Not ready to make a new thread on this yet. BUT this is what I've been doing everyday for the last 2 weeks. I'll just leave this here... the upper stage is in the background and this is half way done on just the booster.
What did you do rocket wise today?
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o1d_dude
'I battle gravity'
Cherokee-H fin can buttoned up and worked on second layer of external fin fillets.
Panavia clone fin can buttoned up as well and second layer of external fin fillets in progress.
Of the two Vander-Burn clones listed above, the Panavia is further along than the Cherokee in that the Panavia baffle is complete. Mounting the baffle will put the kibosh on my usual painting rotisserie layout so I’m going to have to come up with another method. Not impossible, just a little bit more setup involved.
Cleared the detritus off my outdoor paint table/work bench in preparation for priming and painting. Now that I think about it, I will probably do my LaserLOC fiberglass fin laminations out there as well. In the shade of the old English Maple tree. A mosquito net prevents droppings.
Going to pick up my EggFinder GPS and BlackAero LCD case from @Eric tomorrow.
Making progress on a daily basis.
Panavia clone fin can buttoned up as well and second layer of external fin fillets in progress.
Of the two Vander-Burn clones listed above, the Panavia is further along than the Cherokee in that the Panavia baffle is complete. Mounting the baffle will put the kibosh on my usual painting rotisserie layout so I’m going to have to come up with another method. Not impossible, just a little bit more setup involved.
Cleared the detritus off my outdoor paint table/work bench in preparation for priming and painting. Now that I think about it, I will probably do my LaserLOC fiberglass fin laminations out there as well. In the shade of the old English Maple tree. A mosquito net prevents droppings.
Going to pick up my EggFinder GPS and BlackAero LCD case from @Eric tomorrow.
Making progress on a daily basis.
MOF410
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The build pile is getting big...yesterday I finished up my Estes Mammoth build (adding fillets and test fitting the recovery system). Decided to use eye hooks to mount the chute to the nose cone, and my snap swivels should be in today.
Finished assembly and stability test on a scratch build cluster rocket. It has the mean machine nose, a 3 fin design, and will be test flown on a trio of A8-3's. Had to add some nose weight to get the stability needed, as the 3 motors on the back move the CG way back.
Hit 3 local hobby shops looking for Estes E engines and decided to order some Aerotech single use engines instead.
Next up is figuring out a design for a side pod booster rocket.
Caw, Caw
Finished assembly and stability test on a scratch build cluster rocket. It has the mean machine nose, a 3 fin design, and will be test flown on a trio of A8-3's. Had to add some nose weight to get the stability needed, as the 3 motors on the back move the CG way back.
Hit 3 local hobby shops looking for Estes E engines and decided to order some Aerotech single use engines instead.
Next up is figuring out a design for a side pod booster rocket.
Caw, Caw
MOF410
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It's an original kit I got off ebay (spent too much but I had to have it lol). I can't wait to fly it and just ordered some Aerotech single use E engines for it.
I'm a big fan of functional pods like this one, can still find on Ye Olde Rocketry forum...
U.S. Rockets Sentra SRB
MOF410
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Thanks for the recommendation! I got the apogee side booster kit, and im excited to see them in action (releasing off the rocket). Most of my builds tend to be smaller powered due to my regular field size (only have larger fields during club meets), and I get lost in analysis trying to get started on a build like this. How big, what size motors is realistic for my field, etc.
Appreciate it!
Make sure you share some pics..!
Is the nose weight picked for three C6s or similar?
Last night I started doing a little decal work on the Fliskits Charon.
Little as in tiny.
![0716200718[1].jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/rocketryforum/data/attachments/341/341588-ff19012cc59d14e1fdced4a708d8564c.jpg "0716200718[1].jpg")
Little as in tiny.
mg444
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I just finished painting my Semroc USS Andromeda.
Kuririn, back and to the left of the Charon, are those interchangeable motor mounts?
Yeppers, they're for the Semroc SLS Brighton clone I'm building.
https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/semroc-sls-brighton-a-clone-build.160007/I stripped the outer layer of paper from the coupler mount and was going to paint it with thin CA but my bottle of thin CA morphed into thick CA while being stored at room temperature for the last couple of years.
So I'm waiting for an order to come in.
Anyway, the CA should protect it from scraping and erosion from the dual engine hook retention.
