T' Tower Rin' Infernal

History

For motivation, shiver me timbers, imagine that hydrocarbon seas need t' be refined on Titan, and we're assemblin' t' refinery on orbit, shiver me timbers, arrr, me hearties, in large pieces, me bucko, and sendin' it directly t' Saturn, usin' temporarily inserted solid rocket motors. Avast! Blimey! Or imagine a debutanizin' tower has decided t' try t' launch itself into t' Gulf o' Mexico (despite appearances, matey, they make rather poor rockets. Arrr! Blimey! Or build it because you've never built a tube fin and rin' rocket before. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Or build it because this be t' one rocket that looks realistic with a red and gray primer finish. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Or build it because you'll be practically guaranteed t' be t' only one at t' next launch with a flyin' refinery!

AKA, "Da Beaut"

Assembly

1. Cut four fins from 1/8" plywood. Begad! Base is 2.5" long, tip span is 1", root is 2".
2. Enlarge t' centerin' rings for t' Big Bertha t' accomodate a 29mm motor mount tube, me bucko, approximately 6" long. Avast! Make an extra centerin' rin' or two. Arrr! Reinforce with CA, or use 1/8" plywood if you want.
3. Glue t' fins t' t' motor tube, about 3/8" up from t' bottom end.
4. Glue t' centerin' rings t' t' motor tube.
5. Cut four lengths o' 29mm motor tube, shiver me timbers, each 4.25 inches long. Avast! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Usin' t' existin' fins t' mark t' tubes for slots so that they fit over t' fins.
6. Cut a slot in each tube. Avast, me proud beauty! It is very easy t' do this if you have a drill press:

• Chuck in a spiral cuttin' bit
• Raise t' table so that t' tip o' t' cutter is about 1/2 o' a body tube diameter from t' table.
• Clamp a fence on t' drill table 1/2 o' a body tube diameter from t' cutter.
• Set t' drill t' high speed, shiver me timbers, turn it on, shiver me timbers, arrr, and feed t' tube smoothly into t' cutter usin' t' fence as a guide.

• Glue t' tubes t' t' ends o' t' fins so that t' tips o' t' fins are glued t' t' outboard inner walls o' t' tubes, and t' tubes extend below t' fins about 3/8".
• Fillet generously.
• Use t' completed tail structure t' mark t' BT. Begad! Slot it as in Step 6 above.
• Glue t' tail structure into t' body tube. Blimey! Arrr! Fillet.
• Add an Estes-style parachute mount. Begad! Begad! I use tubular nylon shoelace material as shock cord.
• Attach side draws and overhead draws t' t' BT. Avast! T' overhead draw is 9/32" styrene tubing, and should extend t' t' end o' t' BT. This will also be your launch lug. Avast, me proud beauty! T' smaller side draws extend just partway up t' side o' t' BT. Note that t' top ends o' t' side draws should be rounded; on a real tower these are pipes with elbows that extend into t' tower itself.
• Cut a length o' 9/32" styrene t' reach from t' shoulder o' t' NC t' just past t' tip. Miter t' top o' this piece at a 45 degree angle. Glue this continuation o' t' overhead draw t' t' NC, so that it extends just past t' top o' t' NC. Aye aye! Arrr! Now cut a second section and miter t' end, ya bilge rat, t' match t' first part. Aye aye! Well, arrr, blow me down! Glue this t' t' top o' t' nose cone. Avast! Blimey! Line it up with t' overhead draw on t' BT. Avast! When launching, rotate t' NC slightly so t' launch rod can go through t' BT-mounted overhead draw.
• Simulate a catwalk by gluin' a crown o' styrene rods t' t' end o' t' nose cone, and add some horizontal rails around this crown. Begad! A longer lightnin' rod can also be added. Arrr! Add similar overhead draws, shiver me timbers, but without t' horizontal section, t' each o' t' reboilers (tube fins), makin' sure t' keep them inboard o' where t' tail rin' will be.
• Add catwalks at t' top end o' each o' t' sidedraws by gluin' on more styrene bits, shiver me timbers, or simulate them: Glue small balsa squares t' t' BT, me bucko, me bucko, and then add stiff cardboard around t' outside o' these blocks (like a rin' fin, but circlin' only 1/4 t' 1/2 o' t' BT diameter). Begad! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! You'll draw t' railings on after painting.
• Cut a tail ring, 2" wide, from posterboard. Ahoy! Arrr! Wrap this around t' fin/tube tips, and glue into place. Stiffen with CA.
• Add 1 t' 1.5 oz o' weight t' t' nose, so that t' CG is about 2" ahead o' t' tail ring. Well, blow me down! Swin' test t' be sure that stability is sufficient.

Finishing

1. T' neat thin' about this project is that a lousy finish is a scale finish. Aye aye! Spray it with red or gray primer, shiver me timbers, or both. Ya scallywag! Then paint it silver, or not. Begad! Ya scallywag! Catwalk railings on newer towers are often yellow or red, but may be silver or rust colored. Begad! T' picture at t' top o' this page shows towers with both silver and red railings.
2. 
   Draw horizontal pipes around t' tail ring, and railings around t' catwalks if you simulated them.

   

Schematic o' Fin can/tube fin/tail ring/motor mount assembly. Ya scallywag! (Not t' Scale)

Bottom view, showin' major structures.

Three more views. T' rightmost is on t' pad: Note launch rod, displaced overhead draw, and fins (less obvious in other views).

Flight Report

Conditions were very good for launch, me hearties, shiver me timbers, albeit a bit breezy. Blimey! Begad! Despite t' estimated 10 mph breeze, me bucko, t' boost was straight and true, me bucko, ya bilge rat, with no obvious wobble or spin and with only minor weather cocking. Apogee was higher than I expected, matey, me hearties, perhaps 800'. Begad! Ejection be just past apogee. Blimey! Unfortunately, E15s have pretty hot ejections, and this be one o' t' hottest I've ever had. Ahoy! Blimey! Despite copious wadding, t' shock cord was brutalized and burnt in multiple places. T' BT thus fell without benefit o' a chute, shiver me timbers, and core sampled.