Do you have a Rocket Albatross?

[KenECoyote]

So do any of you have a rocket Albatross?

(Reference: From The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798) by Samuel Taylor Coleridge)

Is there some rocket that you screwed up so badly that you put it off to the side since you didn't want to deal with it and it's been haunting you?

Let's see them and try to fix them!

(I need motivation to fix my albatross. )

 

[KenECoyote]

Here's mine... an Estes Canadian Arrow and it's a doozie. I've loved the CA since I found out about it and already have multiple Stickershock decals for it as well as upscale.

Last year or so I figured it's time to finally build one.

I started on an Estes kit I got used off ebay and right off the bat the body tube was a bit oval, but I figured the tail cone, centering rings and nose would hold it round (I was mistaken).

Then I papered the fins as I used to do many times with self-adhesive label sheets, but after priming it bubbled, wrinkled and lifted up in spots (had never happened to me so badly before).

I tried cutting the bubbled areas and using CA to glue it back down, but it was pretty much a fail.

You'll also notice the paint sprayed on as a mess with almost stucco quality.

Additionally, the white paint dripped really badly (note that I had built many rockets by then including very elaborate paint jobs).


Finally (?), you can see that the tubing shrank around where the CRs are glued. Ugh.

I'm still pondering how to fix all of this mess, but I'll update with after results I'd I'm successful.

I'd guess you can see why I've put off fixing this one!

 

[Daddyisabar]

Sandpaper, rough to fine grit and filler of any type are your friends. That along with lots of elbow grease!

Here is my model rocketry Albatross:

Tail burn and lable paper delaminated due to heat from motors, flight stress and flexing, and finally landing impact. Fix with thin CA whete applicable and ignore the rest. No one cares, they just want to see it fly.

Horrible crash when only two motors lit on the 11th flight. Just broken up pieces in a garbage bag now.

Not an Albatross but a Whooshing Crane that had two major rebuilds after E12 CATOS. SUPERGLUE and left over model paint were my friends.



After repair. Good enough, call it patina! Ready for another E12 cluster!

Tear or sand the nasty bits off, cover them up with filler, sand it off and paint. No need to be perfect because it will just be beat up and broken again when flown. No Shelf Queens! No Albatrosses! Model rockets must FLY AND BE FREE!

Singing: Born free, as free as the wind blows...

 

[neil_w]

Here's mine... an Estes Canadian Arrow and it's a doozie. I've loved the CA since I found out about it and already have multiple Stickershock decals for it as well as upscale.

Sometimes a rocket is sending you a message, which in this case is: Please don't build me or I will make your life a living hell.

 

[KenECoyote]

Sandpaper, rough to fine grit and filler of any type are your friends. That along with lots of elbow grease!

That would normally be the solution, however the label paper was CA'd along all edges as well as major sections of repair... including where I sliced and lifted up the paper to brush in CA.

This one I've been putting off trying to figure out the best plan of attack to salvage it and the papering, but it looks kind of like a bad wallpaper problem, where I'll just have to tear all of it off.

 

[T-Rex]

I have a 2.6" Standard ARM. On it's first flight, the burrito got caught on the steel cable shock cord leader, resulting in a complete rebuild. A couple of flights later, an old motor resulted in a lawn dart and ground ejection. I bought a new tube, but just don't want cut the parts free and start over.

 

[Daddyisabar]

The only Albatross I strive to hit is on the putt putt golf course.

 

[KenECoyote]

Sometimes a rocket is sending you a message, which in this case is: Please don't build me or I will make your life a living hell.

Also I want to show the rocket who's the boss!

 

[Daddyisabar]

That would normally be the solution, however the label paper was CA'd along all edges as well as major sections of repair... including where I sliced and lifted up the paper to brush in CA.

This one I've been putting off trying to figure out the best plan of attack to salvage it and the papering, but it looks kind of like a bad wallpaper problem, where I'll just have to tear all of it off.

Rip, tear, hack and slash off the damaged skin. Then apply layers fresh new skin! Heavy primer, paint then cover with decal. Can always make a Frankenstein rocket for Halloween.

On my Comanche Three I once tried to paint fluorescent orange while the base white coat was still tacky. Went on fine, came back 5 minutes later and...

