Now Legally Cruising Into America's Dairyland

[talkin Monkey]

Good idea. I think it would look cooler. Just out of curiosity, what are you using to cut the fins?

-Dave

Actually, it's fairly painless with a 4" Cut-Off wheel on a pneumatic die grinder. I've also used a diamond wheel on a dremel.

 

[talkin Monkey]

After the fins were whacked, sanded and dialed in, it's time to get 'em tacked onto the MMT.

The forward fins are like 13~14" from the aft end of the rocket and just dabbing epoxy on the root surface of the fins didn't seem robust enough to last until my next build session.

What I did was run down to the local Fleet Farm and buy a stack of syringes and a few really big knarly horse needles.

5 min epoxy was then injected onto the MMT through the fin slot and fin and alignment assembly was then dropped in. Rinse repeat etc.

 

[talkin Monkey]

Once again, the forward fins are waaay down there! Hard to apply the internal fillets.

Back to Fleet Farm for a few feet of clear flexible 1/8" tubing and a handful of thin wooden dowels. The clear tubing threads onto the syringe end nice and tight. Taping a dowel to it keeps it pretty rigid and straight.

With a flashlight, this worked real well.

Just taping some thin straws over a shorter length of tubing was good enough to get the Aft fin internal fillets.

 

[talkin Monkey]

Forward fins installed and filleted, let's try and and get the PML 2-part foam as close as we can to the mid-fin/center CR point.

Ahhhhh! Success!

Three things regarding PML 2 Part Foam:

A) This stuff REALLY anchors your parts in! It Rocks!
B) Experiment with it and see what it does before you dump it into your rocket
C) Be really super uber anal about keeping the caps of the chemicals clean and air tight, they adhere to the bottle very easily.

 

[talkin Monkey]

Mid-Fin Centering ring adhered and aft fins tacked and filleted in...

-The holes drilled through the Mid-Fin Centering Ring are to allow a continuity of foam between the fore and aft sections of the motor mount.

 

[talkin Monkey]

While we're gettin' all happy overbuilding the MMT, we might as well make sure this rocket STAYS on the rail!

Some aluminum conduit salvaged/recovered/fabricated for use as rail guide hard points...

 

[talkin Monkey]

The next couple batches of foam poured in...

...And a quick sneak peak of the completed MMT...just kidding.

 

[talkin Monkey]

Shortly afterward (PML foam cures up pretty fast), the excess foam was picked, scraped and sanded down to tolerable dimensions enough to pop a tail cone on as the aft centering ring.

 

[redsox15]

where did you get the foam?

 

[TheAviator]

Building this thing for ballistic recovery, eh? You could probably stand on the tube where the fin can is and not crush anything.... then jump up and down.... though I really wouldn't recommend trying it.

One serious comment: I would recommend double checking your stability margin, as the aft end of this thing is HEAVY.

 

[talkin Monkey]

where did you get the foam?

It's just the standard Public Missiles 2-part they have at the webstore
but from a year or so ago. Their updated site now lists something almost like it but with a modified reaction with the addition of assorted amount of water. I don't know if the new stuff is the same but with modified chemistry, or if the new stuff is just modified instructions.

EDIT: Still havin troubles with the customized " LINK " function so, bear with with me...

 

[talkin Monkey]

Building this thing for ballistic recovery, eh? You could probably stand on the tube where the fin can is and not crush anything.... then jump up and down.... though I really wouldn't recommend trying it.

...Actually, the only reason you won't get a 220lb monkey jumping on a rocket picture is because I didn't think to upgrade the fin thickness as well. Maybe next time. :roll:

serious comment: I would recommend double checking your stability margin, as the aft end of this thing is HEAVY.

...Good eye, and good point. Yes, this MMT is a tank but, the forward end is as well (as you will see, a fortunate aspect towards the stability issue).



I'd re-name this rocket "The Over-Build of Insanity" but then I'd have to re-do some of the silly paint job.

BTW, scrutiny is welcome on this thread.

 

[talkin Monkey]

Time to get some fillets done.

They actually turned out really well using the tape and dowel technique. Not too much sanding either.

 

[talkin Monkey]

A quick hose down with black laquer, then some of the new yellow Krylon...I won't get into the details...but Krylon crazes over Krylon if you don't read and understand the directions.:blush:

Oh well, I wet sanded, re-shot couple more cans of yellow (crazed some more at the fillets), wet sanded again, tried Future for the final time on a large rocket, wet sanded one more time, then got down right mid-evil on it with rubbing/polishing compound and a couple coats of wax. (See next post for pic)

 

[talkin Monkey]

As you can see, all this dedication to detail and expense really pays off in the end.

[My sarcastic humor, see the little yellow and black spec between pad 4 and 5?]

 

[dave carver]

Early in Tripoli history there was beer lofting.

Plus the 4" Ace nosecone had a screw on cap

 

[talkin Monkey]

Quite the dis-jointed build thread...

I did in fact marginally succeed with my L2 cert flight Saturday at the TWA launch. I'll discuss that later in the thread after my alt bay stuff with flight details.

I will say that I found myself very humbled on the field due to my build style and mentality. Fly and learn right?:blush:

BTW, speaking of being humbled, here's what the away pad is really for...Inspiration for Crapien III

 

[sylvie369]

Quite the dis-jointed build thread...

I did in fact marginally succeed with my L2 cert flight Saturday at the TWA launch. I'll discuss that later in the thread after my alt bay stuff with flight details.

It wasn't THAT marginal. A bit of a heart-stopper, but we've all seen worse.

You picked the right day to fly - today was windy, and blowing in a bad direction. Yesterday was a great day to fly, surprisingly.

Congratulations on the L2.

Paul

 

[blackjack2564]

Congrat's Scott ...wish I could have seen this one to.

C.J.

 

[gtm3323]

Good flight and Congrats Scott on the L2. A was able to snag a couple of photos. Who even cares about Fat Tire when you guys have Spotted Cow!! That beer rocks.

 

[sylvie369]

Hey, there I am in line with my rocket named "The Flying Spaghetti Monster"*, ready to launch on Talk Like a Pirate Day. Argh, mateys, she be flyin' good today, and then it's off for a Spotted Cow.

 

[talkin Monkey]

Hey, there I am in line with my rocket named "The Flying Spaghetti Monster"*, ready to launch on Talk Like a Pirate Day. Argh, mateys, she be flyin' good today, and then it's off for a Spotted Cow.

Arrrrgh Matey,

Paul, it was great to meet ya. THANK YOU for coming out to the pad and helping me figure out how to get this rocket ready for "Go Flight".

Flying Spaghetti Monster, Meet Crapien II.

 

[talkin Monkey]

Gerald,

DUDE!...You Rock!

The "good" camera we brought managed to semi-fail and over wrote over all of our pics.

Thanks for posting these.

BTW, Welcome to TRF!

Scott

 

[talkin Monkey]

[EDIT]...Double tapped post...