Latest scratch build, the Step It Up

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qquake2k

qquake2k

Captain Low-N-Slow
Joined
Jan 26, 2010
Messages
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65
I've been working on my latest scratch build. I'm calling it the "Step It Up", because of the transition. It's 3" diameter transitioning to 2.2", and 77.5" tall. The first thing I did was drill one of the 1/4" plywood centering rings for the tee nuts that I'll use for motor retention, and drill the other ring for the 1/4" eyebolt used for recovery harness attachment. I cut the excess length off the eyebolt with a hacksaw.

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As always, I'm using 5 minute epoxy. I glued the upper centering ring onto the 29mm motor mount. I installed the eyebolt, and covered the nut with epoxy. I also covered the tee nuts with epoxy on the back side of the lower centering ring. The lower ring will be glued in after the fins are installed.

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The transition is balsa wood. I was concerned that a screw eye might pull out of it, since it's pretty soft. I thought about gluing in a length of hardwood dowel and screwing the screw eye into that, but I really wanted to put an eyebolt all the way through the transition. The longest eyebolt Home depot had was 5" long, which wasn't long enough to go all the way through. So I drilled into the top of the transition with a 1-1/4" Forstner bit, which drills a flat bottomed hole. I drilled into it about 2", then drilled all the way through from the top with a long 1/4" bit. As you can see, the 1/4" bit wandered a bit and came out the bottom slightly off center. But I don't think it will matter.

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I had to drop the flat washer onto the end of the eye bolt protruding into the transition, since I couldn't get my fingers in there. Only took me 4 or 5 tries. LOL

Using a socket and extension, I put a nylon lock nut onto the eyebolt and tightened it.

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I measured, marked, and cut the fin slots in the lower body tube. Using my handy dandy fin alignment tool, I started attaching the fins with epoxy. As you can see, I put the lower centering ring in place, but didn't glue it in yet, to keep the motor tube aligned during the fin attachment process.

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I think there should be a poll to change your screen name to Captain Overkill or Slow-n-Low.:D
 
El Cheapo said:
I think there should be a poll to change your screen name to Captain Overkill or Slow-n-Low.:D
Click to expand...

:rofl: I like Captain Slow-n-Low! You know me too well, I do like big, slow moving rockets. My old eyes can follow them better. Besides, where's the fun in watching a rocket disappear into the sky in less than a second?
 
El Cheapo said:
1/4" centering rings for 29mm??? Holy Cow
Click to expand...

That's what Balsa Machining Service sent me, I didn't specifically order 1/4". They're light ply, so they're not very heavy. Besides, they'll be easier to find when I drill into them for the rail buttons. And you know, I might surprise you one day and launch the Step It Up or Slipstream on an H. I still have a few surprises left in me...
 
I have decided that I'm completely, totally, and inexorably fin tab inept. Try as I might, I just can't get them right. I usually cut them too short. So this time, I purposely cut them a little too long, with the thought that I'd trim them to fit after the motor tube was installed. I trimmed them initially with my bandsaw, then did the final trimming with my stationary belt sander. That's where the trouble began. The first one turned out perfect. But the second two, not so perfect. I ended up sanding an angle on the tabs, I don't know how. Too aggressive with the power tools, I suppose.

In the past, I've cute small strips of 1/8" plywood to take up the space between the fin tabs and motor tube. But thanks to a suggestion here, I used pieces of small hardwood dowel this time. Much easier.

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I got all the fins installed, and used Titebond Molding and Trim glue for the external fillets.

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This is what it will look like. Nothing special, just another big dumb rocket. But I happen to like big dumb slow and low flying rockets!

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Well Captain, I think that is going to be one of the fun rockets you'll fly a lot. I'm sure you'll enjoy it for a long time. Kind of looks like an upscale Astron Avenger. Now all you need is the second stage.

Not to put you or anyone else down, but I'll just put in my :2: : Always used a bigger MMT then you expect to fly.

In this case, by not using a 38mm MMT, you are missing out on 26 different 38mm G & H motors available, and that's just the Aerotech and CTI ones.

Good luck and have fun!
 
I have used a refridgerator magnet on my socket wrenches to hold things in place until I got them started on the bolt...:)
rex
 
Very nice Jim! Im a big fan of low and slow myself. What size reload are you planning for your first flight? (I bet it will have black smoke) I have some various size tubes I have been wanting to put together and I think you just inspired my next scratch build.
 
Handeman said:
Well Captain, I think that is going to be one of the fun rockets you'll fly a lot. I'm sure you'll enjoy it for a long time. Kind of looks like an upscale Astron Avenger. Now all you need is the second stage.

Not to put you or anyone else down, but I'll just put in my :2: : Always used a bigger MMT then you expect to fly.

In this case, by not using a 38mm MMT, you are missing out on 26 different 38mm G & H motors available, and that's just the Aerotech and CTI ones.

Good luck and have fun!
Click to expand...

Yeah, I could have gone with a 38mm motor mount. I have the CTI and AT hardware. but it comes down to cost. 38mm G reloads range anywhere from $15 to $25. Most of the 29mm G's I fly are less than $10. So I can fly three 29mm G's to one or two 38mm G's.
 
