What did you do rocket wise today?

[cbrarick]

If the bicycle industry did rockets, they'd be changing body and motor tube dimensions a few mm at a time, while changing motor specs, rendering your old models into garbage if they broke so you can just buy a new one. "This 2.5646 mm wider motor is the new 'standard' for improved stiffness of the motor casing, sorry it doesn't fit your 3 year old rocket."

I should introduce you to my collection of 7. 8. 9, 10, 11 and 12 cog rear wheels.....since I started in 90, we have the following campagnolo releases (friends don't let friends ride fishing gear)
1991 8 speed
1997 9 speed
2000 10 speed
2008 11 speed
2018 12 speed.

In the process, we changed wheel dish, axle length, spacer size, chain width and derailleur throw. you might be able to increase one cog, in some wheels but not all. You almost always need to replace your shifter and derailleur. My TT bike was made for 8 speed, won't even fit a 10 speed wheel, which is ok because I only ran 3-5 cogs

 

[rharshberger]

I should introduce you to my collection of 7. 8. 9, 10, 11 and 12 cog rear wheels.....since I started in 90, we have the following campagnolo releases (friends don't let friends ride fishing gear)
1991 8 speed
1997 9 speed
2000 10 speed
2008 11 speed
2018 12 speed.

In the process, we changed wheel dish, axle length, spacer size, chain width and derailleur throw. you might be able to increase one cog, in some wheels but not all. You almost always need to replace your shifter and derailleur. My TT bike was made for 8 speed, won't even fit a 10 speed wheel, which is ok because I only ran 3-5 cogs

Funny, I wont fish with the inferred brand either.....

 

[JPalmer621]

Came home from a trip. Sat down on the couch, stretched my arms out, hit my display shelf and knocked all my good rockets to the floor. Saturn V, Saturn 1B, Mercury Atlas and Redstone, Gemini Titan and a Soyuz. Not much damage but a lot escape towers to fix and a few fins

 

[Mugs914]

I should introduce you to my collection of 7. 8. 9, 10, 11 and 12 cog rear wheels.....since I started in 90, we have the following campagnolo releases (friends don't let friends ride fishing gear)

Abu Garcia makes bike parts??? (kidding of course. I don't fish with bike parts either, Rich!)

 

[rharshberger]

Abu Garcia makes bike parts???

Shimano...

 

[DigBaddy]

I should introduce you to my collection of 7. 8. 9, 10, 11 and 12 cog rear wheels.....since I started in 90, we have the following campagnolo releases (friends don't let friends ride fishing gear)
1991 8 speed
1997 9 speed
2000 10 speed
2008 11 speed
2018 12 speed.

In the process, we changed wheel dish, axle length, spacer size, chain width and derailleur throw. you might be able to increase one cog, in some wheels but not all. You almost always need to replace your shifter and derailleur. My TT bike was made for 8 speed, won't even fit a 10 speed wheel, which is ok because I only ran 3-5 cogs

You don't need to; I have 20 bikes of my own and more sets of wheels and boxes of parts than most bike shops

 

[DigBaddy]

Back on topic, I decided to build a Goblin, and just couldn't leave well enough alone. Hopefully this helps fend off popped off fins.

 

[Mugs914]

Shimano...

Yeah, I knew what you meant. I was trying to make a joke but didn't do a very good job of it!

(I don't fish with Shimano either...)

 

[Cl(VII)]

First stack of my Misty Picture Talos Terrier build. View attachment 501049

Very cool. I really enjoy seeing your multi-stage models.

 

[Charles_McG]

Very cool. I really enjoy seeing your multi-stage models.

Thanks! The easy sources I know only list 4 flights of the Talos Terrier. Which isn’t much - but it makes sense (to me) to model on the way to Talos Terrier 3 stage rockets [that I hope to fly some day].

