Howdy from out in the sticks!

[user 45155]

I am Dan and live near Hermiston, Oregon. My wife Jana and I are retired and getting interested in rockets and rocket therapy. There are no hobby shops or resources for model rocket parts nor are there any people nearby actively interested in model rockets. We are hoping to find some resources online. We are also looking forward to conversing with like minded folks about rockets and rocket stuff. Currently, we are resurrecting a very old model rocket given to us recently by an old friend. We are close to first launch, only needing a few parts and a weather window. My last launch was about 55 years ago and Jana has never seen one.
Thank you for allowing us to join your site!

 

[smstachwick]

I am Dan and live near Hermiston, Oregon. My wife Jana and I are retired and getting interested in rockets and rocket therapy. There are no hobby shops or resources for model rocket parts nor are there any people nearby actively interested in model rockets. We are hoping to find some resources online. We are also looking forward to conversing with like minded folks about rockets and rocket stuff. Currently, we are resurrecting a very old model rocket given to us recently by an old friend. We are close to first launch, only needing a few parts and a weather window. My last launch was about 55 years ago and Jana has never seen one.
Thank you for allowing us to join your site!

Hello!

I looked on the NAR Section Locator map and there appears to be a high-power club in Walla Walla and another in West Richland, both across the state line.

https://www.nar.org/find-a-local-club/nar-map-locator/
They might be worth an email, and they probably have low-power pads too if you’re looking to warm up with something on B or C motors. The West Richland club, Tri-Cities Rocketeers, is also chartered as a Tripoli prefecture.

https://www.tripoli.org/content.aspx?page_id=225&club_id=795696
There are a bunch of people who prefer to build from scratch, sometimes using dedicated rocketry components but at least as often from whatever happens to be available.

Your best bet for professionally-manufactured parts is probably to order online. Estes is still in business after all these years and there are a number of other manufacturers of kits and motors as well. You can get an idea of the variety available on https://apogeerockets.com, they make their own kits and resell a bunch of third-party stuff. Standouts include Fliskits, North Coast Rocketry, AeroTech (also a motor manufacturer), Klima, U.S. Rockets, Sirius Rocketry, and Aerospace Specialty Products.

Online retailers also tend to have motors, but many organized club launches have an on-site vendor with a trailer full of stuff. Many accept orders for pickup instead of shipping, which is useful for securing the motor you want while avoiding HAZMAT shipping fees and such.

The forum is great, many people have been doing this continuously for decades but many have also had long breaks. One thing that we all agree on is that kid hobbies RULE when you have adult money!

 

[Hobie1dog]

to the forum

 

[user 45155]

Hello!

I looked on the NAR Section Locator map and there appears to be a high-power club in Walla Walla and another in West Richland, both across the state line.

https://www.nar.org/find-a-local-club/nar-map-locator/
They might be worth an email, and they probably have low-power pads too if you’re looking to warm up with something on B or C motors. The West Richland club, Tri-Cities Rocketeers, is also chartered as a Tripoli prefecture.

https://www.tripoli.org/content.aspx?page_id=225&club_id=795696
There are a bunch of people who prefer to build from scratch, sometimes using dedicated rocketry components but at least as often from whatever happens to be available.

Your best bet for professionally-manufactured parts is probably to order online. Estes is still in business after all these years and there are a number of other manufacturers of kits and motors as well. You can get an idea of the variety available on https://apogeerockets.com, they make their own kits and resell a bunch of third-party stuff. Standouts include Fliskits, North Coast Rocketry, AeroTech (also a motor manufacturer), Klima, U.S. Rockets, Sirius Rocketry, and Aerospace Specialty Products.

Online retailers also tend to have motors, but many organized club launches have an on-site vendor with a trailer full of stuff. Many accept orders for pickup instead of shipping, which is useful for securing the motor you want while avoiding HAZMAT shipping fees and such.

