I went and read back further and realized my comment wasn't relevant. I haven't figure out how to delete an entry yet and you have to use a minimum number of characters....
Keep It Simple,Stupid. My Level 3 build
- Thread starter SDramstad
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Done that more then a few times myself....
So next step is the tip to tip. I cut out a piece of carbon fiber the right shape to lay into place with out extending past the edges of the fins.
Mixed up the epoxy and painted the fins and body tube of 1 side with a fairly thick layer of epoxy. Carefully placed the carbon in place and then tapped it down with a paint brush. Then applied a fairly thick layer of epoxy to wet out the material.
Dont have many pictures of the process because I didnt want to get epoxy on my phone. Next was to apply a layer of peal ply over the carbon and wet it out with a brush and squeege taking care not to make any wrinkles in the material. Then covered the peal ply with a layer of mylar film.
Smoothed out the mylar then placed 2 large zip lock bags with BBs onto the fillet. This was to help keep the material from lifting up at the fillet. Then placed 2 pieces of plywood over the fins and clamped them down.
Wait 4 to 6 hours and then repeat for the other 3 sides. Ended up with a few dry spots but nothing that cant be fixed. Will need to sand off the excess epoxy and loose fibers then will cover the leading edges.
Mixed up the epoxy and painted the fins and body tube of 1 side with a fairly thick layer of epoxy. Carefully placed the carbon in place and then tapped it down with a paint brush. Then applied a fairly thick layer of epoxy to wet out the material.
Dont have many pictures of the process because I didnt want to get epoxy on my phone. Next was to apply a layer of peal ply over the carbon and wet it out with a brush and squeege taking care not to make any wrinkles in the material. Then covered the peal ply with a layer of mylar film.
Smoothed out the mylar then placed 2 large zip lock bags with BBs onto the fillet. This was to help keep the material from lifting up at the fillet. Then placed 2 pieces of plywood over the fins and clamped them down.
Wait 4 to 6 hours and then repeat for the other 3 sides. Ended up with a few dry spots but nothing that cant be fixed. Will need to sand off the excess epoxy and loose fibers then will cover the leading edges.
Next are covering the leading edges. I did this the same way as the trailing edges. First lay out a piece of 5 mil mylar and cover a 4x9 inch area with epoxy. Then lay in a piece of peal-ply onto the mylar and finish wetting it out.
Lay the carbon fiber on the wetted out peal-ply and wet it out.
Clean the leading edge and apply a light coating of epoxy to the leading edge and down an inch or two.
Lay the carbon fiber across the leading edge and fold it over, then slide to jig over everything and slide it into place. Make sure the carbon fiber is positioned correctly. Then apply the clamps to hold it all in place.
After all of the edges were done then the next thing is to sand off all of the excess epoxy. And there was a lot of it.... Power sanding tools are your best friend.
After sanding the fins and bodytube of excess epoxy I painted a thin coat of epoxy across the affected areas. Not perfect but it looks a lot better.
I want it to look good but am not going to go overboard with the finishing. One thing I have noticed about other peoples level 3 attempts. The odds of success are inversely proportional to the effort put into the paint job. Once dry I will buff it up a bit and maybe shoot some clear coat on it. Maybe some paint on the nose cone but that will be it.
Lay the carbon fiber on the wetted out peal-ply and wet it out.
Clean the leading edge and apply a light coating of epoxy to the leading edge and down an inch or two.
Lay the carbon fiber across the leading edge and fold it over, then slide to jig over everything and slide it into place. Make sure the carbon fiber is positioned correctly. Then apply the clamps to hold it all in place.
After all of the edges were done then the next thing is to sand off all of the excess epoxy. And there was a lot of it.... Power sanding tools are your best friend.
After sanding the fins and bodytube of excess epoxy I painted a thin coat of epoxy across the affected areas. Not perfect but it looks a lot better.
I want it to look good but am not going to go overboard with the finishing. One thing I have noticed about other peoples level 3 attempts. The odds of success are inversely proportional to the effort put into the paint job. Once dry I will buff it up a bit and maybe shoot some clear coat on it. Maybe some paint on the nose cone but that will be it.
Interceptor
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Why are you using peel ply under the Mylar? I would have thought laying the carbon fibre directly into the Mylar would give a better finish?
Because you cant get all of the bubbles out with just mylar. Tried it a long time ago and did not work. In this case the mylar is just to keep from gluing the jig I used to the fin.
Your rocket should be bullet-proof! Great job of building, as well as documentation.
So, more progress. Sanded the lower section and fins then did a thin layer of epoxy across the lower airframe and fins. Did a bit more sanding after that dried and 2 coats of Duplicolor clear coat. Mounted the 2 1515 rail buttons, the lower screwed into the aft centering ring (mental note. Next time mount it before the aft centering ring is glued in). The upper was mounted with the T-nut that came with it through a wooden washer to help it conform to the body tubes curve. This is just above the upper centering ring. They are a bit farther apart then my usual but should have the CP close to centered between them.
The finish isnt perfect but it will fly perfectly well this way. If it flys well it will earn some polishing.