Rex R said:
I have used a refridgerator magnet on my socket wrenches to hold things in place until I got them started on the bolt...:)
rex
Click to expand...

I thought about a magnet, but didn't know how it would work with a washer. I have a set of magnet socket inserts somewhere. I probably would have tried a magnet if my drop technique didn't work.
 
dixontj93060 said:
Nice. What finish color?
Click to expand...

I've decided on red and white. White nose cone and transition, red body tubes, with a single white stripe up both tubes. The stripe will be centered over one of the fins, and that fin will be red. The other two fins will be white. I know, pretty ambitious considering the paint problems I usually have.
 
bill2654 said:
Very nice Jim! Im a big fan of low and slow myself. What size reload are you planning for your first flight? (I bet it will have black smoke) I have some various size tubes I have been wanting to put together and I think you just inspired my next scratch build.
Click to expand...

What, do I have a reputation here or something? LOL

As a matter of fact, I already have the first reload for it, a G53 Fastjack. Yep, lots of black smoke! This will be my first real MPR with a transition. I say first "real", because when I was a kid I built a 5ft tall rocket with a BT-101 lower tube and a BT-70 upper tube. All I had to fly it on were D12-3's. Talk about low and slow! Back then Estes didn't have 3/16" launch lugs or rods, all they had were 1/8" or their old "C" rails. I didn't have the money for one of the rails, but my dad had a length of 1/2" aluminum rod. I built a big launch pad for the 1/2" rod, and used a length of BT-5 as a launch lug. Yeah, the BT-5 was pretty loose on the rod, and even at 1/2" diameter that rod was whippy, but I didn't know any better back then. I and my dad both loved watching that rocket fly. You could almost hear it grunt trying to get off the pad. It was my first big scratch built rocket. Little did I know that 30 years later...

Maybe I should dedicate the Step It Up to my dad's memory.
 
It's going to look good. Classic design. I have to agree with Handeman as well. That thing is built like a tank and can definitely handle any 38mm reload.
 
qquake2k said:
I've decided on red and white. White nose cone and transition, red body tubes, with a single white stripe up both tubes. The stripe will be centered over one of the fins, and that fin will be red. The other two fins will be white. I know, pretty ambitious considering the paint problems I usually have.
Click to expand...


The boys here at CIT will be waiting for the results. They like what they see so far!
 
Nice looking bird, Jim. I've always liked birds with a taper...think LOC Lil Diter, Expediter, etc.

Well, now I know what you were doing instead of attending the monthly SARG meeting yesterday. LOL!

BTW, next time you need to fit a washer over a recessed bolt, take a toothpick or dowel or length of copper wire and press one end of it to the top of the bolt. Then slip the washer over the toothpick (or whatever) and let it slide down onto the bolt. Pretty much works every time. It's an old shade tree mechanic trick.

I agree with your reasoning about going with the 29mm motor mount. 1) With our current launch field issues we may be flying only LPR and MPR for the next couple of months. 2) The G reloads are half as expensive as the HPR reload kits and you have a number of 38mm birds already. On my Tea-Bird 4.0 I went with a 38mm instead of the 54mm of the original. The designer never boosted on 54mm motors so why bother?

Speaking of low and slow, are you gonna fly the Minnie Magg next month at Snow? I've seen it fly on an H and think it's time for an I... :D
 
Great looking rocket,hope it flys as good as it looks.Hope to see it when you have it painted.cjp.
 
o1d_dude said:
Nice looking bird, Jim. I've always liked birds with a taper...think LOC Lil Diter, Expediter, etc.

Well, now I know what you were doing instead of attending the monthly SARG meeting yesterday. LOL!

BTW, next time you need to fit a washer over a recessed bolt, take a toothpick or dowel or length of copper wire and press one end of it to the top of the bolt. Then slip the washer over the toothpick (or whatever) and let it slide down onto the bolt. Pretty much works every time. It's an old shade tree mechanic trick.

I agree with your reasoning about going with the 29mm motor mount. 1) With our current launch field issues we may be flying only LPR and MPR for the next couple of months. 2) The G reloads are half as expensive as the HPR reload kits and you have a number of 38mm birds already. On my Tea-Bird 4.0 I went with a 38mm instead of the 54mm of the original. The designer never boosted on 54mm motors so why bother?

Speaking of low and slow, are you gonna fly the Minnie Magg next month at Snow? I've seen it fly on an H and think it's time for an I... :D
Click to expand...

Thanks Kit. I like the taper too. And while I was working on this yesterday, the real reason I didn't go to the meeting yesterday was a splitting headache. I know, likely excuse.

Great idea about the toothpick. I never thought of that. But I'm sure I'll use it in the future!

Actually, I only have two rockets with 38mm motor mounts, the Minie Magg and the LOC-IV. The Minie Magg can't fly on G's. I do have one I reload, but I was going to save it for the Hyperloc 835 when I get it set up for dual deploy. But the I245 would only take the Minie Magg to 1300 feet, and I don't have the altimeter yet, so who knows?
 
I was afraid it might not be draggy enough, and go too high too fast. That would be catastrophic for the Captain! So I decided to put finlets on the upper body tube. Actually I thought the finlets would look cool and give it a little bit of visual interest.

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