How to fix Big Daddy nosecones?

[Sooner Boomer]

I've got two mostly intact nose cones from pranged Big Daddys. One has what is almost a spiral fracture, with the split going all the way around the diameter (but the ends are offset by about an inch). And a second that has a little over an inch of the tip broken off. I've been thinking about building a rocket using one as a nosecone, and one as a tailcone, with a short piece of body tube between. What would be the best way to glue the cracks up? What glue works best? After everything is put in place I might even squirt some foam in for increased strength. The other thought is to laminate something on from the inside.

I would probably use the grey one for the tail cone. You can see the beginning and end of the crack that wraps around the blue one.

 

[rharshberger]

I've got two mostly intact nose cones from pranged Big Daddys. One has what is almost a spiral fracture, with the split going all the way around the diameter (but the ends are offset by about an inch). And a second that has a little over an inch of the tip broken off. I've been thinking about building a rocket using one as a nosecone, and one as a tailcone, with a short piece of body tube between. What would be the best way to glue the cracks up? What glue works best? After everything is put in place I might even squirt some foam in for increased strength. The other thought is to laminate something on from the inside.

I would probably use the grey one for the tail cone. You can see the beginning and end of the crack that wraps around the blue one.

View attachment 528774

Those NC's might be blow molded polystyrene if so Testors model cement in the tube (solvent welding) might work well enough and allow 2 part expanding foam reinforcement after assembly. Just spitballing as I dont remember Estes making any polypropylene or petg nosecones.

 

[Sooner Boomer]

Gorilla Glue didn't stick I used it to secure BB nose weight in the grey one. It's still a solid lump rattling around in it.

 

[K'Tesh]

I like roughing up the inside and using 30minute epoxy.

 

[Lee]

I would drill multiple tiny holes to make glue rivets, then epoxy to cardboard (paper towel rolls - pre curved & highly absorbent) on the inside for structure support.

 

[Back_at_it]

I've used BSI 30 min epoxy on BD nose cones with great success. I would cut off the bottom off the shoulder so you have access to the inside of the cone, rough up the area with something like 60 grit then use epoxy to cover the cracks.

As for the one missing the tip, you would use expanding foam to fill the tip of the cone then shape it and coat it with epoxy, sand and finish or simply cut the tip off and use that one as the tail cone.