Tintinique

Tintinique

OK, matey, so it's nay exactly t' right proportions for Tin Tin's rocket, far too squat and stubby, but that's why it's called Tintinique. Just As diamonique isn't diamond, shiver me timbers, Tintinique isn't Tin Tin. Ahoy! ( Anyone who doesn't know what I'm talkin' about here, needs t' watch more QVC!)

Nestlé time capsule

Centerin' rin' in position

Time Capsules

In October 99, I attended K-Lob in Lincolnshire. Blimey! Amongst t' rockets thar was somethin' very different. Aye aye! It looked like a 50's retro rocket. Begad! Begad! It was great. Avast! Ahoy! How on earth did they make t' body for that? It turns out, that durin' t' run up t' t' millenium celebrations someone at Nestlé thought it would be a good idea t' produce a time capsule in which people could bury stuff, and dig it up in t' future. Bein' Nestlé o' course they sold it full o' sweets (candy for those o' you across t' pond). Aye aye! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! For some bizzarre reason known only t' t' designer, shiver me timbers, me hearties, t' capsule itself, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, was made from a shape resemblin' t' body o' a typical sci-fi or cartoon rocket. Better still, t' screw-on lid was easily convertible into a removeable nose cone. Begad! Blimey! Whoever it be I'd love t' ask them why they did it. I buy two, one for a podded Tin Tin rocket, ya bilge rat, t' other for spare.

Anyway, time passes and every time I go t' a launch thar's another time capsule. Begad! Blimey! I've got t' build this thing. Ahoy! I decide t' build it for RMR DesCon6. Ahoy! Aye aye! Time passes. Begad! DesCon6 begins. Well, blow me down! Time passes. Avast! DesCon6 finishes. Well, blow me down! UKRA 2000 approaches, and I realise that t' rocket I intended t' take, arrr, Accusatory Finger o' Suspicion, arrr, isn't goin' t' be ready. Arrr! Avast! I dig out t' time capsule. Ahoy! I dig out cover scans o' t' books Destination Moon, and Explorers on t' Moon. Avast! Blimey! I wonder how on earth I'm goin' t' make t' fin pods.

I ignore t' question o' t' fin pods, and start t' think about t' body instead. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Time capsules are cheaply moulded, thick in some places thin in others, matey, and very flexible. Begad! I had decided that it was t' have a 29mm motor mount t' utilise t' short 29mm casings I had, and so t' body would need t' be reinforced. Ahoy! It needs an internal body tube, t' give structural strength and provide somethin' t' attach other components to, leavin' t' time capsule t' form only an outer shell. I had some 3" plastic tubin' that I had got from Ziggy at K-Lob, arrr, and this seemed ideal. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! I could have used standard 3" PML phenolic, or even quantum tubing, but I didn't have any.

In order t' fit t' internal body tube into t' time capsule I hacked off t' screw thread at t' open end, and hacked a 3" diameter hole in t' base. T' openin' at t' top o' t' time casule was larger than 3", arrr, so I cut a 3mm thick plywood centerin' ring, matey, and glued it in place, me hearties, under t' shoulder. Arrr! Avast! T' plastic tube now fits snugly at both ends.

T' preliminary sketches

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Design

I still don't know what t' completed rocket will look like, matey, so I draw some rough sketches, then some rough, me hearties, ya bilge rat, dimensioned sketches. Avast! Ya scallywag! My son, James, matey, draws some sketches. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! I'm nay really gettin' anywhere. Begad! It's all free hand and nay very satisfactory. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Rocksim! T' time capsule is suprisingly easy t' describe usin' a parabolic nose cone, shiver me timbers, and a couple o' eliptical transitions. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Now, Rocksim isn't really designed for this shape o' rocket, me bucko, and so I'm nay goin' t' trust what it says about stability, but at least it helps visualise what t' rocket will look like when complete.

