What did you do rocket wise today?

The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Cool! Always good to see a happy centering ring. I have an unopened Dremel circle cutter sitting in a cupboard in the workshop. You've inspired me to unpack it and give it a try.
It's not as easy or nice as a full size plunge router setup, but it is much cheaper and SO much more convenient and nice to just grab and run on my workbench.

Plus imo it's just cool to have a Dremel and use it with accessories...like an adult Transformers toy. :p
 
Last edited:
I started printing out some specialty clamps for the fuselage jig to clamp a Flagship fuselage. I do have some Wednesday-Thursday-Friday type feelings about that rectangle to triangle shape of that fuselage.
 
Went to an estate sale after dropping our son off at school for finals.

There's an 8" sonotube sitting in the carport for $2, probably 48" long. Like I need another project, but it was not possible to pass on that for 2 bucks. Now, what to make of it?

Measure the diameter first since it may not be 8". For example, Lowes (and I believe Home Depot) have their 8" sonotubes arrive 3 nested inside each other...how? They vary in diameter. I know because I was looking for 7.5" ones to match my 7.5" nose cones and found some. I guess they figure people won't care about a 1/2" off or so on a concrete piling.

Wow, you found one to match a nose cone?
I went shopping at Lowes today and took a pic of what I was saying about Sonotubes...these three (not the largest 4th outer) are all marked 8" and vary from 7.5"-8".

20221211_102526.jpg
 
I went shopping at Lowes today and took a pic of what I was saying about Sonotubes...these three (not the largest 4th outer) are all marked 8" and vary from 7.5"-8".

I've seen them nested like that in the store. I really have been eyeing them for speaker use for quite a while. I took a minute to measure the one I brought home, it's 48" long and about 7-3/8" ID, so 6.5:1 ratio. Not likely compatible with off-the shelf parts.

It's time to look at what upscale or scale builds that ratio would work with. Maybe something original.
 
I've seen them nested like that in the store. I really have been eyeing them for speaker use for quite a while. I took a minute to measure the one I brought home, it's 48" long and about 7-3/8" ID, so 6.5:1 ratio. Not likely compatible with off-the shelf parts.

It's time to look at what upscale or scale builds that ratio would work with. Maybe something original.
Sonotube sub I made for a 15" driver, putting the AeroFlare 4" port on top.
Z7w7zbM.jpg
 
Even better! What's in the big W-bin?
1943 RCA Shearer horn cabinet that came out of the theater in my home town, 105db/eff, and the dumba$$es removed the 2 field coil drivers along with the midrange driver and 16 cell horn and took them to the landfill :mad: :questions::angiefavorite:

I put JBL drivers in there, but had to sell it when were going to lose our house
 
Went to two Hobby Lobby's to see what the had.

When to my storage place and found a Starlight Industries Swarm and Centaurus. Now... Sell? Or build.

Finished a Nova Rocketry 13mm motor mount kit. Ready for finishing.

Added more vinyl to the upscaled Solar Sailer.

Dipped a few more starters using new QuickBurst's conductive dip. However about 1/2 are above the instructions recommended 6 ohm limit? :(
 
I laminated some foam boards using JB Clear Weld 5 minute epoxy. Then using a hole saw I cut a 4" circle in the middle and stuck it on the rear of the body tube. I will probably cut the corners off and make it more round. On another rocket I cut the fin slots out with my Dremel and a cut off wheel. Quick and easy. I have a rocket that looks like a candle. It's my Christmas Candle. It has flown twice. First time I tried to drill a 4 second delay. Ejection charge went off at about 200'. Rocket ok. Last year I flew it again. I don't know if it drag separated or if there was a motor malfunction. Delay fired and tore the shear pins through the tube wall. Rocket ok. I added copper blades this year. So, I'm prepping it for Saturday. I'm going to graft bigger fins on it. This was the 33rd rocket I built and I didn't know what I do now. Looking at it now I can see that the fins are too small. I'll double check CP/CG after. A question, how do you turn on an Apogee without opening the av-bay? I'm putting an Apogee in a coupler epoxied to the nose cone. To arm it I would have to take 3 screws out on the pad, attach the battery and then screw the bulkhead back on. Is that the way? Or do you add a switch to it?
 
Discovered that one can use certain orange safety flagging tape in a pinch as a non-sticking wrap an epoxy bond. YMMV, based on flagging tape composition and your epoxy system. TEST FIRST ALWAYS with your specific app.

Screenshot 2022-12-12 071904.jpg
 
Last edited:
Sonotube sub I made for a 15" driver, putting the AeroFlare 4" port on top.
This is the Stereo Integrity HST-15 driver with a 85lb. magnet that I used. Tuned the 22" OD tube to 15hz maximum output.
Man, that's fantastic! You could make your neighbors queasy with that!
I made 2 of these for his front subs and 2 more 1/2 height for his 2 rear subs. Tight,chest pounding bass.
Y'know, there is that dedicated hi-fi thread.
 
A question, how do you turn on an Apogee without opening the av-bay? I'm putting an Apogee in a coupler epoxied to the nose cone. To arm it I would have to take 3 screws out on the pad, attach the battery and then screw the bulkhead back on. Is that the way? Or do you add a switch to it?
You can add a switch. You can run the one of the battery wires out through a small hole, and also a wire to the corresponding terminal on the board so that you leave them disconnected until you're ready. You can add a hatch in the side of the rocket. You can try casting a spell, but that doesn't have a good track record.
 
Last edited:
You can add a switch. You can run the one of the battery wires out through a small hole, and also a wire to the corresponding terminal on the board so that you leave them disconnected until you're ready. You can add a hatch in the side of the rocket. You can try vasting a spell, but that doesn't have a good track record.
I drill a hole for a screw switch (either the built-in one or a remote one per the above), but YMMV. I don't recommend a spell. Tried that, and it took weeks to get the last toad out of the garage.
 
You can add a switch. You can run the one of the battery wires out through a small hole, and also a wire to the corresponding terminal on the board so that you leave them disconnected until you're ready. You can add a hatch in the side of the rocket. You can try casting a spell, but that doesn't have a good track record.
I left out pull pins, Wi-Fi switches, and doubtless many other ways. How about rings of thin copper stock inside the top of the body tube on the nose cone shoulder that meet and close a circuit when the nose cone is inserted?
 
started the attempt to restore another of the old rockets I was gifted. It's in very poor shape. I got all the nose cone sanded down to bare wood, and started sanding on the body as it was painted with a 4" wide house painting brush. :p but its going to take lots of work
0Jv3wIY.jpg

AnMZR1E.jpg

jemB3wd.jpg

T792gep.jpg

MBFGJUr.jpg


this is what it was modeled after: Mig-31
O1VCbnP.jpg
 
I fixed my bandsaw, which I was using for a lot of rocketry stuff (great for squaring fg tubing). Was a lot tougher than I expected, but I got it up and running and that felt great.
View attachment 550659
Used it right away for a custom fin jig I'm working on.
View attachment 550660
Oh yeah the hot water trick to soften/stretch the tires (tyres) to ease installation!
 
Completed some coating testing with mixed results.

The Kilz spray primer was great. It sprays on thick (one coat almost fills LOC spirals) and dries overnight. It sands very dusty (like drywall mud) easily. The Duplicolor paint was an attempt at finding a decent alternative for painting a plastic nose cone. It DID NOT stick to the nose. Had to re-sand, sprayed with adhesion promoter, and back to my old paints.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0576.jpg
    IMG_0576.jpg
    88.4 KB · Views: 0
Back
Top