12" Talon on a P

[SpartaChris]

 

[Pantherjon]

That's gonna be one funky rocket! I guess it will need to use a 'P' with all that drag inducing 'fuzzy stuff' on it!:roll:

And your JUST NOW posting this here? Looks like an awesome project Chris!

 

[speedyweasel]

It's been under construction for several months now. We're rebuilding the aft section after the mishap at LDRS. The full build thread is up on ROL, too, but we wanted some more visibility for it here. There are a lot of people giving us the "wait... You're rebuilding it?!" reaction, so we're going to cross-post on both forums.

Anyway, the O motor wasn't enough last time, so this one's gonna be a P.

 

[troj]

...and some of us are about to whack ya upside the head with a P casing for being so bloody slow about it all, too!

C'mon, guys, what else could be more important?

-Kevin

 

[Jolly Roger Joe]

C'mon, guys, what else could be more important?
-Kevin

We decided (with encouragement from spouses) we'd like to remain friends after this build is done. So we're taking our time. The first one was built in 10 weeks. For this one we've added "participants" and stretched the build over a year. We might even get it painted this time... real paint, that is.

 

[GiachiG aka Typico]

mmm... i have big doubt for this project guys...

what aerospace tecnology is to fix fins with that stuff?? a tip-to-tip glass reinforcement isn't stronger and lighter??

same doubt for the TTW mount... that alluminium stuff held the fin, but a well dimensioned fillet and some foam works better...

why not spend a little more in construction technology and save money by making your rockets really strong???

i hope i misunderstood your plan!!!

 

[ben_ullman]

hope 2nd times the charm!

Ben

 

[troj]

We decided (with encouragement from spouses) we'd like to remain friends after this build is done. So we're taking our time. The first one was built in 10 weeks. For this one we've added "participants" and stretched the build over a year. We might even get it painted this time... real paint, that is.

Oh, c'mon, no guts, no glory! :confused2:

We built the Redstone (and A-5) in 5 weeks. A rough 5 weeks.

Fortunately, with very understanding spouses.

And yeah, I do understand crunch building can be a pill.

-Kevin

 

[JAllen]

mmm... i have big doubt for this project guys...

what aerospace tecnology is to fix fins with that stuff?? a tip-to-tip glass reinforcement isn't stronger and lighter??

same doubt for the TTW mount... that alluminium stuff held the fin, but a well dimensioned fillet and some foam works better...

why not spend a little more in construction technology and save money by making your rockets really strong???

i hope i misunderstood your plan!!!

I believe the reason for "Piano Hinge" inside a slot plan for the main fins is so that they could reasonably store and transport the rocket. Its pretty large and its most likely already a pain to store and move as it is without the fins, so making the fins removable simplifies things.

Correct me if I'm wrong guys....

Oh yeah, looking good so far!

 

[BB-ROCK]

your build looks interesting. Can't wait when it's completed I hope you guys don't take long of break when you build this monster..

 

[GiachiG aka Typico]

I believe the reason for "Piano Hinge" inside a slot plan for the main fins is so that they could reasonably store and transport the rocket. Its pretty large and its most likely already a pain to store and move as it is without the fins, so making the fins removable simplifies things.

Correct me if I'm wrong guys....

Oh yeah, looking good so far!

that's a possible reason
but personally, i prefer a one piece, strong fincan, even if it's difficult to transport
my SpeedWeiser's wingspan is 125cm or 49.5in
i moved it from home(italy), to launch field(spain), that is actually a 1200km or 746mi trip

vibration are rocket killers, and with hinge instead of a solid fillet, vibration can easily occur... isn't it??

in any case, I am much most happy if the launch goes to good aim!!!! i'm waiting to see it fly dead straight to the sky

 

[ben_ullman]

that's a possible reason
but personally, i prefer a one piece, strong fincan, even if it's difficult to transport
my SpeedWeiser's wingspan is 125cm or 49.5in
i moved it from home(italy), to launch field(spain), that is actually a 1200km or 746mi trip

vibration are rocket killers, and with hinge instead of a solid fillet, vibration can easily occur... isn't it??

in any case, I am much most happy if the launch goes to good aim!!!! i'm waiting to see it fly dead straight to the sky

The fins won't vibrate that bad IMO. Alot of people (raises hand) use the removable fin method. If you anchor the fins mechanically in 2 places like you do with fillets (at the MMT and the BT) then its a really good method. Plus it makes it easier to replace broken fins

Ben

 

[SpartaChris]

that's a possible reason
but personally, i prefer a one piece, strong fincan, even if it's difficult to transport
my SpeedWeiser's wingspan is 125cm or 49.5in
i moved it from home(italy), to launch field(spain), that is actually a 1200km or 746mi trip

vibration are rocket killers, and with hinge instead of a solid fillet, vibration can easily occur... isn't it??

in any case, I am much most happy if the launch goes to good aim!!!! i'm waiting to see it fly dead straight to the sky

You know, the last time we had people tell us it wouldn't work, we happily proved them wrong. We'll be happy in this case as well.

Or, put another way.. If we want your opinion, we'll give it to you.

OK, I'm gonna go watch the Stanley Cup Finals, Game 7 that I Tivo'ed since I knew I'd be at RocStock this weekend. I'll start re-posting here shortly after it's over.

 

[SpartaChris]

Today's build thread update is brought to you by:

And the letter "P", because it makes me smile inside.

 

[SpartaChris]

We started the project on day one by watching Joe inhale a little tacklin' fuel- A Bacon and Grape Jelly sandwich:

As we're discussing the day's game plan, we started discussing names. "Screw You Hippie 2" was tossed out, but since we have some new team members we figured something new was needed.

So there we were, telling old war stories and getting ready for the day's events when I started reliving a wild night of heavy drinking in T.J. and the after effects of such an affair. That's when it hit me, and "It burns when I P" was born.

 

[SpartaChris]

The project begins in Broseph's newly minted Rocket Shop of the Apocalypse by first laying out the new airframe tube the fins will be mounted to:

Hello old friends!:

Don't look now, but it's an UDO!

(unidentified disco object)

 

[SpartaChris]

Charlie folds and marks his g-string:

And wraps it around the tube. These will serve as alignment marks for the fin slots to come later:

Meanwhile, Joe lets one rip:

 

[SpartaChris]

We used a piece of angle iron to draw the lines:

And extend them up where the fins will be:

Darth James says, "I'm a n00b!"

n00b shows how tard-core he is by showing his cool tats. Man, I wish I were born with tats.. Of course I could always get one by joining the Navy.

 

[SpartaChris]

Charlie's checking the spacing for the width of the fins:

Because the fins are a little thicker than the base, we used the square to get an accurate mark for the proper spacing needed to make the fin slots. This should technically prevent us from having to sand and file that tube to get an accurate fit for the fins. However, we'll likely screw it up. After all, we're not exactly rocket scientists:

Heh, Charlie's a tracer:
(Warning: link isn't kid friendly. You've been warned.)

 

[SpartaChris]

Meanwhile, Joe's looking a little too happy there. Umm, Joe, there something we should know?::

Drilling the pilot hole for the jiggy saw:

Oh yeah, Charlie's also a cutter:

 

[SpartaChris]

Hello, Head Beer Wench of the Apocalypse!

The test fit:

Joe uses his 1337 Ninja skills to pop that bad boy into place. Chuck would be jealous:

And a perfect fit:

 

[SpartaChris]

Here's Charlie looking normal:

Broseph kicks it old school and sets up his turntable:

And becomes DJ Broseph. Spin that -ish Broseph!:

Get in my belly!:

 

[SpartaChris]

Finishing the centering ring for the inside tube the fins will be mounted to. More to come on that later:

Meet Toilet Bowl Joe:

Charlie gives a little "I Toldja so!" to Toilet Bowl Joe for not listening to him the first time:

Random fun fact: Chuck Norris lost both legs in a car accident and still managed to walk it off.

Moving on...

 

[SpartaChris]

This is what you see after one too many Fat Tires:

Friggin n00bs:

Slow Joe sometimes needs things spelled out for him:

Don't do it Joe!

 

[SpartaChris]

Here's our inner tube thingie. The fins will seat inside the Norris approved aluminum channel. Here we mark the lines so we can get the proper spacing and alignment:

The Norris Approved aluminum channel will be riveted to the inner tube thingie. Here's Charlie drilling a starter hole for the first rivet:

All was going well until Charlie broke the pneumatic rivet gun:

OMG, you killed the rivet gun! You bastard!

Think we're gonna call Charlie "Kenny" from now on.

 

[SpartaChris]

Welp, since Kenny pretty much ruined our day (Thanks Kenny!), we finished off by inventing a better chip clip to help keep our peanut butter stuffed pretzels fresh, crunchy, and salmonella free:

Man, I think I'm going n00b hunting:

The super deluxe mega chip clip 3000, throwin' horns:

More to come...

 

[SpartaChris]

So moving on- When we last left off, Charlie had broken our pneumatic rivet gun. Truth be told it wasn't really his fault, but we enjoy blaming him anyway. In fact, pointing fingers at him dates all the way back to my Senior Prom, when I took back a CD I lent him, but didn't check the case first to make sure it was still in there. My friends, their dates and I are chillin' in the limo, waiting for my date and I go to pop in the CD only to find the case empty. The phrase "Ephin' Charlie!" was born then, and as you can see is still very much in use today.

So Charlie broke the pneumatic rivet gun. Ephin Charlie. But he replaced it, so we were able to move forward with our project. Here's Joe, a wee bit trigger happy:

The process of installing the fin channels to the inside tube was going well.. That is until we ran out of rivets. Ephin Charlie. So here we are tempting fate. If this project fails, we'll know the culprit is that one missing rivet:

With no more rivets, and really no more riveting needing to be done at the moment, Joe decided to show us something he learned a long time ago at band camp. Here he uses a single sheet of paper to demonstrate how to perform a Bris in one easy step:

The assembled pattern ready for use:

 

[SpartaChris]

With the pattern trimmed to shape (ouch), we're ready to start marking up the plywood and cutting the aft fins. We're using 3/8" Baltic Birch plywood:

With the pattern traced out, we're ready to cut the fins. Because it's imperative we get straight cuts, Charlie devised this super cool fin cutter straighter jig:

Here's another image of this sophisticated fin cutter straighter jig:

And the fin cutter straighter jig in use:

Random Fun Fact: They wanted to put Chuck Norris' head on Mt. Rushmore, but the granite wasn't strong enough for his beard.

 

[SpartaChris]

So we're cutting out the fins when Charlie insisted we number them. We weren't sure why it mattered, but knowing that sometimes it's just better to humor the "special people" than argue with them, we obliged. This fin is number 2, just for Charlie:

The fins cut out, striking a pose:

While Charlie vogues:

Not really sure what is happening here, but I swear it can't be good:

 

[SpartaChris]

Needing to re-up on materials, we took a break from working on the fins and went back to the inside tube. Next up was to mount the centering rings:

Working the epoxy into the joint:

Then showing it the handshake: