NTP2
Well-Known Member
I’d think so, I’m sorry about that though I should have realized that it would be a problem.
Zylaxus: a dubious build thread
- Thread starter neil_w
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If it chips off that easily, I wouldn't trust it to stay intact even with handing of the finished rocket, with it's bumps and knocks, and maybe not even launch. I'd call it a worthy experiment, with potential for improvement, but not a good choice for this build. I do like the look of it, so I'd call it worth the effort to improve. Maybe a primer that's good for the NC ball?
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I still think this would solve your problem, this is Tiger Claw, a Sporket.
Paint your light color and let cure COMPLETELY
, mask with random strips of vinyl tape (i think Tamiya would work,
just cut it in irregular shapes)
, apply and burnish tape,
reshoot with light color to seal edges,
then apply darker color.
Allow to dry ADEQUATELY.
pull the tape off.
Instead of wasting a ping pong ball to test, try it on some stiff plastic packing (or even a plastic spoon or spork!). Probably need some sort of primer.
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NTP2
Well-Known Member
Thanks! I did my best, sad about the flaking though.
lakeroadster
When in doubt... build hell-for-stout!
My 2 cents: I think the clear coat might just be the ticket. Apply a very light coat of Rustoleum spray clear. Do this 3 or 4 times and allow it to dry thoroughly. Then add the black lightening bolts. Then clear coat again.
What's to lose?
OC-Patrick
Well-Known Member
... some of my rockets have the same wrinkle texture when I'm using Rustoleum. (you guys know what I mean...)
I gave the "good" ball a rubdown with a tissue and the tissue came back pink no matter how long I rubbed it.
Then I gave it the black Sharpie job:
Next I am going to clearcoat it (matte? gloss?) and see what happens. If it works then I still won't have decided which color design I prefer.
Then I gave it the black Sharpie job:
Next I am going to clearcoat it (matte? gloss?) and see what happens. If it works then I still won't have decided which color design I prefer.
Satin.
NTP2
Well-Known Member
Ohhh I love that it has a fuzzy feel now very plasma like!
lakeroadster
When in doubt... build hell-for-stout!
Go very light on the 1st couple coats. Rumor has it that Sharpie likes to run. That's not been my experience, I clear coated over a red Sharpie using Rustoleum 2X, no drips, no runs, no errors.
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I had bad runs with clear coat over marker, but I don't remember if it was an actual Sharpie™ brand marker. And I may have been too heavy handed.
Motor Mount and Nose Cone
Going partially out of order here out of necessity.
The motor mount is a mostly routine affair. First up: hook, two rings, and some electrical tape (and a motor block pushed up against the hook, not shown):
True confession: I have no formula where to put the tape around the hook. I just wing it with each rocket, and am never sure if I've done it "right". ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
In other instances where I've planned for TTW fins, I've left off the tape and just glued the hook on with a big blob of epoxy. Decided to do it this way this time... I dunno, just to be different. Probably a dumb idea, given what you'll see in the next post.
<insert all the activity from the next post here>
Finally the rear body tube was glued on. Note the two rights at right are not glued, they're just hanging out.
While we're here, I also prepped the nose cone with alternating layers of CWF and CA. I get good enough results but I still don't feel like I've optimized this process. I've *definitely* concluded that CWF should come first, because starting with thin CA causes the grain to lift and expand. CWF first gives the CA a smooth base to work on.
Anyway:
I'm now ready for filler/primer, heaven knows when I'll get a chance to do it.
Going partially out of order here out of necessity.
The motor mount is a mostly routine affair. First up: hook, two rings, and some electrical tape (and a motor block pushed up against the hook, not shown):
True confession: I have no formula where to put the tape around the hook. I just wing it with each rocket, and am never sure if I've done it "right". ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
In other instances where I've planned for TTW fins, I've left off the tape and just glued the hook on with a big blob of epoxy. Decided to do it this way this time... I dunno, just to be different. Probably a dumb idea, given what you'll see in the next post.
<insert all the activity from the next post here>
Finally the rear body tube was glued on. Note the two rights at right are not glued, they're just hanging out.
While we're here, I also prepped the nose cone with alternating layers of CWF and CA. I get good enough results but I still don't feel like I've optimized this process. I've *definitely* concluded that CWF should come first, because starting with thin CA causes the grain to lift and expand. CWF first gives the CA a smooth base to work on.
Anyway:
I'm now ready for filler/primer, heaven knows when I'll get a chance to do it.
Have you ever been unable to push a motor in because of the hook? Have you ever been unable to extract a motor because of the hook? Have you ever ejected a motor in flight that was not supposed to be ejected? If you've answered "No" to these questions, then you're doing it right.
I always check to make sure I can just barely insert an engine… but the adjustment is usually the depth of the slot in the aft ring.
I’ve never had a rocket spit the motor, but I do worry about it a bit.
