Build Thread: Scratch Built Super Magnum - FWFG 5.5" with 54mm + 6x 29mm Cluster!

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Pretty damn close! I do a better job beveling someone else's find than my own... :lol:

Hail hail, the king of the bevelers!:cool: Justin rocks!:cheers:

Hey Dan, I can't speak for Justin's methods, but I'll speak to my setup which is similar to yours: my gate/backer thing is a lot shorter or lower than yours. It appears yours may be 12" or so, whereas mine is 4" or so. I find that I am most comfortable beveling fins when my hands are above the backer with only a few digits below the top of the backer. To me, it makes it easier to slide it along the surfaces and control the fins.

Your setup looks great, I just know I'm most comfortable using the setup when my hands are on top. When I have little tiny fins and the fin edges don't stick above the gate, I am most uncomfortable, least confident, etc.

Your mileage may vary...your first bevels look great. Just food for thought. Cheers!:)
 
Let's do some fillets!

The injected internal fillets have had a chance to full cure and the result is a VERY strong fin can. The external fillets will further lock things down, so out comes the West again but this time with the 404 filler. I haven't used this before, but it's exciting to finally use a quality resin + filler system.

10g of resin and 2g of curative were mixed, followed by about 6 towering craft stick shovels of 404. The result is a mix that holds the craft stick horizontally but still has a decent "wetness" to it. It appears that I went a little too far as the fillet has a bit of a moon surface texture to it that will need to be filled and sanded, but I'm pretty happy with the results. Note to self: run with 15g resin, 3g curative for the next 2 sets, there was nothing left!

Here's what the epoxy looked like with the 404:

IMG_0634.jpg

Next step was the tried and true fillet boundary transfer method using your filleting tool, a sharpie, and masking tape. These fillets will be formed using a piece of 1.125" XX Phenolic tube. Here are the fins with the sharpie outlines:

IMG_0633.jpg

The lines were then taped off with 1/4" masking tape to follow the contour at the fore and aft ends (THANKS TONY!!!), then added some 1" blue tape for added margin and easier cleanup. I forgot to take a picture of this step, but I will do it for the next set.

The epoxy was plopped in with a craft stick and distributed a bit, then the 1.125" tube was used to pull the fillet. Once I was happy with the result I pulled the tape, which yielded my finished fillets!

IMG_0635.jpg

Hard to tell, but they have a rough texture. As stated, I'll need to fill and sand them smooth, then use a good primer in my spray gun to finish them off. All in all, I prefer this West Systems resin + filler combo to RocketPoxy.
 
I’ve gotten lazy with this thread, but progress is being made. I’ll be leaving for Florida on Thursday, so maybe I’ll work on catching up on this thread while poolside downing some delicious Tree House IPA’s.

Here’s some teasers:

Av Bay:

IMG_1518478599.150768.jpg

Structurally complete booster:

IMG_1518478646.524174.jpg

What are these for?

IMG_0679.jpg
 
Deleting witnesses.



[real] Airstart conduits [\real]

Nice idea, but at this point I’ll need to be efficient because there’s a lot of witnesses and only 4 arrows...

I may need to GUIDE you to the correct answer.
 
How are you handling nose weight? Could you snap a pic of it when it's completed?
 
Nice idea, but at this point I’ll need to be efficient because there’s a lot of witnesses and only 4 arrows...

I may need to GUIDE you to the correct answer.

Hey, they can be re-used...you only need to be accurate ;)


Guide....? Are you 3D printing something large?
 
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