Cool kit with balsa nose cone pieces and more

[AfterBurners]

I've been wanting to buy more kits that have the balsa nose cones. I think for me its the process of turning a piece of balsa into a painting surface that looks like glass. There's something reminisce about working on these types of kits. I bought the Sirius Interrogator "G" kit and looking forward to working on it. I might buy a few of Dave's kits for that reason. I know back in the day ESTES always use to have balsa nose cones. I also modified my Snarky kit with a balsa nose cone and might do the same with the Lexxjet, but that's an extra $90 probably? IDK I think I know how most of us hate sanding, but I think a balsa nose cone would be the exception for me.

 

[BABAR]

Sounds like you have hit your personal Rocket Nirvana spot!

as long as you are having fun and being safe, you are doing it perfectly.

 

[MALBAR 70]

A well finished balsa nose cone is a thing to be proud of.
I love it when I get a balsa cone perfectly smooth and shiny.

 

[Zeus-cat]

For a while Randy at eRockets had a very difficult time procuring balsa at any price. He switched some kits to 3D printed nose cones or simply stopped making certain kits. I think the situation has improved, but balsa prices went up quite a bit.

 

[user 35280]

Check out the rocket kits at Fliskits and ASP Rocketry. They have lots of kits with balsa cones, transitions and fins.
https://www.fliskits.com/WPRESS/
https://www.asp-rocketry.com/ecommerce/Model Rocket Kits .cfm?cat_id=2

 

[boomtube-mk2]

I've always preferred Balsa nosecones and transitions to their plastic counterparts even to the extent I purchased balsa nosecones and transitions to replace the plastic ones provided in various kits.

That being said . . . written, there comes a point where the size of the nosecone or transition becomes so large, or the shape is so "Exotic" that balsa becomes a less viable choice of material.

 

[BEC]

+1 on both FlisKits and ASP.

I'm about to spray primer on a FlisKits GigaBucks after it warms up a bit more today. Interesting but not too complex BT-60-based model with a balsa nose cone that looks like it came from the Semroc Vega. I wonder who makes the nose cones for them.

That said, for a model that's going to be flown a great deal, there's something to be said for the durability (without significant weight added) of a good blow-molded nose cone.

 

[AfterBurners]

+1 on both FlisKits and ASP.

I'm about to spray primer on a FlisKits GigaBucks after it warms up a bit more today. Interesting but not too complex BT-60-based model with a balsa nose cone that looks like it came from the Semroc Vega. I wonder who makes the nose cones for them.

That said, for a model that's going to be flown a great deal, there's something to be said for the durability (without significant weight added) of a good blow-molded nose cone.

I know some of MADCOW's kits back in the day came with balsa nose cones. This included the 2.6 Jayhawk as well as the Bomarc.

 

[BABAR]

I’ll stick my neck out on this one.

no question it takes great skill to get a glass-like finish on a balsa cone. It does seem however that those preferring balsa cones prefer them simply because it IS harder to get a great finish on balsa than plastic, which seems to me to be more work just for the sake of more work.

are them some other advantages of balsa over plastic? The only one I can think of is that it is more biodegradable and therefore if you lose the rocket more environmentally friendly.

 

[lakeroadster]

I've been wanting to buy more kits that have the balsa nose cones. I think for me its the process of turning a piece of balsa into a painting surface that looks like glass. There's something reminisce about working on these types of kits. I bought the Sirius Interrogator "G" kit and looking forward to working on it. I might buy a few of Dave's kits for that reason. I know back in the day ESTES always use to have balsa nose cones. I also modified my Snarky kit with a balsa nose cone and might do the same with the Lexxjet, but that's an extra $90 probably? IDK I think I know how most of us hate sanding, but I think a balsa nose cone would be the exception for me.

For those of use that are a bit "long in the tooth" building rockets with wooden nose cones and fins is a nostalgic thing.

are (there) other advantages of balsa over plastic? The only one I can think of is that it is more biodegradable and therefore if you lose the rocket more environmentally friendly.

Durability is one advantage.

I use pine to make nose cones. It's inexpensive and for rockets that need ballast in the nose, there is no disadvantage to using it.

 

[neil_w]

My favorite aspects of balsa are (a) you can modify them, and (b) they're light. I can control the amount of additional weight to add, if any. Plastic nose cones are really heavy in comparison.

That said, I have nothing against plastic nose cones when they're the right shape.

As for *fins* on the other hand, I really love balsa, because I love to work with it (cut, sand, shape edges). I suppose filling grain isn't exactly fun, but it's not enough to offset to the other positives.

 

[Greg Furtman]

For those of use that are a bit "long in the tooth" building rockets with wooden nose cones and fins is a nostalgic thing.



Durability is one advantage.

I use pine to make nose cones. It's inexpensive and for rockets that need ballast in the nose, there is no disadvantage to using it.

I've turned some nosecones with cedar & redwood and they too are very light. I cut a large, low limb off of one of my basswood trees last fall & I'm air drying the pieces & hope I can turn some nosecones from them.

 

[lakeroadster]

I've turned some nosecones with cedar & redwood and they too are very light. I cut a large, low limb off of one of my basswood trees last fall & I'm air drying the pieces & hope I can turn some nosecones from them.

Thanks for posting this. I've got some 4 x 4 redwood pieces out in the wood shed that I salvaged from a deck, I'll have to try those.

I lived in Ohio for over 4 decades... I never knew we could have grown our own Basswood Trees?

 

[T-Rex]

I'm always afraid of altering/ruining a balsa nose cone while sanding. I tend to use very fine sandpaper only to the absolute minimum necessary to get a 20ft finish.

 

[lakeroadster]

I'm always afraid of altering/ruining a balsa nose cone while sanding. I tend to use very fine sandpaper only to the absolute minimum necessary to get a 20ft finish.

If you have a drill press you can glue in the wooden dowel, then chuck on that and then sand it while it is rotating..... it's also a good way to prime and paint them.

 

[Marc_G]

I'm always afraid of altering/ruining a balsa nose cone while sanding. I tend to use very fine sandpaper only to the absolute minimum necessary to get a 20ft finish.

I learned that hardening balsa cones by impregnating with thin CA before any sanding is a great technique that lets me then lightly sand and polish the cone without any fear of deforming it. Once hardened (I let it go overnight), I do a quick sand with 320 grit sanding sponge to remove hard fuzzies, then cover it with sharpie. I can then sand as needed, with the sharpie remnants showing me low spots.

 

[Donnager]

Nothing I like better than putting a smooth finish on a balsa cone only to have the ejection charge split the back of the nose and knock off a chip.

If you want them to last, a resin/fiberglass barrier on the bottom may be advisable.

 

[dpower]

Yep, Balsa nose cons are mostly a nostalgic thing for me. Just something relaxing about slowly turning it into something that looks like ….. plastic.

Of course, there are many more shapes available in balsa, so for some designs, or accurate clones of vintage designs, it’s the only way to achieve desired results. For example, an upscale or downscale Cherokee-D, there are no Scant-Ogive shapes available in plastic.