Estes $19.99 Mean Machine on an H motor?

[5x7]

I would use epoxy to install the couplers, they might freeze before getting in place with the wood glue.

 

[rharshberger]

I would recommend either 30min BSI epoxy or Elmers White Glue (not school glue) anything else and you will have to move very quickly and smoothly or the coupler will seize where it stops.

 

[DMehalko]

I would recommend either 30min BSI epoxy or Elmers White Glue (not school glue) anything else and you will have to move very quickly and smoothly or the coupler will seize where it stops.

Used elmers wood glue, I have found as long as you ‘keep momentum’, I can get them where I want with about a 2-3 second final adjustment time.

i got the bottom half complete minus fins, it picked up some weight for sure filling with couplers and a high power mount, something funny about seeing an aeropack retainer on this thing

 

[rharshberger]

Used elmers wood glue, I have found as long as you ‘keep momentum’, I can get them where I want with about a 2-3 second final adjustment time.

i got the bottom half complete minus fins, it picked up some weight for sure filling with couplers and a high power mount, something funny about seeing an aeropack retainer on this thing

Yep a retainer that cost more than the rocket....I just used a Estes 29mm retainer on mine. Glad you got the lower ones in okay, as you found out keep it moving and dont stop!

 

[Joshua F Thomas]

Would be my guess as well. Definitely would not have tried it with TB or TBII/III glues.

Can confirm, have also locked up a coupler halfway into a body tube with Titebond. I hate that.

 

[DMehalko]

Yep a retainer that cost more than the rocket....I just used a Estes 29mm retainer on mine. Glad you got the lower ones in okay, as you found out keep it moving and dont stop!

Can confirm, have also locked up a coupler halfway into a body tube with Titebond. I hate that.

Well, one locked up on me, but thankfully I had some spare bt60 tube I had just cut to accommodate the avbay , so quick cut and another coupler we are back in business .

The Mean Machine is now fully internally coupled! I decided to setup the dual deploy on the upper 4th ‘bay’, I was planning on doing a mid break, but want to keep the estes twist lock coupler there

 

[DMehalko]

Going with the face card scheme on this one, go the apogee tube blended into the Estes tube and sprayed Some primer followed by Rust-Oleum blue. Now onto building the av bay and cutting some plywood fins

First flight will be on an AeroTech 29mm f40-7 to about 1600ft

 

[DMehalko]

Found some free time today, assembled the nifty little bt60 eBay from apogee, cut the fins from 1/8” ply, epoxied in and filleted

 

[jqavins]

Balsa Machining Service sells couplers in 34" lengths (not that I would try that long in one shot), maybe cut it into 6" sections.

The smart person learns from his mistakes where the wise person learns from the mistakes of others, as we all know. The curious person does both. I take the lessons of others' mistakes seriously, but I also like to repeat them to experience for myself just why it was a mistake.

So, in that vein, I'd try inserting the doubler all in one piece. I'd use epoxy, because I've already experienced wood glue binding for myself. For strengthening the tube I don't think it would make any difference, but for stiffening (which matters more here) I think the single piece would be better, if only by a little, if it goes in.

I have tons of LOC 1.6” 38mm tubing and a few nose cones of the same. I may do this with you but cloning the rocket with higher end components.

I've contemplating along similar lines. I have four pieces, each 4 feet long, of shipping tube that's identical in ID and OD to that LOC tube, and I've been thinking that two of them would make a nice super roc, either min diameter or 29 mm. (And I expect I can more of those tubes.)

 

[Handeman]

The other option to the stiffy tubes is a layer of 3oz or 4oz fine weave fiberglass clothe wrapped on the tubes. It is probably more complicated to do, but the skill extends to HPRs way past L1.

 

[bobbyg23]

Here is my "meankick" today on 2 Aerotech E30's.

 

[Off Grid Gecko]

Now for the fun part, paint and sanding, hehe.
I'm surprised to see you stayed with the surface-mount fins. Double check your flutter equation.
It's a nice looking birdie so far.

 

[cbrarick]

Be brave! Fly it on an H550 or H400.

don't be a weeny. fly it on the H999 or bust!

 

[jqavins]

don't be a weeny. fly it on the H999 or and bust it!

 

[DMehalko]

Now for the fun part, paint and sanding, hehe.
I'm surprised to see you stayed with the surface-mount fins. Double check your flutter equation.
It's a nice looking birdie so far.

I did through the wall fins, no surface mount

don't be a weeny. fly it on the H999 or bust!

Haha!! ya that would make for a hilarious video maybe? Ill test fly it on a F40-7W, if all goes well with the quark and all will load up the H54 3-grain

Today i plan to get the bottom half all sanded and primed

 

[DMehalko]

Finally got my L1 this past Saturday, whoho! Now time to wrap this thing up. Just need to solder up the egg timer or use my jolly logic, haven’t decided yet.

last picture shows the $20 mean machine on the right, and the $20 mean machine with $100+ worth of upgrades on the left

 

[Neutronium95]

That looks like a really clean build. I look forward to seeing it fly. Incidentally, I've been working on building my fleet back up, and I got a Mean Machine kit to replace the one I had as a kid; I noticed that the ID of BMS BT-60 couplers is the same as 38mm motor mount tubing...

 

[jqavins]

Finally got my L1 this past Saturday...

Congratulations!