Cherokee-E with Mods

[Starfire73]

Finished my Cherokee-E today (sans the clear coat). I made a few mods:

First and most obvious one is turning the BT extension into an upper payload bay. I don’t know why anyone would waste a perfectly good opportunity for somewhere to put a Jolly Logic Altimeter. I cut a 1/8” bulkhead, used the smaller BT and the coupler, then added an eye screw to make it a payload bay.

Second, I put a 3D printed motor retainer on it.

Third, I put the CP decal where it actually goes as per OpenRocket and placed the CG decal where it belongs when loaded with the recommended Estes E12 motor. I’m usually a “make it look like the header card” guy, but I just couldn’t bring myself to put those decals in the wrong locations only so it would look like the picture.

Fourth, I painted the nose cone a base black, then chrome topcoat. I didn’t feel like buying a $7 can of blue spray paint just so I could paint the nose cone. For me, that blue is not a common stock color so I thought of it as more of a one-off color. In addition, I had purchased the chrome spray paint about six months ago with no rocket in mind. I just thought it would look cool so I wanted to try it on something someday. Then I thought of this model. I think it looks pretty mean with the nose cone chrome.

 

[JeffBigg]

I like that nose cone, let me know if it holds up. I tried a chrome once and it became dull after the first launch.

 

[K'Tesh]

Finished my Cherokee-E today (sans the clear coat). I made a few mods:

First and most obvious one is turning the BT extension into an upper payload bay. I don’t know why anyone would waste a perfectly good opportunity for somewhere to put a Jolly Logic Altimeter. I cut a 1/8” bulkhead, used the smaller BT and the coupler, then added an eye screw to make it a payload bay.

Second, I put a 3D printed motor retainer on it.

Third, I put the CP decal where it actually goes as per OpenRocket and placed the CG decal where it belongs when loaded with the recommended Estes E12 motor. I’m usually a “make it look like the header card” guy, but I just couldn’t bring myself to put those decals in the wrong locations only so it would look like the picture.

Fourth, I painted the nose cone a base black, then chrome topcoat. I didn’t feel like buying a $7 can of blue spray paint just so I could paint the nose cone. For me, that blue is not a common stock color so I thought of it as more of a one-off color. In addition, I had purchased the chrome spray paint about six months ago with no rocket in mind. I just thought it would look cool so I wanted to try it on something someday. Then I thought of this model. I think it looks pretty mean with the nose cone chrome.

Nice!

I can't wait until I can start painting again... I'm going to do mine in the modified Greg Montalvo scheme... Though the addition of chrome (perhaps above and below the narrow blue-with-stars wrap) is interesting.

 

[Starfire73]

I like that nose cone, let me know if it holds up. I tried a chrome once and it became dull after the first launch.

Thanks, will do. And good to know on the dulling. I plan to clear coat it when we finally get some painting weather here in Michigan (wind/cold/rain). No worries, it gives the paint time to cure while I wait. Hopefully, the clear coat won’t muck up the chrome and hopefully it will give it a protective coating so that it doesn’t dull.

 

[Hobie1dog]

 

[cwbullet]

I think it looks pretty mean with the nose cone chrome.

Love it - what brand of chrome?

 

[Art Upton]

While waiting to paint the rocket, put some of that chrome on some plastic like the nose cone and let it dry.
Then put the clear coat on and let dry... This will let you know if the clear will dull it as it very well could

 

[Starfire73]

Love it - what brand of chrome?

Rustoleum “Metallic”, it has a chrome cap.

 

[Starfire73]

While waiting to paint the rocket, put some of that chrome on some plastic like the nose cone and let it dry.
Then put the clear coat on and let dry... This will let you know if the clear will dull it as it very well could

Thanks for the suggestion, but in this case I’m just gonna go for it. The NC either has to be clear coated or I will repaint it matching blue. If you touch the chrome NC you will get a transfer residue on your fingers that gets on stuff… like a bright white body tube… yup, found out the hard way.

