Cj builds...........TRFKAB The Rocket Formerly Known as Black [IT'S BACK!!!!}

[blackjack2564]

Something very different and fresh to build.

Coming to you from Charlie Ogino & Carolina Composites..............

The Rocket Formerly Known as "Black"





To read the demented,hilarious, seedy history, of this rocket, & the legal shenanigans that went with it....click here link to story on Area 51, where we will keep all the questions and noise related to that.
Here I would like to just stay with building..OK

https://www.rocketryforum.com/showt...AB-The-Rocket-Formerly-Known-as-Black-IS-BACK!!!!

Da Parts :




Resin infused molded airframe
Resin cast nose cone
54mm stuffer tube
38mm carbon motor mount
10 oz bag of nose weight
1/4 in eyebolt
Aluminum motor retention/snap ring
Kevlar Y-harness [1/8th inch]
Centering ring/notched
G-10/wood fins
3/8 brass lug/pre-installed

Fin alignment guide [not shown]

Built weight 3.1 lbs with 1-grain 38 G motor chute/paint etc.

"Can I order one"

yes.....Yes, by all means.......send info here, you can do web or put ph# for call back. Mention "Black" in comments . Charlie will call/reply with deposit info. [50.00 deposit] Price of kit 225.00 ,if you wish to reserve one. Otherwise they will become available public,when the pre-orders are filled.
The molds are running overtime.


This was done for fun as a 1 off, but after 3 launches and 11 preorders just from that...people demanding CC composites make the available..he did.
I think after reading the build and seeing how complex this thing really is, you realize the price is extremely fair.
Most difficult parts come pre-assembled

 

[mpitfield]

Want!

 

[patelldp]

I used to go on that website so frequently back in the day...very cool to see this come out of the depths of the internet archives!

Best of luck to Charlie on selling the kits!

 

[blackjack2564]

Airframe molded using resin infusion.



Halves pulled and trimmed.

3/8 brass lug is trimmed to 2 different angles, along with airframe getting tear-drop holes cut for the lug.

Lug then fiberglassed into one half of body with cloth laminated at each end.



Body halves stacked and ready to be glued together. Rod with saturated cloth rolled and inserted into hole on each end, then pushed into position.....2 layers 6oz.
This part is a real pain.

After cure in oven each end trimmed to accept stuffer tube.

White Gel-coat is the standard...don't even ask about carbon fiber...NO...NO....NO [ you could do a call me in the contact box and offer Charlie something ridunct-ulous to make one.] but I ain't guaranteeing anything.



The box-slots for fins are then carefully cut with Dremel
All this is pre-done. Trust me, you would not want to try this.


Fins are made with 12 step process. We'll just summarize here.

G-10 center has web for stability cut, sanded.
Mirror baltic birch cosmetic outer skins are cut/sanded. Inner curve has edge routed now, before gluing together



Epoxy applied to wood skins.
Parts stacked and clamped till cure.
Due to shape, to insure proper bond 12 clamps needed for each fin. 36 to do 3 fins at a time.



After cure outer edge of fin needs stack sanding till smooth.
Then the outer edges are routed to give final shape/curve.
Hole drilled in fin and routed on both side for it's curve.



All this is assembled for you.
Finished fin.
No need to do any sanding on G-10 or wood when tacking fins or doing fillets. Already been done during process.

 

[blackjack2564]

The "Black Rocket" is a simple build, since all the difficult stuff is already finished when you receive it.

First I will do nose weight.
NC comes with installed eyebolt..DON"T remove it!!!

You will need 30 ml or cc of epoxy.
1 full small mixing cup.
I used West.
You can use just about anything other than 5-10 minute, they create extreme heat during th short cure time

Fill cavity with about half the epoxy, pour in about half the shot.



Stir and repeat with remains epoxy and shot
I found no need for water bath.With all the metal shot, it barely got warm.



Motor mount is short carbon section of 38mm. Everything possible is done to keep "Black"
very light.

The Centering ring is laser cut and pre-notched for the Y-Harness.
I am assuming [might bite me later] that you know how to install harness.

Run ends onto motor mount.
Slide notches over Kevlar onto mount.
No worries about fin interfering with kevlar, they do not hit MM tube, they mount to stuffer tube.

Put CR about 1/2in from edge of MM .
Tack in place with CA.
encapsulate with epoxy, I wrapped with electrical tape to compress the cord, forgot to take pic after I removed it. Put a fillet on CR.