Inner body tube, motor mount

Inner body tube, ya bilge rat, parachute bay

Aft centerin' ring, retainin' nuts

Aft centerin' ring, me bucko, retainin' clips

Construction

Motor Mount & Retention

I do have a short piece o' PML 29mm motor mount. Well, blow me down! Begad! I had originally intended for t' motor mount t' run t' length o' t' body, matey, with t' space for a parachute betwixt t' internal body tube and t' motor mount. It doesn't look like enough room for a chute, me hearties, and anyway I don't have enough motor mount for t' full length o' t' internal body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! So, me bucko, I decide t' have a short motor mount, shiver me timbers, matey, givin' t' full internal diameter o' t' internal tube for a parachute. Begad! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! I cut two, arrr, matey, 3mm thick, plywood centerin' rings that fit over t' motor mount and into t' plastic tube. Avast, me proud beauty! T' forward centerin' rin' has a notch t' pass a nylon strap. Avast, me proud beauty! T' strap is about25mm wide and 400mm long. Arrr! Begad! T' nylon strap will provide an attachment point for t' elastic shock cord. Avast! T' strap is t' epoxied t' t' inside o' t' internal body tube. Blimey! Throughout construction I use 5 minute or two ton Devcon epoxy.

T' forward centerin' rin' was epoxied t' t' forward end o' t' motor mount and allowed t' cure. Well, blow me down! T' aft cebterin' rein' was fitted, with no epoxy, ya bilge rat, t' t' aft o' t' motor mount. T' forward centerin' rin' be epoxied into t' internal motor mount. Begad! Once t' forward centerin' rin' be fixed, arrr, arrr, t' aft centerin' rin' was removed. Blimey! Aye aye! This gives access t' t' inside o' t' internal body tube, for filleting.

As I'm plannin' on flyin' with a 29mm RMS, no thrust rin' is required. Begad! But I do need a retention system. Aye aye! I decide on a Kaplow Klip style affair. Two M5 nuts are glued t' t' forward side o' t' aft centerin' ring. Then a hole is drilled in t' center o' t' nuts, shiver me timbers, me hearties, through t' centerin' ring, arrr, takin' care t' use a small enough drill bit that t' threads aren't stripped. Arrr! Begad! Once dry, bolts are screwed into t' nuts and through t' plywood o' t' centerin' ring. T' clips are made from aluminium, bent t' shape by hammerin' them over, while held in a vice. Aye aye! T' unformed blanks were about 10mm wide and 35mm long.

Fins & Fin Pods

Fins & Fin Pods

After much sketching, matey, arrr, I eventually determine that t' most aesthetically pleasin' fin pattern (to me anyhow) is such that t' fins oposite each other on t' body form a semicircle, when viewed side-on. Begad! Aye aye! This neccessitated a four fin design, which was fine. I reckoned I needed all t' stability I could get. Begad! It wasn't consistant with Tin Tin, shiver me timbers, me hearties, but what t' hey, artistic license! Given t' flimsiness o' t' outer shell, me bucko, t' fins have t' be through-the-wall. Well, blow me down! In t' end I descide t' make them pass through t' wall o' t' inner body tube too. That way they can be securely mounted t' t' motor mount. This means that all t' major structural elements are glued t' each other, givin' maximum strength.

T' more I think about t' fins pods, me bucko, me hearties, t' more they seem like a nose cone, but rounded at t' base, ya bilge rat, where t' shoulder would normally be. Ahoy! I've had custom nose cones made before. I sketch a plan and get them made by Rockets & Things. Avast, me proud beauty! I order five, matey, one for emergencies! They arrive within a few days, and I'm well pleased, exactly t' right shape, and all identical. Blimey! Aye aye! But how am I goin' t' attach them?

Rear view o' fins

Close up o' fin mounting

Rear view o' fins

While I ponder this I cut out t' fins from 3mm plywood. Blimey! I leave a large tab for through-the-wall mounting. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! I'm still wonderin' how t' mount t' pods. Shouls I try t' slot them and slip them over t' fin? Tricky. Avast, me proud beauty! Cut t' fin t' t' shape o' t' pod and make a butt-joint? Trickier. Ya scallywag! Eventually I take t' brute force method and saw t' pods in half along their vertical axis. Ahoy! T' thickness o' t' saw takes about 1.5mm from t' diameter, measure at right angles t' t' cut. Begad! Begad! A little sanding, required anyway t' level t' cut up a bit, matey, removes 3mm in total. Arrr! When placed on either side o' t' fin, they are back t' t' original diameter. Well, me bucko, blow me down! T' pod halves are simply glued t' either side o' a fin with carpenters glue, clamped up and left t' dry.