So I called it Molten Magma 3. Yeah, I meant to do that! The hardened cold warrior RSO shouted at me "What are you Gump, some sort of G** D**ned crackel paint Genius!" The kiddos loved it. Doing my best Dr. Evil impression I would say "My motors are so big and powerful they will turn the rocket into speeding Molten Magma!" Or "Failure to deploy and core sample all the way to Molten Magma, causing a huge eruption of Molten Magma!"

 

[Scott_650]

My Estes Executioner is the closest rocket to an albatross in my battery - it built ok but it’s been one hard luck flyer - probably crashed it nearly as many times as I’ve launched it successfully. It’s pretty much retired to display duty unless I really get an irresistible urge to do some repair work.

 

[hobie1dog]

nope, none for me. the only thing remotely similar to an albatross is just when some of my rockets just simply fly away never to be seen again.

 

[cwbullet]

My albatross is the Nuclear Sledgehammer.

 

[KenECoyote]

My albatross is the Nuclear Sledgehammer.

I remember that one!

 

[cwbullet]

I remember that one!

It is still ongoing!

 

[dr wogz]

mine is just getting electronics to work... They generally work as advertised, and I am generally pretty thorough about getting them set & started.. no failures on my [limited] experience..

But dunno why, they always intimidate me!

 

[BABAR]

Estes MIRV. A kit I spent far more time finishing than most (which is not saying that much for me.)

first launch with C6-0 in booster and I think the weakest 13 mm motors I could find for the three sustainers.

went cruise missile right off the rod, found booster, never found ANY of the THREE sustainers.

Estes never should have released that rocket, although they could consider re-issuing it if/when they put out the C5-0, it was woefully underpowered on the C6, and there was no way to modify the manifold for a 24 mm D.

i have built two working one to three stagers, but still working on something that fits together like the MIRV. Work in progress.

 

[KenECoyote]

Estes MIRV. A kit I spent far more time finishing than most (which is not saying that much for me.)

first launch with C6-0 in booster and I think the weakest 13 mm motors I could find for the three sustainers.

went cruise missile right off the rod, found booster, never found ANY of the THREE sustainers.

Estes never should have released that rocket, although they could consider re-issuing it if/when they put out the C5-0, it was woefully underpowered on the C6, and there was no way to modify the manifold for a 24 mm D.

i have built two working one to three stagers, but still working on something that fits together like the MIRV. Work in progress.

Sorry to hear about losing that MIRV... often it seems the more time spent on a rocket, the more likely you'll lise or cato it.

I flew a MIRV last year using a B6-0 and it was a good flight. Surprising to hear that the C6-0 wasn't good. Was it at all windy?

I also felt it was a cool design and was thinking of a way to have two of them together, but that could be a mess lol

 

[teepot]

Mine was the Odessa sub orbital transport. It took months to get a good coat of paint on it. It had runs, cracks, rough paint etc. I spent for ever sanding it. It took a long time to get a decent day to paint at all. In the end it came out great. It's one of my favorite rockets. It looks so good it will probably never fly.

 

[KenECoyote]

Well, starting this thread motivated me to start fixing my Arrow-tross.

I first removed most of the paper on the worst case... a fin with the paper lifting up a lot, but it was difficult.

Even scoring the paper near the root to remove it risked cutting or scoring the balsa fin at the root, which would be BAD.

Edit: What made me put off the fix was not wanting to remove all the glued on and painted over papering, but it's time to just get to it and figure it out along the way.

After that, I decided to just go at each remaining fin with a coarse sanding block and that worked pretty well and was quicker than the peeling.


Then I started applying Elmer's CWF to the body tube "CR puckers" (is there another term?), followed by spiral fills.


And then I hit the dusty sanding trail..


I'll see how it looks after I apply another coat of paint soon.

 

[KenECoyote]

Mine was the Odessa sub orbital transport. It took months to get a good coat of paint on it. It had runs, cracks, rough paint etc. I spent for ever sanding it. It took a long time to get a decent day to paint at all. In the end it came out great. It's one of my favorite rockets. It looks so good it will probably never fly.

Gives me some hope for mine! lol

 

[KenECoyote]

Well, the saga with Arrow-tross continues...

The spray paint started splattering out in spurts of paint.

I'll update tonight.

 

[SolarYellow]

If you can get it, I've been amazed with how well Krylon Acryli-Quik goes on. Primer and color.

 

[KenECoyote]

If you can get it, I've been amazed with how well Krylon Acryli-Quik goes on. Primer and color.

Thanks! I'll have to try that some time. Unfortunately I've got tons of Rusto and apparently it doesn't play well with Krylon.

