Nose Weight

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Sluggo

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I need to add 4 to 5 ounces of nose weight. Will this work.?? I think the answer is yes but it certainly isn't in the tip of the nose.....
 

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Whether it will work is less relevant than that it flagrantly violates the NAR safety code.
 
Oh. Thank you very much for getting my attention. Do you have other ideas for me.??
 
BBs followed by epoxy in the cone. You will (likely) need to cut a hole in the base of the cone, scuff up the interior with 60 grit, then add BBs and epoxy. Personally, I just cut the base of my nose cones off and make a bulk head to fit, but that’s certainly not required.
 
Thanks for the tips. I've cut the base of the cone off. I have a small spray container made of plastic. It's guitar detailer. I emptied what little was in there and filled it with water. The weight is 4.6oz.!!!! Perfect. I'll epoxy the cap on and it right up into the nose.
 
I’m amusingly concerned you’re building what looks like a mid power rocket and thinking a screwdriver was a good weight. I’ve tried similar things in smaller rockets and it never ended well. You might want to watch more Apogee videos.

 
I suppose I could watch more Apogee videos. Or learn the same way you did. I would love to read about your "didn't end well" stories. Sounds like you were a beginner once too.

I'll take Tim's method and go with that. I'm happy with what I've got but I like doing things the right way. Thanks for the link. Much appreciated.

BTW.... In your avatar, you really need to bring that arm up so its parallel to the ground. Bring your elbow up and you'll hit more targets. Ask me how I know.
 
I suppose I could watch more Apogee videos. Or learn the same way you did. I would love to read about your "didn't end well" stories. Sounds like you were a beginner once too.

I'll take Tim's method and go with that. I'm happy with what I've got but I like doing things the right way. Thanks for the link. Much appreciated.

BTW.... In your avatar, you really need to bring that arm up so its parallel to the ground. Bring your elbow up and you'll hit more targets. Ask me how I know.
Where to begin...
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq2MeoB2JAPQDHAbguwPUkw
I think the photo was more of an action shot. I used it in a reloading forum and was surprised when TRF also used it. They must share the same user database. If I had raised my arm for the photo, it wouldn't have been a good avatar photo. Here's a cool 22 conversion P90 I tried out once. I guess I should update the avatar with something more rocketryish.

IMG_1770.JPG

BTW, those shooting tables were awful. Lots of splinters and bacteria. They were shut down for a couple months. When they reopened, the tables were nicely painted so they're easier to sanitize. Anyways, I also have a reloading blog. https://ronsreloading.wordpress.com/
 
It doesn’t hurt to wrap a loop of Kevlar around a nut or washer and stick that in with the BBs, assuming you use either epoxy or polyurethane Glue (aka original Gorilla Glue, beware Gorilla Glue also comes in a wood glue form.). Run the loop out through your new base and tie it to the base as well. Some nose cones have a weak plastic base, which works fine if you don’t add weight to the cone, but isn’t strong enough and can break off if the cone is weighted.

Recommend you NEVER use any molded in loops or hooks in a plastic cast nose cone, these easily break off. I drill two holes on opposite sides of the base and run a Kevlar loop through them.

Also never use Kevlar with CA/superglue, the CA makes it brittle.
 
I’m amusingly concerned you’re building what looks like a mid power rocket and thinking a screwdriver was a good weight. I’ve tried similar things in smaller rockets and it never ended well. You might want to watch more Apogee videos.

Apogee video is OK, but also a bit misleading, because epoxy does not bind well to the typical blow-molded plastic nose cones.
If you do exactly what Tim is demonstrating, and put appreciable amount of weight into the nose cone, it will shift under acceleration and slam into the back of the nose cone. Depending on the exact amounts of weight and length of nose cone involved, that may make the rocket unstable under acceleration.

This is a FAR better, and safer instructional video (cutting off the base is optional) is here:


Another one here:
 
You can also drill a 1/2" hole in the shoulder, dump the shot into the tip, then fill the insides with 2-part foam. After it cures, trim the excess that comes out of the hole... the shot won't go anywhere.
 
Apogee video is OK, but also a bit misleading, because epoxy does not bind well to the typical blow-molded plastic nose cones.
If you do exactly what Tim is demonstrating, and put appreciable amount of weight into the nose cone, it will shift under acceleration and slam into the back of the nose cone. Depending on the exact amounts of weight and length of nose cone involved, that may make the rocket unstable under acceleration.

This is a FAR better, and safer instructional video (cutting off the base is optional) is here:


Another one here:

Tim had a previous video where he used a toothpick to hold the epoxy but didn’t want to inundate the OP with too many videos.

