Does everything looks like rocket parts?

[Michael L]

A coworker walked into the breakroom today with two heavy cardboard tubes. One was about 2' long and the other was about 3' long. Same diameter. They were originally what the plotter paper was spooled on. I wasn't sure why he was giving them to me until he said "rocket tubes, I got them from my plotter paper roll". Then he left I took them home and measured them... 50mm ID, 55.3-ish mm OD. I'm thinking about 3D printing a nose cone and adding fins...maybe try to fly it on some of the G motors I have stocked up. Or an I nah...

 

[teepot]

I've made rockets out of tubes I got in the mail. One was a launch rod and the other was what a 10-10 rail. I made another that was a USPS triangular box. I've used funnels for nose cones as well as a large [6"] plastic Christmas light bulb. I have also used paper mache cones as nose cones and boat tails. I have used styrafoam balls as nose cones and for making body tubes look like they have tanks. Another thing I've used are halves of plastic fillable ornaments. I've turned those into clear nose cones on things like a Sidewinder or other missiles that have seekers in the nose.

 

[tsmith1315]

Yes, everything does look like rocket parts. Non-standard tube are such a pain, everything has to be built. Couplers, centering rings, nose cones. They're just not worth it.

...yet there are 5 of those things sitting within reach of me right now that I just will not throw away, because they look like rocket parts.

 

[Tim51]

2" - 4" tubes not so much, as I have plenty of 'real' Loc / PML tubing of that size, but if I come across something bigger, say 6" - 10" mailing tube, as I occasionally do in my line of work, it always gets me day dreaming.

 

[Michael L]

2" - 4" tubes not so much, as I have plenty of 'real' Loc / PML tubing of that size, but if I come across something bigger, say 6" - 10" mailing tube, as I occasionally do in my line of work, it always gets me day dreaming.

I have a couple of 6" x 4' tubes (might be 8" now that I think about it) in the garage

 

[mbeels]

Based on some of the (awesome) builds here on TRF, eventually even things like traffic cones, porta-johns, telephone booths, syringes, spiders, and trains start to look like rocket parts. So you've got a ways to go.

 

[Sooner Boomer]

I've got a mailing tube a fly rod was shipped in. It's right at BT80 size (about 2.6") and 5' long. Right now it has a cow wrapped around it.

 

[Handeman]

The problem with mailing tubes, most are pretty low density. They protect what is mailed pretty well, but don't stand up to rocket use near as well as the tightly wound, denser LOC type tubing. I had a couple mailing tube rockets that only last 2 or 3 flights. Those paper cores the OP got may be different than actual mailing tubes.

Now thick wall tubing, 1/8" wall or larger is a different story. I scratch built my L1 DD cert rocket from 2" ID/2.25" OD mailing tubes. Yes, you have to build everything, couplers, av-bay caps, nose cone, CR, etc. but that was kind of the point when I built that one. It held up to 80G flights on I1299 Warp 9 loads just fine. A lawndart into a corn field, not so much, but I am still using the altimeter that was in it.

 

[Tim51]

The problem with mailing tubes, most are pretty low density. They protect what is mailed pretty well, but don't stand up to rocket use near as well as the tightly wound, denser LOC type tubing.

This is true. The one occasion I used a non rocketry specialist tube (the booster section in the rocket below) I 'glassed it. Even so it somehow still has a noticeably different feel to it.

 

[tsmith1315]

...yet there are 5 of those things sitting within reach of me right now that I just will not throw away, because they look like rocket parts.

Well what do you know, turns out that little tube from the wax paper roll that I just couldn't throw away really was rocket parts!

 

[BigMacDaddy]

A beloved candy in Mexico that I will turn into a nose cone someday...

 

[JackC]

I look at everything and imagine how I could use it as a rocket part or fly it in a rocket. The other day, I turned a key chain security video camera into a rocket airframe video camera.

 

[MClark]

The house is getting termite treatment.
They showed me these……hey!

 

[John Kemker]

Saw these in a hotel in Columbus, GA.

 

[boomtube-mk2]

Bad Medicine

Decals by Stickershock.

 

[Pappy]

nobody recycles quite like a modeler. i save the wire from chinese food containers, every balsa and card stock leftover, raw cone inserts, etc...

 

[Rocketclar]

A friend of mine calls Walmart his rocket part store as he is very ingenious with his rocket builds! He also builds a lot of stuff out of "free" postal box "parts".
I, too, have used various heavy cardboard tubes for rocket parts. Also, when we moved into a house awhile back, the previous owner left various lengths of 4" dia HDPE pipe (that's the white pipe with black lining....much lighter than PVC.) Yep, rocket material.....while I didn't use the left overs since they were badly scratched, I did buy a 10' section for $9 at a local home improvement store and that rocket has successfully flown 10 times on mainly K's. It's been very rugged and reliable. It's natural finish so the barcodes can still be seen.

 

[bad_idea]

The house is getting termite treatment.
They showed me these……hey!View attachment 481293

That's basically SpaceX Starship, waiting for a motor, chute, and metallic wrap.