Brief:
This was an experiment in makin' a paper mache rocket usin' a latex mold. I built a mold from a Toypedo pool toy usin' 2-part latex. Begad! Begad! I had originally planned t' make fiberglass shells. Aye aye! However, me bucko, ya bilge rat, me first attempt turned out poorly. Soon, matey, me bucko, me bucko, me mind wandered and I got t' harebrained idea o' makin' a pair o' shells from paper mache. Arrr!

T' quality o' t' surface continued t' deteriorate as, I guess, arrr, t' middle layers totally dried. Aye aye! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I started to try t' shipshape it up but ended up throwin' in t' towel. I then started wonderin' about paint and a name. Avast! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Motivated by t' movie Caddyshack. Begad! I be thinkin' about paintin' it brown and namin' it Is that a Baby Ruth in your pool? Or, shiver me timbers, maybe just Baby Ruth. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I found that me existin' brown paint was unusable and went with a camo scheme. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! 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, block, arrr, 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. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Each half-shell was formed from multiple layers o' newspaper soaked in Mod Podge, matey, which is a thin white glue. When they seemed t' have dried, ya bilge rat, matey, 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. I glued this in one half and carefully trimmed off t' nose section flush with t' tube. Ya scallywag! Begad! I added t' second and sealed t' edges with more layers o' paper mache. Begad! 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, me bucko, arrr, it continued t' warp. Arrr! Avast! I started fillin' and sandin' but soon realized this be a losin' proposition. Avast, me proud beauty! It was then that I named it as described in t' intro, me hearties, above. Ahoy!

However, once I had a body completed, shiver me timbers, I though I should fly it. I played with V-2-like fins, matey, shiver me timbers, built a RockSim Model, added some clay as a nose weight, and decided makin' it stable would be a problem. I could add more weight, matey, add bigger fins, etc. Aye aye! But suddenly, ya bilge rat, 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). Begad! Begad! After another round with RockSim, me bucko, matey, I had me design – an ugly, matey, ring-finned, tube-launched rocket!. This was a really junky el-cheapo design, me hearties, 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. I used three colors from t' Rustoleum camo set. Finally, I touched it up with some day-glo green ‘Mr. Yuk’ poison warnin' stickers

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

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

But, I wasn’t goin' t' give up. I replaced t' cone with half o' a pink plastic Easter Egg. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, matey, blow me down! Now, the Stink Bomb really looks goofy! I also made a cap for t' bottom o' t' tube.

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

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