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Crazy Train parts list

• 1  8" BT-80 body tube
• 1  .75" BT-80 coupler
• 1 .25" BT-80 coupler
• 1 2.59" diameter bulkhead
• 1  PNC-80BB nosecone
• 4  5.75" BT-20 body tubes
• 4  .75" BT-20 couplers
• 4  9" Mylar parachutes (originally spec’d with streamers, but later changed)
• 4  BT5-BT20 centerin' rings (used as engine blocks in 18mm tubes)
• 2  3"x3"x.75" sheets o' balsa (for constructin' tail cone)
• 1 small sheet of  3/32" (.09375") balsa for 8 small fins and optional mirror mount
• 4  .75 inch wooden balls (can be purchased at a crafts store)
• 1  2" x 3/16" launch lug
• 4 small screw eyes
• 4 medium snap swivels
• 4  12" 100lb strength Keelhaul®©™ thread
• 4 6" pieces o' 1/8" shock cord
• Bulkhead Template (PDF)
• Fin Wrap Template (PDF)
• Forward Fin Template (PDF)
• Rear Fin Template (PDF)
• Tail Cone Template (PDF)
• Mirror Mount Template (PDF)
• Peter Stanley's Word DOC Submission

Crazy Train buildin' instructions

1. Cut t' tubes t' lengths needed. Begad! Blimey!
2. Prefinish tubes with 2 sessions o' fill n' finish and sanding.
   I get good results usin' bondo putty spreaders. You can cut them t' 1/2 wide strips and smear t' fill n' finish directly into t' spirals. Begad! Ya scallywag!
3. Cut t' fins. Avast! Use t' provided templates as guides. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' grain on the forward fins should follow t' leadin' edge. Aye aye! Begad! I did this also on t' aft fins, but would now suggest makin' t' grain follow t' bottom edge. Well, blow me down! In this particular configuration I think that perpendicular grain geometry would add more strength. Begad! Arrr! Next, soak t' fins in CA glue. Begad! First have adequate ventilation, wear gloves, ya bilge rat, and maybe use a respirator if you have one. Begad! Place 2 sheets o' wax paper onto a flat glass surface. Well, blow me down! Put t' balsa on top o' t' wax paper. Ahoy! Aye aye! Squeeze a few drops at a time onto t' balsa, shiver me timbers, and use cut strips o' card stock t' smear t' CA evenly across. Turn t' balsa over and repeat. Aye aye! Arrr! Place two more sheets o' wax paper on top. Arrr! Place another sheet o' glass on top o' t' wax paper. Well, blow me down! Set somethin' heavy, me bucko, such as a stack o' books on top o' that, and let dry for 24 hours. Arrr! This adds hardness and strength t' t' balsa.
4. Prefinish fins with 2 sessions o' fill n' finish and sanding.
5. Glue t' 3/4 inch balls into t' Bt-20 tube couplers. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I used a combination of epoxy, shiver me timbers, superglue, and yellow glue, but whatever works. Avast, me proud beauty!

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• Glue t' two 1/4 inch sheets o' balsa together with yellow glue. Ya scallywag! Clamp or press together with somethin' heavy. When dry, glue t' 1/2 inch BT80 coupler to t' stack. Aye aye! Begad! T' shape t' tail cone t' match t' design in Rocksim, matey, me bucko, I used a method learned from t' Apogee Components Makin' Custom Shape Nose Cones Usin' Simple Hand Tool CD. Basically you need t' hand shape this with sand paper, matey, usin' t' rocksim tail cone template as a guide. You'll need t' buy t' CD t' get t' detailed procedure, or figure out a method that works for you. Once t' tail cone is finished, matey, glue into t' bottom o' the main BT80 tube. Avast!

  
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7. Make a straight line down each o' t' BT-20 tubes. Well, blow me down! I use aluminum angle for this, but use whatever works for you. Begad! Ahoy!
8. Use the fin wrapper guide t' make four lines on t' main BT80 tube. Avast, me proud beauty! At t' middle point where t' wrapper edges meet, ya bilge rat, draw an additional line for t' launch lug. Begad!
9. Tie a piece o' Keelhaul®©™ thread t' each BT20 centerin' ring. Ahoy! Push t' thread thru each tube and make sure t' centerin' can slide in. Spread some yellow glue 2.5 inches into a tube. Well, blow me down! Mark an engine spacin' tube, matey, or spent (or not) 18mm Estes motor 1/4 inch from t' end. Then and push the centerin' rin' in, leavin' t' 1/4 inch overhang. Repeat for t' other three tubes. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty!

