Cosmic Dragon L3 Build

the rocketry show
rocket sok
the model rocket show
The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Scott,

On my level 3 rocket, I was able to do it without the balloon.

I first cut my fiberglass fabric to length and rolled it up onto a 2' section of PVC pipe. Then I coated the inside of the coupler with a thin coat of epoxy and put the glass into the coupler and unrolled the glass as I turned and pressed the glass against the coupler wall. Once I was done, I took a squeegee and kept going around the inside of the coupler until it had adhered as desired.

Yes,
It was a pain
It was a mess
But it also worked!

I did this becuase I didn't have the patience to go look for balloons that were big enough.

Hope this helps!
 
JoesRocketry said:
Scott,

On my level 3 rocket, I was able to do it without the balloon.

I first cut my fiberglass fabric to length and rolled it up onto a 2' section of PVC pipe. Then I coated the inside of the coupler with a thin coat of epoxy and put the glass into the coupler and unrolled the glass as I turned and pressed the glass against the coupler wall. Once I was done, I took a squeegee and kept going around the inside of the coupler until it had adhered as desired.

Yes,
It was a pain
It was a mess
But it also worked!

I did this becuase I didn't have the patience to go look for balloons that were big enough.

Hope this helps!
Click to expand...

I am going to do a LOC 5.38 coupler first and see how that goes before I do my good ones. I got balloons but might try what Joe P. told me. He said to coat the inside of the coupler with epoxy and then use a heat gun and warm the coupler to get the epoxy to flash so it is sticky, then put another coat of epoxy on and then put my glass in the coupler and wet it out.
 
Well got to glassing the inside of my couplers today.

I first practiced on a LOC paper coupler.

Picture%20028.jpg


Picture%20027.jpg


Then I decide to do the booster coupler with 2 layers of 8 oz glass

Picture%20025.jpg


Picture%20026.jpg
 
dpoceta said:
Cool! What method did you end up using?
Click to expand...

I just coated the entire inside of the coupler with resin. I then rolled my glass (already cut to length) onto a piece of pvc pipe. I then put the pipe threw the couple and started to unroll the glass and wetted it out un till I had all of it in. No balloon or anything, glass went on great.
 
Loopy said:
Nice! I like your curing oven...:D
Click to expand...

I use a little space heater to get the epoxy to flash so the glass would not want to fall off. After it flashed I moved the coupler away from the heat and left it cure slowly. I just checked it this morning and it is hard as a rock. I was going to use the wifes oven but i did not want to share the dog house with my german shorthair....:lol:
 
Maagic said:
Are you aiming at a particular launch date (or event?)
Click to expand...

Well my plan is to do my L3 in June/July but if the weather permits and I am not in divorse court over this project..:lol:.. I may do it sooner.
 
Looking good Scott. Btw, nice work stands... I think I'm going to have to go through my neighbors scrap wood pile and make me a few of those... my pvc stand/table is just too much of a pain.
 
JoesRocketry said:
Looking good Scott. Btw, nice work stands... I think I'm going to have to go through my neighbors scrap wood pile and make me a few of those... my pvc stand/table is just too much of a pain.
Click to expand...

Thanks Joe. I got the idea from Dave on the stands. I want to make a nice set out of oak for at the range.
 
krsconstruction said:
Well my plan is to do my L3 in June/July but if the weather permits and I am not in divorse court over this project..:lol:.. I may do it sooner.
Click to expand...

Solution: Teach your wife to build rockets!! :idea:
:surprised: Just a thought....:kill:

The build is sure coming along nicely....Ebay looks great. Keep it up....
______________________
-Chris
 
Chris TNR said:
Solution: Teach your wife to build rockets!! :idea:
:surprised: Just a thought....:kill:

The build is sure coming along nicely....Ebay looks great. Keep it up....
______________________
-Chris
Click to expand...

Thanks Chris. As far as teaching the wife to build rockets goes, I would have a better chance of winning the lottery and I do not play it.....:lol:
 
KR

1. I would suggest 4 (rather than 3) motor tube centering rings.

2. How long are your shock cords? 30-feet at least, I hope?

3. Somewhere between 500 - 700 feet will help. But never roll the 12' parachute to get a quick opening -- fold it just like a small one.

Hope that helps...
 
dgreenapple said:
KR

1. I would suggest 4 (rather than 3) motor tube centering rings.

2. How long are your shock cords? 30-feet at least, I hope?

3. Somewhere between 500 - 700 feet will help. But never roll the 12' parachute to get a quick opening -- fold it just like a small one.

Hope that helps...
Click to expand...

Dave,
I will only be using 3 centering rings, they will be epoxied and screwed to the airframe plus this TWT fins with 2 layers of tip to tip.

My shock cords are 40' for the drogue and 30' for the main.

The alt. settings will depend on if I use a deployment bag or not.
 
First, the photos are great! Keep them coming. If you do enough, your TAP may allow you to make the TRF thread your L3 documentation.

I've done more than 8 couplers without a baloon and they worked fine. Get a thin, 6" or 7" long foam roller to spread the epoxy on the inside both before and after placing the sheet of F-glass. Approach the tube with the roller from both openings (for N-4800, consider TWO sheets of F-glass).

Roll the sheet of f-glass tightly around a 12" - 18" painter's mixing stick so you can easily insert it into the wet coupler tube. Then work it off the mixing stick and press it into the wet epoxy.

On fin can, more fiberglass is better, if you're going 1.7 mach and you have a nice long rocket. If you don't have a long rocket, too much fiberglass will weigh the bottom down and make it unstable.
 
dgreenapple said:
First, the photos are great! Keep them coming. If you do enough, your TAP may allow you to make the TRF thread your L3 documentation.

I've done more than 8 couplers without a baloon and they worked fine. Get a thin, 6" or 7" long foam roller to spread the epoxy on the inside both before and after placing the sheet of F-glass. Approach the tube with the roller from both openings (for N-4800, consider TWO sheets of F-glass).

Roll the sheet of f-glass tightly around a 12" - 18" painter's mixing stick so you can easily insert it into the wet coupler tube. Then work it off the mixing stick and press it into the wet epoxy.

On fin can, more fiberglass is better, if you're going 1.7 mach and you have a nice long rocket. If you don't have a long rocket, too much fiberglass will weigh the bottom down and make it unstable.
Click to expand...

Dave I have a website https://www.xtremebassaudio.com/scottl3.htm that has my build in more detail that both of my TAPS have been watching. I did 2 layers of 8 oz glass on the inside of my couplers and the couplers are flexiable phenolic. Thanks for the tips on doing the couplers. I have to do a couple 4" dia ones in a few weeks for another project.
 
Nice project, love the couplers.

Advice about the wife is to let her have a more expensive and more intrusive hobby, then you might be able to get away with more building. :pirate:
 
Sleepy_Steve said:
Nice project, love the couplers.

Advice about the wife is to let her have a more expensive and more intrusive hobby, then you might be able to get away with more building. :pirate:
Click to expand...

Thanks Steve.

As far as the wife. Her big problem is not that me and my son build rockets it is that our house looks like a rocket factory with them sitting in every room. I need to build my garage on the house next spring so I have a place to put them all.
 
Oh, yeah... I will need to build a large garage for my cars after college. I plan to have quite the collection :D

All I can suggest is vertical storage in as few rooms as possible lol.
 
Yeah - I've got to make sure I don't end up with the "boat in the basement" type of situation. My basement steps have a 180 degree turn in them...Modular design is a good thing...lol
 
Well got sometime to work on the Dragon again. I got the booster tube glassed and the fin slots cut in. I also got the 2" band for the e-bay glassed and cut, now all I need is my switches. I will probally epoxy the body tube on the fin can tonight after supper.

Picture%20041.jpg


Picture%20042.jpg
 
Thanks for the comments. I got the tube epoxied to the fin can and got the coupler epoxied in. I will start doing the fillets tomorrow after work and then start laying on the fiberglass T-T-T.

Joe you better be there when this thing flies
 
Well got a set of fillets done this morning before heading off to work.

Picture%20043.jpg


The little spots of epoxy are where I counter sunk some #6 screws into the centering rings.

Picture%20044.jpg


After I get all the fillets done I will do 2 layers of 8 oz glass T-T-T.
 
I got the first 2 layers of T-T-T done before work this morning. I hope to get another one done this evening.

Picture%20047.jpg
 

Similar threads

DragonRocketry
Revival of Silver Fox
Replies
1
Views
282
DragonRocketry
DragonRocketry
Rocketholic
Pro Series II 2.5" Tubes - Supersonic?
Replies
11
Views
412
lr64
L
B
Question on allowable reuse of parts for an L3 Cert Rocket
Replies
17
Views
931
Handeman
Handeman
J
(Slow Build) L3 The AGM Special
2
Replies
35
Views
2K
jfcote
J
DragonRocketry
Atomic Dragon
Replies
4
Views
547
Voyhager3
Voyhager3

Latest posts

Back
Top