Tried out my new launch rods. I bought a 36" long 1/8" rod and 48" long 3/16" rod at Home Depot and managed to bend them relatively straight. Overall, they didn't appear to be excessively whippy in the video.
In my experience, the two hooks that hold in the interchangeable mounts were too weak, or flexible as installed. I modified post-installation with removable popsicle sticks- or should I say epoxy applicators..? A good bend prior to installing them may be enough, but without it I had rear ejection.
Thanks Wally! Maybe a good tape wrap prior to launch will work too?
I used tape to hold in the motor, but the mount itself kicked out the rear. The engine hooks that retain the motor mounts were pushed out of the way, putting a brace behind them seemed simplest way for me to fix it after installation. Maybe if I had bent them inward before installing they would not be so easily pushed out of the way. Tape around those hooks should work too.
Yeah, I was thinking a tape wrap around the hooks.
A few years ago I started working on a specification for a voluntary (obviously) standard for interchangeable parts of modular rockets. Motor mounts were part of the standard (which is what brings it to mind). Maybe I should get back to that.
I was looking at the Tigres thread and the thought occurred to me that if one were to add threads to the front of the fin can and a female screw in coupler half to a body tube then one could make interchangeable fin cans. Add those to, say, an Estes Mix N Match 55 or 60 with screw in couplers and the combos are mind blowing.
MOF410
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Yes it is. I'm ready to test fly it just waiting on weather. Hopefully this weekend
MoreRockets has the repro... https://morerockets.com/alien-explorer
tOD
Sinking in the quicksand of HPR
Yes it is. Long story, but I actually have two. I'm going to fly one this weekend on some 24mm motors with the Aeropack adaptor. An F39 in the 24/40 case and an F35 in the 24/60 case. Rocksim says about 1700ft. and 1900ft. Dry weight of 336 grams. The extra weight is the nosecone modified for a Lab Rat Eggfinder Mini sled. I probably won't bother to install the mini since the rocket should be visible for the whole flight. It's 390 grams with the mini installed.
It's a fun rocket to fly, good size for my club's field, and quite durable. One spent several months lost in a field and is still flying.
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NateB
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We launched a Mach 1 Exiter again at a local park. This was the 9th or 10th launch and it is starting to show a little chipped paint. I don't remember any of the rockets I built as a kid surviving this long. We used an A8-3 today and it showed an apogee of 136' on a Flight Sketch mini. Recovery was about 20' from the pad. The park was busy enough we didn't use any larger motors or fly my Saberhawk tonight.
o1d_dude
'I battle gravity'
Nice epoxy fillets, Wally.In my experience, the two hooks that hold in the interchangeable mounts were too weak, or flexible as installed. I modified post-installation with removable popsicle sticks- or should I say epoxy applicators..? A good bend prior to installing them may be enough, but without it I had rear ejection.
View attachment 424756
I don’t usually do much cosmetically at that end of the rocket because I use JB Weld and spray over it with automotive black header paint (old loves die hard)...masking off the Aerotech motor retainer body of course.
Neat idea using the popsicle sticks, too.
No epoxy on that, just wood glue on that motor mount and fins. I was still a fresh BAR and hadn't started using epoxy or motor retainers yet...
o1d_dude
'I battle gravity'
Picked up my Eggfinder GPS from @Eric today. He was kind enough assemble and test the unit, install the LCD into the Black Aero case (shameless plug...Kyle I want a Blaze orange LCD case!), and give me a walk through on GPS location technique. The “Mini” is actually quite small and will fit in my Mach 1 (shameless plug) FG BT60 nose cone. One more shameless plug: LabRat Rocketry for your nosecone GPS mounts and many other highly useful rocketry items.
Visited the LHS afterwards and bought a fresh BSI 15 Minute epoxy pack, some sanding sponges, but struck out on 3-4oz fiberglass cloth.
I will be putting the sanding sponges to good use tonight sanding down the two Vander-Burn clone body tubes...no spirals will be filled...and finishing up the fin fillets.
Visited the LHS afterwards and bought a fresh BSI 15 Minute epoxy pack, some sanding sponges, but struck out on 3-4oz fiberglass cloth.
I will be putting the sanding sponges to good use tonight sanding down the two Vander-Burn clone body tubes...no spirals will be filled...and finishing up the fin fillets.
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