What did you do rocket wise today?

[neil_w]

I'm pretty sure those are rockets you're working on.

HA HA I KNEW IT!!!!

I'm presuming at least one of those is a Mean Machine, judging from the preponderance of BT60s. And I see a Twister. Other than that... not sure. No internet points for me today. No biggie, since recently all my internet points expired and so I'm back to zero anyway....

 

[beantownJPL]

I'm pretty sure those are rockets you're working on. Please email my internet points ASAP, I'm saving up to buy the internet.

To keep this on-topic, I painted the Mercury capsule on my Estes Mercury Redstone. Just need to glue the escape tower in place and it's finished.

Ok ... you win some pity points for the "technically correct" answer!

HA HA I KNEW IT!!!!

I'm presuming at least one of those is a Mean Machine, judging from the preponderance of BT60s. And I see a Twister. Other than that... not sure. No internet points for me today. No biggie, since recently all my internet points expired and so I'm back to zero anyway....

One point for Mean Machine, One point for Twister. The one in paint is a Patriot ... not per the package livery. The one next to the twister is a replacement sustainer for a Super Nova - not going to bother with the payload bay. The booster for it is the white one on the right.

The red and white booster is from a Silver Streak that I also lost the sustainer for, that'll be build #5 starting tonight.

I need to stop decorating trees with my multi's

 

[tOD]

Put in some time on the Darkstar. Sanded and dry fit fins. Put some fillets on a couple of the centering rings

 

[kuririn]

Put together a Rocketarium Rebel John last night.


This completes my Rebel family.
BTW, if their names are the Retro REBEL, Mega REBEL, and Smokin' REBEL, then why is this called the REBEL John and not the Honest REBEL?

Just musing.
Laters.

 

[ewomack]

Received another kit, one with streamer recovery for NARTREK, sanded lots of fins and assembled a fin alignment guide.

 

[JCRL]

Started the process of building out my fleet of rockets for altitude and speed tests. These fin jigs make it a breeze.

 

[tOD]

Working on the 3" Darkstar. Paused to read the thread on the Mega DS build for LDRS. Makes the 54mm seem puny.

 

[Bruce Joblonicky]

Built another Estes V2...here it is primed and ready for final assembly. Built my last one in 1969. Call it an Apollo fifty-year anniversary celebration!

 

[Doug Holverson]

I went to another unofficial launch this morning. There were two more people there than usual. Unfortunately, it was a little too breezy to fly boost gliders again. Went to a Chinese buffet afterwards.

 

[Doug Holverson]

I may try to get in one more thing rocket-wise today by trying to solder those NAR stainless steel micro-clips to the "Mission Controller". Any advice?

 

[ewomack]

Glued fins on Apogee and Estes kits. Both will hopefully fulfill additional NARTREK requirements. I'm also hoping that one will hold a camera. The Estes kit also included an interesting fin alignment tool, which seemed to work pretty well.

 

[dwightr]

Finished a rattle can paint job on my first minimum diameter build.
Looks good from 30'

 

[BruceS]

Began serious work on my Space Ark.

 

[jqavins]

I may try to get in one more thing rocket-wise today by trying to solder those NAR stainless steel micro-clips to the "Mission Controller". Any advice?

The advice is don't try. Soldering to stainless requires acid flux, which should never be used for electrical connections, according to this white paper published by Kester. Kester makes soldering equipment and materials; if there's a special flux that makes this possible they'd be happy to sell it to you, and they say there isn't. Crimp the clips onto the wires. When the correct tool is used, a crimp connection is every bit as good as a soldered one.

The Estes kit also included an interesting fin alignment tool, which seemed to work pretty well.

Tell us more, please.

 

[Mugs914]

Began serious work on my Space Ark.

Very cool!! You need to start a thread for that one!

 

[Nytrunner]

Tell us more, please.

It's the 120 degree fin spacer for the Magician. convenient little thing

 

[j.a.duke]

The advice is don't try. Soldering to stainless requires acid flux, which should never be used for electrical connections, according to this white paper published by Kester. Kester makes soldering equipment and materials; if there's a special flux that makes this possible they'd be happy to sell it to you, and they say there isn't. Crimp the clips onto the wires. When the correct tool is used, a crimp connection is every bit as good as a soldered one.

I re-attached a PC laptop power connector a number of years ago with electrically conductive epoxy. Might be worth looking into.

Here's a reference I turned up with a quick search: https://www.henkel-adhesives.com/us...esives/electrically-conductive-adhesives.html

I don't recall what I used 10 or so years ago-got it from a local electronics supply place.

Cheers,
Jon

 

[jqavins]

The resistance of the joint contributes to the cable resistance, which needs to be kept low in order to ensure that as much of the power from the controller goes into the igniter(s) as possible. I'm not saying the conductive adhesive won;t work; just keep in mind that cable resistance is more important here than in a charger.

