Mile High build thread

Got the switch mounted, so that the pin activates it. Also cleaned up the wiring a little bit.

It fits! I got the vent hole drilled through the av-bay, that will also serve as access for the switch pin.

o1d_dude said:

Will we see you next Saturday at the rescheduled SARG meet?

Apparently the field is too soggy for a launch this weekend.

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Unfortunately no... holiday party with my family and cannot run off to fly rockets while leaving the new wife to handle all the prep
..we are hosting.

SacEsq said:

Unfortunately no... holiday party with my family and cannot run off to fly rockets while leaving the new wife to handle all the prep
..we are hosting.

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Congratulations on the new wife! That's almost as exciting as a new rocket!

Hint: you can tame stray wires with hot glue pretty effectively and non-permanently.

CarVac said:

Hint: you can tame stray wires with hot glue pretty effectively and non-permanently.

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That's a good idea. It won't melt the insulation?

Almost certainly not. Wire insulation is designed to take the heat from soldering irons conducted back into the wire.

qquake2k said:

I'm afraid if I did that and couldn't see it, I'd chicken out on the mile high flight. :tongue:

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No need to chicken out on the flight, just try a different streamer material or spotting method?

CarVac said:

Almost certainly not. Wire insulation is designed to take the heat from soldering irons conducted back into the wire.

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Well, I've certainly melted insulation with a soldering iron.

gldknght said:

No need to chicken out on the flight, just try a different streamer material or spotting method?

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The prism tape isn't streamer material, it's self adhesive tape. I'm going to put some on the fins, and two or three rings of it on the body tube. And I'll have a spotter with binoculars. I'm hoping the prism tape will glint in the sun, and make it easier to follow.

There was a sharp ridge on the inside of the eyebolt in the forward bulkhead, that I was afraid would eventually cut through the Kevlar. So I smoothed it out with the Dremel. I roughed up the inside of the forward body tube with my stick-in-a-drill and 60 grit, then epoxied the bulkhead in with 15 minute epoxy.

Got the rail buttons installed. These are low profile buttons from Giant Leap. I need to get some flat or oval head screws.

I've seen several references on the forum about using sanding sealer on Blue Tubes before paint. So I put two coats on. After it dries good, I'll sand it and spray it with primer.

I sanded the body tubes with 400 grit, and sprayed them with primer.

Jim,

This is the point in your build threads when I start to wonder if you're going to be needing to update you signature again...



looking good so far!

rbelknap said:

Jim,

This is the point in your build threads when I start to wonder if you're going to be needing to update you signature again...



looking good so far!

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Tell me about it. I always dread the painting!

I primered the vent band and painted it pink. The spirals in the Blue Tube are much more pronounced than I expected them to be.

I got a small block plane to remove the nose cone flash with. Seemed to work pretty good. I also sanded and washed the nose cone. And I got the fins painted pink. They sure are bright! I'm hoping they'll increase visibility in the air and on the ground.

qquake2k said:

I got a small block plane to remove the nose cone flash with. Seemed to work pretty good. I also sanded and washed the nose cone. And I got the fins painted pink. They sure are bright! I'm hoping they'll increase visibility in the air and on the ground.

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Likin' the pink!

I don't know about in the air, but I am fairly sure that pink won't blend in with the underbrush, sod, desert floor or any other naturally occuring backdrop! Looks good Jim!

Did you fill the tube spirals or is that all the sanding sealer? Looks great either way. Make sure to get a few coats of that pink on.

Alex

I wonder about you experience with the spay-on filler. I tried brush-on MiniWax sanding filler on Tubularity, and the spirals are as deep after filling and sanding as they are on a virgin blue tube.

Ari.

Got the nose cone primered and painted. I'll have to wait until tomorrow to paint the black.

dixontj93060 said:

Likin' the pink!

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Me too! It puts me in touch with my feminine side. :tongue:

T-Rex said:

I don't know about in the air, but I am fairly sure that pink won't blend in with the underbrush, sod, desert floor or any other naturally occuring backdrop! Looks good Jim!

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Yeah, I'm fairly certain this is not a naturally occurring color, which is why I chose it.

I have not worked with BT, and I am not staying in a Holiday Inn Express this week, however it seems to me I have read that the sanding sealer is just meant to act as a moisture barrier to keep the tube from warping. You would still need to fill the spirals if you want them to go away.

I could be mistaken.

Terry

iter said:

I wonder about you experience with the spay-on filler. I tried brush-on MiniWax sanding filler on Tubularity, and the spirals are as deep after filling and sanding as they are on a virgin blue tube.

Ari.

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Aksrockets said:

Did you fill the tube spirals or is that all the sanding sealer? Looks great either way. Make sure to get a few coats of that pink on.

Alex

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I didn't fill the spirals, and the sanding sealer didn't help much. They're still deep up close, and more pronounced under the primer and the pink. As far as I know, you have to fill spirals with something like Elmer's Fill n Finish, or Bondo spot putty. I've never worried enough about spirals to bother filling them. I'm hoping they won't show up as bad under the black.

T-Rex said:

I have not worked with BT, and I am not staying in a Holiday Inn Express this week, however it seems to me I have read that the sanding sealer is just meant to act as a moisture barrier to keep the tube from warping. You would still need to fill the spirals if you want them to go away.

I could be mistaken.

Terry

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I believe you are correct sir. Apparently Blue Tube is prone to moisture absorption, which is why I used the sealer.

Looking good, Jim.

I'd hoped to get out and paint again today but the call of deals at Target and such had other plans Mrs. OD's chauffeur. The weather was cooperative if a bit on the chill side. As long as the temps are above 50 degrees, Rustoleum is good. Especially if you pre-warm the rattle can with a soak in warm/hot water.

I even had a bug in my primer coats yesterday. Whuut?

o1d_dude said:

Looking good, Jim.

I'd hoped to get out and paint again today but the call of deals at Target and such had other plans Mrs. OD's chauffeur. The weather was cooperative if a bit on the chill side. As long as the temps are above 50 degrees, Rustoleum is good. Especially if you pre-warm the rattle can with a soak in warm/hot water.

I even had a bug in my primer coats yesterday. Whuut?

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I don't have a Mrs. L-N-S, so no worries there. Yeah, it was chilly, but I was able to paint in the sunshine. No bugs or other paint problems, so far.

CarVac said:

Hint: you can tame stray wires with hot glue pretty effectively and non-permanently.

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I'm a couple days late on this, but here's some other suggestions for buttoning up wire...

(1) If you can cut the wire to length before making the connections (like wires between the switches and the board, things like that), drill a few small holes in the sled in the right locations and then route the wires through the holes and across the back side of the board. This give you a bit of built-in strain relief when you are working with the components, and just looks much neater.

(2) 24 AWG wire (I pinch it from a spool of Cat-5e I have laying around) is easier to work with than the heavier wire it appeared you are using. You can twist individual strands together with a drill motor and they make great multi-conductor harnesses.

(3) If you do need longer runs of wire in the AV bay, you can coil them around a pencil and get a neat bundle that will stretch out when you need it to, but will retract naturally and stay out of the way when you are done with it.