Brief:
In checkin' me club's flight cards for t' last 2.5 years, me hearties, I find that thar have been 8 MMX launches. Begad! Begad! All o' them were done by me. I have tried t' see if thar was any interest in an informal MMX contest o' some type on several occasions and thar was not. Blimey! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! In delvin' a bit deeper, I learned that MMX be nay disdained because of its diminutive size, it was shunned because o' t' hassle, me hearties, real and perceived, o' flyin' them. Arrr! Blimey! That was an attitude I shared myself. Every time I thought about buildin' or flyin' one, shiver me timbers, I usually gave it up as too much hassle.

That is especially true o' t' ground support equipment. Well, arrr, blow me down! T' silo launchers are problematic and I have had only one good launch off o' one. T' rest o' t' time I have had t' kludge somethin' together, arrr, arrr, cross me fingers and hope it works. Well, blow me down! It sometimes even does.

This is nay t' say that thar are nay some great MMX GSE ideas out there. There are. They just don't strike me as worth t' effort. Well, blow me down! I finally decided t' see if I could design somethin' t' take some o' t' hassle out o' it and make it fun. Ahoy! In effect, arrr, with a minimum o' effort, ya bilge rat, I want t' be able t' treat an MMX rocket like any other. Go out t' the assigned pad, me hearties, me hearties, hook it up, arrr, walk away and have reasonable confidence that t' rocket would launch. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! I wanted t' be able to do this without lengthy preparation o' special consumables. Aye aye! In order t' do it, me bucko, me hearties, I was willin' t' invest some time, effort and loot into makin' such a system.

T' basics that I wanted t' accomplish are these:

• Build t' project with readily availible parts; no machinin' or milling.
• Be able t' use any o' t' common igniter options without havin' t' switch gear.
• Be dependable; t' same ration o' successful launches as will t' bigger gear.
• No hassle, arrr, perceived or real.

Construction:

T' first step in this grand project was t' get out an MMX igniter, ya bilge rat, measure it and make a drawin' o' it in Autocad. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I measured t' 1/16" and estimated t' 1/32" I think it will be good enough for me purposes. Ahoy! Blimey! I wanted t' DWG files o' t' various igniters I want t' plan for t' use as blocks in t' drawin' files help me draw up t' ignition system. Avast! Well, blow me down! Blimey! I also wanted t' have a half decent chance o' havin' t' thin' work when I got through. I also cracked open t' plastic case and made a drawin' o' t' naked igniter. Arrr! Blimey! With that done, shiver me timbers, I could start drawin' up the head.

I had liked what I had seen o' several ideas that used a slot t' support t' igniter and that was a part o' the idea as well. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! That bein' t' case, t' first thin' was t' come up with t' arm that provided t' support. Arrr! I decided on 1/4" plywood as t' basis for t' framework. Arrr! I picked it for dimensional stability and because it is an insulator. Most important, though, it has laminations oriented at different angles so that shear should nay become an issue. This was because I planned on a relatively skinny support, for reasons which will later become apparent.

I opened up Autocad and drew up a support arm that had a slot that was just a touch bigger than t' plastic encased igniter. Aye aye! At this point I did nay concern myself with length, only t' part that would support t' igniter. Ahoy! Aye aye! I then printed out this simple drawing.

Although t' support beam would ultimately be o' plywood, I did nay use plywood at this stage. I chose instead a scrap o' 1/4" balsa since it would be easy t' whittle on and adjust and because it happened t' be handy. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! The template was trimmed a bit and then applied t' t' balsa with a glue stick. Begad! T' rough piece was then taken t' t' belt sander and t' profile be trimmed down t' t' outer edges o' t' template. With t' outer edges takin' place, a razor knife was used t' carve out t' igniter slot.

Later that night, it be time t' examine t' first fruits o' t' project and I spread me stuff out on the kitchen table after t' Mrs. Ya scallywag! had gone t' bed. Begad! I put in t' plastic igniter ans be glad t' see it fit; with me doing t' measurin' and cutting, such things cannot be assumed. Arrr! I also test fitted t' stripped down, paper clad igniter and it fit as well.

