What did you do rocket wise today?

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I get that, I'm just giving background to why I attempted it. I agree it's a risk and not for everyone - it takes some caution and steady hands to do nicely. But oh it was so very nice to get that done as quickly as I did.
I also dislike sanding scale tapers, it's so tedious. I'm looking at getting a micro wood planer. I wonder what the learning curve is on that. It was suggested by Cape Byron.
Might help in getting that crisp taper line.
 
Printing parts for a Maxi Brute V2 clone and sanding and painting some other models. Also installing servos and radio system in three new RC rocket gliders.

I have decided that not all of my rockets are going to get the full court press on finishing. Only a select few. I see more wraps, more vinyl, more Monokote and much less tube spiral and grain filling. A lot of my models are RC and free flight boost and rocket gliders, so they get minimal finishes, If any, to save weight. After 34 years of doing high grade paint finishes on aerospace models, I have nothing left to prove.....:)
 
I also dislike sanding scale tapers, it's so tedious. I'm looking at getting a micro wood planer. I wonder what the learning curve is on that. It was suggested by Cape Byron.
Might help in getting that crisp taper line.

If you can use a full size hand plane you can use a micro plane. Ten minutes practice will see you good to go.

The David micro plane is the one I went with.
 
If it were me, I'd tell the print shop how they screwed up. If they agree to do it over for free, give me an email address to send the file, and mail me the product, then I'd give them another chance. If not, I'd make sure they know just why they've lost my business.

I rang them and talked with the person in charge. They agreed to re-print the wraps free of charge which is no biggie really, just a colour print on photo quality paper.

I'll get them to redo and save the wraps for a second main Beach proto. I usually test these things to destruction or loss anyway.

I agree with giving people a second chance. Unfortunately this was already their third or fourth.
 
The monthly launch at Sayre, OK is next weekend (17th/18th). I'm prepping several rockets to fly. I've rebuilt a lot of old rockets that had gone through hard times. I've got a box of assorted spray cans that are getting a workout. I have NO idea why I bought several of these colors, but they're getting used now. Some of them even go together. Some, well....
 
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Just completed calibrating my automatic antenna tracker. It is now mechanically and electrically capable of pointing the antenna where needed. Next up I need to create a simulated telemetry stream to test the ability of it to follow a flying craft. I also need to get the position from the primary TeleMega telemetry system.
 
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Tomorrow's QRS launch is scrubbed again due to the recent heavy rain impacting the site. Rescheduled back another week. :(

Bought some Lipo batteries and a charger from a local hobby shop, plus ordered a 2-56 and 4-40 tap/drill set from a local vendor. All are required ahead of my impending AV bay build up for the Thales Starstreak build.

Worked on my home made forward transition build for the Starstreak.

Transition build pic1.jpgDart Carrier build pic1.jpg
 
Busy morning, I think I am at the maximum capacity for my little craft table setup. Got a motor mount installed in my harpoon, got fins cut out as well. Spent some time working on the upscale drawing for the fin jig I want to build. Put stand-offs and launch lugs on the honest john kit.

1618073382397.png

I also need to do some sanding and I saw this tip in a video from @Patternflyer and decided I needed to make some handy dandy sanding sticks!
1618073643197.png
 
Too nice a day here in central Texas not to....








...sand. 😒

Trying to reduce the back log of projects that have made it to primer but need sanding:

Estes Bullpup that I recently rescued from the build pile. Now ready for a few fiddly details then color.

Estes Cherokee E in grey primer, ready for initial sanding.

Estes Star Orbiter, ready for final sanding, then ready for color.

Starlifter II scratch-built 24mm, ready for final sanding.

Last, but not least, my long term 4" LOC Nike Zeus/Spartan. It's in primer and ready for sanding. Has been for a while. Sanding this thing is like mowing a golf course with scissors. It has a ton of surface area and LOTS of surface details to sand around. Probably won't finsh it up today, but I'll get a good start on it anyway.

Looks like the wind is out of the South today, so I'll apologize in advance to any of you in the Waco or Fort Worth areas for the all the dust.
 
What are you workin on?

I know it's sacrilege, but painted a Formula 38 & a Formula 54. Got them at a swap meet, and didn't care for the colours. Not to mention I was a little overly aggressive on sanding the fillets. So, the tube & fins were all scratched up.

(I had a mowhawk back in the 80's.. And a pair of well-worn Doc Martins, when you had to specially buy them from England.. Am very big on the UK punk scene!)
 
I know it's sacrilege, but painted a Formula 38 & a Formula 54. Got them at a swap meet, and didn't care for the colours. Not to mention I was a little overly aggressive on sanding the fillets. So, the tube & fins were all scratched up.

(I had a mowhawk back in the 80's.. And a pair of well-worn Doc Martins, when you had to specially buy them from England.. Am very big on the UK punk scene!)
Usually when someone spells mohawk...mowhawk I think of mowing the lawn and that little strip of uncut grass where the two rows of cuts dont overlap.😀
 
The ends come off as Wally Ferrer showed. I just had it fully assembled outside the tube to test all the connections.
thanks. got that figured out. Now though, this is what I have for a battery retainer. Even turning a 9v battery on it's side, it won't fit this
 

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Bought some electrical tape. Cheap stuff to better to best (IMHO). Should last a day or two... Built a AT L1150R for next weekend. More work on my WM 5” Lance.
 

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