Lurked around a bit; first post

[mkeene]

Hi folks - thought I would kick down my proverbial 2 cents with a little comment and 2 questions.

I recently was evangelized back into "BAR" status. Glad to see that the fine people that populate this forum are a friendly lot, and chock full of good ideas. First launch was at the Tripoli San Diego Plaster City March launch. Flew a bright blue Big Daddy; 3 successful launches.

A question:

I'm currently building the Estes Executioner, and I am just using good ol' Elmer's Glue to affix the engine block to the inner body tube. Due to the length of the tube, the glue is relatively far inside and as a result is not drying (dark and cool). Any suggestions as to how I can get it to dry?

In progress:
Executioner
Skywriter (for the missus)

 

[OKTurbo]

Elmer's white glue has a lot of water in it. I prefer their wood (carpender's) glue. It tacks up nicely.

Patience is your friend. It will dry out eventually. Go ahead and work on the parachute.

John

Oh yeah...welcome to the forum.

 

[Missileman]

Welcome Aboard.
as for the glue.
Give it time, it will dry.
I sometimes put glued parts in front of a space heater to speed up the drying time.
I like to use elmers carpenters wood glue on my low power stuff (dries faster and is just as strong as the white glue)
I know you will have just as much fum as I have since I was BAR

 

[teflonrocketry1]

To get the white glue to dry faster try using a hair dryer to blow warm air over it.

Elmer's white glue is great for things like thrust rings or engine blocks since it doesn't grab and set fast like yellow or Carpenter's glue; this gives you time to reposition the parts before they dry. Use Elmer's white glue to make shock cord mounts; that way if you "tree" a model it will come down after a few heavy rains! I use white glue on the inside of the rocket and yellow on the outside.

Bruce S. Levison, NAR #69055

 

[sandman]

I have one of those flexible magnifying lamps on my workbench.

Wile I'm working on something else I set the lamp about 6" to 8" away from say a fillet and just keep an eye on it for about 20 minutes.

Never leave it unattended. Even a 60 watter can scortch real good.

Oh...forgot...welcome to the Forum!

sandman

 

[mkeene]

Thanks for the advice and kind words. And for the record, I know I said "2 questions" but in fact only had one

 

[powderburner]

mkeene, we are glad you decided to join us, the more the merrier! Maybe you can fill us in on your rocketry background and the kind of stuff you have built?

To your glue qstn: I also use lots of elmers white glue. You can get that stuff dirt cheap during the back-to-school sales, and it works great on low- and mid-powered rockets. As far as getting it to dry out, yes a little gentle heat would help but I think the main thing to try is some air circulation. If you can lay your assembly somewhere that the house ventilation system will blow through it occasionally, that should be enough to dry it out overnight. Or else you are using waaaaay too much glue (it really doesn't take that much). Let us know how your motor mount works out.

 

[graylensman]

Welcome aboard, mkeene!

I use Elmer's white almost exclusively (I build LPR) and I second what others say: just have patience.

And if you've lurked around here, you'll know what I'm about to say: Post pics!

 

[jflis]

A couple of elmer's white glue tricks...

For hidden areas, like engine blocks, get a length of wood dowel (or better, one of those long q-tips) and reach into the tube from the front end and spread the thick bead of glue out to aid in faster drying.

When applying fins, run a thin bead of glue on the fin root then place on the rocket on the fin line (be sure you've lightly sanded the fin line first), then *remove*

Allow the fin root and the glue left on the body tube to dry to the point where it starts to clear up and there is a good *skin* on both the fin and the body tube. Then either apply a very thin layer of glue on the fin or (in a pinch) simply lick your finger and run it along the root edge of the fin, then reapply the fin. It darn near dries instantly. Once completely dry, apply liberal filets to all fin/tube joints.

good stuff, white glue.

 

[GlennW]

Welcome, mkeene! I see you are a Rush fan, you must be a great guy!

Glenn

 

[mkeene]

Thanks, Glenn! Wow, I'm impressed. I was wondering how long it would take someone to figure out my sig and title. Impressive!! Just got my tix for the Rush 30th ann. gig in San Diego. They should also be swinging by your neck of the woods.

As for my rocketry background, "back in the day" I have built the Estes Der BIG Red Max (not to be confused with the MINI Red Max ), the Nomad (4' tall, with a payload section) which is now OOP, and that's bout it. I loved the Red Max, and I remember well taking it to my Junior High football field and launching off of an Estes Bigfoot Launcher.

A good friend of mine is a TRA L1, and he has been into rocketry his whole life. So now that he has got me hooked again, I'm making up for my lost time. Since I have my summers off, my goal is to get my Level 1 in October, because that is where my interest lies (HPR). Does anyone think I'm moving too quickly? I'm still having fun building the LPR kits again, some from my childhood.

I will be posting pics here soon.

Mike

PS Glenn, I added you to my Buddy List. A fellow Rush fan - woohoo!!!!