Green Jello's Level 1 Build - Wildman Jr. Kit - "Certify With Us" program

[Green Jello]

GJ, that is nothing a bit of acetone or denatured alcohol won't take care of..I had the SAME thing happen to me one of the 1st times I injected(IIRC it was on my WM Jr as well), dabbed some denatured alcohol on a rag and rubbed the offending epoxy 'dribble' it got soft and I peeled it right off..

This works, AFTER it's fully cured and hard?

 

[Pantherjon]

Yep..Just may have to let it sit for a few minutes, but it worked on mine..I soaked a rag with denatured alcohol and let it sit on the dribble for about 10 minutes..It peeled right up..

 

[Green Jello]

Ok cool. I'm about out of denatured alcohol. Acetone is basically the same right?

 

[Pantherjon]

Not really..Acetone is equivalent to nail polish remover..

 

[Green Jello]

Let's take this break in the action to share the paint scheme I'm working on.

I just ordered the Wildman vinyl from Mark in Purple Chrome. Then I picked up these:



So here is what I'm doing:



I've never worked with the Duplicolor Metalcast line. I hope it's not a disaster.

 

[chadrog]

As was mentioned somewhere before, you have to use the Metalcast ground coat with the Metalcast color coat. It makes a nice metallic silver in itself.

 

[Green Jello]

As was mentioned somewhere before, you have to use the Metalcast ground coat with the Metalcast color coat. It makes a nice metallic silver in itself.

Thanks. Glad you mentioned that. Does the ground coat look like chrome, or more like the Rusto Silver?

 

[chadrog]

I can't compare it to the Rusto, but it's definitely not chrome. It's more like a silver metal flake. Highly reflective, giving the transleusant color coat the metallic effect. It's a great system, I like it a lot.

 

[Green Jello]

I can't compare it to the Rusto, but it's definitely not chrome. It's more like a silver metal flake. Highly reflective, giving the transleusant color coat the metallic effect. It's a great system, I like it a lot.

Ok...obviously I can do a test and decide for myself, but do you think it would look better on the fins and vent band as a complement to the purple?

 

[chadrog]

A particle mask or respirator is a good idea when spraying the ground coat too, the metal flake flies everywhere.

 

[chadrog]

Ok...obviously I can do a test and decide for myself, but do you think it would look better on the fins and vent band as a complement to the purple?

That has to be up to you, I'm sure it would look cool either way. I'm partial to silver myself. I'd start with the ground coat and decide from there.

 

[troj]

I used Metalcast on my Kestrel.

You can see the Ground Coat in this message[url]. Note that this was the first coat -- DupliColor paint is thin and it's going to take you several coats to get it even.

The [url=https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?44624-Next-up-the-Kestrel&p=436141#post436141]next message shows some initial color.

This shows better color. The different colors don't cover evenly -- the red covers really well, while the purple takes more coats.

If you're a paint perfectionist, this stuff will show every little imperfection like there's no tomorrow.

-Kevin

 

[Green Jello]

Thanks troj. Although your Kestrel looks great, you have me worried now. That really doesn't look like purple chrome at all. It looks more like a Metal Specks finish to me.

 

[chadrog]

If you want a chrome-like finish, Metalcast will not get you there. Krylon X Metals maybe? I've never tried it so I couldn't say.

 

[Green Jello]

I'm pretty confused then. Duplicolor has it's Metal Specks line. I've used the red and it looks exactly like the cap. Are you saying the Metal Cast line doesn't look like they show on the cap?

 

[awseiger]

wow! as a noob to fiberglass (but not to HPR really) I am loving this thread! I now understand how to construct a wildman kit, and do it well. I'll be purchasing one for my L2

you'll enjoy the Adept22. It's a great unit, I have a bunch. And I think you'll find the hardest part is mounting the switch (and deciding where to put the thing!). I'd use the raven screw switches. They're a bit expensive but I LOVE mine.

A few tips about the Adept:
1. BUT THE HARDWARE SET! Unless you have a place near you that sells specialty hardware you'll never find screws that fit the microscopic holes.
2. Solder everything to thick copper wire, then insert it into the screw down terminals. It gets messy and sketchy when you place all those wires in there.
3. it takes a long time for the "beeps" to start when you first power it on. Don't be alarmed.

