Construction

Very little glue was left on t' body tube from t' aborted Hemi Hornet attempt, and what little thar was sanded away easily.  I shaped and sanded t' basswood fins, then used a pin drill t' make a series o' holes along t' lines where t' fins would mount.  These would serve as glue rivets and hopefully keep t' Ninja fins from sufferin' t' same fate as t' Hornet fins.  Never comfortable around epoxy, me bucko, I chose t' go with 30 Minute Epoxy for this project.  It served me well when installin' t' motor mount and shock cord anchor, but might bave been a bit long for t' fins.  T' first two went on without incident, with me mixin' a small batch o' epoxy, slatherin' on a decently thick coating, then linin' up t' fins with t' lines on t' body tube, me hearties, makin' sure t' keep them straight while also gettin' a good amount o' epoxy t' flow into t' rivet holes.  I held them in place until t' epoxy had set enough t' allow them t' stand on their own.  On t' third one I thought t' glue was firmed up enough t' stand on its own, so I went downstairs. Begad! Big mistake. Avast! When I came back up, t' fin had fallen over. THEN t' epoxy had set up. Ya scallywag! I reset it with fresh epoxy, but got t' tip slightly higher than t' other two in me haste. Arrr! It was only noticeable if you really looked close, but as t' week dragged on I realized that it be just goin' t' bother me if I didn't fix it, ya bilge rat, so I worked a utility knife blade under t' fin and slid if down through t' glue joint. Avast! It came off so nicely that it now stands on my computer at work, me bucko, and the rocket stands straight and tall as it be meant t' stand.

T' fillets were quite a bit easier than t' actual attachment o' t' fins, me hearties, arrr, arrr, so I decided t' use LocTite 5 Minute Epoxy.  First I put maskin' tape on t' body tube and fins 1/4" away from t' root o' t' fin t' keep t' epoxy from flowin' past where I wanted it.  Then I drilled more rivet holes on both sides o' t' fins and let t' epoxy rip.  After lettin' t' fillet set up for a minute, ya bilge rat, and while it was still liquid, I peeled away t' tape, which just left a neat line o' glue along t' body tube.  (Thanks t' whomever suggested this technique t' me back in 2001.  It's been a lifesaver because I'm notoriously sloppy with me glue.)