 

[teepot]

Today I finished another flying plunger. Earlier in the week I finished the two MD's I have been working on for a while. Getting the paint right was giving me fits. I think it had to do with the high heat paint I was using. I switched to Rusto 2x and finally got an acceptable finish. I'm going to put some fluorescent yellow paint accents on them for greater viability. I got a nice paint job on the 4" I was working on. Just need to put some details on it. I got the feet for the flying lamp. I just need to paint them and put them on the legs/fins. I have jury duty tomorrow. If I get picked it might be a while before I can do anything. This makes the fourth time I've been called for jury duty in the last 15 years. My wife has never had to go. The first two times we were let go right away. The last time we were seated in the jury box when the DA and defense lawyer made a deal. I wonder what tomorrow will bring. The pictures are the plunger and a 38mm MD and a 29mm MD.

 

[jmasterj]

Fins and tailcone on my Black Fly, rail button backing nuts secured. Nose cone is basically done except for attaching the metal tip. Do people usually use loctite on those metal tips? Obviously lots of finishing work remains, but it's too cold for rattle cans in MD so that's just going to have to wait.

I also finished cutting my Kraken fins, but no picture of that.

 

[Re-Bar Ricky]

I figured I would do something different for now. I've done enough kit builds over the past couple of months (20+) that it's time to take a break from kits and I decided that I wanted to be nostalgic. I looked through the old Estes catalog for 1971 (my birth year) and wanted to pick a rocket to clone. After looking up plans and part availability, I decided to go with the Astron Starlight K-32. Parts are available so I'll be ordering parts and getting started. I also found a couple of build threads on the kit so it will help me along the way.

 

[jqavins]

Now I find myself in possession of a 14" length of 3.1" Loc tubing (coincidentally the same length as the body tube in the Loc "Onyx") AND since I replaced the kit nosecone with a Pinnacle one, that leaves me with a Loc nosecone just like the one used for the Onyx.

AND you have a three inch piece all set to have a strip cut out and be made into a coupler.

Thanks! The easy sources I know only list 4 flights of the Talos Terrier. Which isn’t much - but it makes sense (to me) to model on the way to Talos Terrier 3 stage rockets [that I hope to fly some day].

Do people usually use loctite on those metal tips?

I've never used one, but I sure would use Loctite if I did.

I figured I would do something different for now. I've done enough kit builds over the past couple of months (20+) that it's time to take a break from kits and I decided that I wanted to be nostalgic. I looked through the old Estes catalog for 1971 (my birth year) and wanted to pick a rocket to clone. After looking up plans and part availability, I decided to go with the Astron Starlight K-32. Parts are available so I'll be ordering parts and getting started. I also found a couple of build threads on the kit so it will help me along the way.

As you are a relative newbie to our little family, I don't know if you are using simulation software, i.e. either OR of RS. (Maybe you've said. Maybe I've even said something about it. My memory isn't what it used to be, if I'm remembering correctly what it used to be.) Anyway, that's especially useful for scratch designs, and a clone tike this is borderline scratch. And it's a gateway build; you'll be designing your own soon.

OR is free. If you haven't already got one or the other, I urge you to get it now, before it's too late.

 

[Charles_McG]

View attachment 501410

Yep.

And

And

I've already built and flown a Terrier Recruit on my way to a TATER.

I wasn't really considering a Talos Terrier Oriole. But I suppose I do have some 4" MDRM tubing hanging around.

 

[jqavins]

I wasn't really considering a Talos Terrier Oriole. But I suppose I do have some 4" MDRM tubing hanging around.

Is that in reference to the picture I posted? That's a Black Brant XII - Talos-Terrier-BBVC-Nihka. The BBVC-Nihka is just a stretched BBVC for modeling purposes. (If you haven't done it yet, you could make an extension to put under the nose of your BBV for the Nihka configurations.)

 

[Joekeyo]

From the exterior, the Super Mars Snooper is complete. I just painted the coupler and it still doesn't match exactly. I assume because it is made of plastic and the BT are cardboard. It's good enough. Still looks nice. I like to substitute the molded plastic parachute and SC holder - Used to be a screw eye back in the BNC days - with a loop of Kevlar. That needs to be done & Glue on the NC. You can't see that stuff anyway. Looking forward to launching it. It should look great under an orange and black parachute.

