Worked on two rockets yesterday. Long ago I lost the payload section of an Estes Solar Flare, and recently got around to replacing it. The tube and coupler came from Apogee, and a replacement nose cone I already had on hand. Last week I had glued bulkheads into both ends of the coupler and found it was much too tight on the body tube end. So yesterday was a bunch of sanding. I came uncomfortably close to sanding through the paper, so I cut off the other end bulkhead to add a large fillet that would tie the bulkhead to more tube up the inside, and applied thin CA to strengthen the paper from the outside. Then back to sanding, if only to make it smooth after the CA. Finally my friend checked and pointed out to me that there was a small inward bulge in the top of the body tube; I sanded that down and finally had a good fit. Then glued the bother end's bulkhead back in, after peeling and sanding away the paper and glue.
Sand, sand, sand, sand.
Sand, sand, sand, sand.
Love to sand! I've got to sand.
Love to sand, I've got to
Sand, sand, sand, sand.
I also noticed a small dent in the body tube a few inches down from the top, so pushed a coupler down. I didn't even bother gluing it and I'm sure it'll be fine.
Then I got builder's go fever and started on the Park Flyer Magnum I got from Secret Santa. Now, I had read the instructions when I opened it on Christmas morning, but when the fever took me I failed to re-read them. I assembled the motor mount including the AeroPack retainer that I've added, installed it (about a quarter inch back from the designed position in order to accommodate the retainer) and installed the fins. And then I realized that I'd failed to attach the shock cord to the motor mount through the forward CR as instructed. D'OH!!!!
I have a recovery plan. I'll cut a third centering ring to serve as a shock cord anchor, cut the body tube a little above the motor mount, then install the cord, anchor, and a coupler to put it back together.
The Magnum's construction is all with JB Weld, including the fin fillets. They're structurally adequate, but ugly. I'll add cosmetic fillets with the 3M light weight spackle plus primer that I like so well.