Rube Goldberg Lander

[JAL3]

And that completes today's pictorial update.

Later on, after I had shut down my computer, I did prime the nose cone and payload bay again. I also heard for Gordon that he was starting on the custom stuff. I even made a little progress on the design of the Aerodynamic Fins and the Vertical Stability Fins.

For now, though, I am at the hospital and have nothing else to show.

 

[JAL3]

As I mentioned, I did re-prime the payload bay and nose cone yesterday.

 

[JAL3]

I also masked off the motor retainer for motor mount 5 and primed it.

 

[JAL3]

Today, I did some more shaping on the putty of motor mount 4. I expected this to be the final treatment but I noticed some bad divots and cracked part of it off.

 

[JAL3]

I then wet sanded the nose cone again.

 

[JAL3]

I also sanded the payload bay again. This time the bullet holes in the fillets were gone.

 

[JAL3]

On the payload bay, I still had the issue of the runs in the original fillets to deal with.

 

[kelltym88]

I'm so lost...... but I admire your tenacity

 

[JAL3]

The damage was cleared away with an X-acto, rat tile file, flat file, paint brush and some vocabulary words I am not supposed to use as a man of the cloth. The X-acto got away from me at one point and made a gash in the balsa reducer.

 

[JAL3]

The gashes and gouges were then treated with Bondo putty.

 

[JAL3]

And since the Bodo was out, I went ahead and applied some to the divots and breaks of motor mount 4.

 

[JAL3]

And that completes today's visual tour.

Gordon informed me that he finished the custom parts he was making and that the tail cone was "hard". Somehow I don't think he was using ironwood!

Semroc also shipped some parts and I have yet another order pending with them.

I will get no more done when I get home tonight. It will be time for sleep and then I can see what tomorrow brings.

 

[sandman]

And that completes today's visual tour.

Gordon informed me that he finished the custom parts he was making and that the tail cone was "hard". Somehow I don't think he was using ironwood!

Semroc also shipped some parts and I have yet another order pending with them.

I will get no more done when I get home tonight. It will be time for sleep and then I can see what tomorrow brings.

Hard didn't mean the wood was hard.

They were very very difficult to make!

The dark area are is where the wood is so thin it had to be reinforced with thin super glue.

 

[JAL3]

Hard didn't mean the wood was hard.

They were very very difficult to make!

The dark area are is where the wood is so thin it had to be reinforced with thin super glue.

Wow.

I can hardly wait.

Question of method: do you drill out the raw block and then shape it or do you shape it first and then drill it out?

 

[sandman]

Wow.

I can hardly wait.

Question of method: do you drill out the raw block and then shape it or do you shape it first and then drill it out?

Actually a bit of both.

Shape partially, drill, continue shaping. drill...sand...sand...sand!

 

[JAL3]

Actually a bit of both.

Shape partially, drill, continue shaping. drill...sand...sand...sand!

Better you than me!

Thanks again.

 

[JAL3]

Today, motor mount 4 got its final shaping.

 

[JAL3]

I then sanded down the repairs to the fillets on the payload bay.

 

[JAL3]

The clamp was removed from vertical support fin 2.

 

[JAL3]

That meant that it was time to assemble vertical support fin 3.

 

[JAL3]

The putty on motor mount 4 was hardened with CA.

 

[JAL3]

This project has 2 launch lugs. As may be guessed, the "lug fins" on the payload bay will serve as the upper lugs. (The "fin" is just a name I gave it.). The lug fins are external. The lower lug, however, will be internal. I am forming it from BT2.5.

I slit one of the scraps from the lug fins lengthwise as an external tube coupler.

 

[JAL3]

Titebond III was then used to glue the coupler to a pair of full length BT2.5 tubes. Since the lug will be internal, the slit did not bother me. The coupler is merely to hold the tubes in alignment.

 

[JAL3]

Motor tube 5 was retrieved from the paint booth and given a sanding.

 

[JAL3]

The repairs on the payload bay were then primed again.

 

[JAL3]

The main cone was then sprayed with an undercoat of white.

 

[JAL3]

And that's it for today.

I got confirmation from Gordon that his pieces have shipped and confirmation from Semroc that theirs has as well. With the Semroc from yesterday, that means three are on the way.

 

[mjennings]

wow that is an amazing piece of work for the tail cone that Gordon made. Neat project can't wait to see how it all comes together.

 

[JAL3]

I didn't expect it this soon but a Semroc box came today!!!!

This one contained BT55 tube and BT60 tubes, all 1/4" long as well as some centering rings for BT5 and BT20, all pierced for 1/4".

 

[JAL3]

The clamp was removed from vertical support fin 3.