JAL3
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- Joined
- Jan 17, 2009
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One of my earliest attempts to build a rocket was the Estes Cosmos Mariner. I believe it was the first of the "Skill Level 2" kits I attempted. That was right about the time I first learned of Elmer's Fill n' Finish. At the time, I wished I had never heard of the stuff. The reasons for that are the same as for the rocket STILL not being completed.
I went out and found some. The idea seemed to make sense. I was going to give it a try on the Mariner. Unfortunately, I had not yet read enough and I applied it right out of the container. I remember it being VERY thick. I troweled it on and used an ice cream stick to force it into the grain. I then let it dry for a few days. When I go back to it, the stuff hard hardened up pretty stiff. The rocket seemed heavy. I had only put on half a container but it seemed to weigh more than the full container had.
That's when the sanding started and never seemed to finish.
I got tired of it after a few weeks. Always I would put in some time sanding and always I would have a mess, a slightly lighter rocket and a very irate wife. That was also before I acquired a sanding block. I just kept taking new sheets of sandpaper and grinding down some more.
As I was doing so, I built some other rockets and read some things about the Mariner. It had a reputation of not performing very well. It had stopped being fun several packages of #220 sandpaper previously. Eventually, it got put away in a box and, about a year later, my wife banished my rockets from the house.
I dug out the old Mariner today for the first time in almost 2 years. It certainly looked better than I remembered but the filler was still on VERY thick in some places. Thankfully, though, I had already worked through the 3/8" accumulations. I also had a sanding block and a desire to work out some frustration. Then, I might even consider re-gluing a vertical stabilizer that had come off.
I went out and found some. The idea seemed to make sense. I was going to give it a try on the Mariner. Unfortunately, I had not yet read enough and I applied it right out of the container. I remember it being VERY thick. I troweled it on and used an ice cream stick to force it into the grain. I then let it dry for a few days. When I go back to it, the stuff hard hardened up pretty stiff. The rocket seemed heavy. I had only put on half a container but it seemed to weigh more than the full container had.
That's when the sanding started and never seemed to finish.
I got tired of it after a few weeks. Always I would put in some time sanding and always I would have a mess, a slightly lighter rocket and a very irate wife. That was also before I acquired a sanding block. I just kept taking new sheets of sandpaper and grinding down some more.
As I was doing so, I built some other rockets and read some things about the Mariner. It had a reputation of not performing very well. It had stopped being fun several packages of #220 sandpaper previously. Eventually, it got put away in a box and, about a year later, my wife banished my rockets from the house.
I dug out the old Mariner today for the first time in almost 2 years. It certainly looked better than I remembered but the filler was still on VERY thick in some places. Thankfully, though, I had already worked through the 3/8" accumulations. I also had a sanding block and a desire to work out some frustration. Then, I might even consider re-gluing a vertical stabilizer that had come off.