What did you do rocket wise today?

[Wally Ferrer]

Finally got the chrome on my Trivecta 318, and some green on the 324...

 

[Blast it Tom!]

My, that's pretty... Is the chrome that Alclad stuff? I used that to good effect on my (static) Apollo CM.

 

[Wally Ferrer]

My, that's pretty... Is the chrome that Alclad stuff? I used that to good effect on my (static) Apollo CM.

Thanks... actually it's Spaz Stix ultimate mirror chrome.

 

[Blast it Tom!]

Duly noted! Another resource!

 

[o1d_dude]

Yesterday, actually.

Laid down a second coat of primer on the Panavia clone which is shaping up nicely.

Mounted the L’il Thor decals on the fins. That Arlon decal material Scott Binder uses in his kits is awesome. Turns out that the yellow I carefully selected isn’t quite the same as the decals but it’s very close. I used a small pair of stamp collector style tweezers (wide grip pads) to handle the decals without skin oils being transferred. Next step is the whole body wrap for the north end of the rocket body. I also sanded down the filament “ribs” of the 3D nosecone to prep it for primer/paint. Ran a few sims for the L’il Thor and determined that a C6-5 will produce a nice mini shock & awe boost as will the C5-3. I am well-stocked with these two.

Also experimented with the MixKwik (KwikMix?) rattlecan shaker. Turns out it IS possible to shake the can right out the restraining harness if you mash the GO switch on the recip saw. A nice gentle touch on the trigger switch will shake the can as intended. There is plenty of room for improvement of the design but I rate it worth the $25 I spent on it. I will use it before painting begins but will manually shake the can intermittently during spray painting.

 

[Wally Ferrer]

Mounted the L’il Thor decals on the fins. That Arlon decal material Scott Binder uses in his kits is awesome. Turns out that the yellow I carefully selected isn’t quite the same as the decals but it’s very close.

I have the hardest time color matching... Side by side, the decals look more like a Sun yellow, but I still like the flying tractor paint...

 

[o1d_dude]

I have the hardest time color matching... Side by side, the decals look more like a Sun yellow, but I still like the flying tractor paint...

The problem is that the color of the plastic cap is no guarantee the paint will match the cap.

Anyone notice I didn’t fill the spirals? Hard to see from the flight line when the rocket is on the pad.

Now I’m feeling the urge to do an outlaw launch at the local high school (closed 4-5 months now)...

 

[Joshua F Thomas]

What's the competition?

People build and fly Der Max or Goblin kits and submit altitude scores. Best group wins. Strict, limited and “open” classes. There are more details on FlightSketch’s facebook page.

 

[jqavins]

How do the can shaking gizmos' actual performance compare to this kit?

 

[OverTheTop]

How do the can shaking gizmos' actual performance compare to this kit?

Probably not likely to saw a can in half unintentionally .

 

[lakeroadster]

How do the can shaking gizmos' actual performance compare to this kit?
View attachment 427801
View attachment 427802

Folks spend their hard earned money to go work out at a gym.... then they spend more money on a fixture to shake their paint can.

 

[kuririn]

Folks spend their hard earned money to go work out at a gym.... then they spend more money on a fixture to shake their paint can.

Save money and kill two birds with one stone.
Take your paint can with you to the gym.

 

[Blast it Tom!]

Now I’m feeling the urge to do an outlaw launch at the local high school (closed 4-5 months now)...

If that would make you an outlaw, I guess I'm an outlaw, then - my 1st BAR launch last Sunday (Pg. 908, here) was at the athletic field between the elementary and junior high school that I attended growing up. - and was actually where my first launch ever took place, more than 50 years ago. I almost put my Redstone on the roof of the police station! Or are there special regulations that don't allow you to launch there?

 

[jqavins]

Public property. Follow both common sense and the safety code (which does not have force of law but shows you're taking care) to see that no one and no property are hurt, and I'm comfortably sure that you're not an outlaw. Comfortable enough to launch that way myself or allow my children and grandchildren to do so.

I am a non-attorney spokesperson. Do not accept legal advice from non-qualified schlubs like me. Consult with a lawyer or law enforcement officials before launching rockets, engaging in other potentially hazardous activity, or walking and chewing gum simultaneously.

 

[Blast it Tom!]