I like the bulkhead idea. I’m trying the Booster-60 with the Sidewinder and realize I need more NC weight so will probably install a removable bulkhead because I don’t always want to use the Booster.
 
I'm a fan of chopsticks for holding in the BBs & Epoxy mix..
Cheap (ask for an extra pair when ordering egg rolls next time!)
Wood (easier to sand down)
Larger than a brass rod (and less likely to bend.. and also offers a larger contact area on the holes made in the NC)
 
Most of the smaller rocket kits that require nose weight, use modelling clay. I would start there.
 
I like dirt or fine sand for the weight and stuffed cotton balls to hold it in. Can change the weight if you need to by pulling out the cotton balls. Now working on a 'safety nosecone' where the tip falls off at apogee and allows the weight to harmlessly fall out resulting in a lower mass object for recovery. The tip of said nose cone would be held with the rest of the nosecone by a short piece of cord.

One project will use water as the weight; if the nose cone doesn't fall out after apogee and the rocket comes in ballistic, it will splash out at impact wetting the area around it as a sort of fire retardant. I even added design and construction of this for extra points in a contest I run.
 
OP here.... I backtracked and added BB's rather than the plastic container with water in it.. See attached picture.....
 

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I like dirt or fine sand for the weight and stuffed cotton balls to hold it in. Can change the weight if you need to by pulling out the cotton balls. Now working on a 'safety nosecone' where the tip falls off at apogee and allows the weight to harmlessly fall out resulting in a lower mass object for recovery. The tip of said nose cone would be held with the rest of the nosecone by a short piece of cord.

One project will use water as the weight; if the nose cone doesn't fall out after apogee and the rocket comes in ballistic, it will splash out at impact wetting the area around it as a sort of fire retardant. I even added design and construction of this for extra points in a contest I run.

GiddyFittingCaecilian-small.gif
 
Exactly
I live in the high desert but can't launch here because of just that so we drive 100 miles to the FAR facility to launch. Here's a picture of our neighbor's house during one of many fires in our area.

1609802813405.png

If adding water to rocket nose cones instead of metal weight helps with safety isn't it worth it?;)
 
I like dirt or fine sand for the weight and stuffed cotton balls to hold it in. Can change the weight if you need to by pulling out the cotton balls. Now working on a 'safety nosecone' where the tip falls off at apogee and allows the weight to harmlessly fall out resulting in a lower mass object for recovery. The tip of said nose cone would be held with the rest of the nosecone by a short piece of cord.

Dirt has poor material density, and is impractical for most applications.
One would be much better off relying on Estes's clay nose weights instead.

Holding "ballast" in place with cotton balls is nether reliable, nor safe. Though it is crafty.
Remember, you are relying on ballast to stay firmly in place in the FWD end of the nose cone, for proper rocket stability. Having it shift around, dislocate, or fall out under acceleration, can lead to an unstable rocket.

NAR Safety Code:
" I will check the stability of my rocket before flight and will not fly it if it cannot be determined to be stable. "
https://www.nar.org/safety-information/high-power-rocket-safety-code/
If adding water to rocket nose cones instead of metal weight helps with safety isn't it worth it?;)

Sorry, it doesn't, and it isn't.
:rolleyes:
 
Dirt has poor material density, and is impractical for most applications.
One would be much better off relying on Estes's clay nose weights instead.

Holding "ballast" in place with cotton balls is nether reliable, nor safe. Though it is crafty.
Remember, you are relying on ballast to stay firmly in place in the FWD end of the nose cone, for proper rocket stability. Having it shift around, dislocate, or fall out under acceleration, can lead to an unstable rocket.

NAR Safety Code:
" I will check the stability of my rocket before flight and will not fly it if it cannot be determined to be stable. "
https://www.nar.org/safety-information/high-power-rocket-safety-code/


Sorry, it doesn't, and it isn't.
:rolleyes:

Sorry, my experience with dirt/sand in the nosecone tip held by stuffed cotton balls has never failed me.
I obviously don't with high power rockets. I have found epoxied BB chunks out on the range from nosecones.
 
Has anyone mentioned putty yet? Similar weight as water (mostly is), but without the sloshing. Safe enough that Estes and PlayDoh sends it kids everywhere. Hard to beat.
 
Has anyone mentioned putty yet? Similar weight as water (mostly is), but without the sloshing. Safe enough that Estes and PlayDoh sends it kids everywhere. Hard to beat.
How do you keep it place.??
 
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