Retainer question?

[AfterBurners]

I'm just about finished with my AT Cheetah. As you guys know the kits now come with their own screw down retainers. Since this rocket is 1.9" the retainer fills the ID of the air frame pretty well. Not much clearance from the retainer threads and the inside of the frame. The issue I have is that when I masked off the rocket for paint I cover the threads of the retainer with blue masking tape and covered the motor mount tube at the top.

I had the rocket in primer for several months before I actually got around to painting it. So I did finally paint and looks pretty good. I'll post pictures after I spray the clear on it, but first I have to find the clear. Anyway back to what I was saying. After removing the tape, now when I thread the retainer cap on its very difficult to thread down. I'm, thinking some of the tape adhesive may have got into the threads and caused this problem or pieces of tape. I checked under a magnification glass and didn't see any tape, but that's not to say some isn't there. I also tried cleaning the threads with acetone using a cotton swab and it seemed to work somewhat, but it still doesn't screw down smooth. Just the fact that there is very little room to work with makes it difficult to resolve this. I did put some lithium grease on the threads and that seems to help a little.

In the near future I think the retainer will be the last thing I put on after I finish painting the rocket no matter diameter it is?

Suggestions??

 

[KenECoyote]

try fire?
(lighter/candle with care of course...smaller the flame the better)

Also try Goof-Off/Goo Gone...stuff seems to remove everything well (be careful with this too) and I've found small bottles at the dollar store.

 

[AfterBurners]

try fire?
(lighter/candle with care of course...smaller the flame the better)

Also try Goof-Off/Goo Gone...stuff seems to remove everything well (be careful with this too) and I've found small bottles at the dollar store.

I heard of it too. Its suppose to work well. Just it such a tight squeeze ya know? A cotton swab is about all I can get in there.

 

[KenECoyote]

try applying to the retainer cap and holding the rocket upright, screw on and off several times and wipe. Repeat if needed. Still, be careful of getting it on painted parts...I'd test on some spot just in case. good luck!

 

[AfterBurners]

try applying to the retainer cap and holding the rocket upright, screw on and off several times and wipe. Repeat if needed. Still, be careful of getting it on painted parts...I'd test on some spot just in case. good luck!

Must be reading my mind ..I was thinking of doing the same thing

 

[afadeev]

In the near future I think the retainer will be the last thing I put on after I finish painting the rocket no matter diameter it is?

Don't do that - you will risk gluing the retainer to the painted surface of the MMT. In other words, the attachment will be as strong as the paint's adhesion to the MMT tube.

A simpler solution is to leave the screw on the retainer for the duration of the build, and apply masking tape to both. This will also assist with not loosing the cap (BTDT).
On occasion, you may also find yourself in a situation when you actually want to paint the cap the same color as the rest of the airframe. Also works best when the cap is on the threads ;-).

IIRC, AT retainers are metal, so no harm in soaking the threads in alcohol, goo-off, etc.

HTH

 

[MikeyDSlagle]

Will it easily thread far enough to hold the motor? Retainers usually don't bottom out with a motor installed so it may go far enough to hold.
Maybe use some sort of abrasive paste or powder. A metal polish or some such. Put it in the cap and thread it on and off a few times. Might be a spur or something in there, or tolerance too tight.

 

[AfterBurners]

Will it easily thread far enough to hold the motor? Retainers usually don't bottom out with a motor installed so it may go far enough to hold.
Maybe use some sort of abrasive paste or powder. A metal polish or some such. Put it in the cap and thread it on and off a few times. Might be a spur or something in there, or tolerance too tight.

It does thread down all the way, but as I mentioned it doesn't want to spin down like most. Its actually hard to thread it down all the way because there's hardly any room to grab it. I found that by using a rubber glove its easier because the metal grips to the glove a lot easier that your bare hand. When I thread it down I have to rotate the rocket and tighten it that way while holding the retainer cap.

 

[o1d_dude]

Is there any way you can get in there with a small (Harbor Freight) type of wire/nylon bristle brush to clean out the threads on both the cap and the body assembly?

Sure sounds like there is something there or perhaps the threads have been damaged by cross-threading.

Other than that, I’ve got nothing.

 

[David Schwantz]

The last thing to go on the rocket is the retainer IMHO. But, check the thread on the screw on cap part. Maybe some of the glue got on the inside the first time you tried to install it.

 

[AfterBurners]

Just an FYI I finally was able to resolve my issues. First off thanks for the great suggestions, but someone mentioned using "Goof Off" so I thought what do I have that would work similar to Goof Off? So I'm notorious for getting CA stuck to my fingers and I had a bottle of CA De-bonder. I went ahead and applied that to the threads of the cap and repeatedly screwed it down and loosened it up. After a 3 or 4x it works great and I can easily screw it all the way down. So for now on the minimum diameter rockets the retainer is the very last thing that gets installed. I've learned the hard way.