CameronMakesRockets
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- May 12, 2022
- Messages
- 63
- Reaction score
- 49
Santa gave me a Bull Pip 12D for Christmas and I have been eagerly waiting to start this build!
I started first with the motor mount. I used JB Weld ClearWeld 5min epoxy as well as medium CA glue to assemble the motor mount.
While the motor mount was drying, I started working on the nose cone. For those that don’t know, the Bull Pup comes with polymer clay to add weight to the nose of the rocket to help keep it stable. It came with two chunks of clay and I added one to the nose cone after I widened the hole with a drill to get better access inside. I figured that I would start with one chunk of clay then add more. (It might be worth doing a string test to see if I need more weight before an actual launch).
Here is the nose cone with the hole at the bottom widened to help get easier access to add the clay. I used a drill and a hobby knife to make the hole wider. This allowed me to stick a pencil in there with ease.
Here is one chunk of the clay added.
I am going to paper these fins. They probably don't need it but at the time of getting the fins ready I didn't have sand paper readily available. Going with the paper method allowed me to keep going!
I outlined around the fines about 3mm to give extra room when it came to trimming the paper and sanding. Kept it close together to minimize waste.
You really only need a small amount of glue for this method. I spread this bead thin across one face of the fin. It was plenty wet for the paper.
After I spread the glue across the fin, I added the paper and pressed down to keep it flat. I eventually put the fins under an old textbook with some weights to keep the fin from warping.
While the fins were drying, I got started with marking the lines for the fins and launch lug.
When the fines were dried I trimmed the paper off of them and got them ready to attach to the body of the rocket. I sanded the area on the body tube to get a good adhesion.
I did an experiment with the epoxy for the fins, one with the masking and one with out. I was mainly trying to see if it would make a difference at this scale. After removing the masking tape, I noticed that the tape pulled some of the paper from the fin up with it. I decided to not have to deal with that from every fin so I only applied masking on the side of the fin that touched the body tube, I figured it was worth the sanding. (Yes, my rocket stand is made of Lego's, my 3d printer is down so I couldn't print one in time for the build).
All the fins are now attached, it went okay (except for the one fin that had some of the paper ripped up). I didn't get the alignment perfect, but it I think it will be alright (once my 3d printer is fixed I will print an alignment jig).
Here I have fixed the fin that had some of the paper ripped from it. A little wood filler and wood glue filled in the gaps and some sanding made it all flat again!
After some serious sanding, I was ready for paint! I used Ace Hardware Gloss White and it worked really well. I did a few coats and I thing the finish is looking pretty good! This is the first time really getting a good surface for paint and I knew gloss paint will show the imperfections more than matte paint does, so I really took the time to get it as smooth as I could! Some areas of the rocket were sanded up to 100 grit (probably over kill).
Another image of the paint job, ready for decals!
For me the decals are the hardest part of the build. I was surprised how many there were for this small rocket! They aren't perfectly aligned, and some did rip when I pulled them off the backing paper. Some did turn out good I and made sure that the show side (the side pictured) looked the best! If there are any tips, tricks, or guides on how to apply water decals to a model rocket please send them my way, I need all the help I can get!
I started first with the motor mount. I used JB Weld ClearWeld 5min epoxy as well as medium CA glue to assemble the motor mount.
While the motor mount was drying, I started working on the nose cone. For those that don’t know, the Bull Pup comes with polymer clay to add weight to the nose of the rocket to help keep it stable. It came with two chunks of clay and I added one to the nose cone after I widened the hole with a drill to get better access inside. I figured that I would start with one chunk of clay then add more. (It might be worth doing a string test to see if I need more weight before an actual launch).
Here is the nose cone with the hole at the bottom widened to help get easier access to add the clay. I used a drill and a hobby knife to make the hole wider. This allowed me to stick a pencil in there with ease.
Here is one chunk of the clay added.I am going to paper these fins. They probably don't need it but at the time of getting the fins ready I didn't have sand paper readily available. Going with the paper method allowed me to keep going!
I outlined around the fines about 3mm to give extra room when it came to trimming the paper and sanding. Kept it close together to minimize waste.You really only need a small amount of glue for this method. I spread this bead thin across one face of the fin. It was plenty wet for the paper.
After I spread the glue across the fin, I added the paper and pressed down to keep it flat. I eventually put the fins under an old textbook with some weights to keep the fin from warping.
While the fins were drying, I got started with marking the lines for the fins and launch lug.
When the fines were dried I trimmed the paper off of them and got them ready to attach to the body of the rocket. I sanded the area on the body tube to get a good adhesion.
I did an experiment with the epoxy for the fins, one with the masking and one with out. I was mainly trying to see if it would make a difference at this scale. After removing the masking tape, I noticed that the tape pulled some of the paper from the fin up with it. I decided to not have to deal with that from every fin so I only applied masking on the side of the fin that touched the body tube, I figured it was worth the sanding. (Yes, my rocket stand is made of Lego's, my 3d printer is down so I couldn't print one in time for the build).
All the fins are now attached, it went okay (except for the one fin that had some of the paper ripped up). I didn't get the alignment perfect, but it I think it will be alright (once my 3d printer is fixed I will print an alignment jig).Here I have fixed the fin that had some of the paper ripped from it. A little wood filler and wood glue filled in the gaps and some sanding made it all flat again!
After some serious sanding, I was ready for paint! I used Ace Hardware Gloss White and it worked really well. I did a few coats and I thing the finish is looking pretty good! This is the first time really getting a good surface for paint and I knew gloss paint will show the imperfections more than matte paint does, so I really took the time to get it as smooth as I could! Some areas of the rocket were sanded up to 100 grit (probably over kill).
Another image of the paint job, ready for decals!
For me the decals are the hardest part of the build. I was surprised how many there were for this small rocket! They aren't perfectly aligned, and some did rip when I pulled them off the backing paper. Some did turn out good I and made sure that the show side (the side pictured) looked the best! If there are any tips, tricks, or guides on how to apply water decals to a model rocket please send them my way, I need all the help I can get!
