D****D Rocket Herpes!!! (Here's What To Do When It Happens)

[K'Tesh]

(not my image)

OK... Folks... When you get a case of Rocket Herpes, here's what you need to do.
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DON'T WAIT!!! IMMEDIATELY Wipe up the affected area with a paper towel!!!
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The undercoat is ruined, because it has been reactivated. When you wipe it up, it'll peel up like the skin of a partially set pudding. Wiping it up will completely expose the body tube underneath (see photo below). This GREATLY reduces the time needed to clean up the damage.


This is my image
⁠
If you wait until the paint sets, you'll have to sand though the layers of paint, potentially damaging your kit further, and only end up wasting your time and energy.

Oh, and next time, be more careful on your color coats... Read the paint's instructions carefully (even if it's the same brand of primer and paint, the drying times may be different).
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A smart person learns from their mistakes... A REALLY smart person learns from the mistakes of others.

 

[messedupryan]

A smart person learns from their mistakes... A REALLY smart person learns from the mistakes of others.

The bestest people share their mistakes for other to learn.

 

[SharkWhisperer]

View attachment 481119
(not my image)

OK... Folks... When you get a case of Rocket Herpes, here's what you need to do.
⁠
DON'T WAIT!!! IMMEDIATELY Wipe up the affected area with a paper towel!!!
⁠
The undercoat is ruined, because it has been reactivated. When you wipe it up, it'll peel up like the skin of a partially set pudding. Wiping it up will completely expose the body tube underneath (see photo below). This GREATLY reduces the time needed to clean up the damage.

View attachment 481123
This is my image
⁠
If you wait until the paint sets, you'll have to sand though the layers of paint, potentially damaging your kit further, and only end up wasting your time and energy.

Oh, and next time, be more careful on your color coats... Read the paint's instructions carefully (even if it's the same brand of primer and paint, the drying times may be different).
⁠
A smart person learns from their mistakes... A REALLY smart person learns from the mistakes of others.

I did that once to a plastic Big Daddy nose cone. Waited too long for removal of the herpetic layer with a dry towel as you did. But a paper towel with acetone removed everything and just started over, paying closer attention to outside temperatures and layer thicknesses. Might not work as well on paper/wood items.

Apparently the rocket gods didn't appreciate the effort and a failed ejection charge on a (new) D12-3 brought Dad an early demise on his first flight as it arced over and impacted a metal shipping container/storage shed... Estes was kind enough to replace it with a SBB.

 

[boomtube-mk2]

 

[bjphoenix]

I had this problem on an old LPR rocket. Apparently there are some spray paints that just aren't compatible no matter what. I built a small rocket many years ago, maybe almost 50 years ago. I painted it white but didn't go beyond that because I was trying to design a good paint job and I'm not very imaginative. Well a couple of years ago I tried doing some paint on it, it did that herpes alligator skin treatment. I can't remove all of the original paint so I decided I can paint it with a brush or I can spray it with acrylic which I might get into some day. I decided I would retire all of my very old rockets and just build a new fleet for sport flying so this one might be ignored for awhile.