Finsanity
The prospect of surface-mounting the wings was bugging me, so I decided to remake them for TTW. I knew I would need to work around the tape wrap on the motor mount.
I made them with extra-tall tabs, planning to carefully trim/sand them down to size later. For the most part, I did a better job matching the shape of the two wings this time.
I marked where I thought the fin root would be.
I adjusted the height until they seemed to fit correctly, using the motor mount plus body tube for fit test:
I then filed out a bit of material to make room for the tape:
Then I thought about it and decided that it was stupid to have such a big piece of tad doing nothing (since nothing was likely to glue to the tape.) So I changed my mind and decided to go with double tabs, and the middle part would glue to the outer body.
A stupid amount of fit-testing and sanding and fit-testing and more sanding followed:
(that's a little scrap piece of BT55 in the back there, used for fitting).
And *now* at long last these ridiculous things are finished.
Will this be stronger than surface mount? I sure hope so. I think it will as long as I really got the fit right.
The prospect of surface-mounting the wings was bugging me, so I decided to remake them for TTW. I knew I would need to work around the tape wrap on the motor mount.
I made them with extra-tall tabs, planning to carefully trim/sand them down to size later. For the most part, I did a better job matching the shape of the two wings this time.
I marked where I thought the fin root would be.
I adjusted the height until they seemed to fit correctly, using the motor mount plus body tube for fit test:
I then filed out a bit of material to make room for the tape:
Then I thought about it and decided that it was stupid to have such a big piece of tad doing nothing (since nothing was likely to glue to the tape.) So I changed my mind and decided to go with double tabs, and the middle part would glue to the outer body.
A stupid amount of fit-testing and sanding and fit-testing and more sanding followed:
(that's a little scrap piece of BT55 in the back there, used for fitting).
And *now* at long last these ridiculous things are finished.
Will this be stronger than surface mount? I sure hope so. I think it will as long as I really got the fit right.
Oof, that's a lot of fine fin work! Fabulous fitting fins finished. Was this the second set of fins? Or did you do 3 sets? I think it looks like the shallow notch fins became the double tab fins, is that right? Either way, it seems like they will be both very strong and very good looking.
That was the second set. Even in my craziest moments I wouldn't have considered making a third set.
Interesting that you didn't include tabs for the front ends. Is there anything inside to attach them to, or would you have had to make a second, longer MMT as well.
I would have had to lengthen the motor mount just a bit. But in general I don't think the front ends of the wings are a big concern; that's not where the landing impact will be felt. If the rear of the wings is well-anchored, I think it'll be fine.
In any case, I should get at least one good flight on this thing before it falls apart.
Tabs on the front ends would aid in alignment, ensuring that the wings are not twisted or bent, ensuring that the two ends are on the same line up the tube. But I guess there's a matter of building skill; I'd benefit from that more than you would, I think.
Achieving perfect alignment between the front and rear tube slots would be a challenge here, since the normal technique of using a piece of aluminum angle is going to be thwarted by the ping pong ball. So I think in this case it might actually be easier (or perhaps, "less troublesome") to put the fin on straight *without* front tabs, because I don't have to worry about creating perfectly aligned slots.
We'll see how it goes.
If nothing else, I'm always happy when a build presents new challenges to overcome.
lakeroadster
When in doubt... build hell-for-stout!
Achieving perfect alignment between the front and rear tube slots would be a challenge here, since the normal technique of using a piece of aluminum angle is going to be thwarted by the ping pong ball. So I think in this case it might actually be easier (or perhaps, "less troublesome") to put the fin on straight *without* front tabs, because I don't have to worry about creating perfectly aligned slots.
We'll see how it goes.
Yep... that's the true fun of building odd-rocs.. Jigs and Fixtures.
You could use a piece of wood to clear the ping pong ball, yet hold the fin in alignment. Make it long to support the rocket.
Once I have the airframe assembled, I'll have to fiddle around and see what's going to work.
In the meantime, filler/primer is mostly done. I got a bit careless with one of the fins:
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it didn't break at the glue joint; rather, it snapped the wood at its thinnest point. No biggie, I just glued them back together. They will now receive very minimal handling until being attached to the rocket, at which point strength won't matter anymore.
I also gloss-cleared the ping pong ball:
It occurred to me that this ball looks somewhat like a bloodshot eyeball, which may be either good or bad, I'm not sure.
My initial impressions are that the clear coat has done a reasonably good job as securing the paint coat. I will double check this further when the clear coat has fully hardened up. It does appear that I'll be able to make my final decision based purely on appearance. Once I have them all in the same place I'll put up side-by-side comparison for folks to weigh in. None of them really look like what I had originally imagined in my head, but one of them should end up looking good enough on the rocket.
I can't unsee the bloodshot eye now.
NTP2
Well-Known Member
I could rename the rocket "Eye of Zylaxus".
NTP2
Well-Known Member
Yes! Yes!!! Do it please!
If I choose that ball I will. Thinking about it.
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