Next up is the nose cone. This is a 4 to 1 ogive nosecone. I plan to mount a tracker in the nose section so first thing was to place a 6 inch to 75mm centering ring that had 4 1/4 20 tnuts installed in it. Then I epoxied the nose cones coupler in place and pulled the centering ring up tight to it. Once that set up I have a 5.5 inch bulkhead that will bolt to the centering ring along with a large U-bolt to serve as the shock cord mount.
If I have time I will install a tracker on top of the 5.5 inch bulkhead. It isnt needed for the L3 flight but it will be nice to have.
Next is the ebay. I am using a 6 inch coupler that is 12 inches long. That is a LOT of space. Way more then I am used to. Now I am doing this a bit diferently then the usual ebay. I hate switch bands! It gives you 2 joints where if everything isnt perfectly aligned and sized your rocket will wiggle around. I have never liked that even though it hasnt affected any of my previous builds. So on this build the top half of the ebay will be epoxied into the payload bay. No wiggle there! The upper bulkhead is also epoxied permanently in place. The 2 power switches are mounted on brackets on the inside of the bulkhead accessible through 2 of the 4 vent holes.
The upper charge canisters are attached to 2, 1/4 inch disks and will bolt into place from the inside of the ebay with 2 1/4-20 bolts. With the 6 inch coupler there is plenty of space to work putting them in place. So the blackpowder will be loaded into the cannister and packed and taped tightly. Then inserted into the ebay and bolted in place. The leads from the lighters will then be attached to the Perfect flite Strato-logger CF. The Stratologgers will be attached to the inside of the lower bulkhead. The lower bulkhead will then be attached to the ebay with a 5/16th threaded rod.
The lower charge cannisters are on the bottom of the lower bulkhead and will have the wires pass through 2 small holes in the bulkhead and also be attached to the stratologgers. A little more wiring then the harnesses and chutes will be installed.
The finish isnt perfect but it will fly perfectly well this way. If it flys well it will earn some polishing.
Next up is the nose cone. This is a 4 to 1 ogive nosecone. I plan to mount a tracker in the nose section so first thing was to place a 6 inch to 75mm centering ring that had 4 1/4 20 tnuts installed in it. Then I epoxied the nose cones coupler in place and pulled the centering ring up tight to it. Once that set up I have a 5.5 inch bulkhead that will bolt to the centering ring along with a large U-bolt to serve as the shock cord mount.
If I have time I will install a tracker on top of the 5.5 inch bulkhead. It isnt needed for the L3 flight but it will be nice to have.
Next is the ebay. I am using a 6 inch coupler that is 12 inches long. That is a LOT of space. Way more then I am used to. Now I am doing this a bit diferently then the usual ebay. I hate switch bands! It gives you 2 joints where if everything isnt perfectly aligned and sized your rocket will wiggle around. I have never liked that even though it hasnt affected any of my previous builds. So on this build the top half of the ebay will be epoxied into the payload bay. No wiggle there! The upper bulkhead is also epoxied permanently in place. The 2 power switches are mounted on brackets on the inside of the bulkhead accessible through 2 of the 4 vent holes.
The upper charge canisters are attached to 2, 1/4 inch disks and will bolt into place from the inside of the ebay with 2 1/4-20 bolts. With the 6 inch coupler there is plenty of space to work putting them in place. So the blackpowder will be loaded into the cannister and packed and taped tightly. Then inserted into the ebay and bolted in place. The leads from the lighters will then be attached to the Perfect flite Strato-logger CF. The Stratologgers will be attached to the inside of the lower bulkhead. The lower bulkhead will then be attached to the ebay with a 5/16th threaded rod.
The lower charge cannisters are on the bottom of the lower bulkhead and will have the wires pass through 2 small holes in the bulkhead and also be attached to the stratologgers. A little more wiring then the harnesses and chutes will be installed.
The rocket looks amazing. Good luck on your L3, I will continue to watch.
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Due to a family emergency I wont make it to Mini Midwest this year. QCRC does have a June launch on the schedule. Maybe then.
Okay, back to work. Put the finishing touches on the electronics. Installed connectors for the switches and power to the Stratologgers.
Some care will need to be taken when installing the bulkhead/electronics so no wires get torn up in the process. Will probably tape the wires down to protect them. Maybe a 24mm body tube section in the middle so the all thread wont catch the wires.
At this point she is not complete but is flyable. Need to sand the payload section then a thin coat of epoxy with more light sanding after it sets up. The finish on the fins needs some work also then clear coat and a tracker in the nose and it should be done.
Some care will need to be taken when installing the bulkhead/electronics so no wires get torn up in the process. Will probably tape the wires down to protect them. Maybe a 24mm body tube section in the middle so the all thread wont catch the wires.
At this point she is not complete but is flyable. Need to sand the payload section then a thin coat of epoxy with more light sanding after it sets up. The finish on the fins needs some work also then clear coat and a tracker in the nose and it should be done.
And here it is.
![IMG_1921[5089].JPG](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/rocketryforum/data/attachments/336/336284-3d008fa277445baa29e495999ebdb25b.jpg "IMG_1921[5089].JPG")
Need to static test the electronics, do the charge testing and install the tracker.
