DynaSoar
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- Joined
- Mar 14, 2004
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I build a tracking smoke can to fit my mach buster, and pretty much anything else 29mm or bigger.
Pieces:
4" BT50
Base of a two peice PNC50
Weird piece left over from a BT50 sized nose and tail cone, I forget what kit -- Bullpup? Anyway, it fit the tube and had a hole in it.
Could use both peices from a two piece nose, and cut a hole in the tip of the nose.
Glue it together, tie some triple-loop 150 lbs kevlar thread (loop length 12") through the base and run that through a snap swivel.
At launch time, squeeze marking chalk into the hole, and load the can hole up (base/cord down) in the BT, under the chute.
Charge goes off, blows off nose, that pulls out can, which helps push of chute. When the can comes free it turns open end down and starts dumping. Doesn't dump inside, like powder rolled in wadding can (unless it's coming down nose first and the cone is still on, at which point spilled powder is the least of your worries).
Worked like a dream on the shakedown of my mach buster, but only gave 4 seconds of smoke. Smaller hole, more time but less smoke. Maybe a longer tube on the next one. And maybe darker chalk. Orange isn't really that visible. Maybe charcoal powder? Seems lighter than chalk to me.
Pieces:
4" BT50
Base of a two peice PNC50
Weird piece left over from a BT50 sized nose and tail cone, I forget what kit -- Bullpup? Anyway, it fit the tube and had a hole in it.
Could use both peices from a two piece nose, and cut a hole in the tip of the nose.
Glue it together, tie some triple-loop 150 lbs kevlar thread (loop length 12") through the base and run that through a snap swivel.
At launch time, squeeze marking chalk into the hole, and load the can hole up (base/cord down) in the BT, under the chute.
Charge goes off, blows off nose, that pulls out can, which helps push of chute. When the can comes free it turns open end down and starts dumping. Doesn't dump inside, like powder rolled in wadding can (unless it's coming down nose first and the cone is still on, at which point spilled powder is the least of your worries).
Worked like a dream on the shakedown of my mach buster, but only gave 4 seconds of smoke. Smaller hole, more time but less smoke. Maybe a longer tube on the next one. And maybe darker chalk. Orange isn't really that visible. Maybe charcoal powder? Seems lighter than chalk to me.