 

[Joekeyo]

Funny, I wont fish with the inferred brand either.....

Even more funny. I have and use that brand for both. I figure if precision engineering is required for one, it should work well for the other, and it does. Great stuff and doesn't require a second mortgage. To each their own.

 

[Charles_McG]

Is that in reference to the picture I posted? That's a Black Brant XII - Talos-Terrier-BBVC-Nihka. The BBVC-Nihka is just a stretched BBVC for modeling purposes. (If you haven't done it yet, you could make an extension to put under the nose of your BBV for the Nihka configurations.)

The TATEOR is the lower picture I posted back - it looks a lot like a BB11a, but the third stage is white with a fat motor and skinnier payload.

I was planning on flying my Black Brant with the NASA-like payload I made for my Terrier Improved Malumute. It will be quite tall enough without a Nihka motor section

 

[RocketTree]

Assembled the Madcow Black Brant 1.6 fiberglass. Added AV bay with threaded rod in the nose. Aeropack 29mm retainer.

 

[Old School Doug]

With time on my hands and a fairly good supply of bits & pieces (still), I've decided to do a modular build of tube rockets based on the ideas put forth in the Apogee POF Newsletter #335. The upper BT60 will support an altimeter and tracker. There will be a balsa nose block on the aft end with a screw eye where the shock cord from the bottom modules will attach. I'm building anywhere from 4 to 6 fourteen inch long bottom units with tube fins in various configurations (2, 3, 4, and 6 tube defined so far) that will house the recovery laundry. Just finished up on the design work for the initial 4 using a 24mm motor mount.. I'll probably start on the builds tomorrow.

 

[Ronz Rocketz]

From the exterior, the Super Mars Snooper is complete. I just painted the coupler and it still doesn't match exactly. I assume because it is made of plastic and the BT are cardboard. It's good enough. Still looks nice. I like to substitute the molded plastic parachute and SC holder - Used to be a screw eye back in the BNC days - with a loop of Kevlar. That needs to be done & Glue on the NC. You can't see that stuff anyway. Looking forward to launching it. It should look great under an orange and black parachute.
View attachment 501423

I've flown mine twice and broke the pods off twice, even on a soft landing in grass. I think it's inevitable unless you epoxied the crap out of it.

 

[TigerHawk]

After three easy ones, I decided to grab a more challenging one off the build pile.

View attachment 500908

Sunward?

 

[teepot]

I put some fluorescent yellow accents on the 29mm and 38mm MD's. So they are finished. Next will be to fly them. On to the next rocket.

 

[Antares JS]

Sunward?

Yes

 

[Joekeyo]

I've flown mine twice and broke the pods off twice, even on a soft landing in grass. I think it's inevitable unless you epoxied the crap out of it.

(Super Mars Snooper) Well, that gives me something to look forward to. Maybe I'll use a JLCR and an extra large chute, if it will fit in the rocket ??? I'm going to take another look at the one year Estes warrantee. It's a shame to design a flying model rocket that breaks every time you fly it.

 

[jqavins]

I'm building anywhere from 4 to 6 fourteen inch long bottom units with tube fins in various configurations (2, 3, 4, and 6 tube defined so far...

Are they all with the same diameter fins?

I've flown mine twice and broke the pods off twice, even on a soft landing in grass.

Landing in the grass is a gas.

 

[mjremijan]

Big Bertha build. Got the fins sanded, shaped, and carpenters wood filler painted on the fins. Just waiting for them to dry really good.

 

[Old School Doug]

Are they all with the same diameter fins?

The fins are all different diameters depending on the design. I'm also noodling around with one that utilizes 3 interconnected 4" diameter rings.

 

[DigBaddy]

Add it to the paint pile. Finally built a "normal" Goblin. TTW 3/32" basswood fins instead of the 1/8" balsa. A touch more nose weight. Sticking with streamers, may make some longer ones or add a third (bird tape). Should be a fun one to really send.