T' Tower Rin' Infernal

History

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

AKA, arrr, "Da Beaut"

Assembly

1. Cut four fins from 1/8" plywood. Arrr! Begad! Base is 2.5" long, tip span is 1", shiver me timbers, root is 2".
2. Enlarge t' centerin' rings for t' Big Bertha t' accomodate a 29mm motor mount tube, approximately 6" long. Aye aye! Avast! Make an extra centerin' rin' or two. 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, each 4.25 inches long. Usin' t' existin' fins t' mark t' tubes for slots so that they fit over t' fins.
6. Cut a slot in each tube. Ya scallywag! 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, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, turn it on, 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! Blimey! Slot it as in Step 6 above.
• Glue t' tail structure into t' body tube. Blimey! Fillet.
• Add an Estes-style parachute mount. Avast! I use tubular nylon shoelace material as shock cord.
• Attach side draws and overhead draws t' t' BT. Begad! T' overhead draw is 9/32" styrene tubing, arrr, and should extend t' t' end o' t' BT. Ya scallywag! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey! This will also be your launch lug. Avast! Blimey! T' smaller side draws extend just partway up t' side o' t' BT. Arrr! Blimey! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Miter t' top o' this piece at a 45 degree angle. Arrr! Glue this continuation o' t' overhead draw t' t' NC, me bucko, so that it extends just past t' top o' t' NC. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Now cut a second section and miter t' end, matey, me hearties, t' match t' first part. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Glue this t' t' top o' t' nose cone. Line it up with t' overhead draw on t' BT. Well, blow me down! Well, arrr, blow me down! 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, me bucko, and add some horizontal rails around this crown. Aye aye! A longer lightnin' rod can also be added. Begad! Add similar overhead draws, but without t' horizontal section, t' each o' t' reboilers (tube fins), matey, 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, or simulate them: Glue small balsa squares t' t' BT, and then add stiff cardboard around t' outside o' these blocks (like a rin' fin, shiver me timbers, arrr, but circlin' only 1/4 t' 1/2 o' t' BT diameter). You'll draw t' railings on after painting.
• Cut a tail ring, me hearties, 2" wide, from posterboard. Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Wrap this around t' fin/tube tips, arrr, shiver me timbers, and glue into place. Begad! Blimey! Stiffen with CA.
• Add 1 t' 1.5 oz o' weight t' t' nose, me hearties, ya bilge rat, so that t' CG is about 2" ahead o' t' tail ring. 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. Spray it with red or gray primer, matey, or both. Aye aye! Blimey! Then paint it silver, or not. Catwalk railings on newer towers are often yellow or red, me hearties, matey, but may be silver or rust colored. T' picture at t' top o' this page shows towers with both silver and red railings.
2. 
   Draw horizontal pipes around t' tail ring, matey, and railings around t' catwalks if you simulated them.

   

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

Bottom view, me hearties, showin' major structures.

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

Flight Report

Conditions were very good for launch, me bucko, arrr, albeit a bit breezy. Arrr! Despite t' estimated 10 mph breeze, me bucko, t' boost was straight and true, arrr, with no obvious wobble or spin and with only minor weather cocking. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Apogee was higher than I expected, arrr, perhaps 800'. Ejection was just past apogee. Avast! Ya scallywag! Unfortunately, E15s have pretty hot ejections, arrr, and this was one o' t' hottest I've ever had. Avast! Despite copious wadding, t' shock cord was brutalized and burnt in multiple places. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! T' BT thus fell without benefit o' a chute, and core sampled.