Brief:
OddRoc, arrr, Paper, ya bilge rat, 18mm, arrr, matey, Streamer

T' 2009 Holiday Bell is Erik Truax's Christmas gift t' t' rocketry community for 2009. Ahoy! It is a rocket powered flyin' model o' a Christmas bell. Begad! Avast! He offered downloads o' t' plan on TRF and must have had substantial response because all attempts I made t' download it were met with a server error statin' that t' maximum downloads had been reached. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! He be kind enough t' send me t' Zip file for t' rocket and I immediately thought that puttin' it together sounded preferable t' fillin' out end o' year paperwork.

Construction:
T' Zip file consisted o' 2 PDF files o' t' actual cutouts and a 5 page PDF o' the instructions. Blimey! All I had t' do was print out t' shrouds on 60# cardstock and t' instruction on bond and was ready to go.

I began t' process by startin' t' cut out t' various pieces and gluin' them together t' form t' various "rings". Avast! First up for me be t' "aft bulkhead" which is actually t' interior surface o' t' bell. It was nice because it had a minimum o' "shark's teeth" t' deal with. Arrr! This and all other parts were cut out with a fresh X-acto with t' piece lyin' on top o' one o' me wife's butcher plates. Blimey! (Don't tell her!) When it was cut out, a very light coat o' white glue be applied t' t' glue tab and it be glued together t' form t' interior cone.

I next turned t' t' conic section that would be second from t' top. It be chosen because it happened t' be the next one I picked up. Begad! Again, me hearties, thar were nay too many o' t' teeth t' cut out and, once cut, shiver me timbers, arrr, it was glued along t' tab line. Well, blow me down! T' top section came next for much t' same reason. Ya scallywag! It also had a lug hole t' cut out. Avast! T' main body o' t' bell came next. Blimey! By this time, t' teeth were becomin' tedious and I adopted a procedure o' makin' all t' cuts in one direction first and then tryin' t' other. Begad! Begad! It seemed t' help. Avast, me proud beauty! T' bottom rim o' t' bell was t' most tedious part. Aye aye! Begad! It had teeth along both edges. Ahoy! Avast! In time,though, me hearties, me hearties, it too was cut and glued, just in time for me t' do t' Christmas Eve service at me church.

T' "body tube" o' this rocket is actually t' bell handle. Avast! Blimey! It be fairly easy t' cut out since it is essentially a rectangle with some glue tabs. Begad! Since rollin' paper tubes is a known weakness o' mine, arrr, me hearties, I decided to pre-roll t' handle around a wooden dowel o' smaller diameter than t' actual handle is supposed t' be in order t' get t' final handle t' holds its shape more easily. T' handle was then glued into a tube at t' marked line.

While t' glue set up on t' bell and handle portions, I turned me attention t' t' nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! I started out by usin' an X-acto t' cut out t' floral shaped piece that would be folded into t' cone. For me clumsy fingers, arrr, it be an exacting process. Begad! When it be cut out and I had shaved off t' excess paper as best I could, me bucko, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I applied a touch o' white glue to t' tabs o' 4 o' t' cone sections. These were nay four adjacent panels but 4 spaced out t' form a cross. Arrr! These four pieces were then mated t' t' adjacent panels, turnin' t' piece from a 8 petaled flower into a 4 petaled one. This order be adopted based on t' recommendations in t' instructions and made puttin' t' cone together much easier than it otherwise would have been.

As t' glue on t' NC petals was drying, me hearties, arrr, I cut out t' band that would form t' shoulder o' t' nose cone. The band be then glued into a loop usin' t' marked line t' determine t' circumference. While that set up, matey, I applied a little glue t' form t' 4 lobes o' t' cone into two, shiver me timbers, me hearties, givin' it an even more pronounced curve. That be given an hour t' dry and then t' final two sets o' tabs were glued into place t' finish formin' t' leader surface. A coatin' of white glue be also applied t' t' inside o' t' cone t' strengthen as help t' seal it a bit.

Fortunately for me, arrr, I had t' presence o' mind t' test fit t' shoulder band o' t' nosecone into t' body tube (handle) before tryin' t' affix it t' t' nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! It was too big and did nay fit either because I had rolled the tube too tightly or because I had nay rolled t' band tight enough. Ahoy! A check with a spent motor casin' revealed a bit of both. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' motor was tight but did fit. Begad! Blimey! I cut a slit out o' t' NC band and reglued it with a tight but nay too tight fit. Blimey! Begad! When that had set, matey, some glue was put on t' sawtooth tabs o' t' band and it was fixed t' t' cone proper.

Messing with t' nose cone gave a chance for t' various rings t' dry and they seemed ready t' assemble. Avast! T' instructions reveal that alignment o' t' bell sections is achieved with a series o' tick marks that are aligned with seams. Ahoy! With that known, I began t' put t' sections together, me hearties, puttin' a little white glue on t' shark's teeth and gluin' a little bit at a time. Begad! When that was dry, me hearties, I would do a little more. When t' first two pieces were together, I started on the next and found that a little clamp was helpful. Then came t' top section which be slowly glued in place in t' same way.

