Brief:
A single-stage flyin' HOT DOG!

Construction:
T' initial drawings were done in late May 2008. Arrr! I decided t' use t' "Centuri" ST style tubin' with thicker body tube walls. Begad! Blimey! A parts list be made, shiver me timbers, then an order be placed (online) t' Semroc on June 13, shiver me timbers, 2008. I received t' parts by mail on June 16, shiver me timbers, 2008. Begad! Very fast delivery and great customer service, as usual.

Parts list: 

• 2 "Bun" Nose Cones, BNC2025
• 1 "Hot Dog" Nose Cone, arrr, BC-837 from Squire kit
• "Hot Dog" Body Tube, ST890, ya bilge rat, 8 Series
• "Bun" Body Tube, ST2060, me hearties, ya bilge rat, 20 Series
• 3 fins o' 1/16" balsa covered with condiment package wrappers
• 8 Series motor mount from a Semroc Squire kit
• LARGE Screw Eye (for extra nose weight)
• 12" Red and Yellow Parachute
• 12" Keelhaul®©™ attached t' 18" o' 3/16" elastic shock cord
• 1 1/2" standard launch lug

Initially I was goin' t' use a 7 series nose cone and body tube. Arrr! Ahoy! Blimey! After seein' it "in t' bun" it looked too thin. I switched t' wider 8 series parts from a extra Semroc Squire kit I had. Aye aye! I also used t' Squire's engine mount, nose cone and Keelhaul®©™. Begad! Blimey! All other parts were standard: 1/8" launch lug, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, a big screw eye, matey, 3/16" x 18" elastic shock cord, ya bilge rat, and 12" parachute.

As I work away from home, me hearties, I didn't have much time t' build t' model for t' EMRR contest. Blimey! Avast! This would be a rush job! I was returnin' on July 5 and would have one week t' get t' model built, photographed, flown, documented and entered! I was also tryin' t' get me Golden Scout built and flown for a July 10 Orlando area launch.

To get t' "Bun" end contour, me bucko, I cut off 1 1/8" off both o' t' Semroc BNC-2025 nose cones. Begad! I rounded t' cut ends with 100 grit sandpaper on a block. T' get t' "Hot Dog" contour I cut off t' tip o' t' Semroc BC-837 nose cone and rounded t' end with 100 grit sandpaper on a block.

An actual hot dog is 6" long. Aye aye! Arrr! It seems a little short, shiver me timbers, I wanted this rocket t' fly stable. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' "Dog's" body tube length is 9". T' "Dog's" overall length with nose cone and motor mount (extension) in place be now 10 1/4".

After fillin' t' nose cone, shiver me timbers, I used t' back o' a razor blade t' press in wrinkle lines like those on a hot dog end. T' wrinkles radiate out from t' center o' t' nose cone tip.

I am tryin' t' capture t' look o' foot-long hotdog with it's ends stickin' out o' t' bun. Begad! Blimey! I cut t' "bun" tube length at 5 ½". Ya scallywag! Blimey! With t' two split nose cones in place, arrr, t' overall "bun" length is 8 5/8".

It'd be easier t' fill t' tube spirals and balsa grain before cuttin' t' bun tube in half and splittin' t' bun nose cones.

I marked t' Bun body tube down its entire length and extended t' line up t' two end nose cones. Blimey! I extended t' pencil lines over t' top o' t' cones, completely around under t' shoulder. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' make a clean split, me bucko, I used a straight edge razor blade t' cut 1/4" into t' cone. Arrr! Begad! This should insure a clean outside edge. Arrr! I switched over t' a #11 X-Acto after t' razor blade t' deepen t' cut. Begad! I broke apart t' cones. Begad! I was happy with t' results. T' edges were clean and t' inside "flat" areas o' t' cones would only require some Fill 'n' Finish t' smooth them out.

I sanded square t' (rounded) nose cone shoulder ends. Arrr! I left ½" o' t' shoulder. Blimey! I'll make two flat inside wall pieces, me hearties, matey, glued inside and flush with t' body tube walls and nose cone ends.

After fillin' t' seams, I only cut through one side o' t' bun body tube. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' opposite side was scored with a straight edge and (dull) butter knife only creasin' t' line. Blimey! Blimey! This let t' tube open like an real hot dog bun.

T' engine mount was taken from Semroc Squire kit. Keelhaul®©™ cord was tied t' t' engine hook. A 3/16" X 18" elastic shock cord is tied t' t' Keelhaul®©™. Ahoy! Begad! I picked a 12" red and yellow Semroc chute t' match t' Mustard and Ketchup condiment motif.

With both bun nose cones in place thar be a rectangular open area inside. I cut 1/16" balsa "planks" t' fit t' void. Well, blow me down! I cut them a little oversize and sanded them t' fit. Arrr! T' final size was 2" wide x 4 7/16" long. It would be difficult t' fill and sand t' interior balsa so it covered them with paper.

