Rockets From Spare Parts

[AstroArlo]

When you buy parts for rockets, it's usually not possible to purchase just one. You end up with several body tubes, nose cones, etc.

So I got on Rocksim and designed a few to use up the spare parts. This one I named "Titan."

I had spare BT-80, BT-60, and BT-50 tubes and a BT-60 nose cone, so I designed this 2 stage rocket to fly on 24mm motors up through F. The only part I had to buy is the BT-80 to BT-60 transition, which you can purchase only one.

It has gap staging (my first try at gap staging) and through the wall fins.

I'm currently painting it.

 

[AfterBurners]

When you buy parts for rockets, it's usually not possible to purchase just one. You end up with several body tubes, nose cones, etc.

So I got on Rocksim and designed a few to use up the spare parts. This one I named "Titan."

I had spare BT-80, BT-60, and BT-50 tubes and a BT-60 nose cone, so I designed this 2 stage rocket to fly on 24mm motors up through F. The only part I had to buy is the BT-80 to BT-60 transition, which you can purchase only one.

It has gap staging (my first try at gap staging) and through the wall fins.

I'm currently painting it.View attachment 416031

Very nice design.

 

[kuririn]

Nice scratcher. I see you filled the spirals too.

 

[75Grandville]

Looks great! Don't forget to post after paint/before flight pictures, as well as a flight report. I keep relearning that post-flight pictures aren't always an option...

One of my favorite design exercises is when ordering from Apogee I ask them to throw in some damaged tubes from their bin o' scrap. Once I get them, I design something new around those. Kind of fun!

That's where the red rocket below came from. Apogee sent me a three damaged BT-20 tubes. Cut into those is a single 18mm MMT.



These were designs I worked out/downscaled/cloned to give away to new flyers at our club's annual event - we were inspired by NAR's Fly It/Take It booth at NARAM.

 

[AstroArlo]

Nice scratcher. I see you filled the spirals too.

Yes, I filled the spirals. They are Apogee tubes which are white and have two sets of spirals. What is interesting is that one set of spirals are filled, the others are not. So you have to fill one set. Too bad both sets aren't filled!

Filling and sanding is my least favorite part of building, but I admire very smooth, nicely finished rockets. So I'm lifting my game a bit and trying to do a better job. I went into Apogee Components a few days ago and Tim has every rocket on display - and extremely well finished - guess it inspired me!

I recently discovered CWF (Carpenters Wood Filler) which works better (and NOT smelly!) like what I used to use. Still a lot of work!

Finished priming and base coat of white.

Going to try something different - flourescent camouflage. Feel like I need bright colors during the pandemic!

 

[Nytrunner]

Too bad both sets aren't filled!

One set looks filled because the outermost layer of paper covers it (but you can still see through it to the spiral below)

The only way to cover the remining spiral would be with another layer of paper which would then leave its own spiral

 

[Joekeyo]

flourescent camouflage

These are both tricky.

 

[jqavins]

The only part I had to buy is the BT-80 to BT-60 transition, which you can purchase only one.

But that way, how do you keep the cycle going?

Nice job. But florescent camo? I don't know how it'd look, but it's just wrong.

 

[kuririn]

These are both tricky.

+1. Especially fluoro paint.
I use a flat white base coat, then spray multiple light coats, letting the paint set up in between coats.
The fluoro is translucent, so the tendency is to spray heavy to get complete coverage.
Don't do it. Fluoro paint is a different chemical formula, it doesn't cross link and bind to enamel like other enamel paints.
If you go heavy the fluoro will slide and cracks will appear. Don't ask me how I know.
BTW doesn't fluoro camo sound like an oxymoron? Like JUMBO shrimp.
Laters.

 

[neil_w]

I feel the need to jump in here in support of fluoro camo. Ever since I saw that pink Saturn V I've decided that anything is OK. It'll be unique and fun.

But it won't be easy.

 

[jqavins]

Fluoro paint is a different chemical formula, it doesn't cross link and bind to enamel like other enamel paints.

Does it bind any better to a different type of base coat. A lacquer, or even latex?

 

[AndrewB]

When you buy parts for rockets, it's usually not possible to purchase just one. You end up with several body tubes, nose cones, etc.

So I got on Rocksim and designed a few to use up the spare parts. This one I named "Titan."

I had spare BT-80, BT-60, and BT-50 tubes and a BT-60 nose cone, so I designed this 2 stage rocket to fly on 24mm motors up through F. The only part I had to buy is the BT-80 to BT-60 transition, which you can purchase only one.

It has gap staging (my first try at gap staging) and through the wall fins.

I'm currently painting it.View attachment 416031

Man that is a sweet rocket! I think it would look nice with a launch escape tower. Just for fun you know?

 

[lakeroadster]

Well done.. looks slick.

 

[AstroArlo]

I feel the need to jump in here in support of fluoro camo. Ever since I saw that pink Saturn V I've decided that anything is OK. It'll be unique and fun.

But it won't be easy.

I had a pack of 5 different colors of Testors flourescent enamel that I got at a good price, so giving it a try.

You (and others!) were right - it's not easy, because they are not spray paint and they don't cover uniformly.

What is surprising is that the lighter colors - yellow and orange - cover the best. The worst is the darkest - blue! I didn't like it at first but as I added coats it looks better.

I'm doing stripes on the nose cone and fins - just to break the camo pattern. Almost done painting.