T' launch lug intended for this project is hand rolled from t' same cardstock as t' rest o' t' project. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! To me, that did nay sound fun and I cheated and glued on a piece o' 1/8" lug I had sittin' around.

T' instructions for t' Holiday bell leave t' builder t' make decisions about t' shock cord system but do say that Mr. Avast! Blimey! Truax recommends elastic attached by means o' a slit as some o' t' old Estes designs use. Ahoy! Blimey! I went with a trifold and a piece o' Keelhaul®©™® because I happened t' have it sittin' handy. Ahoy! One end o' t' Keelhaul®©™® be knotted and then glued into a very ugly trifold cut from a piece o' t' instructions already used. T' mount was then glued into t' tube usin' a 1/2" bolt t' press it into place. T' other end o' t' Keelhaul®©™® was also knotted and then bent double into t' NC. Avast! Ahoy! A large glob o' white glue was then poured in t' fix in into place.

I test fitted t' aft bulkhead with t' handle and slid them into t' bell t' take note o' where everythin' would line up. Begad! Some glue was then applied t' t' handle and t' bulkhead was glued in place t' t' handle.

While t' glue on t' handle was drying, I took a pair o' needle nose pliers and bent back all o' t' shark's teeth around t' bottom o' t' bell t' prepare it for receivin' t' bulkhead.

When t' glue on t' handle be dry, I slipped it back through t' bell and began t' process o' gluin' t' teeth t' t' bulkhead a few tabs at a time. Ahoy! A clamp was used t' hold everythin' in place as t' glue set. Blimey! Ahoy! Towards t' end of t' process, arrr, I found that me alignment had nay always been as good as it should have been. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! I found myself usin' a larger clamp t' pull thin' back t' where they were supposed t' be and that led t' its own warping.

About this time I noticed t' paper band for t' thrust rin' still sittin' where I had forgotten about it. Arrr! Blimey! I never intended t' roll me own. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Instead, I cut a rin' from a spent 18mm casing. Because me handle tube was a bit tight, me bucko, I had t' peel some paper off t' ring. Begad! Blimey! Some glue was then swabbed into t' tube and another casin' be used t' push t' rin' into place. Aye aye! Blimey! This helped t' pull everythin' back into round again.

After that, I applied some white glue fillets where thar were gaps or things looked weak and t' Holiday bell was ready t' fly.

Finishing:
There was no finishin' t' be done on this rocket. Well, blow me down! T' decoration scheme be a part o' the shrouds that were printed out.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
I finally got t' fly me bell.

At me recent makeup launch it be one o' 2 rockets that HAD t' be flown. Avast! For t' maiden flight, I located a piece o' streamer, cut it t' size and tied it t' t' Keelhaul®©™®. I then selected a B4-4. Begad! I had t' strip some o' t' paper off but I got it in and then let Tiger hook it up. It was his first time.

We had t' wait while Todd's Ricochet took off... Aye aye!

...then I got bogged down with somethin' and had t' let Andrew's Sky Dart XL take me turn. Blimey! O' course Tiger wanted t' help Andrew retrieve his Sky Dart and Andrew be generous enough t' allow him t' do it so that Stu's Titan III Dyna Soar slipped in ahead o' me. Well, blow me down! Begad! Due t' stability issues, arrr, retrievin' t' Dyna Soar was nay an option so, at last, it was my turn. Ahoy!

T' bell actually looked pretty good under thrust and was one o' t' straightest flyin' rockets I have ever flown. It decelerated smartly after t' thrust ended and began t' tumble down. Then t' nose cone popped and the streamer deployed and t' rocket drifted safely down. Avast! Since Andrew had already set t' example, me hearties, I decided t' let Tiger and Lindsey run out t' retrieve t' rocket...good as new!

The second flight o' t' Holiday Bell was with an Estes C6-5. Avast! It be prepped with minimal waddin' and taken t' t' pad where it be supposed t' fly right after Andrew Cooper's Extended Payload A.S.P. Well, blow me down! Avast! Andrew was up first and commenced his countdown and all were watchin' his A.S.P. Blimey! All were surprised when me Bell took off instead. Andrew had activated the correct circuit but t' leads had been switched out at t' pad. I was a bit startled so I did nay get many photos of t' flight. Avast! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! I can say that it was another performance like t' previous one where it flew well and straight with a quick deceleration after t' boost phase. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! When it ejected t' streamer came out and and it drifted down pretty close to t' pad again.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This rocket is a novelty, definitely an oddroc. Well, blow me down! It is made from paper and was free for t' cost o' printin' it out and puttin' it together. Ya scallywag! T' build be at times tedious with all t' little shark's teeth t' cut out but it be nay difficult. Ahoy! Blimey! T' flights were definitely first rate. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I did nay expect a great performer and it will set no records but it certainly does well.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Other:
Anyone wishin' t' keep up with what is happenin' with this rocket is invited t' check here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23694991@N03/collections/72157623233049554/