This is where it got interesting. Ya scallywag! I needed fins that would fit t' hot dog theme. I thought o' plastic knife, fork and spoons for fins, arrr, shiver me timbers, but another entry had already incorporated sporks into their design. My youngest daughter suggested ketchup, mustard, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and relish packets should be used somewhere in t' design. Blimey! Why nay t' fins? We picked some packets up at a local fast grub restaurant. Ahoy! Aye aye! I cut off t' back o' t' packets, emptied, arrr, me bucko, then washed and dried t' plastic sleeves. T' empty packets were contact cemented onto 1/16" balsa. Simple, shiver me timbers, fast, and in t' theme o' t' model.

Slots were cut into t' bun's tail end and t' fins were pressed into place. Avast, me proud beauty! Super glue fillets followed. Avast! Well, me bucko, blow me down! T' Bun shape didn't allow for 120 degree spacin' o' t' fins. While they aren't symmetrical, ya bilge rat, they are on straight. Aye aye! I made sure t' fins trailed away from t' rocket body, once again t' improve stability.

I glued a 1 ½" long launch lug t' t' backside o' t' hot dog body. Aye aye! T' lug be centered out o' sight, matey, inside t' bun. Avast! T' hot dog was set in t' bun and a line o' super glue was run down t' seams.

T' Keelhaul®©™ line be pulled through t' front o' t' dog tube and tied on a 3/16" x 18" elastic cord.

I found t' biggest, matey, heavy screw eye I had. Blimey! Any additional nose weight could help this model fly straight. I attached t' shock cord and parachute snap swivel t' t' screw eye.

Finishing:
When buyin' spray paint at WalMart, me hearties, I walked through t' paint department with real hot dogs and buns in hand. Begad! Ahoy! I wanted match t' colors as closely as possible. Well, blow me down! T' Bun is actually two different colors. Arrr! T' inside o' t' bun is much lighter than t' outside. Begad! I sprayed two coats o' grey primer, arrr, sandin' betwixt coats. T' inside o' t' bun be sprayed with Wal-Mart Almond. I set t' bun face down (on t' open wedge cut) then sprayed t' outside with Wal-Mart Red Primer. No masking, I wanted t' colors t' blend at t' "buns" cut line.

To replicate t' lighter color o' t' bun at t' wedge cut (through t' body), I sprayed more Almond color on a kitchen sponge. Ya scallywag! Begad! I dabbed some o' t' Almond paint onto t' bun opening. Begad! This gave it t' same rough color separation like on a real hot dog bun.

Flight:
T' Orlando NARRRRR section, R.O.C.K., had a scheduled launch on July 10. In addition t' t' regular members, thar was t' be a school group thar with many first time fliers. Aye aye! Many o' t' kids hadn't seen an odd-roc before, arrr, shiver me timbers, and one even asked if I had another hot dog he could have for lunch. Ya scallywag! I prepped t' (S)Hot Dog with a C6-3 with standard Estes wadding. Motor retention be an Estes style metal hook. Aye aye! I usually have great confidence in me rockets as I usually build proven designs, however, matey, I was a little nervous as t' RSO called for a heads up.

T' first flight was vertical but t' model made a 10 foot spiral goin' up. I wanted better stability and needed more nose weight. Ya scallywag! Recovery was nominal with no damage. Begad! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! T' length o' t' Keelhaul®©™/elastic combination worked well. Arrr! Avast! There was no zipperin' or nose cone dents. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Now, for t' nose weight.

Bob, shiver me timbers, a fellow R.O.C.K. member, ya bilge rat, offered up a quick link. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! I attached it t' t' large screw eye. Ahoy! As well, another R.O.C.K. Aye aye! member had some modelin' clay. Begad! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! I rolled two thin "worms" o' clay and pressed them into t' hot dog/bun seam. Begad! Ya scallywag! I prepped again usin' another C6-3.

This time it be a slow, shiver me timbers, me hearties, straight, vertical boost t' a altitude o' approximately 225 feet. Arrr! Deployment was at apogee. Ya scallywag! There was no damage, ya bilge rat, burning, or charrin' on recovery. T' model is now retired.

Summary:
This was a great experience. It be fun t' construct a different scratch build again. Ya scallywag! T' kids (first timers) at t' launch got quite a kick out o' t' design.

PROs: T' reactions o' t' first time fliers at t' local launch. Begad! I found a few new techniques: "press mounting" fins in slots cut into t' balsa "bun" ends. Begad! Well, blow me down! When t' fins were in place, I simply ran super glue fillets. T' joints were very strong. Arrr! Lastly, pressin' "wrinkles" into a finished nose cone end usin' t' backside o' a single edge razor blade gave t' hot dog a certain realism.

CONs: Just tough t' fill balsa and body tube seams. I had three different fillin' sessions. Aye aye! T' nose cone and body tube splits were t' most difficult part o' construction. Aye aye! I had t' fill t' spirals before cuttin' and splittin' and then fill again after gluin' t' bun nose cones into t' body tubes. This project had a few o' those "Wakin' up in t' middle o' t' night" moments when realizin' different construction and material techniques.