The forum is great, many people have been doing this continuously for decades but many have also had long breaks. One thing that we all agree on is that kid hobbies RULE when you have adult money!

Great info, thanks!
What if all you lack for a launch is ignitor plugs for "C" motors? Is there a way to improvise plugs without causing a RUD? Can you still get fuses? The last time I was doing rockets, fuses was the norm and ignitors was the new shiney method nobody could afford.

 

[Wrightme43]

Welcome, glad you are here!

I hope you have as much fun as I am.

 

[OverTheTop]

Welcome to the forum.

If all you are lacking is the plug to hold your igniter in you could hold it with a little plug of tissue or perhaps the end of a wood skewer gently pushed in. The trick is to not damage the clay nozzle and make sure the igniter is touching the BP inside the motor. I guess a little masking tape could work as well .

I would really suggest you have a look at local clubs. Good fun watching other flights and they will also help you get flying with your rocket. Rocketeers are a good bunch, usually

 

[OzHybrid]

Joining a club gives you a lot of fun watching other rockets launch at no cost to you....... Welcome

 

[Hobie1dog]

Be sure to check out apogee rocket site;
https://www.apogeerockets.com/

 

[samb]

Welcome panhead_dan and Jana! I would love to see a picture of the "very old model rocket" you're working on. Most likely you're replacing the shock cord and parachute ? What other parts are you needing ? Did you inherit some old motors too ? A bit of masking tape between the leads after dropping the igniter into the nozzle would be my choice other than plugs. Now about fuses... I ain't sayin' nobody uses fuses anymore but nobody I know uses fuses anymore!
A popular vendor for many of us is https://www.acsupplyco.com/estes-model-rockets but there many choices. Probably the golden age of online vendors right now.
I'll add my vote for attending a club launch at some point. It'll change your life. I'm guessing Tri-Cites is the closest. Make it a day-date trip.

https://tri-cities-rocketeers.weebly.com/upcoming-launch.html

 

[prfesser]

Hello Dan, and welcome!

No nozzle plugs? No problem! Long before the plugs became standard, the instructions that came with a tube of motors said to roll a small piece of recovery wadding into a ball about 1/8" diameter. Insert the motor-starter in the nozzle, touching the propellant and with leads separated so they don't short. Press the ball of wadding firmly in place with a pen. You should be able to pick up the motor by one lead and not have the motor drop to the floor.

Sadly, like many other specialty stores, hobby shops are disappearing. Probably 95% of the forum users buy their goods either online or at a club launch that has a vendor. One of my favorite online stores is Balsa Machining. Bill has a huge selection of body tubes, nose cones, centering rings, balsa fin stock and blocks, etc. for the scratch-builder. His prices for motors are very competitive. And he has one of the lowest-priced mid-power kits available---the 3" 29mm 'School Rocket'. It can even fly on low-end H motors, should you wish to get into high-power rocketry.

JimZ's site has plans/instructions for most kits that Estes and other vendors have ever made, as well as "Design of the Month" rockets and many others.

OpenRocket is a free and fun program for designing rockets, testing for stability, estimating altitude, etc. Somewhere in internet-space there is an OR file for almost every kit ever made, as well as hundreds of scratch designs.

 

[user 45155]

Thanks very much everyone! I appreciate the warm welcome, helpful tips and great links. The offer of parts is especially helpful, prfesser. Thank you, sir. The site would not accept my response to you.
I was able to improvise my way to 3 launch attempts yesterday and my rocket now lives in a tree. I posted the details in the space watering hole page under "First Launch". It's not getting a lot of views, however. She did fly real well twice!
I ordered a new one already. It's an Estes Mongoose.
Thanks again everyone. Y'all are what makes this site a lot of fun!
Dan

 

[Wrightme43]

Some rockets want to return to the trees, some love water. You just never know till you set one free. Ahahhahahahahahaha

I prepared my children, so they weren't disappointed like I was when I was a kid.

 

[user 45155]

I have to admit to a teensy bit of disappointment myself.