Bigger booster for Edmonds Elcie G?

I am new to this forum, and somewhat new to rocketry. I am planning a glider project for a large group of kids using Edmonds Elcie G set. I had bad luck with the booster for the deltie air show, and I was wondering if anyone has launched these from a more substantial booster.

Hi Rev,

When you say you had bad luck with the Airshow booster, what happened - did it blow up or didn't it have enough power to get it up high enough?

I haven't flown the Elcie G yet, but I have flown the Deltie B, and the B4-2 seemed like plenty of motor to get it up there. The booster finally "burned up" on the final launch because I had so much rocket motor "crud" built up on the launch rod that the friction prevented it from lifting off quickly (only got up about 30 feet). The delay caused the flames from the motor to destroy the lower part of the booster pod and part of the glider fuselage. The glider still very well and I might get another Deltie B.

Make sure your launch rod is smooth and straight!

Jim

The Deltie airshow didn't get up high at all, and I was using the recommended motor. I'm using a very new rod, so I doubt it was that.

With the Elcie G show, I had a weaker motor than needed, and I knew it, but the A10-3T was impossible to find around me at the time. (still hard to get right now)

I am more concerned that I made the booster right. I thought I did myself a favor by using titebond instead of glue, but that may have been a mistake.

I have three bulk kits in front of me, so I have three boosters. I thought I would try using the extra fin that comes with each glider instead of the included fins, since the included ones seem less stable to me, as they are so long in width, but short on the glued end. So I glued up a set of each fins on two tubes and now I think - duh - that's why the fin is shaped that way - the gliders have to sit farther apart, and the extra fins would probably only work on a larger tube.

In any case, I will have a couple versions of a booster, with the right size engines this time, so hopefully I can make it work. I have time for a test run before the event I am planning.

By less stable do you mean that you thought the fins were not attached sturdily? Stability in rocketry terms has to do with making sure the rockets fly straight.

Why do you think that Titebond was a problem in the construction of the booster, as opposed to "glue"? Using wood glue like Titebond to glue a wood fin to a paper bodytube should result in a joint that will tear the tube before the joint fails. You want to make sure you are using a proper "double glue" joint. You can search the forum for a good description of this, but in a nut shell- you put some glue on the fin and touch it to the body then take it off and let that thin layer of glue tack up. Then put a small bead back on the fin and attach it to the tube for the final time.

Usually by following the directions included with the kits (that includes recommended motors) I've had great success with just about every Edmonds kit I've flown. People tend to look at these kits and think of ways they can improve them, but that ends up changing something about the kit that the designer worked hard to figure out.

kj

I really mistyped. It's not titebond I was concerned about. It was a contact cement called weldwood. I switched them mentally. Sorry for the confusion.

I am now using titebond for all wood glue applications.

And yes, the stability I was referring to was whether the fins were attached sturdily.

Spent the night gluing various fins to tubes and I am feeling better about the process. Appreciate this forum very much.

Rev Lovejoy said:

The Deltie airshow didn't get up high at all, and I was using the recommended motor. I'm using a very new rod, so I doubt it was that.

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You should look at your Deltie Airshow again. Its behavior does not sound like any that I have witnessed.

I have successfully flown mine on A and B motors. On a B motor I had so much glide time that I would only fly it on calm days.

A friend flew one on a C motor once. Only once, because 2 of the 3 gliders drifted away and were never found.