Spiral Fillet / Painting Help !

[Angel_of_the_Skies]

Hey there guys.

This is my first post on this forum. Im glad to say im back in the rocketry world. As a kid / teen I always built LPR. Now as a 20 yr old, im fascinated in HPR!

Since I am new to anything but LPR, I've decided to start with a MPR such as the Zephyr Jr from Apogee Rockets. I am looking to fill in the spirals on my rocket tube with Fix It Epoxy. I am curious whether to sand the tube before application, and whether to only sand the spirals where epoxy was added or the whole tube all together. I am new to this, and have seen people recommend sanding sealer, however I do have clay epoxy at hand at the moment. Recommendations are appreciated !

 

[mjennings]

Welcome! Lots of good data to find exploring the forum!

Epoxy is heavy. I wouldn't recommend it for filling purposes. Wood filler, sanding sealer, spackle, and other similar products are easier to sand, clean up, and add less weight. I get being in your 20s and trying to have fun on a tight budget, but just because you have it on hand doesn't mean it's a good choice. Also unless the spirals are super deep, you can get away with not filling them and still have a rocket that flies well.

 

[hobie1dog]

to The Forum but you need to do a search for filling spirals as there are quite a few threads that are already in the history files

 

[Angel_of_the_Skies]

Welcome! Lots of good data to find exploring the forum!

Epoxy is heavy. I wouldn't recommend it for filling purposes. Wood filler, sanding sealer, spackle, and other similar products are easier to sand, clean up, and add less weight. I get being in your 20s and trying to have fun on a tight budget, but just because you have it on hand doesn't mean it's a good choice. Also unless the spirals are super deep, you can get away with not filling them and still have a rocket that flies well.

As you replied, I found an article that explained this as well. I did feel that epoxy would be TOO heavy for a MPR. best bet would be Elmer's CWF. Ive heard great things about its finish. Thanks for the response

 

[mjennings]

As you replied, I found an article that explained this as well. I did feel that epoxy would be TOO heavy for a MPR. best bet would be Elmer's CWF. Ive heard great things about its finish. Thanks for the response

Yeah there is an insane amount of info buried in this forum. Further back some of the pics and a lot of the links are broken. But you can learn a lot. People are generally pretty helpful too.

 

[teepot]

I use GoodFilla filler. Low dust, easy to sand and dries very fast. Smooth as butter. If I fill spirals I coat the whole tube. No peaks and valleys and no scratches on the raw BT.
Welcome to the Forum.

 

[Back_at_it]

If you can sand outside I'd recommend DAP brand wood filler. The stuff sands so easy you could almost do it with your bare hand. Only downside is the dust is more like a super fine powder that stays in the air and gets everywhere. Hence the reason to sand outside.

 

[Pappy]

3 coats of rusto auto primer (filler) does the trick for me on the tubes. i use elmers wood filler (regular, not pro, way too gritty) and water mix, brushed on with cheap paint brush, on the balsa components.