What did you do rocket wise today?

[Jerry F.]

Tried another test of my DupliColor Anodized Purple to get a better coverage...The pruple NEEDS to be shaken VERY THOROUGHLY before AND during use or you may get the odd blue spot that shows up (sometimes a red spot, but not as likely) because the paint had a pocket of color that wasn't mixed properly...

 

[KenECoyote]

My Fat Boy XL got another coat of Rusto recently to try to salvage the horrible gloss black paint results last time, but this time I used semi-gloss black, which was much better.

I then placed it into my temporary "paint oven" to bake for a day or two since the last paint was still sticky after 5 days!


Promising results so far!

 

[OverTheTop]

Been playing with the Blue Raven the last couple of days. Just cobbled it together with a battery, switch and a couple of grain-of-wheat bulbs. The user interface on the phone is great.

 

[Hobie1dog]

painted over the botched paint job on the Astron Mark with some Rustoleum 2X Blood Red, it is one of the better rattle cans I have. I've used it on 5 rockets so far.

 

[fyrwrxz]

Agree on the BS Estes altimeter. Mine failed to be accurate this past weekend.....now in the trash. Any suggestions out there for A good one?

Why not get the original? Estes (or China) ripped off the Altimeter One by John Bean. I even asked him if he was supplying them. Nope! Jolly Logic stands behind the products 1000%. They are accurate. He has done me solids thru the years, even if I was the one who screwed up.

 

[Cape Byron]

Yesterday, took a trip down memory lane. Well, Flinders St Melbourne.

This is the hobby shop where I bought my first rocket, a Cox RTF HoJo 50 years ago. It's under street level and accessed by steep stairs. We used to call it 'Hernia Hobbies' because you were in danger of rupturing yourself carrying you big box of goodies back up to street level.



They even had a rocket display in one of their windows.



Sadly though going inside showed that was really most of their stock. Lot of Estes launch sets and some RTF stuff, but very few, maybe four, actually kits to build - the basics like Big Bertha and Alpha.

Time to shake up the market, methinks.

 

[OverTheTop]

Hearns Hobbies has been around for as long as I can remember. They are certainly not the cheapest around either, probably due to their very central location. I usually try to buy something rocketry related whenever I go to the city. They have been out of D motors for a while now. $36 will get you a two-pack of Estes D12 motors there.

 

[fyrwrxz]

Tried a new paint scheme... wife approves!

View attachment 579616
It's Duplicolor Metalcast Red Anodized, but it needs a chrome or silver base. My bt test piece actually looks like anodized metal!

Ohhh, shiny...the head jackdaw approves!

 

[fyrwrxz]

Here's a wacky idea. If you can solder, consider an Egg timer Apogee. Yes, it's an ejection altimeter, but it also records the apogee. Cost for the kit and battery is $20.

Agreed, just tested mine for the first time last week. Let me outta the cell for exercise privileges. Still working on parole. Good part was motor back up on a G80-10. Better part was no zipper. Best part was I got it back. This weekend, bvr and drogue!

 

[JMS58]

Some supplies that I have been waiting on arrived today. I put another coat of yellow on the Big Bertha body, light gray primer on the Mercury Redstone capsule, Silver/Chrome on the capsule cap, and white primer on the Big Bertha body. Waiting on all of them to dry so I can put on a second coat. Received another rocket in the mail today, the Estes Majestic. Purple is my wife's favorite color so I'm dedicating it to her. Going to put a custom waterslide with her name on it instead of the standard "Majestic" waterslide. I'm totally addicted. I now own eight rockets and haven't launched my first one yet, but I'm really getting into building them. I need to reach out to the president of my RC club to see if it is OK for me to launch them at the RC field. Also need to do a bit of maintenance on the 3D printer so I can start printing out some rocket parts.

 

[Wayco]

Finished up building research motors for NCR's "Mile high mayhem" next month. Then mixed another 3000 gram batch of "Not Your Wimpy Red". The bins are almost empty for that propellant, and we will be leaving Goodyear in a week. Might have to come back early and mix up loads for Airfest.
I need to do another run like this:

 

[KenECoyote]

painted over the botched paint job on the Astron Mark with some Rustoleum 2X Blood Red, it is one of the better rattle cans I have. I've used it on 5 rockets so far.

"Blood red"?

 

[happyhaplo]

I glued my Der Big Red Max fins together, I'll be putting a paper skin on them next.

 

[Hobie1dog]

"Blood red"?

OOPS, Apple Red

 

[KenECoyote]

OOPS, Apple Red

Actually "Blood Red" is appropriate and goes well with "Sweat Yellow" and "Blue Tears".

 

[Jerry F.]