Install motor mount, it's a simple tube with snap ring.
Rough up inside a bit with sandpaper.
Drop a 38mm motor into the motor mount AFTER smearing some epoxy on outside of MM tube.
Do not put glue on inside of retainer......unless you want a mess!
Set aside to cure.
If your worried about glue on motor case, grease it up before doing this, no glue will stick.

There is no inner lip/stop on the retainer, so you must use a motor to get proper clearance.
Leave snap ring in retainer while doing this.



Set this assembly aside for now.

 

[G-Dog]

!!!

 

[RKeller]

Awesome, love these things!

 

[dhbarr]

Recalibrating rocket budget....

 

[MaxQ]

Will the kit come with the "cease and desist letter" suitable for framing? :lol:

 

[SpaceManMat]

Cool rocket, great story.

 

[blackjack2564]

Stuffer tube install:

Fit tube into airframe and note where it stops on lower end. [fin slots]
Remover tube. it's already been peeled for you so glue will soak in.
Wearing glove wipe some epoxy inside rear airframe where stuffer tube will contact .




Insert stuffer tube, but leave 2 inches out of top.
Coat about 1/2inch of stuffer tube with epoxy.
Slide into position, twisting a bit back and forth to get good glue contact.



Stand on bottom till glue cures.
There will be a slight lip extending out front of tube [by design]
After glue cures, you will harden edge with CA & wipe some CA around top inside of stuffer tube, just for better wear.
Then using sanding block or flat straight section of wood, wrap with sandpaper and sand lip flush with airframe, so no gap when NC is fitted.

 

[blackjack2564]

Motor mount:

MM must be dropped through front of stuffer tube. [obviously lol]
Light sand exterior of motor retainer for glue adhesion
Wood CR centers in stuffer tube & metal retainer acts like a rear CR when glued into airframe.

Wipe a bit of glue into stuffer tube[bottom by fins slots], not much, the assembly will be pushing down on it.Just enough to coat the tube, you will do a fillet later from the top/inside.



Drop motor mount assembly through stuffer tube. Helps if you pack Y-harness into MM keeping it out of harms way during installation.



Coat the aluminum retainer evenly with glue and insert into airframe.



Stand on end to hold position and let cure.




Finally using a dowel or dowel with mix stick taped to it. Get a couple of dollops of glue and insert on top of CR, creating nice fillet.

Be careful about spilling glue in top 3inches of stuffer tube, may cause problem with nose cone fit.
Check MM making sure no glue there, to block inserting a motor! Easier to wipe it out, instead of sanding.

 

[blackjack2564]

Tacking fins:

First pre-check fit of fins into slots, if fin likes a particular slot, mark them for later.
All are pre-fit before shipping, so there should not be any issues.
These fins are some of the easiest to install you will ever get!

You may use any quality epoxy you have, JB Weld, West, Aero-Poxy, Rocket-Poxy etc.
Something thick or add thickness to your go to glue.
The fin root is so wide, fins practically self align. Do not OVERDUE this step or fillets.
Keep the rear light. Butter the root edge of fins, one at a time & insert into slot.

Stand on end & install fin guide. [included]
I drip one drop of CA along fin/tube joint to lock fins in while epoxy cures.




You would rather have a fin pop off if you hit a rock etc. ....glue it back in, rather than break it. These are substantial fins, but some of you use fillets the size of Mt Rushmore to hold stuff together...don't do that here.

Small fillet, use a mixing stick. Coat edge with Magic Marker/Sharpie and rub in V-groove between body and fins. Leave mark/line you can tape to, keeping fillets neat & clean.

Tape on body tube in 2 steps/pieces.
Tape on fin will fold into joint between wood & G-10, do so with one piece.

Please NOTE PIC ON RIGHT>>>>>there is gap between rear of fin and slot. This is NORMAL and will cover with fillet. Part of the slotting process, done by hand, not CNC



Mix a small amount for fillets, it doesn't take much. [I overdid it when putting in groove and made mess of first one] Suggest putting small amount in 1/2 of groove & pull to see how ya do, before continuing...LOL Be sure to wait 15-20 minutes or more for glue to thicken a bit, depending on what you use.

I am out of RocketPoxy so I grabbed JB-weld for fillets and needed about 25 minutes at 68 temp for thickening to occur.

Various angles of finished fillets, showing approx. size you should have.






Yes they are small.
Proto-Black has flown many times in calm and 15-20 mph winds. Bullet straight.
Hit hard on landing and never cracked fillets yet.

