Mean Machine Repair Help Needed

[bmhiii]

I need a little help in repairing a hurt tube on a Mean Machine. As it is not mine, but a buddy of mine in Texas, I do not have the rocket for viewing to help explain the problem. I do have a couple of pics that show it.

As you can see, the tube is bent right above the fins. I have no experience in fixing something like this so I'm looking for suggestions. The only thing I could come up with is a wrap of some kind.

Help!!

bmhiii

 

[bmhiii]

Here's the other pic...

bmhiii

 

[Dogsbd]

What I have done in some cases, depending on how close the bend is to say a thrust ring, is carefully cut the tube in half at the bend, insert a coupler of the correct size and glue 'er back together. If your very careful it can only be detected on close examination.

 

[Stones]

Another possibility:
Cut the damaged section out of the BT and join them back together with a coupler. A little filler and some sanding, followed by a little blending of paint and you should be back in biz. Should only be a slight loss of BT by the looks of the pic.

 

[sandman]

Both those repair suggestions are right on.

If you don't have a tube coupler make one by cutting a 3" or 4" section of BT-60, slit it carefully and fit it into the rocket body tube, mark the overlap and trim it to fit. Use the part you trimmed off to glue onto the inside of the coupler to reinforce the seam.

In addition, if in the course of the repair the decal is ruined, call Estes, tell them what happened and they will send you a new decal.

Since they are still in production the decals will still be available. If you are nice about it, they may not even charge you for them.

sandman

 

[rstaff3]

The suggestions thus far are prolly the best, but here is a quick and dirty approach that I used on mine. Carefully pull on the two ends to minimize the crumple and get the rocket straight. Find four 1/8" - 3/16" inch square hardwood stringers that reach from the trailing edge of the fins to about 2-3 inches past the bad spot. Use a Dremel to remove lines of paint at the root of one side of each fin up past the crumple. Also grind down the fillets so the stringers will sit against the fins. Glue on the stringers, and repaint. Sounds sorta ugly...and it is. However, the rocket has flow many times since.

Or, as I did on my last mishap, you might try a few layers of duct tape over the crease (have rebuilt it too many times to warrant new tubes, and I didn't have any on-site anyway). In its current life (it must have 9 just like a cat) it has a streamer on the nose and the back end acts like a backsliding glider. Found this accidently, but pretty cool IMHO.

(I wonder if true artists like sandman and Carl felt a cold breeze on the backs of their necks as I psoted this one? )

 

[sandman]

rstaff3,

THAT DID make the hair on the back of my neck stand up!

sandman