again. The print shop is a 45 minute round trip and I have farm work to do.
So... the proto is going to look a little weird/ugly/unfinished.
And I'll use a different print shop for the kit wraps.
Today I sanded the tapers into my Doorknob fins.
I used a dremel to remove the bulk of the material and then the final sculpting with 220 sandpaper and the Apogee sanding tee.
Then I covered up a few rough spots and leading edge nicks with wood filler and epoxy clay. One more short round of sanding tomorrow to smooth out the wood filler and they should finally be ready to install.
I used a dremel to remove the bulk of the material and then the final sculpting with 220 sandpaper and the Apogee sanding tee.
Then I covered up a few rough spots and leading edge nicks with wood filler and epoxy clay. One more short round of sanding tomorrow to smooth out the wood filler and they should finally be ready to install.
It should go without saying, but I should add that if you also try to make tapers like the ones above with a Dremel, be very careful. the couple of leading edge nicks I had to fix were caused by the Dremel slipping - even at minimum speed it will chew through balsa like it's not even there.
I spent a bunch of time with a straight edge and a pencil carefully marking the geometry of the tapers on the sides and edges of the fins. By doing this, there is no guesswork involved in where to remove material when the Dremel is running. Do not try to take off all the material with the Dremel, just the bulk of it. Leave a layer of material for the sandpaper to take away and leave you with a smooth taper surface.
The advantage, of course, is that all four tapers only took me about an hour and a half to complete, from measuring and marking to final sanding with paper.
I spent a bunch of time with a straight edge and a pencil carefully marking the geometry of the tapers on the sides and edges of the fins. By doing this, there is no guesswork involved in where to remove material when the Dremel is running. Do not try to take off all the material with the Dremel, just the bulk of it. Leave a layer of material for the sandpaper to take away and leave you with a smooth taper surface.
The advantage, of course, is that all four tapers only took me about an hour and a half to complete, from measuring and marking to final sanding with paper.
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Today I got my automatic antenna tracker linked, with Bluetooth, to the PC. That now allows me to configure it, without needing a USB cable, without it winding up the cable when it rotates.
Also found out it looks like I need to get the Telemega to output APRS packets with the GPS data from the rocket, so I need to make a TNC to receive that and get the data to the AAT. Why can't life be simple sometimes...
Also found out it looks like I need to get the Telemega to output APRS packets with the GPS data from the rocket, so I need to make a TNC to receive that and get the data to the AAT. Why can't life be simple sometimes...
If it were me, I'd tell the print shop how they screwed up. If they agree to do it over for free, give me an email address to send the file, and mail me the product, then I'd give them another chance. If not, I'd make sure they know just why they've lost my business.Swore just a little when I got back from the print shop with test wraps for the Main Beach rocket.
Despite careful measurements, made by me, and careful instructions to the print shop of "Do not scale this file; print at 100%", the wraps have been scaled and are about 4.7 mm out on width.
Okay, no biggie just print them again. The print shop is a 45 minute round trip and I have farm work to do.
So... the proto is going to look a little weird/ugly/unfinished.
And I'll use a different print shop for the kit wraps.
My opinion only: one screw up can be forgiven if they make it right, and good service should be rewarded. Bad service should be penalized and the offender should be able to "think about what you did".
Which is why I cringe at the thought of shaping balsa with a Dremel. It's only balsa, and not really thick; sand paper will do the whole job just fine. 120 or 180 grit to start if there's really a lot to remove. The amount that a klutz like me should leave to finish up with sandpaper is more than the starting thickness for fins like that.
After the amount of time I had already put into making those fins nice (they came from one of the roughest sheets of balsa I have ever seen) I was pretty much out of patience and after weighing the options decided to risk shaping the tapers with the Dremel. It worked out decently though and I plan to do a repeat performance on the Estes Honest John fins.
And I'm not trying to say you shouldn't. I wouldn't, and I'll continue to cringe when I read about others doing so.
I get that, I'm just giving background to why I attempted it. I agree it's a risk and not for everyone - it takes some caution and steady hands to do nicely. But oh it was so very nice to get that done as quickly as I did.
This is the fleet I've built this year, with many more to come.
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