North Coast Rocketry SA-14 Archer Unboxing and Build

[lcorinth]

Part 1: Unboxing!

[video=youtube;QYvqVi96c7I]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYvqVi96c7I&feature=youtu.be[/video]

 

[Nytrunner]

That's cool! Are you climbing higher up the hill.of.mid-power Rocketry?

 

[lcorinth]

That's cool! Are you climbing higher up the hill.of.mid-power Rocketry?

Yep, I'm building more MPR rockets. I've never stopped with the LPR stuff, but I like the big stuff too, and this is a beauty.

 

[neil_w]

Nice video and great rocket. Already appreciating the design that goes into a kit like that.

 

[Nytrunner]

Yep, I'm building more MPR rockets. I've never stopped with the LPR stuff, but I like the big stuff too, and this is a beauty.

I love mid-power stuff. Great fun on a budget.

 

[Banzai88]

It's a good kit, even if some of the parts fit is on the loose side of things compared to other commercial offerings. In spite of being extra careful to align the strakes and the fins, I got something off, and mine spirals like a bullet right off of the top of the rail. Very dramatic with a smoky motor!

Enjoy the build, and consider a JL Chute Release if you don't already have one.

 

[TangoJuliet]

I've been considering one of these since my Laserhawk was damaged on it's first flight. Subscribed! op:

 

[lcorinth]

Part 2 coming later tonight...

 

[lcorinth]

The centering rings were just slightly looser than I liked, so I decided to try something new to tighten them up a bit.

[video=youtube;nhVW3gsDJU0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhVW3gsDJU0[/video]

 

[RocketFeller]

Does this kit have a regular 29mm motor mount? If I recall, old NCR kits had an odd 28.5mm MMT that would just barely fit a SU motor.

 

[neil_w]

Does this kit have a regular 29mm motor mount? If I recall, old NCR kits had an odd 28.5mm MMT that would just barely fit a SU motor.

As far as I know the current versions of the NCR kits all use standard 29mm mounts.

A few thoughts on the video:
1) Very nicely done!
2) Did you think to weigh the tube before and after? I would guess you haven't added enough weight to affect anything, but curious anyway.
3) This effort really shouldn't be necessary. It's so much easier to sand out a tight centering ring, not quite sure why NCR doesn't just size the rings a bit smaller and eliminate the need for this sort of thing.

But again, very nicely done, you made the process seem pretty simple and straightforward. The first time I heard of someone rolling their own tubes I thought it was insane, but it's really not so bad I guess, as long as you have an appropriate mandrel.

 

[jd2cylman]

Does this kit have a regular 29mm motor mount? If I recall, old NCR kits had an odd 28.5mm MMT that would just barely fit a SU motor.

This was only on the North Coast by Estes kits. Pre Estes and post Estes, the mmts are 29mm (or whatever standard size)...

 

[John Beans]

I really love this kit (I'm a sucker for strakes) and it got used a lot for Chute Release testing on H and I motors.
Two mods:
1. I built it as "nose cone separation" rocket, rather than mid-body separation as designed.
Why? Less worry about stability (not that it has issues), and more room for Chute Release + bigger parachutes...
2. Added an Estes 29mm plastic motor retainer. I put those on all of my 29mm rockets.

 

[lcorinth]

I really love this kit (I'm a sucker for strakes) and it got used a lot for Chute Release testing on H and I motors.
Two mods:
1. I built it as "nose cone separation" rocket, rather than mid-body separation as designed.
Why? Less worry about stability (not that it has issues), and more room for Chute Release + bigger parachutes...
2. Added an Estes 29mm plastic motor retainer. I put those on all of my 29mm rockets.

I plan on adding an Estes retainer as well, John. As for nose separation, I'm torn. I like the simplicity of it, but I also like having a payload compartment. I don't have a lot of rockets with separate sections for altimeters, etc, and since this one comes with the parts, I could stick my Jolly Logic Altimeter 2 in there without having to add extra protection

 

[lcorinth]

As far as I know the current versions of the NCR kits all use standard 29mm mounts.

A few thoughts on the video:
1) Very nicely done!
2) Did you think to weigh the tube before and after? I would guess you haven't added enough weight to affect anything, but curious anyway.
3) This effort really shouldn't be necessary. It's so much easier to sand out a tight centering ring, not quite sure why NCR doesn't just size the rings a bit smaller and eliminate the need for this sort of thing.

But again, very nicely done, you made the process seem pretty simple and straightforward. The first time I heard of someone rolling their own tubes I thought it was insane, but it's really not so bad I guess, as long as you have an appropriate mandrel.

I didn't think to weigh it before and after. Too bad, considering my obsession lately with figuring out how much weight different components and materials add.

I recently did a test with some wood glue, for example, where I tried to figure out how much of the weight was water - in other words, when it dries out, how much mass would it lose? Turns out, with the brand I use anyway, around 40 percent.

I should have weighed it, but it doesn't feel much heavier. Still, I get curious about those things.

Thanks for the comments. I wasn't expecting it to be so straightforward. I thought it might work, but would come out messier or be harder than it was.

I guess my next experiment will be turning a nose cone on a drill. I know people do that, but I don't know how hard it is. Figuring that out would make a fun video, I think.