Love your disclaimer! That's pretty much as one would expect, and yes, thought I don't have a Tripoli or NAR membership, I do follow all safety codes, and leave no traces (except for small traces of eRocket's "Daisy Girl Dog Barf" drifting down from the heavens...)

 

[kuririn]

Dry fitted parts I received the other day for a BT-60 and a BT-80 scratch Mercury Atlas.
Smaller capsule was ordered earlier.
Shrouds are generated using the transition tool at Payload Bay.
Fit looks good. Forgot to order the BT-58 tube so placed another order with erockets.

Looking forward to constructing two LES towers.

And looked at two MicroMaxx kits I received

And put them into the build pile.
And took them out.
And put them back.
And took them out (for the pic of course).
Now putting them back.
Discipline, discipline.

 

[Wally Ferrer]

And looked at two MicroMaxx kits I received

And put them into the build pile.
And took them out.
And put them back.
And took them out (for the pic of course).
Now putting them back.
Discipline, discipline.

Doing the rocket hokey pokey!

 

[Wally Ferrer]

Public property. Follow both common sense and the safety code (which does not have force of law but shows you're taking care) to see that no one and no property are hurt, and I'm comfortably sure that you're not an outlaw. Comfortable enough to launch that way myself or allow my children and grandchildren to do so.

I am a non-attorney spokesperson. Do not accept legal advice from non-qualified schlubs like me. Consult with a lawyer or law enforcement officials before launching rockets, engaging in other potentially hazardous activity, or walking and chewing gum simultaneously.

If you do that inside the Capitol Beltway around Washington D.C. you are indeed an outlaw. Congress is the original NIMBY. Protectionist and isolated from reality.

 

[jqavins]

Well, sure, and there are other restricted areas, like close to any airport. There's no reason for school grounds on a weekend to be on a restricted list, as far as I know.

And looked at two MicroMaxx kits I received. And put them into the build pile.
And took them out.
...
Discipline, discipline.

What is this "discipline" of which you speak?

 

[prfesser]

Started applying decals to the Interceptor E. Thank the Flying Spaghetti Monster that Estes made most of the decals large, as one big decal is easier to position properly (for me) than four or five tiny ones.

 

[Rob702Martinez]

Soldered and then 5 minute epoxy "potted" the drogue ejection terminal strip on my Level 3's aft av bay closure.
Thought I had messed up the epoxy mix until I realized I was dealing with "amine blush" due to the high Central Texas humidity.

View attachment 427750

I'd like to see more of your build. I like what I see.

 

[XrayLizard]

Made a little fin jig.
Was so luck not to break the tiny end mill!
Even wore full face shield expect it snap and fly off !

 

[Joshua F Thomas]

The last few days have been a "how not to do things" series of learning experiences. They're all around finishing - sealing, smoothing, painting, etc.

Some people are in the "it's fine if you can't see it from 10 feet away" category, but that's not me. I like to try to make my models look as high-quality as I can figure out how. The look of the rocket is a huge part of my enjoyment of the sport; I spend far more time on the finishing end then any other part of the build process.

I have three builds going on:

On the Microsonde III (see thread in LPR forums), I used CWF sealing on the fins. I've done this before with success. I've been spooked at least once by fin warping from excess water. For the Microsonde I goofed and used too little water to thin the CWF. As a result the fin surfaces have a lot of imperfections, particularly long lines from the brush I used to apply it. I should have just sanded it all off and started again, but I went ahead with primer and paint. It looks fine at the 10 ft mark, but up close you can tell.

On my scratch build (a 3FNC, 3x18mm cluster) I tried using CWF to seal body tube spirals. I applied *way too much* CWF and had to sand (after using a dremel!) to get most of it down. The surrounding tube is now beaten up and fuzzy from the sanding away of the fibers.. It does not look great, and probably will even be a little visible from a distance. I need to practice this technique more with smaller tubes until I perfect it. I had a whole interesting color and decal scheme planned for this build, but I will probably just go with something simple now.

Several pages ago in this thread I detailed how my Neo Mini 13 kit got killed by the engine casing seizing into the engine tube. I was able to salvage the nose cone and fins, and decided to rebuild it. I thought I would paint the body tube first and then sand the fin attachment area down before gluing them on;, instead of attaching the fins, masking them, and then painting the body. This was a bad idea. It's not going to look much better and getting the paint and primer off in just the right amount is more work by far than just masking.

Gotta screw up to learn.

