TRF Tips and Techniques Comments Thread.

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CA on the ends of tubes and couplers prevents the ends from getting burred up during handling rocket prep. The burrs create an artificial and variable but very short tight fit, so they are bad.
Thanks.
 
Those are not mollies. This is a molly:
1680909394947.png
Those in your picture are what I call "plastic crap that comes with every item that needs mounting and go right into the circular file".

I am also not sure what variety of anchor was being referred to; the description really needed a picture or two to explain.
 
That's what I call them too, but most people call them mollies. I think there's another name for the ones you showed, but I don't remember what it us.

When I throw out the plastic mollies, I usually replace them with these.
1680918021538.png
 
That's what I call them too, but most people call them mollies.
They may do so but they are wrong.
I think there's another name for the ones you showed, but I don't remember what it us.
The one I showed is a molly. Wikipedia says they are also call "hollow door anchors" which is not wrong but molly seems more specific. The other variety you showed are not mollies. Wikipedia calls them "wall plugs". I call them crap (at least for drywall usage).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molly_(fastener)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_plug
Joe, I would think you of all people would strive for accurate terminology.
 
Tim at Apogee uses a Kevlar string that weaves through a series of small holes in the aft centering ring. This makes and extremely strong pull handle for tight fitting centering rings. Check out the site at Apogee. I have moved away from doing internal filets that way. I build the entire motor mount assembly outside the rocket. Then I cut the fin slot open so I can slide the assembly into the aft airframe. I super glue the airframe to the aft centering ring. I do the external filets. I epoxy the forward centering and aft centering ring to the inside of the airframe. Lastly I inject foam into the fin/motor mount assembly.
 
Joe, I would think you of all people would strive for accurate terminology.
I would, and I do, and for all my nearly 60 years on this Earth, everyone I know has called those plastic pieces of crap either "crap", "garbage", "mollies", or "plastic mollies". But it's never impossible for everyone I've known to be wrong.
 
Tim at Apogee uses a Kevlar string that weaves through a series of small holes in the aft centering ring. This makes and extremely strong pull handle for tight fitting centering rings. Check out the site at Apogee. I have moved away from doing internal filets that way. I build the entire motor mount assembly outside the rocket. Then I cut the fin slot open so I can slide the assembly into the aft airframe. I super glue the airframe to the aft centering ring. I do the external filets. I epoxy the forward centering and aft centering ring to the inside of the airframe. Lastly I inject foam into the fin/motor mount assembly.
I've often wondered, what do people do to replace the cut away bits of the eft end of the body tube below the fin slots. It's easy to come up with ideas, but I'd like to know what folks do, not what I can think up.
 
Wire-wrap extensions onto Estes igniters with a manual wire wrap tool and some pre-cut and pre-stripped #30 wires 4-6” long. Only takes 30 seconds and protects your clips from getting trashed in the motor exhaust. Even though the igniter wires aren’t square like header pins, the connection is pretty secure.
 
I've often wondered, what do people do to replace the cut away bits of the eft end of the body tube below the fin slots. It's easy to come up with ideas, but I'd like to know what folks do, not what I can think up.
More often than not, the fin sits in the place of that cut off tab. After super gluing the aft centering ring and aft end of the rocket and installing the motor retention ring, I epoxy the aft end of the rocket.
 
Yes, dry fit and have screws in the aft cr to be able to pull it out to do internal fillets.

469251-3e166ff298702dbabdcf4186a661f3c9.data
Added this today as an extension of yesterday's tip.
 
I've often wondered, what do people do to replace the cut away bits of the eft end of the body tube below the fin slots. It's easy to come up with ideas, but I'd like to know what folks do, not what I can think up.

Don't cut out the tab. Just cut a single slit for each fin and squeeze them in. The fins are thin and the airframe (even fiberglass) usually has a little flex.

For added strength, you can glue in a coupler-sized ring after the fins are in place.
 
If you like to use Elmer's Carpenter's Wood glue, but dislike the wide spout, simply swap it with one of the Glue-All/School Glue/white glue spouts! It works great as a precision applicator and it's much better suited for lp rocket building (Edit add: and wood glue fillets!).


20230410_074200.jpg
 
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Here's a related, um, "tip": don't try to use one of those for your TB Quick and Thick. It would be nice if it worked, but it does not.
If you want a smaller bead of glue of the Q&T bottle, just use tape to cover part of the slot (sorry don't have my photo handy).
 
Here's a related, um, "tip": don't try to use one of those for your TB Quick and Thick. It would be nice if it worked, but it does not.
If you want a smaller bead of glue of the Q&T bottle, just use tape to cover part of the slot (sorry don't have my photo handy).
What is TB Quick and Thick?
 
Wire-wrap extensions onto Estes igniters with a manual wire wrap tool and some pre-cut and pre-stripped #30 wires 4-6” long. Only takes 30 seconds and protects your clips from getting trashed in the motor exhaust. Even though the igniter wires aren’t square like header pins, the connection is pretty secure.
Do you have a picture?
 
Cardboard Airframes: IF you want to install motor retention clips in a rocket with balsa or thin plywood centering rings, try using those plastic drywall screw expanders to improve the screw's grip. I've used them successfully in the past on LOC kits where I added homemade motor clips after the kit was built. And if you want to replace them, they come right out again.
Pretty cool. So you use the same type of wire wrap tool that I do for my high power igniters.
 
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