Had tried my hand at a couple of rattle can fades on this one…turned out “ok”, but as I was removing the stencil parts, there were a few touch ups that I wanted to fix…and that’s when the real problems began…the black outline out the “scales” started lifting…
So, today was spent sanding off the top layers, wet sanding and then primer…
Not too upset overall though, my fade’s weren’t as good as I wanted so now I get to try again

 

[Cape Byron]

Had tried my hand at a couple of rattle can fades on this one…turned out “ok”, but as I was removing the stencil parts, there were a few touch ups that I wanted to fix…and that’s when the real problems began…the black outline out the “scales” started lifting…
So, today was spent sanding off the top layers, wet sanding and then primer…
Not too upset overall though, my fade’s weren’t as good as I wanted so now I get to try again

Nice design. Really like the scales.

 

[Cape Byron]

A little work on the Irukandji. Motor mounts in and greebling started.

Backstory: After the Tithe were repatriated to their homeworld, a number of Irukandji class merchant destroyers were converted for asteroid mining by the Federated Mining Corporation, adding a debris scoop and processing equipment in the lower section. Fissionable materials in space debris, notably from Thrall cruisers destroyed in the final days of the battle, abound in the battle cloud between Jupiter and Saturn. The fissionable materials are extracted and processed into fuel for the Irukandji's reactors.

This will be the Federated Mining Ship (FMS) Clementine, an autonomous mining sampler which collects and examines debris, charts it for future collection by space dredges and uses the processed fuel to continue exploration.

Her journey is one-way, towards the edge of the galaxy. Try not to cry now...

 

[teepot]

A little work on the Irukandji. Motor mounts in and greebling started.

Backstory: After the Tithe were repatriated to their homeworld, a number of Irukandji class merchant destroyers were converted for asteroid mining by the Federated Mining Corporation, adding a debris scoop and processing equipment in the lower section. Fissionable materials in space debris, notably from Thrall cruisers destroyed in the final days of the battle, abound in the battle cloud between Jupiter and Saturn. The fissionable materials are extracted and processed into fuel for the Irukandji's reactors.

This will be the Federated Mining Ship (FMS) Clementine, an autonomous mining sampler which collects and examines debris, charts it for future collection by space dredges and uses the processed fuel to continue exploration.

Her journey is one-way, towards the edge of the galaxy. Try not to cry now...

View attachment 579953

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks up stories to go with their rockets.

 

[teepot]

Today I attached the extra four fins to the banana rocket and added some nose weight. I think the only way to see if it's stable is to fly it. I'll be watching the weather for a mostly calm day and give it a shot. It was 30 ounces with a chute. Now 36 ounces. I want to fly it on a G78-4 so it can't get much heavier. I also put Krylon 2 in 1 automotive primmer on the big wing rocket this morning. Sanded it a couple hours ago. I'll put some more primmer on it later tonight. I was looking at all the left over feathers I have and was wondering what to do with them besides just putting them somewhere and forgetting about them. Came up with an idea. A MD rocket. Just a D12-5 with some bamboo skewers and a couple of feathers. I put another skewer down at the bottom to spread the feathers out and away from the exhaust. Longer legs on the next one.

 

[Hobie1dog]

re-arranged the rockets up on the shelf since I finished, (well no decals) the Astron Mark restoration.
Before:

After:

 

[KenECoyote]

Today I attached the extra four fins to the banana rocket and added some nose weight. I think the only way to see if it's stable is to fly it. I'll be watching the weather for a mostly calm day and give it a shot. It was 30 ounces with a chute. Now 36 ounces. I want to fly it on a G78-4 so it can't get much heavier. I also put Krylon 2 in 1 automotive primmer on the big wing rocket this morning. Sanded it a couple hours ago. I'll put some more primmer on it later tonight. I was looking at all the left over feathers I have and was wondering what to do with them besides just putting them somewhere and forgetting about them. Came up with an idea. A MD rocket. Just a D12-5 with some bamboo skewers and a couple of feathers. I put another skewer down at the bottom to spread the feathers out and away from the exhaust. Longer legs on the next one.View attachment 579961

Whoa, that md feather rocket is a cool idea!

 

[DigBaddy]

re-arranged the rockets up on the shelf since I finished, (well no decals) the Astron Mark restoration.
Before:

After:

Now that's one great transformation!

 

[Hobie1dog]

Now that's one great transformation!

Now I have to contact the waterslide decal guy to see if he can make the white decals I need.

 

[Pinetree]

More paint. Also, testing out my Cat Proof Paint Protection System.

 

[Hobie1dog]

More paint. Also, testing out my Cat Proof Paint Protection System.

my cat would put his front paws up on the lip and pull it over.

 

[Pinetree]

Ah. The old Epoxy Adhesion and Strength Test.

 

[jqavins]

Irukandji class merchant destroyers

 

[jqavins]

More paint. Also, testing out my Cat Proof Paint Protection System.

My cat would be up and over the rim of that basket in a trice. I hope yours are not motivated to try (or perhaps obsese).

 

[Tobor]

More paint. Also, testing out my Cat Proof Paint Protection System.

No such thing. They ALWAYS find a way...