 

[neil_w]

For the Microsonde I goofed and used too little water to thin the CWF. As a result the fin surfaces have a lot of imperfections, particularly long lines from the brush I used to apply it.

I use my fingers for most CWF application: slop it on and spread it out. Good for getting a nice smooth coat (although if insufficiently thinned you might still have a problem).

 

[Joshua F Thomas]

I use my fingers for most CWF application: slop it on and spread it out. Good for getting a nice smooth coat (although if insufficiently thinned you might still have a problem).

If I use my fingers I end up getting CWF everywhere....
But the lack of thinning was indeed the problem. I also should have just sanded it all back down to the bare wood and tried again.

 

[o1d_dude]

Speaking as one who believes all rockets look fine on the pad, I rummaged through the SBR shipping boxes for the full body wraps to the L’il Thor and the Thor 3”. Found them. Read the full color illustrated build instructions for technique guide lines. Then viewed a Scott Binder Rocketry youtube video or two that shows how the body wraps are applied. When Scott completely removed the wrap because he wasn’t satisfied with the way it turned out, I thought if he can do that, I can, too.

Needless to say, no tube spirals were filled in the making of these rockets.

Then I pondered making a ”kwik” video of the MixKwik recip saw rattlecan shaker and in the process of examining the unit more closely I discovered that the tightening strap is pretty ingenious: It uses a lever/toothed belt to snug down on a can. A second lever releases the belt from the can. Also perfected my touch on the throttle trigger. I will say that the system does make a lot of noise. In the Army we had a saying that if a thing was worth doing, it was worth making noise while doing it. This shaker is now shammer*-approved.

*Shammer: An Army enlisted specialist who has minimal authority but can make your life miserable if you cross him/her. Wears a rank patch called a “Sham Shield” in E4 through presumably E9 but I’ve never seen one higher than E6. I wore an E4 patch from 7 months in until the “acting jack” sergeant stripes showed up. They don’t hand out hard stripes to two year draftees.

First picture was of me after earning my Sham Shield, The second picture was my “ride” which led to a different assignment...

 

[XrayLizard]

Fillers are supposed to be sanded down to almost the bare wood again
Then the next layer. Lather rinse repeat.
After u apply the fillet to the fin , scrape th excess off with a credit card or similar edge even a thin piece of wood. Scrape across the grain , not with the grain
Do this before attaching of course.
Use piece of masking tape where the glue fillets to body tube will be. So no filler there to interfere with adhesion
And yea water based is ... well me no like at all LOL

 

[Andrew_ASC]

Haven’t done this post in a LoNG time.
Ordered 200’ of 20 AWG stranded wire.

I guess Covid gave us all the time in the world to practice soldering.

 

[Joshua F Thomas]

Haven’t done this post in a LoNG time.
Ordered 200’ of 20 AWG stranded wire.

I guess Covid gave us all the time in the world to practice soldering.

That's... a lot of wire. What are you building?

 

[rharshberger]

Speaking as one who believes all rockets look fine on the pad, I rummaged through the SBR shipping boxes for the full body wraps to the L’il Thor and the Thor 3”. Found them. Read the full color illustrated build instructions for technique guide lines. Then viewed a Scott Binder Rocketry youtube video or two that shows how the body wraps are applied. When Scott completely removed the wrap because he wasn’t satisfied with the way it turned out, I thought if he can do that, I can, too.

Needless to say, no tube spirals were filled in the making of these rockets.

Then I pondered making a ”kwik” video of the MixKwik recip saw rattlecan shaker and in the process of examining the unit more closely I discovered that the tightening strap is pretty ingenious: It uses a lever/toothed belt to snug down on a can. A second lever releases the belt from the can. Also perfected my touch on the throttle trigger. I will say that the system does make a lot of noise. In the Army we had a saying that if a thing was worth doing, it was worth making noise while doing it. This shaker is now shammer*-approved.

*Shammer: An Army enlisted specialist who has minimal authority but can make your life miserable if you cross him/her. Wears a rank patch called a “Sham Shield” in E4 through presumably E9 but I’ve never seen one higher than E6. I wore an E4 patch from 7 months in until the “acting jack” sergeant stripes showed up. They don’t hand out hard stripes to two year draftees.

First picture was of me after earning my Sham Shield, The second picture was my “ride” which led to a different assignment...

AFAIK o1d_dude the E-4 is the sole remaining Specialist rank in the US ARMY at least in most MOS's.