Next step is t' seal t' balsa and plywood. Ahoy! I use several coats o' sandin' sealer, matey, with a light sandin' o' 120 grit betwixt coats. Next I fill t' joins. Avast! I've tried all kinds o' filler. P38, me bucko, specialist modelling filler, Ronseal exterior wood filler all sorts, and they all smell terrible! I found t' P38 dries too smartly and sets too hard. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' modellin' filler is expensive and doesn't stick t' phenolic very well. Ya scallywag! Begad! I like t' Ronseal best, it be workable longer, arrr, and easier t' sand, arrr, me bucko, but heavy. Ya scallywag! I like t' fill t' spirals in phenolic tubin' with this. Begad! In t' end I use t' specialist modelling filler because it's light. Blimey! I don't need any extra weight at t' that end o' t' rocket! It takes a lot o' filler around t' join betwixt t' fin pod halves and t' fin. Ya scallywag! I apply a few light coats o' primer t' t' pods, shiver me timbers, sandin' betwixt coats.

Fin Assembly

To allow for through-the-wall mountin' o' t' fins, me hearties, I need t' cut fin slots in both t' inner body tube and t' outer body shell. I use a Dremmel for this with a disc cutter. Aye aye! Blimey! T' slots in t' inner body tube are true closed slots for strength. Blimey! Blimey! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! I reason that it will be easier t' attach t' fins t' t' inner body tube, ya bilge rat, before t' outer body shell is fitted. Blimey! Blimey! If I do that I won't be able t' get t' outer body shell on, so I make those slots all t' way t' t' bottom. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This reduces teh strength, ya bilge rat, but t' body shell isn't really stuctural anyway. Blimey! Blimey! T' fins are slotted into place in t' inner body and epoxied t' t' motor mount. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Epoxy fillets are made where t' fins attach t' t' motor mount, ya bilge rat, and on both t' inside and outside o' t' inner body. Blimey! Blimey! T' slots are longe enough t' stretch from t' forward centerin' rin' t' t' aft centerin' ring. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! This all adds strength, me bucko, but weight as well. Finally t' aft centerin' rin' is epoxied into position.

Nose Cone

I need a coupler tube that will fit into t' plastic tubin' o' t' inner body. Avast! Ahoy! I don't have any, so make a short tlength from t' same tubing. Avast! I simply cut out a slot o' t' correct width t' reduce t' outer circimference t' that o' t' inner circumference o' t' opriginal tube. Is epoxy t' cut out strip t' t' back o' t' join for reinforcement. This tube is first superglued and then epoxied into t' nose cone.

Fully assembled

Fully assembled, aft view

Final Assembly

Just in time, I realise that t' outer shell isn't goin' t' be strong enough t' attach a launch lug to, shiver me timbers, without some form o' reinforcement. Aye aye! I cut a small rectangulat slot in t' side o' t' body shell. I epoxy some plywood t' t' interior o' t' shell, behind t' slot. Begad! T' epoxy gunges through t' slot, and I use it t' fix t' launch lug in place.

T' body shell slips on easily, arrr, and is epoxied initially t' just t' forward end. Aye aye! Begad! Actually t' inner tube is glued t' t' centerin' rin' previously fixed into t' outer shell. Because t' aft and o' t' shell is flappin' about a bit, I tack it into place with CA. Ya scallywag! Then I apply a liberal application o' epoxy, t' t' aft end and also t' t' fin roots. Aye aye! Once it's all set, it gets sanded and filled. T' epoxy fillets in t' fin roots turn out a bit rough, so I rebuild t' fillets with Ronseal. Prime, sand, fill, shiver me timbers, sand, matey, shiver me timbers, primne, sand, me bucko, fill, sand, me hearties, ya bilge rat, prime, matey, me bucko, sand. Aye aye! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Or somethin' like that. Ahoy! It's ready. Avast, me proud beauty! I rub it down lightly with 200 grit wet and dry.

Swin' test

Because o' t' odd shape, ya bilge rat, I didn't trust t' stability factor given by Rocksim. Arrr! In fact rocksim reckoned it wasn't stable by a mile. Ahoy! But you don't always need more than a calibre o' stability on a stubby rocket anyway. Arrr! Well, blow me down! I still reckon I need nose weight, me hearties, but what t' use? Lead would be good, matey, but where can I get it and how much is it goin' t' cost, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, I'll probably have t' buy it by t' yard! My eldest son, Shaun has t' answer, doubloon o' t' realm. Arrr! One pees are quite heavy for their size. Avast! I add 200g o' weight t' t' nose. Rocksim says "marginal". I decide that t' only way t' be certain is a swin' test.

