caveduck
semi old rocketeer
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2011
- Messages
- 1,827
- Reaction score
- 585
Definitely go enjoy, try different things, and don't sweat it if they don't work perfectly.
I'm also in the camp that replaces the Estes white rubber shock cords with Kevlar, Kevlar + sewing elastic, or Kevlar + contest rubber. Besides being way too short, the Estes rubber is poor quality and degrades rapidly.
If you want to make the Bertha last for many flights, epoxy a 4" or so section of coupler tube inside the main body tube right in front of the engine mount. The extra thickness plus epoxy will make it take a lot longer for the ejection charges to burn their way through the body tube.
Here's where I get contrarian (cue sinister music)
I'll offer up another method of dealing with balsa fins in lieu of papering or the carpenter's filler: coat 'em with super glue! (I use Zap-a-Gap medium usually). Hardens the surface, makes it completely moisture-proof, and doesn't put water into contact with the balsa like the CWF does. And it's ready to sand in 60 seconds. 1 coat will get rid of most of the grain and 2 coats will eliminate it. You can use absolutely any type of paint over the cured super glue.
Also a different method for filling tube spirals - just use a fairly heavy amount of primer and sand most of it back off. This will partly or mostly fill the spirals. If you're good with how that comes out, you are done. If you want it to look perfect, then use some red 3M spot putty to fill in the remaining spiral.
Another optional upgrade is to replace the super-thick Estes parachute with an 80 gauge (0.8 mil) cleaner bag chute with 8 shroud lines and a 25-30% diameter spill hole in the center. The modern Estes chutes are twice as thick as they once were due to child safety regulations and they don't deploy well, especially in colder weather. I use fly-tying nylon shroud lines and mylar tape to stick them down. This parachute will be more effective than the stock one so you can reduce the size somewhat.
I'm also in the camp that replaces the Estes white rubber shock cords with Kevlar, Kevlar + sewing elastic, or Kevlar + contest rubber. Besides being way too short, the Estes rubber is poor quality and degrades rapidly.
If you want to make the Bertha last for many flights, epoxy a 4" or so section of coupler tube inside the main body tube right in front of the engine mount. The extra thickness plus epoxy will make it take a lot longer for the ejection charges to burn their way through the body tube.
Here's where I get contrarian (cue sinister music)
I'll offer up another method of dealing with balsa fins in lieu of papering or the carpenter's filler: coat 'em with super glue! (I use Zap-a-Gap medium usually). Hardens the surface, makes it completely moisture-proof, and doesn't put water into contact with the balsa like the CWF does. And it's ready to sand in 60 seconds. 1 coat will get rid of most of the grain and 2 coats will eliminate it. You can use absolutely any type of paint over the cured super glue.
Also a different method for filling tube spirals - just use a fairly heavy amount of primer and sand most of it back off. This will partly or mostly fill the spirals. If you're good with how that comes out, you are done. If you want it to look perfect, then use some red 3M spot putty to fill in the remaining spiral.
Another optional upgrade is to replace the super-thick Estes parachute with an 80 gauge (0.8 mil) cleaner bag chute with 8 shroud lines and a 25-30% diameter spill hole in the center. The modern Estes chutes are twice as thick as they once were due to child safety regulations and they don't deploy well, especially in colder weather. I use fly-tying nylon shroud lines and mylar tape to stick them down. This parachute will be more effective than the stock one so you can reduce the size somewhat.
