Build thread: 5.3:1 sport scale Super Deluxe #2 Skywriter XL Premium Pro Max - Limited Edition

[kuririn]

May I suggest,
Glue the lug together with wood glue
Glue to the body tube with wood glue and fillet
THEN paint with CA, sand and primer paint.

 

[neil_w]

May I suggest,
Glue the lug together with wood glue
Glue to the body tube with wood glue and fillet
THEN paint with CA, sand and primer paint.

You may. In hindsight, probably a better approach. However, since I have this pretty decent finished lug here I'm gonna give it a go. Will glue it with TBII and then attempt my first epoxy fillets. Should be a small adventure.

 

[jqavins]

Hide the launch lug inside one of these. Too much trouble? Yeah, probably.

I used those clips back in high school, before I discovered the Sharp (now Pentel) P205.

 

[kuririn]

Will glue it with TBII and then attempt my first epoxy fillets.

Nah, no need for the TB. If it's soaked with CA the TB won't adhere well. Just scuff it up with sandpaper and tack with 5 min. epoxy. Then come back with epoxy fillets. Done. Or just use thick CA.

 

[mbeels]

That lug is a really nice detail, puts this pencil "over the top".

 

[kuririn]

That lug is a really nice detail, puts this pencil "over the top".

Are you saying that this lug is "on point"?
That it makes the rocket look in "tip top" shape?
That...never mind.

 

[jqavins]

That it will truly make its mark.

 

[neil_w]

Went to pick up my internet order at Ace at lunch and brought along my lug. Tried it on some 3/16" rod and it is too tight. Gonna make another one a bit bigger, and follow Kuririn's sequence.

 

[neil_w]

Hex lug #2 is little bigger and a little more symmetrical (I printed a template this time). The old one fits snugly inside like a coupler, good for storage to keep it safe since it is not yet fully hardened with CA.

 

[Nytrunner]

That's not a launch lug, That's a Micromax skywriter

 

[neil_w]

That's not a launch lug, That's a Micromax skywriter

Still just a wee bit too small... but certainly could be done. 1:1 scale, could use a real pencil ferrule I bet.

 

[kuririn]

Would be a good match to the Applewhite Bic pen MicroMaxx rocket.
I've used that to fill out a flight card.
And the Fliskits MX Crayon rocket.
Ooh, I just remembered: I downloaded an MX Skywriter pdf from Micromeister at Yahoo groups.
Maybe you can get some ideas from that.
Laters.

 

[BABAR]

What you have looks good.

Another interesting approach would be removing two real pencil ferrules and gluing them in place as lugs.

 

[neil_w]

I glued a 1/32” balsa strip to the bottom of the lug because I have a feeling it’ll come in handy.

Also I CAed the top three faces, which aren’t involved in attachment. The bottom two faces and balsa strip should be ready for TBII.

I love this old bottle of thin CA so much but it’s almost gone.

 

[jqavins]

I love this old bottle of thin CA so much but it’s almost gone.

There, there. They'll make more. Maybe you could even poor the new glue into the old bottle.

 

[neil_w]

There, there. They'll make more. Maybe you could even poor the new glue into the old bottle.

I might just leave it on the shelf for a year or two to let it age. Gotta see if I can locate a tiny oak barrel.

In the meantime I will experiment with other CA varieties. The new stuff is just too fast and fumey for how I usually want to use it.

 

[kuririn]

Try chilling the new one in the frig before using. Might cut down on the fuming.

 

[Mugs914]

I was hoping you would tower-launch it from a giant pocket protector...

 

[jqavins]

In the meantime I will experiment with other CA varieties. The new stuff is just too fast and fumey for how I usually want to use it.

Can you no longer find the same brand, or has the brand changed its formulation? Or do you just need to leave some new stuff on the shelf for a year before using it. (That's semi-serious.)

 

[neil_w]

Can you no longer find the same brand, or has the brand changed its formulation? Or do you just need to leave some new stuff on the shelf for a year before using it. (That's semi-serious.)