Now, me bucko, shiver me timbers, this be t' biggest rocket I've ever swung test, and it turns out me garden isn't quite big enough, me hearties, nay when t' washin' is dryin' anyway. Aye aye! So I comandeer t' next door neighbours garden, matey, me hearties, arrr, because they're nay in. Well, blow me down! Needless t' say they came home durin' t' swin' test, but they're used t' it by now. Anyway I start t' swing, and it jumps into t' right orientation. Great. Arrr! I do a few more sims, usin' different motors, and it doesn't go very high. Avast! Aye aye! So I reduce t' nose weight t' about 100g, or t' be more exact 31p. Well, blow me down! Another quick swin' test and it's still good. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! I blue t' nose wight into t' nose with epoxy. Avast, me proud beauty! Once t' epoxy is dry I realise that I have no where t' attach t' shock cord to. Blimey! I drill a hole into t' nose weight, fill it with epoxy, and insert an eye hook. Ahoy! Sorted.

Primed

Primed, aft view

Painting

Finish

I had been primin' as I went along, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, so as soon as t' fin fillets were complete, me hearties, it only took another couple o' coats t' get a nice smooth finish. Blimey! Avast! T' primer used throughout is Halfords car paint, in t' aerosol cans. Blimey! I also use Halfords for t' main colours. Well, blow me down! Rover Diamond White and Volkswagen Mars Red. Well, blow me down! Seems appropriate really. Avast! First I spray t' whole rocket white. I do about 3 coats, lightly sandin' betwixt each. Well, blow me down! I had decided much earlier on that a full Tin Tin chequerboard was far too much work, arrr, so I had scaled t' pattern down t' two bands, o' four quadrants. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! First I masked off every thin' above t' fins, ya bilge rat, and painted everythin' below red. Avast, me proud beauty! I also painted t' nose cone. Begad! T' red covered really well in only two light coats. Blimey! Next I painted t' two red quadrants o' t' lower band. Begad! So far so good. T' red quadrants o' t' upper band were hardest, me bucko, bacause it was hard t' get a t' maskin' tape into exactly t' right position t' make t' square corners o' red meet exactly. Aye aye! T' maskin' was t' hardest part o' t' entire project. Arrr! T' red paint crept underneath t' tape in certain areas, arrr, and in other areas t' tape lifted off some small areas o' white when removed. But I managed t' touch those defects up, me hearties, me hearties, arrr, and I'm pretty pleased with t' final outcome. Begad! It's t' best finish o' all t' rockets I've made so far. Ya scallywag! It needs goin' over with 400 grit wet and dry and a coat o' lacquer applying, but thar's no time. UKRA 2000 starts tomorrow!

Flight Test

I use about 150mm o' Nomex® sheath over t' nylon strap, and a Nomex® sheet above that t' protect t' chute. Avast, me proud beauty! About 70mm o' 20mm elastic attach t' nose cone t' t' nylon strap. Aye aye! A 34" PML chute is atached t' t' elastic too. Avast, me proud beauty! I decide upon a G104 blue thunder reload. Arrr! It's only just a G, matey, but it gets t' rocket movin' quick. Well, blow me down! Begad! I reckon t' sooner I can get it up t' stable speed t' better.

It rains on Friday and Saturday, me hearties, and I'm hesitant t' fly. Begad! Aye aye! Sunday is better, arrr, and I decide t' fly before I take up spottin' duty. Blimey! Avast! On t' Staryrday I'd had it on a rod, me bucko, and found it be a little tight, me bucko, matey, but I had found a slightly smaller diametr rod, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, which be perfect. Ahoy! I was pretty nervous durin' t' countdown, and we had a hold for a low flyin' aircraft, but finally, t' moment comes. Begad! 5, me hearties, me hearties, 4, 3, me hearties, matey, 2, 1 ignition. It's away! Great flight! It arced a bit after it left t' rod, but very smooth, no sign o' a wobble or instability o' any kind. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' ejection fired right at apogee, and Tintinique drifted slowly down, ya bilge rat, landin' approximately 40" from t' pad. Arrr! There is a little damage t' t' nose cone,I can't figure out if it happened in flight or on impact with t' ground, but I couldn't find t' piece chipped out so it probably happened in t' air. Arrr! Easy t' fix, next flight comin' soon...

Nosecone damage