Long time, no rockets....

[Neil]

Half of the year I love living in Maine, half the year I despise it. Theres a period of several months where I can do zippo rocketry, besides sew chutes. I am having a little breakdown here, so I thought I would post and maybe someone else would post some good vidos or links to same to take my mind off it (hint hint). So if anyone knows of good rocket flight videos, please give me a link, I am desperate!

 

[BlueNinja]

Why cant ya do anything? I thought you were gonna say you were grounded lol.

 

[Neil]

If you lived up here, I would say something like "look at the thermometer, smart one!". Its 0 degrees, and about 10-20 in my workshop by my best guess. Thats too cold for that stinkin epoxy to run, and thats all I use, so I am in a pickle!

Of course YOU live in KANSAS, so go ahead and gloat!!!!!!!

Dont you even THINK about telling me how frikkin warm it is down THERE! Its all I can do to keep from getting frostbitten waiting for my wikkle puppy to do her "thing". Its not the waiting that I mind, but standing in sub-zero temps for prolonged (10 minutes) times with just a hastily-thrown-on jacket (to prevent Shannon from pee'n on the floor before we get out...) that gets to me. Of course it is all worth it for Shannon, but its so friggin cold out! It was much worse a few weeks ago, though. At least I didnt have to stand in below -50 degree (windchill) temps waiting for puppy to pee.

Nope. Not grounded. I have never been grounded. My parents would deeply regret it if they even tried. and they dont really like the concept of locking a kid in his room. Though sometimes I think they may think that I do that to myself after a minor argument over whatnot. Turns out i just took a nap!

 

[DPatell]

Well then store the epoxy inside! Details man! Your excuses aren't good enough!

 

[Austin]

Neil...

Ya gotta be a bit nicer man...and realize that Kansas too, with open fields and serious wind chills also gets way dang cold!

None of us were aware you have a workshop without heat. Many of us do build indoors during the cold months. Why don't you see if your parents can make room for a little student desk or workarea indoors and you can work on some smaller kits until it warms up? I wind up building tons of MicroMaxx and Estes models during the winter time, which is prime building season.

Carl

 

[Neil]

Take a joke.... Just pickin on 'im. Its all in fun.

Got an excuse for that too... My mom wont LET me store the epoxy inside, because it "lets icky fumes into the house, and I dont like it". I thought of that one, too. Believe me, I would LOVE to not have any excueses, I could finish my Tres, build some nosecones from all that foam I have (My mom wont let me do that inside, either. If I use the hot-wire it lets fumes into the house, if I use a sanding block it makes dust all over.).

My mom flat-out refuses to let me make my rockets ANYWHERE other than my workshop. She promises she will get the builder to install some radiators and outlets when he puts on my grandmothers inlaw apartment, but thats not till august, so a fat lot o good that does! By then I will have my bulkhead door thrown wide to the sights and smells of summer (and of course the air circulation.....). But it will do me some good next winter, so I shouldent complain. So reall I am stuck. My workshops ice, I cant bring in non-frozen epoxy from the house, and my mom has the final word in all of it.

/breaks down and starts crying and banging the floor with fists.

I have a wicked bad case of spring feavor. No other explanation. Oh shoot. Shannon needs "out". Gotta run!

 

[Justy]

Only video I've got is my scratchbuilt rocket going up on a G79SS last weekend.

There aren't "flying" and "building" seasons in Vancouver... your launch has an equal chance of being rained-out year 'round.

 

[Neil]

yer lucky to have a club that cancells launches due to the weather instead of because your the only one who wants to fly.... Cherryfield has a great launch site, but there are only 2 dozen or so members, half of which turn up at the biggest launch of the year. at least they are friendly people.....

 

[daveyfire]

Originally posted by CTulanko
Kansas too, with open fields and serious wind chills also gets way dang cold!

Now Southern California, on the other hand...

Greetings from the land of 70 degrees!

 

[rock2p]

Neil,

see if this link works

https://cvg.propoint.com/home.jsp?auto=0&_requestid=1300

if you can get the player to work good for you it has some good videos on it of some of our club stuff. (with soundtracks)

One video has an interesting angle from underneath the rockets upon take off.

hope this helps.

I guess I should apprecaite the ability to fly all year round here in florida more.

 

[wwattles]

Sounds like it's time to build up your stores of those "free" rockets from Art Applewhite and Jim Flis. The card-stock printouts don't require epoxy, and don't make much mess when you're building them. Give them to your friends when you invite them out to the first spring launch!

WW

 

[jflis]

Originally posted by Neil
If you lived up here, I would say something like "look at the thermometer, smart one!". Its 0 degrees, and about 10-20 in my workshop by my best guess.

heck, the bottom of *my* outside thermometer froze and broke off...

 

[Chr$]

Two Words:

Space Heater.