And for the screw switch, I reccomend making your AV bay sled very "tight" so it doesn't slide back and forth. Then, mount the screw switch where it will line up with a hole on the switch band. Just my humble opinion, but it sure makes your AV bay have less nasty wires attached to it. Requires a certain level of craftsmanship though (Which from what I can see, you have!) It's near impossible to line the holes up on the outside, save actually attaching the bolts. On one of mine I filled the screw holes with enough solder to allow the screws to "thread into" the switch, before I figured out how to make my AV sled line up well.

Who knows, from what i've seen you'll come up with something better! And It looks like you're not there yet either but hey, it's what I have to add.

Good luck on the L1, i've never been more nervous in my life! You'll never be happier to see a rocket on the ground. And beautiful build!

 

[stealth6]

If you want a chrome-like finish - Krylon X Metals maybe?
View attachment 114914

Nope, not even close.
This has been discussed a bunch of times here, but you really aren't going to get anything close to a "chrome" finish with normal spray paints. It just ain't gonna happen.

There are apparantly some products out there that do an acceptable job, but they are VERY expensive. Like well over a hundred dollars expensive. I've not tried them myself (due to the cost) but I've heard/read good things about them. Then again, I've heard good things about some regular "chrome" spray paints (Duplicolor, Rustoleum, Testors, etc.), and while the results are sometimes nice metallics, they are very far from "chrome".

If you want some very cool metallics, some of the suggestions mentioned so far here are really nice. But if you wanting/expecting "chrome", they will be disappointing at best.

s6

 

[Green Jello]

Thanks awseiger!

 

[jus_rockets]

I used Duplicolor universal chrome then sprayed the metalcast over it. It is really hard to get an even coat and mine came out a little too dark since I sprayed too many coats.

 

[Green Jello]

I did see that pic in the Kestrel thread. It looks nice. Are you saying you recommend spraying over the Universal Chrome is better than the undercoat made for Metal Cast?

 

[Green Jello]

After watching their video, I think I understand now. It's basically a tint made for painting things that are already chrome.

[video=youtube;N5k5n_TL1g8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=N5k5n_TL1g8[/video]

 

[troj]

Yeah, Metalcast Ground Coat doesn't give a chrome-like finish, which is what it takes to exactly match the cap.

You need true chrome if you want the color to match the cap exactly.

-Kevin

 

[jus_rockets]

Yeah, Metalcast Ground Coat doesn't give a chrome-like finish, which is what it takes to exactly match the cap.

You need true chrome if you want the color to match the cap exactly.

-Kevin

I did see that pic in the Kestrel thread. It looks nice. Are you saying you recommend spraying over the Universal Chrome is better than the undercoat made for Metal Cast?

Like Kevin said you need real chrome to match the cap. The closest your going to get to real chrome will be using Universal chrome.

 

[chadrog]

Metal specs will give pretty much the same finish as Metalcast, with the convenience of one can. They're both quite nice.

 

[Green Jello]

Picked up the Universal Chrome to try as an undercoat. We'll see how this all goes.

 

[chadrog]

Picked up the Universal Chrome to try as an undercoat. We'll see how this all goes.

I'd recommend taking the time to try them out on something else to verify compatibility, sanding new paint sucks!

 

[Green Jello]

Thanks for all the help on the epoxy disaster. I went with Pantherjon's recommendation and soaked a rag in denatured alcohol and let it sit on there for a while. After that I was able to pry it all off with a razor blade. My next updates will be posted soon. The external fillets are done and drying.

 

[Green Jello]

Did a little ejection charge testing today:

[video=youtube;PvYaibiP0Oc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvYaibiP0Oc&feature=youtu.be[/video]

 

[qquake2k]

That was 1-1/2 grams? Didn't seem like a very big bang. What did you put the charge in?

 

[Green Jello]

That was 1-1/2 grams? Didn't seem like a very big bang. What did you put the charge in?

It was in a centerfuge canister. I basically copied them for your post here.



It was my first ever test and it seemed pretty big to me. Maybe the video doesn't do it justice. It blew the top off and all shot upwards. Seems like these things are good for making shape charges.