If you want to try it, I'd make up a three test samples. One that's just crimped; one that's just epoxied; and one that uses both, i.e. apply some epoxy and crimp before it sets. You should use only a few inches of wire, so the joint becomes the biggest contributor of resistance.

Of course, you'll likely need access to a milliohm meter. And if you do, then that means the joint is contributing only a few milliohms. Which means I'm overthinking this. As usual.

 

[neil_w]

I would just crimp. Easy and no downside.

 

[jqavins]

And whatever method you use, apply shrink tube over the joint to protect it from exhaust composite exhaust especially, as it contains HCl. The crimp won't be gas tight, and the last thing you want is hydrochloric acid forming inside the crimp or diffused up inside the insulation.

 

[mbeels]

A well done crimp should be gas tight, and has the advantage of driving off the surface oxides. "The result is cold-welded, gas-tight junctions between the strands and the crimp connector." But I agree, some heatshrink tubing will certainly improve the durability and robustness of the connection.

 

[jqavins]

With the very expensive perfect tool, yes. With a generic, inexpensive crimp tool, which is a whole lot better than squashing it with pliers, not so much. And anyway, the end of the insulation where the stripped wire starts will never be gas tight, so that's really gotta be covered.

 

[mbeels]

With the very expensive perfect tool, yes. With a generic, inexpensive crimp tool, which is a whole lot better than squashing it with pliers, not so much. And anyway, the end of the insulation where the stripped wire starts will never be gas tight, so that's really gotta be covered.

True.

 

[Doug Holverson]

Just a little too much time and effort into some rocket surgery. My beat-up Centuri Skycycle just got a new motor mount. I revived a Frankenstein Alpha III from two Alpha III carcasses.

Otherwise, I'm winding down the last day of my vacation. I’m partying like it’s 1975! I just mowed the lawn and now I'm kicking back with a grape pop, a pudding tub, and pop tarts. That’s a reference to being a kid or teen, mowing the Grandma and Grandpa Skow's lawn and doing a pantry raid. All else that I need is the newest Centuri tabloid.

 

[Lynn McCall]

Has Hobbie Lobby expanded their line up? Used to be very basic, Nike X and maybe a Liberty Bell Redstone. Cherokee-D was one of my first, back in 70's, loved that rocket. Do like the fact I can get 29mm E's and F's, blackpowder but with my limited launch field, they fit the bill perfect.

They seemed to have improved their selection, but I don't think they are carrying 29mm BP engines. Engines prices are better than anywhere else. I will be going there 1st for my supply.

 

[jadebox]

... if their names are the Retro REBEL, Mega REBEL, and Smokin' REBEL, then why is this called the REBEL John and not the Honest REBEL?
/QUOTE]

It was being a rebel!

 

[ewomack]

Glued the upper body tube onto the lower tube. It's beginning to look like a medium-sized rocket.

For the smaller rocket, the instructions say to tape the engine into/onto the airframe. It has no engine mount. I wondered why the B engine that I had just slid right out. I haven't seen that configuration before, but it's also my first non-Estes rocket.

 

[jqavins]

For the smaller rocket, the instructions say to tape the engine into/onto the airframe. It has no engine mount. I wondered why the B engine that I had just slid right out. I haven't seen that configuration before, but it's also my first non-Estes rocket.

When you say "the instructions say to tape the engine into/onto the airframe. It has no engine mount" I gather it's your first minimum diameter kit? When the airframe tube is the motor tube, where would one put a motor hook? There are a number of methods for motor retention in a minimum diameter; tape bridging the end of the tube and the motor overhand is a common one. So it friction fitting, which involves building the motor OD up a little with masking tape.

 

[Bruce Joblonicky]

Here's my Estes V2 fully assembled and painted in a post-war White Sands black and white scheme. Ready for a test flight if it would just stop raining here in Florida!
This is my first rocket after a 50-year hiatus. My 4 and 5 year-old grandsons are excited to see the first launch and so am I!
I need to thank a few people for sharing their experience and expertise as I get back into the hobby. First, thanks to forum member "snrkl" for the V2 build thread on the Rocketry Forum that provided my initial inspiration to get back into the hobby. Next, congratulations to Estes Industries for staying in business this long! I was happy to see that familiar name again. Tim Van Milligan at Apogee Components: thank you for all your YouTube videos covering materials and techniques. I think the Apogee Saturn 1B may be my next project!

 

[Nytrunner]

I think the Apogee Saturn 1B may be my next project!

That's quite an upgrade in project level. You'll be able to learn alot getting that together, selecting the motors, figuring out composite motors, and flying it.

Do you have a club in your area with launch rail?