 

[Neil]

Another thing my mom wont allow .Thought of that one too.

 

[Ryan S.]

heyI have heat in my workshop....two words. wood stove. man that thing rips, hang the rockets over them and it cuts the drying time in half

 

[Neil]

My worskshop isnt set up for one, and my parents wont put one in for me. We already have a very nice woodstove, in our living room, of course. No good for drying rockets. Plus my worshop is below-ground, so it would be very difficult to do.

 

[wwattles]

Neil, sounds like it's time to start looking for some friends (maybe in your launch club?) who will let you build at their shops one or two days a week... That's the only way I have access to a band saw, scroll saw, drill press, etc, since I live in an apartment and I don't have room for any of those larger items.

WW

 

[Neil]

I am the only serious rocketeer within a 75 mile (or more) radius of my house (as far as I know). So, as you can see, I am in a little pickle!

 

[n3tjm]

Originally posted by wwattles
Neil, sounds like it's time to start looking for some friends (maybe in your launch club?) who will let you build at their shops one or two days a week... That's the only way I have access to a band saw, scroll saw, drill press, etc, since I live in an apartment and I don't have room for any of those larger items.

WW

That is exactly what I do. Matter of fact, in about a half hour, I am going to head over to my friends house to work on some more rockets....

 

[havoc821]

I know how it is Neil. I don't have too many people to build rockets with, especially in the freezing cold. I am lucky enough to have a space heater on MY workbench and my mom lets me store my epoxy in a cabinet over the washer and dryer. Sorry man. I can't wait for warmer weather either. I remember one day I was trying to prep my vidcam rocket after a failed launch and I kept shking so bad I couldn't hit the switch to turn off the camera, let alone try to launch it again!

 

[tbzep]

Originally posted by havoc821
I remember one day I was trying to prep my vidcam rocket after a failed launch and I kept shking so bad I couldn't hit the switch to turn off the camera, let alone try to launch it again!

In Alabama? Talk about cold natured!

I'm from TN with weather about like North Alabama. I went up to Wisconsin for an old friend's wedding. Now they know what cold is!

tim

 

[Ryan S.]

Originally posted by Neil
My worskshop isnt set up for one, and my parents wont put one in for me. We already have a very nice woodstove, in our living room, of course. No good for drying rockets. Plus my worshop is below-ground, so it would be very difficult to do.

I have one in my living room too, wicked nice, and I use that for rockets too. My workshop is below ground too, I dont see a problem

 

[Neil]

Well, arnt you smart! I know my mom wouldent want to put a new chimney in my workshop.... Ill ask her, but I think I already know the awnser!

 

[havoc821]

Ok, so I exaggerated a little, but it WAS cold! I was shaking some but I did manage to turn off the button, but my hands were completely numb.

 

[BlueNinja]

Just peeked at this thread...

No offense taken, but it does get pretty cold down here. Last launch I went to it was about 29 out and the wind was blowing like heck. Our garage is jam packed and full of tools, but its a pretty rickety thing that isn't good for building rockets in. O well, I got a kiddie desk and a room used for hanging laundry to dry. It's cramped, but it works for stuff as big as a mean machine.

 

[Neil]

OK. If it gets that cold down there, I guess I cant aim too much jealousy at you.

But all those lucky ducks in florida.... its gotta be over 50 down there! Its 25 up here tonight, and I consider myself very lucky. its been freezing all week...

Tommorow I get to go to Boston... I hope its a bit warmer down there.... Doubt it, though. Anyone know of any good hobby shops down there?

 

[tbzep]

It was in the fifties here in TN today. Good thing too...the heat went out at work over the weekend and parts won't arrive until Friday.

 

[Cajunman06]

Neil,

Sounds like you need to swallow your pride a little and grab yourself five or six sport model kits. No, they aren't as big and powerful as the HPR stuff, but they can be fun to build.......And you don't HAVE to use epoxy......Lot's cheaper too.

 

[Neil]

Id love to build some more Fliskits rockets, but my mom wont let me use glue on the dining room table or in my room, be it white glue, wood glue, or epoxy. And my workshop is still cold as ever.... It actually got up to a decent temp today (I actually spent the day in Boston. That electricity exibit is awesome, BTW).

I wonder if my mom woul let me set up a card table in the sewing room... Doubt it. Worth a shot, though.

 

[gothique_97]

Actually, Neil, I can sympathize with winter no-rocket-flying-or-building blues. My workspace is in the dank, uninsulated basement, which means I only get to build when the weather is warm and dry for a few days. My wife doesn't want the epoxy fumes upstairs, so that's not an option for me.

And just about the only launch I go to all year is the Labor Day weekend launch in south Carolina. The rest of the year, I daydream about going to launches while waiting for the DampRid to kick in.

Some rocket hobbyist I am...