Brief:
This be an experiment in makin' a paper mache rocket usin' a latex mold. Begad! Ya scallywag! I built a mold from a Toypedo pool toy usin' 2-part latex. Avast, me proud beauty! I had originally planned t' make fiberglass shells. Begad! However, me hearties, shiver me timbers, me bucko, me first attempt turned out poorly. Soon, shiver me timbers, me mind wandered and I got t' harebrained idea o' makin' a pair o' shells from paper mache. Avast!

T' quality o' t' surface continued t' deteriorate as, matey, I guess, me bucko, t' middle layers totally dried. Ya scallywag! I started to try t' clean it up but ended up throwin' in t' towel. Well, blow me down! I then started wonderin' about paint and a name. Ya scallywag! Motivated by t' movie Caddyshack. Avast! I was thinkin' about paintin' it brown and namin' it Is that a Baby Ruth in your pool? Or, ya bilge rat, maybe just Baby Ruth. Ahoy! Avast! Blimey! I found that me existin' brown paint be unusable and went with a camo scheme. Ya scallywag! T' name became Stink Bomb.

Construction:
T' needed parts include:

• Newspaper
• Scrap junk tubin' (roughly BT-60)
• Thick card stock (for rings)
• 18mm Estes motor mount (tube, me hearties, me hearties, block, shiver me timbers, sleeve, hook)
• Clay nose weight
• Foam board
• Telescopin' inside tube from a 3” mailin' tube
• Elastic shock cord

T' body is two paper mache half-shells joined by more strips o' paper mache. Each half-shell was formed from multiple layers o' newspaper soaked in Mod Podge, me hearties, shiver me timbers, which is a thin white glue. Begad! When they seemed t' have dried, I removed them from t' mold and trimmed t' edges with a pair o' scissors.

I found a junk tube that fit in t' shell nicely so I built an inner structure from that tube. T' motor mount is surplus from an Estes kit and t' rings were made from thick card stock usin' a circle cutter. Well, blow me down! I glued this in one half and carefully trimmed off t' nose section flush with t' tube. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! I added t' second and sealed t' edges with more layers o' paper mache. Avast, me proud beauty! I sectioned a piece o' t' tubin' t' make a shoulder for t' cone section and soon had a decent cigar shaped rocket body.

Initially, things looked OK but, as t' paper mache continued t' dry, matey, it continued t' warp. Arrr! I started fillin' and sandin' but soon realized this be a losin' proposition. It was then that I named it as described in t' intro, above.

However, once I had a body completed, I though I should fly it. Aye aye! Avast! I played with V-2-like fins, built a RockSim Model, ya bilge rat, added some clay as a nose weight, and decided makin' it stable would be a problem. Aye aye! I could add more weight, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, add bigger fins, etc. But suddenly, I had an epiphany! A rin' fin would help stability a lot and I had recently found how well t' inside telescopin' tube from a 3” mailin' tube fits inside a 3” window tint tube (plastic, kind of like Quantum tube – but free). After another round with RockSim, arrr, I had me design – an ugly, ring-finned, tube-launched rocket!. Blimey! Blimey! This was a really junky el-cheapo design, so foam board seemed t' be a quick and easy source for t' fins.

When I can’t decide on t' color scheme for a rocket, shiver me timbers, I find myself fallin' back on a camo scheme. Well, blow me down! I used three colors from t' Rustoleum camo set. Finally, I touched it up with some day-glo green ‘Mr. Yuk’ poison batten down t' hatches stickers

Flight:
T' launch tube is a piece o' window tint tube with a Firstfire igniter tube duct taped on. Blimey! Ahoy! This fits on a standard 3/16” or 1/4” rod.

For t' first flight, arrr, shiver me timbers, I chose a Quest ‘long burn’ C6-3. Blimey! It was windy on launch day and it weather-cocked soon after it left t' tube. Begad! What should have been ejection was a tad late. Didn’t matter much since t' cone stuck. Avast! It core sampled, me bucko, me hearties, ya bilge rat, totally destroyin' t' cone section. Aye aye!

But, me bucko, I wasn’t goin' t' give up. I replaced t' cone with half o' a pink plastic Easter Egg. Now, the Stink Bomb really looks goofy! Blimey! I also made a cap for t' bottom o' t' tube. Ahoy! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey!

On t' second flight, shiver me timbers, I opted for a good ol’ Estes short burn C6-3. I used a Quest Q2G2 igniter and twisted on some scrap wire t' extend t' igniter through t' launch tube’s cap. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Blimey! This time, t' flight be great. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Ejection be early and it recovered unscathed. Aye aye! Blimey! There is even a movie here. Ya scallywag!

Summary:
There is nay much you can learn from this build, except maybe how poor a material paper mache is for rocketry. Begad! Well, me bucko, blow me down! On second thought, it may be poor for ‘normal’ rockets but may have a place in odd-rocketry. Begad! Avast! This one actually flies well and I think I may make more rockets t' launch from me tube launcher.