Need to static test the electronics, do the charge testing and install the tracker.
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Nice job my friend!
Ejection charge test time! I drilled and tapped 4 holes at each joint for 2-56 sheer pins. Found an online calculator for sizing the charge and it came up with 2.5 grams. Sounded a bit low to me but it is a place to start. Wired up the charge and fired it off.
Perfect separation. I have a 35 foot Onebadhawk harness and it stretched out about halfway before the payload bay came to a stop. Sounded like a car back firing. Put it all away quick in case someone thought I was shooting off a canon.......
Perfect separation. I have a 35 foot Onebadhawk harness and it stretched out about halfway before the payload bay came to a stop. Sounded like a car back firing. Put it all away quick in case someone thought I was shooting off a canon.......
rocketgeek101
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That is a nice looking bird! Looking forward to seeing some pics of the launch!
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Got here from a link on the L3CC forum. Nice job Steven! Hand cutting the fin slots showed your craftmanship, along with other aspects of the design and build. I like your jig for aligning 2 fins at once and the jigs for applying CF over the fin edges.
Best of luck on your L3 cert flight. But I don't think you are going to need luck. It appears you have this well in hand. If it wasn't so far away I would come see it fly.
Paul Snow
L3CC San Diego
Best of luck on your L3 cert flight. But I don't think you are going to need luck. It appears you have this well in hand. If it wasn't so far away I would come see it fly.
Paul Snow
L3CC San Diego
Thanks Paul! I have been working on these techniques for quite a few years now. It’s fun to finally put it all together in something big.
Okay so the last bit of testing is done. Set up another ejection charge test this time for the Main chute. 2.5 gram charge again and it threw the nosecone far enough to mostly stretch the 25 foot Onebadhawk harness across the back yard. Sorry, no pictures for that. Next up was testing the altimeters, faking them out with my shop vac. I use 6.6 volt LiFe batteries for most all of my altimeters. So instead of wasting some perfectly good lighters I hook up 2, 6volt light bulbs in their place and watch them to light up.
![IMG_1928[5131].JPG](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/rocketryforum/data/attachments/336/336560-96acbaaf17139295d78bd7ceca34788c.jpg "IMG_1928[5131].JPG")
Turned on one of the stratologgers with the light bulbs connected and fired up the shop vac. Waited a few seconds and turned it back off. One light comes on for a few seconds followed by the other bulb. All good. Switched the bulbs to the other altimeter and repeated the process. All good again. She is ready to fly!!! Have a week to write up the documentation and with luck will launch on June 20th.
Have some minor cosmetic things to do to the finish but thats it!
Set up another ejection charge test this time for the Main chute. 2.5 gram charge again and it threw the nosecone far enough to mostly stretch the 25 foot Onebadhawk harness across the back yard. Sorry, no pictures for that. Next up was testing the altimeters, faking them out with my shop vac. I use 6.6 volt LiFe batteries for most all of my altimeters. So instead of wasting some perfectly good lighters I hook up 2, 6volt light bulbs in their place and watch them to light up.Turned on one of the stratologgers with the light bulbs connected and fired up the shop vac. Waited a few seconds and turned it back off. One light comes on for a few seconds followed by the other bulb. All good. Switched the bulbs to the other altimeter and repeated the process. All good again. She is ready to fly!!! Have a week to write up the documentation and with luck will launch on June 20th.
Have some minor cosmetic things to do to the finish but thats it!
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Sterling job! Thanks for such complete and detailed pics with text as you went. Love your techniques and mindset. Straight smoke and good chutes!
The place QCRC's launch site near Princeton IL. Last High power launch before Midwest power nearly 5 months from now. Solid layer of low hanging clouds and rain on arrival. The rain stops.... Afternoon and holes in the clouds appear. One big hole approaching. Get it ready and on the pad. And liftoff!
Perfect flight to 8200 feet! Successful L3 flight!! Landed in the corn almost a mile away. Featherweight tracker took me right to it. Thanks to everyone that helped me on this project. Could not have done it with out all of you!!
Now, where are my credit cards.........
Perfect flight to 8200 feet! Successful L3 flight!! Landed in the corn almost a mile away. Featherweight tracker took me right to it. Thanks to everyone that helped me on this project. Could not have done it with out all of you!!
Now, where are my credit cards.........
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Fantastic, Steve. You had lots of us rooting for you from a distance! Congratulations!
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Awesome!!!!
congrats on the flight and cert
congrats on the flight and cert
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It was a beautiful rocket and a great flight.
Congrats to Steve for a job well done.
Congrats to Steve for a job well done.
Welcome to highest power!
Cory
Well-Known Member
Looks like it was a great day for what turned out a nice certification flight with a beautifully built rocket - congratulations. What was the motor - nice pictures
Aerotech M1500. Nice green flame
Awesome, congrats! The whole project from start to flight seems like it was carefully planned and thought out. Really beautiful rocket as well.
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Most excellent work on the build, I really like the approach you took on construction. Lots of food for thought in this thread.
And big congrats on the L3!!
And big congrats on the L3!!
Congratulations on the L3 success!