Forgot to mention Nose Cone has a 2.5 in metal rod molded into tip area to help prevent breaking off during landing.

 

[blackjack2564]

A bit of sanding & primer......





Some finish coat......and final product ready to fly!




Finished off with 15ft of 1/8 Kevlar from harness to NC.
Chute tied off approximately 2-3ft from NC.

30 inch Topflight on windy days.
36 inch TF on calm.
Kevlar/nomex protector 9 in.

Launched on following so far in 2 grain 240 case. [38mm]

AT H-130 W 7 second delay
AT H-123 W 7 second delay
AT H-148 R 7 second delay

1 grain 120 case [38mm]

AT G-67 Red 4-5 second delay.

29mm Hobbyline G-64 W 4 second delay..sims well but haven't tried it yet.

Will update here as more motors flown.

This thing takes off like a bullet on these 1-2 grain motors.Guessing 4-500 ft on 1 grain
1000-1100 on 2 grain. Entire flight easily seen, even with my old eyeballs.
Remember Motor mount is 38mm & stuffer tube 54mm, so it is perfect for the Jolly Logic
unit. With one of those I would not hesitate to let'er rip!

 

[crossfire]

Jim
Very cool rocket. Another great build from you. Are you using launch lugs or rail buttons?

See you again some day

Gary

 

[rstaff3]

Great report! Hope to see one at MDRA one day.

 

[rharshberger]

Jim
Very cool rocket. Another great build from you. Are you using launch lugs or rail buttons?

See you again some day

Gary

In a couple of views there is a Launch lug, that looks to be installed during the gluing of the two body halves. Very slick installation.

 

[blackjack2564]

In a couple of views there is a Launch lug, that looks to be installed during the gluing of the two body halves. Very slick installation.

Yes ... it's FULL length brass, see post 4. Cut on each end is different angle to match airframe.

Although it's 3/8, we have launched off a 1/4 in rod [6ft] no issue.
There are a couple of things just not feasible for flier to build out, this is one of them.
Just a bit of filler may be needed where lug enters body tube.

Hey Gary....remember the "STOP" sign parachute you made for my school bus yellow rocket?
I'm using it in this.....lol

 

[blackjack2564]

Great report! Hope to see one at MDRA one day.

Ditto....I missed going to all the launches this year. Hopefully I can go again next & I'll bring mine.

They should be well represented....last count there were a couple dozen pre-sold.
I'm guessing Charlie will cut off pre-orders soon to get caught up.

I willing to bet there will be a few with cosmetic modifications to them, maybe a Marvin the Martian, Buck Rogers or even a TRF Logo rocket.

 

[crossfire]

Jim
Yes that stop sign chute was cool. How do I get a hold of Carolina Charlie. I keep getting web site not found. I need to put in a pre order.

 

[Cogino]

Thank you guys for the overwhelming support of the black rocket. I am aware that the website is currently down, but I am working on getting it back up and running here shortly. In the meantime, if you need to contact me, just send an email to carolinarocketry_at_gmail_dot_com
Thank you again guys for the great support.

 

[ActingLikeAKid]

This is *such* a cool kit. Wishing I had the resources right now.

 

[rfjustin]

Wicked cool rocket, like!

 

[djkingsley]

I received my TRFKAB kit on Monday, the parts are really well made. I plan on building it shortly and flying it at the sod farm this summer.

 

[rstaff3]

I received my TRFKAB kit on Monday, the parts are really well made. I plan on building it shortly and flying it at the sod farm this summer.

Yay...I may get to see one in person

 

[markkoelsch]

Yes, a very cool rocket. Would like one- not sure it is in the budget right now though.

 

[tim cubbedge]

Got mine yesterday. Built it in a day. Really one of the easiest kits I've ever assembled. Only deviation I made was instead of sanding the excess stuffer tube down to size, I cut it with a really sharp exacto blade. Ready for paint. Here's a few pics. Thanks again Charles & Jim!

 

[blackjack2564]

I finally finished this project with paint.
Marvin has a new ride home!
I use a 36in. Topflight for recovery
They love 2-grain 38 motors. The perfect flight profile. Not to high but high enough for recovery without too long a walk.



Over 120 of these are out there. How about some pics of your finished one? That's a bunch of rockets for no mention of them on the Forum.
I really want to see the carbon ones.

Any flights?

 

[tim cubbedge]

No flights on mine yet. Is that silver bbq paint?

 

[Chris_H]

Cool!!!