It's the same stuff (in theory), just comparing a brand new bottle vs. a 3-year old bottle. It's possible (likely, actually) that the old bottle started off the same way, but as it has changed properties gradually over time I have become accustomed to it, and going back to a new batch is quite jarring. I am hoping to be able to leave the new stuff on the shelf for a while and see if it evolves like the old bottle did.

The BSI SuperGold is the likely solution to the problem, but man that stuff is $$$.

 

[BEC]

It's possible (likely, actually) that the old bottle started off the same way, but as it has changed properties gradually over time I have become accustomed to it, and going back to a new batch is quite jarring.

In my experience, having been using CA to build models (airplanes before I got sucked back into rocketry) for ~40 years, as it gets older it slows down. Eventually it stops being a very good adhesive for joining parts but still can be a usable coating if you can let it cure. This seems to be true of both the expensive brands (say, Zap) and the cheap stuff (like they sell at Hobby Lobby). Probably to get what you want you'll have to age it.

Small bottles deteriorate (age) more quickly than big ones in my experience.

Probably no oak barrels required, though .

 

[neil_w]

In my experience, having been using CA to build models (airplanes before I got sucked back into rocketry) for ~40 years, as it gets older it slows down. Eventually it stops being a very good adhesive for joining parts but still can be a usable coating if you can let it cure. This seems to be true of both the expensive brands (say, Zap) and the cheap stuff (like they sell at Hobby Lobby). Probably to get what you want you'll have to age it.

Small bottles deteriorate (age) more quickly than big ones in my experience.

Probably no oak barrels required, though .

I wonder what would happen if I mixed in some medium CA. Probably nothing bad, but I'm reluctant to experiment.

 

[mbeels]

In my experience, having been using CA to build models (airplanes before I got sucked back into rocketry) for ~40 years, as it gets older it slows down. Eventually it stops being a very good adhesive for joining parts but still can be a usable coating if you can let it cure.

That's been my experience as well, it gets slower and worse.

 

[neil_w]

I wonder what would happen if I mixed in some medium CA. Probably nothing bad, but I'm reluctant to experiment.

Even more so, I'm tempted to mix some of the new BSI into the old BSI, to get something "in between". Should at least get me a bit more life out of the old bottle with something less "hot" than the new stuff.

Really, some SuperGold is the solution.

[edit to execute the play on words properly]

 

[jqavins]

Only a minute ago I responded to your thread about this in Techniques. In summary, I suggest an experiment of mixing some new Insta-Cure with a little bit of medium to see what happens. You wouldn't be putting any of your more valuable old stock at risk that way. It might be a total flop, but there isn't much to lose.

 

[afadeev]

Try chilling the new one in the frig before using. Might cut down on the fuming.

Then apply shaken, not stirred!

[...]for ~40 years, as it gets older it slows down. Eventually it stops being a very good

That's been my experience as well, it gets slower and worse.

True for glue as well...

 

[boatgeek]

Still just a wee bit too small... but certainly could be done. 1:1 scale, could use a real pencil ferrule I bet.

Hey man, the safety code says no metal parts!

 

[Co-leader of the LRP]

Hey man, the safety code says no metal parts!

Yeah, but then there's all those people with their HPR rockets that have aluminum fin cans, aluminum tip-nose cones, aluminum motor mount parts, and steel rail buttons.

 

[neil_w]

Mounted the lug today.

First I did a full dry fit so I could find the CG for lug placement purposes. I'm happy to report that the clear fins do not look bad overhanging the ferrule.

I sanded down a "flat spot" onto the seam that was already the flattest, making sure to select one that was not where a fin was going:

And then on went the lug.

Fillets and a finishing coat of CA followed.

Without close inspection, no one will probably notice the hex lug, but that's OK.

 

[mbeels]

It's those little details that really set a build apart. Any photos of the dry fit?