New Member

[Jeff Jackson]

I bought the Estes Atomic Sky kit for my son to try out over the weekend. We got it out this morning and he had a great time putting the rocket together and then the launch pad. We had three A8-3 engines in a pack and everything went pretty flawlessly. I grounded the igniters on the metal launch plate the first go around but everything else went perfectly. We were even able to reuse the wadding for all three launches.

The only issue I had was when I put the cap back on the launch rod the force of pushing on the cap bent the rod where it connects. I've searched the instructions for the size rod that comes with the set but I can't find it. Does anyone know the size replacement rod I would need? Also, is there any way to get a replacement rod that is one piece? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Also, this seems like a great hobby. My son has autism and it can be really hard to get in his world. Once I realized this was an interest for him we went all in and we had a good time today. It's hard to achieve these moments and this hobby made it happen fairly easily. We're already moving up to a kit that requires a little more work.

 

[kuririn]

1/8" diameter rod, probably 3 ft. or so long. You can get one piece steel rods at Home Depot and probably other big box stores for around 5 or 6 bucks in various lengths. Go stainless if you can find it , keep it clean after every launch cuz exhaust residue is corrosive. WD-40 and steel wool or a good polishing with carnauba wax will keep the rusties away.
BTW welcome to the hobby and the forum!

 

[BABAR]

Congrats on successful and apparently fun launch!

Any hardware store will have 1/8 inch rods. They don’t come with the same finish as the Estes two piece rods, so some steel wool in your box is a good thing to have to keep it clean and smooth.

You may want to check your local Hobby Lobby if you have one, they are having a clearance sale and I just picked up a full launch set (can’t even remember which one, except it wasn’t Tandem X which comes with two rockets) for $7.

Good choice starting with the lowest power engines, too many new people come into the hobby, pop a C into their first rocket, and wonder why they never saw it again.

Hope this effort continues to be a joy for you and your son!

 

[K'Tesh]

Welcome! Glad to hear that you're introducing your son into the hobby. As a person on the spectrum myself, I'm glad to hear that he's found something that he can get into. I suspect that there's lots of us in the hobby, or the profession.

FYI, you don't need to use the factory issued cap to "safe" the launch rod. You can attach any kind of item that will slip over the tip of the rod and stay put. Even a soda can would work. Attaching the key to that item, whatever it is, is still a good idea.

In the meantime...

Pointy Side Up!

BTW, I love the Jack Flack/Cloak & Dagger avatar! Haven't thought of that movie in decades.

 

[Bat-mite]

Welcome!

 

[Hobie1dog]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[dwightr]

Welcome to the hobby. Local welding shops that do Stainless TIG work should have 1/8 x 36 rods. Most will give you a couple. They work great.

 

[Jeff Jackson]

1/8" diameter rod, probably 3 ft. or so long. You can get one piece steel rods at Home Depot and probably other big box stores for around 5 or 6 bucks in various lengths. Go stainless if you can find it , keep it clean after every launch cuz exhaust residue is corrosive. WD-40 and steel wool or a good polishing with carnauba wax will keep the rusties away.
BTW welcome to the hobby and the forum!

Kuririn, thanks for the info. I had no idea the exhaust residue was corrosive but that does make sense.

Congrats on successful and apparently fun launch!

Any hardware store will have 1/8 inch rods. They don’t come with the same finish as the Estes two piece rods, so some steel wool in your box is a good thing to have to keep it clean and smooth.

You may want to check your local Hobby Lobby if you have one, they are having a clearance sale and I just picked up a full launch set (can’t even remember which one, except it wasn’t Tandem X which comes with two rockets) for $7.

Good choice starting with the lowest power engines, too many new people come into the hobby, pop a C into their first rocket, and wonder why they never saw it again.

Hope this effort continues to be a joy for you and your son!

BABAR, that was a great tip! I spun by the local Hobby Lobby and they had the rod we needed for less than $5. I took advantage of that clearance sale and got us more supplies. Thanks for all your help!

Welcome! Glad to hear that you're introducing your son into the hobby. As a person on the spectrum myself, I'm glad to hear that he's found something that he can get into. I suspect that there's lots of us in the hobby, or the profession.

FYI, you don't need to use the factory issued cap to "safe" the launch rod. You can attach any kind of item that will slip over the tip of the rod and stay put. Even a soda can would work. Attaching the key to that item, whatever it is, is still a good idea.

In the meantime...

Pointy Side Up!

BTW, I love the Jack Flack/Cloak & Dagger avatar! Haven't thought of that movie in decades.

K'Tesh, I was putting it on the rod so I would have less to carry and just ended up ruining the rod. Oh well. It's good to know I can use other things though. My son got so into Cloak & Dagger that we took him to the San Antonio Japanese Sunken Gardens so he could see where part of it was filmed. He had a great time re-enacting the scene.

dwightr, thanks for that info! There is a welding shop not far from us.

Thanks for the welcome! I appreciate all the replies.

 

[OverTheTop]

Welcome to the forum! Glad you and your son are enjoying the experience in the field.