Binder Design Excel Level 1 Certification Build

[Starz]

Hi,
I recently received my Binder Design Excel which I will be building for my Level 1 cert. I have been doing TARC for awhile and that pretty much jumpstarted my love for model rockets. Anyways, the parts so far look high quality, and the instructions are clear and easy to follow. I will be using 5 minute epoxy for this build because it is cheap and easy.
Here is a photo of all the parts for inventory. I know the eye bolt, rail buttons, shock cord, and motor retainer are missing in this picture. I have them safe in a Ziploc bag still in the box.

 

[sharkbait]

Hi,
I recently received my Binder Design Excel which I will be building for my Level 1 cert. I have been doing TARC for awhile and that pretty much jumpstarted my love for model rockets. Anyways, the parts so far look high quality, and the instructions are clear and easy to follow. I will be using 5 minute epoxy for this build because it is cheap and easy.
Here is a photo of all the parts for inventory.

Hi,
I recently received my Binder Design Excel which I will be building for my Level 1 cert. I have been doing TARC for awhile and that pretty much jumpstarted my love for model rockets. Anyways, the parts so far look high quality, and the instructions are clear and easy to follow. I will be using 5 minute epoxy for this build because it is cheap and easy.
Here is a photo of all the parts for inventory.

Is it 3” with 29 MMT

 

[Starz]

Is it 3” with 29 MMT

No, I got the 4 inch version with a 38mm MMT.

 

[sharkbait]

No, I got the 4 inch version with a 38mm MMT.

Nice

the 5 minute is fine for this kit, I would recommend you get some RocketPoxy for making the external fillets strong and easier to do.

 

[Rex R]

While one might think that 5 min. Epoxy is way longer than needed... For me it is not, plus, longer set times are usually stronger

 

[Starz]

Uh oh, did I start another glue thread by accident?

 

[krislhull]

Did my L1 on the 4” Excel, a great flier… my only regret at the time was that I didn’t upgrade it to the 54mm motor mount.

 

[Handeman]

Uh oh, did I start another glue thread by accident?

Probably! But don't worry about it. 5-Min. will be fine. You can use any of them.

 

[K'Tesh]

Sim for the 4" Excel can be found in my OpenRocket Files thread. It's been updated to OR 22.02

 

[Starz]

Sim for the 4" Excel can be found in my OpenRocket Files thread. It's been updated to OR 22.02

View attachment 506838

Thanks! Already downloaded your OR design before I even bought the rocket! It helped me decide.

 

[K'Tesh]

Thanks! Already downloaded your OR design before I even bought the rocket! It helped me to decide.

Cool! I bet Mike would like to hear that!

I'll point out again, I just posted an updated version to the thread. It's for the latest OR version. So, it now has "real" OR rail buttons, instead of the workaround I had in the old one.

 

[dr wogz]

Uh oh, did I start another glue thread by accident?

there is always one more glue thread! We all have our favorites & opinions!

The longer the cure time, the more time the epoxy has to seep into the cracks & crannies of the parts for a solid bond.

Yellow wood glue is also a contender on builds like this: paper & wood & 29 or 38mm mounts.

Regular epoxy is fine for the fillets. just mix in some baby powder or balsa dust. or some other sandable filler / thickener

 

[Starz]

Here is a dry-fit picture of it:

 

[mccordmw]

I did my L1 and L2 on Excels. I went with the 54 mm mount and used an adapter to 38 mm. Great flyer and beautiful rocket. Best of luck!

 

[crossfire]

If you use this for L2 there are a lot 38mm J motors. No need for 54mmt in this rocket.

 

[Starz]

Finally had some time to begin the build, and built the fin can. Glued the aft thrust ring and centering rings, then tacked on the fins. Also added some fillets on the top centering ring and installed the eye bolt. Will the the internal fin fillets soon.

 

[Hobie1dog]

Keep the pictures coming

 

[Starz]

Almost done! Just need to finish the fillets and then install the motor retainer and paint it!

 

[Hobie1dog]

You're lucky you got one of the binder kits with a fiberglass nose cone. But I'll always get the two confused whether it's a SBR or a Binder. I can't keep them straight

 

[Starz]

You're lucky you got one of the binder kits with a fiberglass nose cone. But I'll always get the two confused whether it's a SBR or a Binder. I can't keep them straight

Fiberglass nosecone? Mine isn't.

 

[Hobie1dog]

Fiberglass nosecone? Mine isn't.

oh, my Diablo came with a 3D printed 2-piece NC

 

[FlyBy01]

was curious on SBR kits I just ordered "The Bomb kit". I would recommend a Jolly Logic chute release. What is your motor plan? Sparky G?

 

[Neutronium95]

oh, my Diablo came with a 3D printed 2-piece NC

It doesn't seem to be listed on their website, but the Diablo is from SBR, not Binder Design. I don't know the exact history, but both companies are completely separate as far as I know.

 

[Crazyrocket]

Binder used to sell the diablo, but that went away when he sold it to Mike Fisher. Scott then started up SBR and it's great to see some of the old kits again. At least that's how I remember everything going. It was a long time ago.

 

[ZoomieG]

You're lucky you got one of the binder kits with a fiberglass nose cone. But I'll always get the two confused whether it's a SBR or a Binder. I can't keep them straight

Pretty sure it's Plastic. I could be wrong, but I'd guess it's a PML sourced nose.

It doesn't seem to be listed on their website, but the Diablo is from SBR, not Binder Design. I don't know the exact history, but both companies are completely separate as far as I know.

Binder used to sell the diablo, but that went away when he sold it to Mike Fisher. Scott then started up SBR and it's great to see some of the old kits again. At least that's how I remember everything going. It was a long time ago.

The Rocketry show hosted Scott Binder back in Summer of 2020. From that interview:

His first design, the Brutus, was made for Rocket R&D.

Scott's first Rocket company was Binder Design. That was sold to Mike Fisher, and is still in operation. BinderDesign offers the Excel. I can find no mention of the Diablo on any historic version of BinderDesign in the internet archive.

Scott's second rocket company was BSD Rocketry, named after Binder Sign & Design. BSD offered multiple versions of the Horizon, Diablo, and Thor. BSD is no longer in operation.

Scott's current rocket company is SBR. He initially was only going to offer one design, the Fusion. Right now, you can get multiple versions of the Fusion, Thor, and a few other designs. A few years ago, SBR sold re-issued and updated versions of some of his older designs, including Brutus, Horizon, and Diablo. Those were discontinued recently, likely when it looked like Scott was going to close/sell the company due to medical issues.

 

[Crazyrocket]

You are correct. The diablo was BSD Rocketry. My bad. It is a complicated history. My diablo even has the BSD vinyl on it and I still got it wrong!

 

[Hobie1dog]

Pretty sure it's Plastic. I could be wrong, but I'd guess it's a PML sourced nose.




The Rocketry show hosted Scott Binder back in Summer of 2020. From that interview:

His first design, the Brutus, was made for Rocket R&D.

Scott's first Rocket company was Binder Design. That was sold to Mike Fisher, and is still in operation. BinderDesign offers the Excel. I can find no mention of the Diablo on any historic version of BinderDesign in the internet archive.

Scott's second rocket company was BSD Rocketry, named after Binder Sign & Design. BSD offered multiple versions of the Horizon, Diablo, and Thor. BSD is no longer in operation.

Scott's current rocket company is SBR. He initially was only going to offer one design, the Fusion. Right now, you can get multiple versions of the Fusion, Thor, and a few other designs. A few years ago, SBR sold re-issued and updated versions of some of his older designs, including Brutus, Horizon, and Diablo. Those were discontinued recently, likely when it looked like Scott was going to close/sell the company due to medical issues.

Thanks for explaining all of that.

 

[JRL303]

You're doing a great job. keep at it and don't overthink it, The Binder Excel is very forgiving,

 

[Starz]

Finished the fin fillets!

 

[Crazyrocket]

Looks great so far! What are you going to do for motor retention? Are friction fitting the motor or are you going to use clips?