Hopefully, the clear will protect both the chrome paint and whatever it touches. If it doesn’t, then over to the wet sanding station!

 

[Art Upton]

Thanks for the suggestion, but in this case I’m just gonna go for it. The NC either has to be clear coated or I will repaint it matching blue. If you touch the chrome NC you will get a transfer residue on your fingers that gets on stuff… like a bright white body tube… yup, found out the hard way.

Hopefully, the clear will protect both the chrome paint and whatever it touches. If it doesn’t, then over to the wet sanding station!

Humm, so with the NC paint dry, it is still sheading chrome flakes or is it a sticky residue? Well then yes it would need coated.

My couple of chrome items I painted do not shed or have a residue. It was a can of Chrome I picked up at hobby lobby... I just went downstairs and found the rest of the can here is the picture.

Krylon Premium Metallic, Original Chrome.

 

[MarsLander]

I wish I would have done the tube break on mine. Maybe I need to get another one to build this way...

 

[Starfire73]

I clear coated the chrome NC today and it dulled it right up. I gave it a few coats and it basically turned it into a shiny aluminum/silver look. I let it set for a few and re-chromed it.

I changed my mind, I guess I’ll just try no to touch it too much and just re-coat it with chrome every once in a while.

Art - the chrome wasn’t flaking at all, it was like I had some gray graphite residue on my fingers. I didn’t notice it at first. It took me a little while to figure out where my white BT was getting the smudges from. I was test fitting the chrome NC and it was transferring onto the white BT.

 

[Starfire73]

A couple photos for ya’ll. I drilled vent holes in the payload bay for the altimeter, and I am friction fitting the NC in place with a small screw through the BT and into the shoulder of the NC as a backup.

 

[Rocketholic]

I clear coated the chrome NC today and it dulled it right up. I gave it a few coats and it basically turned it into a shiny aluminum/silver look. I let it set for a few and re-chromed it.

I changed my mind, I guess I’ll just try no to touch it too much and just re-coat it with chrome every once in a while.

Art - the chrome wasn’t flaking at all, it was like I had some gray graphite residue on my fingers. I didn’t notice it at first. It took me a little while to figure out where my white BT was getting the smudges from. I was test fitting the chrome NC and it was transferring onto the white BT.

Your Cherokee E looks fantastic! Kudos!

I have a little experience with the Rustoleum Chrome paint. I painted the fins and can of an Estes Amazon a couple years ago and it turned out great. Shiny and tough.

1) This is pretty standard, but make sure the surface is perfectly clean and free of any dust, debris, or residue of any kind.
2) Spray it on thick enough to make a gloss sheen but not so much that it runs.
3) Let it dry for days or weeks. Seriously. This paint takes forever to completely dry. Let it bake in the sun if you can or that old toaster oven you can't seem to throw away yet (sort of exaggerating with the toaster oven...).

If you mess with it before it has a chance to fully dry it will smudge and dull. I tried using it on another, non-rocket related, project and found out again that it takes a LONG time to fully cure. In this application I put a clearcoat finish on it to help protect it. The clearcoat flaked and pealed off of the chrome paint. Maybe that was a freak event but thought I'd mention it.

 

[SolarYellow]

Waiting for someone to chime in with reports of a non-Rusto chrome rattle can that doesn't suck.

 

[David_Stack]

Spaz Stix Chrome is very nice. Needs to be applied over a glass black, and then handled 'with kid gloves' the remainder of its life to prevent degradation of the surface. Spaz Stix sells what is supposed to be a compatible clear, but I chose not to roll the dice and decided to simply live with the 'weathered' effect on the nose cone / motor end of my Semroc deci-scale Iris.

 

[Daddyisabar]

POST POINT ONE:

Mods rule!

I mean modifications to kits.

I also mean the Moderators here on the forum.

I also mean the Mod Squad TV show from the early 70's. I heard they were going to do a modern remake.


POINT TWO:

Chrome paint rules...for about two weeks...after drying for two weeks...and only if handled with gloves...and not flown.

Dang! Hurry! Take a picture while it looks good!