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11. Glue t' forward fin t' t' end o' each nacelle tube. Refer t' t' 2D image for placement. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Glue t' aft fin t' each nacelle tube, makin' sure it is in perfect alignment with t' forward fin. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' back side o' t' fin should be 1 inch from t' bottom o' t' tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Refer t' t' 2D image for placement. Ahoy! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I used Apogee's Epoxy Clay for t' fin fillets. Well, blow me down! Blimey! This will add strength. It's actually Ave's Fixit Compound, but it's t' same price whichever place you buy it. Well, blow me down! Blimey!

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• Drill a 1/16" hole into each 3/4 inch ball on t' side that's inside the coupler. Ya scallywag! Usin' needle nose pliers, twist a tiny screw eye into each hole, and remove. Blimey! Put a drip o' glue o' your choice into each hole and replace screw eye. Arrr!

• Usin' razor saw, me bucko, cut t' bottom o' t' nose cone off leavin' 1.25 " of the shoulder left.
• Wick some thin CA into each end o' t' BT20 nacelle tubes. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! This will help prevent zipperin' on t' forward ends and reduce possible damage on t' rear ends.
• It is easy t' get t' bottom o' t' fins out o' alignment. A solution I found is t' tape a piece o' t' Keelhaul®©™ thread in line with a fin line, near the bottom. Avast! Ya scallywag! Pull this over t' t' opposite side and tape there. Begad! Begad! Make sure it is straight. Begad! Carefully mark on both side o' t' strin' t' just past where the bottom edge o' t' fins will meet. I didn't do this for t' first fin and had to carve it back off when I realized it wasn't straight.

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• Use yellow glue t' glue each fin t' t' body makin' sure it is as straight as possible. Ahoy! Blimey! This rocket as it's designed has a high probability o' becoming unstable due t' t' increased chance o' asymmetric and off-axis thrust, hence the name 'Crazy Train'. Begad! Blimey! We actually don't want it t' live up t' its name if we can help it. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! After each fin is dry, me bucko, smear more yellow glue into t' fin joints. Also, me hearties, shiver me timbers, when puttin' t' fins on initially, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, once t' glue sets, shiver me timbers, use tape t' hold it tighter t' t' body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! When all fins are dry, me bucko, use Aves Fixit Compound (epoxy clay) on t' fin root joints (If you have some). Aye aye! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey!

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• Glue t' 3/16" launch lug, matey, ya bilge rat, with t' forward end at 2 1/4" from the forward end o' t' body tube. Avast! If you're usin' t' recommended 2" lug, the bottom edge should be t' CP location.

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• Optional mirror mount instructions (for wireless Boostervision camera): If you don’t use a camera, shiver me timbers, at least construct and install t' platform in case you want t' carry a payload. Well, blow me down! First, matey, shiver me timbers, make a platform for t' camera t' sit on. Blimey! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! This keeps it level and at a fixed height. Aye aye! T' do this I cut a 1/4" piece o' Bt-80 coupler. Ahoy! I made a cardboard bulkhead from a priority mail box. See my article here on how t' do this. Print and cut out another bulk template, matey, and mark t' exact center o' t' disk. Stick a needle or something else sharp through it, me hearties, matey, or whatever works. Align a straight edge t' t' center and draw a straight line through it. Ahoy! Blimey! Then glue two pieces o' cardboard vertically which will be snug on both sides o' t' camera. This will keep it from movin' left and right. My straight edge tool happened t' be t' right size to mark off both sides o' t' center line. You'll need t' measure if you don't have something. Basically you need t' mark two lines parallel t' t' center line that you can align and glue a cardboard piece to. This pic shows it better than I'm describing. Avast! Blimey! Avast! Blimey!

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• Make a hole for t' camera eye. Arrr! I first made a vertical center line between two fins opposite t' side o' t' launch lug. Ya scallywag! I then made a horizontal line between t' top o' t' tube and t' point where t' top fins attach (approximate 1 5/8" from t' top o' t' tube). Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! At t' intersection of those lines, I made a hole with a pin. Avast, me proud beauty! I then used small drill bits, and hand twisted them, matey, increasin' t' size o' t' hole. Ahoy! I eventually had t' improvise and twist a knife into in. Later I used a wooden dowel with sand paper. Ahoy! I enlarged it until t' camera head would poke through. Arrr! Ya scallywag!

