Body tube repair

[Chuck H]

I can't remember what this was - I think it was some kind of Estes bulk pack kit. I decorated it with some parts-box decals. Also, it has a plastic fin can which is a bit melted. It flew great but the shock cord let go of the body tube on one flight and it crimped just above the engine mount. I thought about flying it as is, since it is such an ugly duckling, but decided to try a repair.

 

[Chuck H]

First I had to remove the launch lug. Then, I cut the tube just above the engine mount, cutting out about 1" and leaving about 1/4 " above the mount. Even though the tube was still bent a bit here, I couldn't cut any lower because then I would have nothing to glue the connector to. Speaking of which, I didn't have a connector, but I did have a spacer tool which was just slightly smaller in diameter. I cut off a 1-inch section, glued one layer of thick paper to the spacer and inserted in the bottom part of the body tube. Lastly I attached the top part of the body tube to the protruding connector, taking care to ensure it was reasonably straight.

 

[Chuck H]

Finally, to hide the seam line I cut a piece of aluminum tape and wrapped around the tube and then reattached the launch lug. Not pretty but hopefully I'll get a few more flights out of it!