 

[Nytrunner]

Maybe the fluorescent camo thing has some merit, I know my eyes start to hurt looking at it

 

[jqavins]

You buy a charger for that thing, or build one?

 

[BABAR]

BTW doesn't fluoro camo sound like an oxymoron? Like JUMBO shrimp.
Laters.

Or

MicroMAXX ?

Sorry if I hit a nerve

 

[hambirm2018]

When you buy parts for rockets, it's usually not possible to purchase just one. You end up with several body tubes, nose cones, etc.

So I got on Rocksim and designed a few to use up the spare parts. This one I named "Titan."

I had spare BT-80, BT-60, and BT-50 tubes and a BT-60 nose cone, so I designed this 2 stage rocket to fly on 24mm motors up through F. The only part I had to buy is the BT-80 to BT-60 transition, which you can purchase only one.

It has gap staging (my first try at gap staging) and through the wall fins.

I'm currently painting it.View attachment 416031

Very nice! You inspired me! I have a bunch of parts. Fins, cones, tubes and transitions.

 

[Old School Doug]

Nice spare parts build. I'm curious about one aspect. I didn't notice any vents in the booster stage that most articles I've read indicate is a requirement for successful gap staging. Am I just not seeing the vents or did you decide against them? I've done a couple builds with the vents ( the one on the far left of the avatar pic for example) but I haven't had an opportunity to fly them yet.

 

[AstroArlo]

Nice spare parts build. I'm curious about one aspect. I didn't notice any vents in the booster stage that most articles I've read indicate is a requirement for successful gap staging. Am I just not seeing the vents or did you decide against them? I've done a couple builds with the vents ( the one on the far left of the avatar pic for example) but I haven't had an opportunity to fly them yet.

I have two 5/16" vents 180 degrees apart on both the body tube and the stuffer tube which connects the booster to the sustainer engine.

I've never done gapped staging and always had good luck with the old cellophane tape method. I disliked using friction fit for the engines since it was hard to judge when it was snug enough, and I ruined a few engine mounts getting it too snug. So, I'm giving this a try.

I designed the sustainer so I can retain the engine from ejection with tape and there is an engine block preventing the engine from moving forward.

A local club is having a launch on June 6th and I hope to give it a test then. Hope it stages because I've put many hours into this paint job!

 

[Old School Doug]

I have two 5/16" vents 180 degrees apart on both the body tube and the stuffer tube which connects the booster to the sustainer engine.

I've never done gapped staging and always had good luck with the old cellophane tape method. I disliked using friction fit for the engines since it was hard to judge when it was snug enough, and I ruined a few engine mounts getting it too snug. So, I'm giving this a try.

I designed the sustainer so I can retain the engine from ejection with tape and there is an engine block preventing the engine from moving forward.

A local club is having a launch on June 6th and I hope to give it a test then. Hope it stages because I've put many hours into this paint job!View attachment 418626

Sounds good/looks good. Having been absent from the hobby for 40+ years I only recently learned about the gap staging method. Cellophane and friction fit was the common way in the days of old so I figured it was time to try something new.

I just finished the final weigh-in and CG verification for a gapped 2 or 3 stage D motor build. We obviously were thinking along the same design lines although my main body is a BT55 transitioning to a BT20. The boosters are set up with a standard mmt configuration with motor blocks and motor hook. There are a total of six 1/8" vents on each booster, 2 located between each fin. I opted to deploy recovery from the transition to allow for a larger selection of parachute sizes. It sims out really stable in the 2 stage config. Sim in the 3 stage is OK up to a point depending on wind velocity so that will be a launch day decision.

Good luck on the 6/6 launch. It looks like I'll have to wait a bit longer to get this bird up as the local launches are all still pretty much shut down.

 

[hambirm2018]

Scratch build on the blue rocket. Not sure what’m going to power it with.

 

[Nytrunner]

Nice tower! Is there a way to correc that inward bow of the guide beams?

How many fins are going on that blue rocket

 

[hambirm2018]

I need to install the bracket and make some adjustments. Built this for my niece today. Her first. Just a scratch build on 18mm.

 

[hambirm2018]

8 fins on the blue one. Two stage.

 

[AstroArlo]

Hope to get first launch this coming Saturday (6/20/2020). Tried to launch on 6/13/2020 but it was too windy and rocket would have drifted over half a mile with a 10 mph average wind.

 

[hambirm2018]

Saturday at 1000. Hopefully the weather is good. I’m bringing numerous launch towers.

 

[hambirm2018]

Nice tower! Is there a way to correc that inward bow of the guide beams?

How many fins are going on that blue rocket

Three fins

 

[JamesS]

Good stuff guys! Here's a spare parts build I recently put together that also includes some "dumpster repurposing" - washing machine agitator. The entire rocket was built while at a luanch but I rough cut and prepared all the various components before the event so it went together fairly straightforward with 5-minute epoxy. Rocket basics: 3"Ø, 36"L, 38mm motor mount with 29mm adapter, 1/4" rail buttons.

First launch was with a G76 reload and second launch I went with an F52, hoping for a slower majestic type liftoff. Rocket was extremely stable (it didn't spin cycle!) with both motors so later this year will try some higher impulse: H's, maybe even I357 or I600 we'll see.

I've had this other spare parts rocket idea in my head that I hope to try to build later this summer and will try to post it here.

 

[jqavins]

Agitator fin can: I freakin' love it!