• I put t' camera in t' mount on t' platform, and pushed it into t' body tube. Ahoy! Blimey! This is tricky, matey, and you'll want t' test this a little before hand, because with t' bottom sealed off it's hard t' pull it back if you go too far. I had t' cut a hole in t' platform t' pull mine back some. Edge it down gradually, until t' camera head is in alignment with t' hole, ya bilge rat, me hearties, matey, and is level on the platform. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Use some yellow glue and glue t' platform in. Avast! Blimey!
• I used 3/32" balsa t' make t' mirror housing. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! T' mirror is a 1/2"x1/2" square mirror. I purchased a pack o' several 1/2" and 1" mirrors from t' craft section o' wal-mart for a couple dollars. Aye aye! Most of me time on this build was findin' t' right angle. Ahoy! I printed fins from rocksim and tried several. Ahoy! When I got somethin' close, I hand adjusted what I had t' make it right. Avast! I later redesigned t' shape in rocksim, me hearties, and provided the template. Avast! I also scanned what I made, matey, so I could reprint templates from those if needed. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I used yellow glue t' make t' housing. Arrr! I epoxied t' mirror into it. I used 5 min. Begad! epoxy t' attach t' t' body tube. Ahoy! I applied more 5 min t' all joints. Well, blow me down! Then I used 30 min epoxy and some 3/4 oz fiberglass cloth t' cover the housin' and reinforce it t' t' tube. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Before you do all this, shiver me timbers, especially before gluin' anything, ya bilge rat, make sure you test t' camera and make sure it looks ok. Avast!

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21. Attach t' medium snap swivels t' t' screw eyes. Tie t' 1/8" shock cord t' t' ends o' t' Keelhaul®©™ thread. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Use a small snap swivel on the parachutes and attach t' t' bottom o' t' medium snap swivels. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! I originally used 9" nylon chutes, but they will nay fit into t' tubes. Ahoy! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! They will, but are extremely tight. Blimey! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' Mylar chutes fit fine. Blimey! Blimey!
22. Before painting, use ¾" fiberglass cloth on t' fin joints. Ahoy! Avast! Blimey! I didn’t do this and three o' them popped off t' first flight. Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! I glassed them afterwards. Ya scallywag! Avast! Blimey!
23. For finishin' I used a combination o' spray enamel(main body color), brushed on acrylic (for t' orange balls and light blue bands) and vinyl adhesive (for t' red stripes).

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Flights:

Flight 1:

I first flew this on 4 A8-3’s. Blimey! One o' t' motors didn’t ignite, and t' launch controller wire remained attached. Ya scallywag! Blimey! It went about 7 feet and fell over. Even on 3 motors it seemed t' have a straight boost. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! On t' first flight I used 4 9" nylon chutes. These chutes were too tight and I think contributed t' t' damage from t' motors tryin' t' eject. Aye aye! Two fins broke off durin' motor ejection. Well, blow me down! A third broken upon landing. Blimey! I glued these back on, and then fiberglassed them with ¾ oz glass. I also changed t' chutes to 9" mylar which fit much better.

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Flight 2:

T' second flight was on 4 B6-4's. This flight be great, and t' rocket suffered no damage. Begad! Blimey! It did arch over slightly, but seemed mostly stable. Ya scallywag! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! One of the nosecone/parachutes came off because t' shockcord burned through. Begad! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! I lauched this right as it was gettin' dark, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, so t' onboard video is nay that great. Begad! T' altimeter reported 161 feet.

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Flight 3:

T' third flight be on 4 C6-3s. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! This flight was perfect. Begad! Aye aye! There was some spin, but overall it flew in a straight trajectory. Begad! Before launch I unwittingly removed t' shockcord segments, leavin' just t' kevlar thread. This caused a major zipper on one o' t' tubes. Also, shiver me timbers, me bucko, on another tube t' motor block, me bucko, matey, kevlar and chute came out. Well, blow me down! I should have used epoxy on those instead o' yellow glue. T' alimeter reported 566 feet.

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Flight one is in extremely slow motion, shiver me timbers, slowed down t' about 12% speed.

Flight two was done at dusk, me bucko, and looks almost like a night launch.

Flight three: