G-10 fins

Building my Thor 4 and getting ready for the G-10 fins. Should I make any kind of airfoil or round the forward edge ? I have used G-10 fins on my Callisto but did nothing to them. They were a bit thiner then the 1/8" fins with this kit. I'm thinking no or very little.

I use alot of G-10 I like to round the edges to knock off the sharp edges so just in case that your shockcord hits it. It wont cut it

Wow Warren, I didn't realize until just now that I haven't seen any of your posts in a while.

I've not used G10, but from what I gather "researching" it (if that's the right way to describe it) it's a bit tricky to deal with from an edge shaping standpoint because it's so thin and the dust created is rather nasty. I know that Giant Leap offers fin beveling for G10 as a service, should you choose to do it.

Depending on the other things you're doing to your rocket, I'd suspect that beveling the G10 would have little affect on the Thor's performance because of the split fins and their overall size (meaning - we're not talking a minimum diameter, mach busting, altitude competition model here. )

I have used a lot of G10. It’s great for fins but it has its limitations. Here are a few tips from my experiences.

1: Wipe it down with acetone or other solvent to remove any release agents before you attempt to bond it. Also sand it to rough up any place you use as a bonding surface. If you don’t the epoxy will not bond well.

2: It cuts easy with a jigsaw and a metal blade. Make sure to were a particle mask and safety goggles. You don’t want fibers in your lungs or fragments in your eyes.

3: You can bevel the edges easy with a belt sander. If you don’t have a belt sander a palm sander will work but it takes longer. There are lots of articles available on how to make jigs and such to get a perfect beveled edge. I just eyeball it. It comes out acceptable for my tolerances. Make sure to use a particle mask and goggles as mentioned above.

I hope this helps you.

Just don't bevel them too sharply otherwise you may cut yourself. I did that when I first started working with G10 & it cuts like a surgeons scalpel on bare skin. I drill small holes along the root edge tang ("epoxy rivets") to aid in bonding to the motor tube.


JD