Ironically, I used an old partially used can of white paint that may have been the same one that made the first drippy mess.

 

[SolarYellow]

Ironically, I used an old partially uses can of white paint that may have been the same one that made the first drippy mess.

I have come to regard current-production Rusto with the "spray at any angle" system as single-use packaging. The ability to paint while holding the can upside down means it's impossible to clear out the nozzle the way I've always done from the time I was a kid until this strategy for selling new cans of spray paint when there's still plenty of paint in the old one started being foisted on us. I have had a lot of frustration trying to paint stuff with a can that's been sitting for some time after being used previously.

 

[Tractionengines]

Yep.. got one of those... EARLY in my time as a BAR... ( edit: Never named it yet. Any ideas? )

Wanted to build my own 95% fiberglass rocket. (Making tubes and all.) Decided on a tube fin with angled leading and trailing edges, so I could paint inside a contrasting color... 2.25"OD tubes, 38mm motor mount.

Well issue 1 was cutting the tubefins couldn't get the 6 to be even. Even after a few retrys. So intentionally made (3) approximately 1/2" longer than the other (3).
Looked "good enough" so epoxied it all together.

Now issue 2: The heavy wall fiberglass tubes I made, weighed a lot. So the rocket is very heavy, and NEEDS high thrust to get moving...

Issue 3 :Learned of the open rocket program. I modeled it in OR Ver19.03 with "experimental tube fin support" and found out it needed more stability. The heavy wall fiberglass tubes, and lots of Epoxy surfaces at the back, made the aft end VERY heavy.

Since then it sits in the corner of the office and I fidget with it a little from time to time. I DID learn a lot from it so the build was a good learning experience...

* I added a coupler and payload tube.
** payload tube is just long enough for the large parachute for recovery due to weight.
* Coupler has AV Bay for DD.
* Now it just looks "too long"

I should just finish it, and send it, but can't get the ambition to finish filing and sanding the tiny voids in the fiberglass weave. Then paint.

Original idea:


Long version:


...to be continued...maybe...

 

[KenECoyote]

Yep.. got one of those... EARLY in my time as a BAR... ( edit: Never named it yet. Any ideas? )

Wanted to build my own 95% fiberglass rocket. (Making tubes and all.) Decided on a tube fin with angled leading and trailing edges, so I could paint inside a contrasting color... 2.25"OD tubes, 38mm motor mount.

Well issue 1 was cutting the tubefins couldn't get the 6 to be even. Even after a few retrys. So intentionally made (3) approximately 1/2" longer than the other (3).
Looked "good enough" so epoxied it all together.

Now issue 2: The heavy wall fiberglass tubes I made, weighed a lot. So the rocket is very heavy, and NEEDS high thrust to get moving...

Issue 3 :Learned of the open rocket program. I modeled it in OR Ver19.03 with "experimental tube fin support" and found out it needed more stability. The heavy wall fiberglass tubes, and lots of Epoxy surfaces at the back, made the aft end VERY heavy.

Since then it sits in the corner of the office and I fidget with it a little from time to time. I DID learn a lot from it so the build was a good learning experience...

* I added a coupler and payload tube.
** payload tube is just long enough for the large parachute for recovery due to weight.
* Coupler has AV Bay for DD.
* Now it just looks "too long"

I should just finish it, and send it, but can't get the ambition to finish filing and sanding the tiny voids in the fiberglass weave. Then paint.

Original idea:
View attachment 563055 View attachment 563056

Long version:
View attachment 563057

...to be continued...maybe...

That actually looks very cool and bulletproof!

 

[KenECoyote]

Well, here's my update. Seems the papering continued to bubble up after more paint was sprayed on.


Additionally the splattering was preceded by paint dripping which I hadn't noticed (again I suspect this was the same can that dripped on this rocket earlier... would be fitting irony).


From a distance it actually doesn't look bad...


So I'm considering cutting those bubbles completely out, sealing the edges with CA and then CWF. May put it off to gain the courage lol

 

[tsmith1315]

So do any of you have a rocket Albatross?

Maybe a flock...

 

[hobie1dog]

Well, the saga with Arrow-tross continues...

The spray paint started splattering out in spurts of paint.
View attachment 563031
I'll update tonight.

I would have thrown that out like a package of Rotten meat.

 

[KenECoyote]

I would have thrown that out like a package of Rotten meat.

White and red flowers can bloom out of manure... I hope.