What did you do rocket wise today?

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Collected the 2.5 mm (3/32", near as spit) 'super hard' balsa I ordered. Had to use a razor saw to cut it.

Brocket kits available at the end of the week! #onschedulesortakinda

Also dusted off a 13 mm design that was fun but never made it past the proto stage, 'Dusty', complete with TTW Fender plectrum fins. Flies brilliantly, but fiddly to build. Must be time to try again. 🤔

Dusty.jpg
 
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Also dusted off a 13 mm design that was fun but never made it past the proto stage, 'Dusty', complete with TTW Fender plectrum fins. Flies brilliantly, but fiddly to build. Must be time to try again. 🤔
So long as you don't string your customers along about the skill level, I doubt they'll be too picky about the build. Even if they are, once they fly it, I'm sure they'll be singing a different tune.
 
A first for us. The Brocket kit is going to use Paulownia Wood instead of balsa for the main body fin. (We've gone with the one-piece fin for the kit). Paulownia at 280 kg/m3 is lighter than basswood (415 kg/m3) for roughly twice the crush strength of balsa. We shall see...

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I got all the fins on for the Port-O-Potty rocket. This thing gets heavier ever time I look at it. Each fin filet has 25 grams of epoxy. That's 200 grams total for external filets. Another 100 grams for the internal filets. So far I have put more than 64 ounces of epoxy in/on the rocket. It's a good thing I ordered another 64 ounces of epoxy. I had to open it already. It's 32 ounces of resin and 32 ounces of hardener. There is also about 5 packages of JB Weld Kwik Weld in it too. This rocket is probably end up being a level 2 rocket. I better start studying for the test. I've put it off for a year while I gained more experience with the big level 1 motors. At the last weigh in only a I 500 would lift it. Of course I could be real wrong about the CD I put into ThrustCurve. I made a mistake with the fins. I was going to have them extend below the mmt. But forgot until I already had one tacked on. My fix is to put fin tip pods on. I have some very thick walled 24mm motor tubes. While I was thinking about them a funny thought ran through my mind. If I extend the pods up about 6" I can put a roll of TP on each pod. I cracked myself up. I pictured in my mind, the rolls unfurling as the rocket goes up. And laughed again. Tomorrow I'll attach the roof. I wonder how mush epoxy that will take. I'll make a hole in the roof for the 4" coupler and dome nose cone. After that the fins and bottom need painted and it will be done. Here is what it looks like now.20221129_221645[1555].jpg20221129_221653[1556].jpg
 
I got all the fins on for the Port-O-Potty rocket. This thing gets heavier ever time I look at it. Each fin filet has 25 grams of epoxy. That's 200 grams total for external filets. Another 100 grams for the internal filets. So far I have put more than 64 ounces of epoxy in/on the rocket. It's a good thing I ordered another 64 ounces of epoxy. I had to open it already. It's 32 ounces of resin and 32 ounces of hardener. There is also about 5 packages of JB Weld Kwik Weld in it too. This rocket is probably end up being a level 2 rocket. I better start studying for the test. I've put it off for a year while I gained more experience with the big level 1 motors. At the last weigh in only a I 500 would lift it. Of course I could be real wrong about the CD I put into ThrustCurve. I made a mistake with the fins. I was going to have them extend below the mmt. But forgot until I already had one tacked on. My fix is to put fin tip pods on. I have some very thick walled 24mm motor tubes. While I was thinking about them a funny thought ran through my mind. If I extend the pods up about 6" I can put a roll of TP on each pod. I cracked myself up. I pictured in my mind, the rolls unfurling as the rocket goes up. And laughed again. Tomorrow I'll attach the roof. I wonder how mush epoxy that will take. I'll make a hole in the roof for the 4" coupler and dome nose cone. After that the fins and bottom need painted and it will be done. Here is what it looks like now.View attachment 548360View attachment 548361
Some people see a rocket. I only see a horrible case of fin flutter. I suppose it won't be flying fast, but you are a braver man than I. Best of luck on not making it a great flight!

[I'm really not trying to be a downer. It's just my natural Dark Cloud of Doom tendencies!]
 
Some people see a rocket. I only see a horrible case of fin flutter. I suppose it won't be flying fast, but you are a braver man than I. Best of luck on not making it a great flight!

[I'm really not trying to be a downer. It's just my natural Dark Cloud of Doom tendencies!]
I looked at the fins this morning and thought the same thing. A real danger of fin flutter. I decided to box the fins in. I'm going to attach a 1/8" x 6"x 4' length of plywood from each fin tip to fin tip.. I think it will make the fins more ridged.
 
Collected the 2.5 mm (3/32", near as spit) 'super hard' balsa I ordered. Had to use a razor saw to cut it.

Brocket kits available at the end of the week! #onschedulesortakinda

Also dusted off a 13 mm design that was fun but never made it past the proto stage, 'Dusty', complete with TTW Fender plectrum fins. Flies brilliantly, but fiddly to build. Must be time to try again. 🤔

View attachment 548335
Pickin' and Grinnin'!
 
Had the parts sitting there....so slapping together a Big Bertha. Never owned one. Never flown one. It's not quite a pure copy...it'll have Baby Bertha fins since I used a Baby Bertha for a goony Solar Warrior and the fins were in the pile of parts. It'll at least have a balsa nosecone. Close enough to the real deal....right?
 
I made another 30 blanks for initiators. My goal is 250 conductive initiators by 8 December.
 
Charged batteries... Hoping for good weather Saturday for a Level 3 attempt.
Never realized so many batteries would be involved.

3 altimeter batteries (Perfectflite & Proton)
GoPro and Mobius Maxi batteries
EggFinder GPS TX and RX batteries
BigRedBee/Yaesu FT-70D batteries
Garmin GPS tracker batteries
iPhone/iPad batteries (Proton WiFi)
Canon DSLR batteries
Canon Video Camera batteries

I hope that's all of them.
 
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