One o' t' problems I had experienced with other MMX systems was t' attachment o' t' microclips. Arrr! My scheme was t' get rid o' t' "micro" altogether and replace it with "macro". Avast! Arrr! I found a plastic clamp at Lowes that seemed t' fit t' ticket and tried it on t' support t' plastic igniter. Arrr! At first blush it seemed t' work. Avast, me proud beauty! Looking at it from t' top, shiver me timbers, though, ya bilge rat, arrr, thar was a slight problem. Well, blow me down! Avast! T' grips on t' clamp were just a touch wider than t' slot. For t' ultimate plan, they needed t' fit flat within t' slot.

Before doin' any adjustment, though, I wanted t' try it with t' naked igniter. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I slipped it into place, oriented 90 degrees from t' way t' plastic one had been, and made sure t' leads extended on either side o' the support. Blimey! Blimey! T' clamp be then placed, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, much lower down this time, pinnin' t' leads t' either side o' t' support arm. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I then spent some time fussin' with it. Arrr! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Key t' makin' me scheme work was t' degree o' stiffness o' t' igniter in this orientation. Avast! Blimey! It seemed t' me that t' clamp was sufficiently tight t' hold it in place without any wiggling.

With t' information I had gotten thus far, arrr, me bucko, I went back t' Autocad and widened t' slot by 1/32" on each side.

To provide electrical contact, arrr, I intended t' use a pair o' brass pieces, one on each side o' t' launch head. each would be primarily vertically oriented so that a naked or standard ingniter could be set in place with one lead clamped t' either side. Arrr! I also intended t' fold a small piece o' brass over t' top t' catch t' leads on t' classic MMX igniter.

I went into Autocad and drew up a plan for t' brass pieces assumin' that I would be usin' 1/2" wide brass. T' lines for foldin' and cuttin' were marked interchangeably. A copy was then printed, shiver me timbers, cut out and taped t' a piece of 1/2"x0.016"x12" piece o' brass. A cutoff disk on a Dremell tool was then used t' cut t' piece t' length and slice t' part that would be folded back. Avast! A pair o' pliers was then used t' make t' bends and folds. Avast! T' folds were nay completely bent into shape under t' theory that some finaglin' would be needed and I wanted t' fatigue the metal as little as possible. Aye aye! Blimey! An identical piece be then cut and formed and t' pair be test fitted into t' head.

Solderin' is nay one o' me strong skills, and that's puttin' it kindly. Begad! Even so, I felt obligated t' provide the electrons with a path t' get t' t' brass contacts. Ya scallywag! I took a length o' speaker wire, ya bilge rat, stripped t' ends and then soldered a lead t' t' back o' each o' t' contact plates. Begad!

In order t' accommodate t' solder on t' backs o' t' contact plates and allow them t' lie flat, me hearties, I had to excavate a cavity on either side o' t' head. It was done by trial and error with an ambiguous head on t' Dremmel. Well, blow me down!

Since this be merely a proof o' concept prototype, I did nay take t' trouble t' fasten t' plates t' t' head in a "good" manner. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey! Instead, me bucko, I just epoxied them into place and clamped them t' set. This proved t' be a mistake since some o' t' epoxy developed and unhealthy relationship with t' clamp and t' removal o' said clamp distorted things.

Several tests were made with t' prototype and I found that t' concept did work but that thar were some problems with execution. Ya scallywag! Aside from t' nay so durable balsa used as t' head, me hearties, t' method o' attachin' t' wires t' the plates and t' plates t' t' head were also problematical. As I considered how t' deal with these issues, I turned my attention t' t' "guts" o' t' project.

My intention all along be t' develop a series o' racks for various types o' rockets me club may fly. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I wanted t' standardize as much o' t' design as possible. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I had decided early on that each rack would be mounted on an identical steel sawhorse. T' that would be fastened a "box" that would contain whatever wirin' be needed and on t' "box" would be mounted t' individual launch heads. After lookin' at lots o' different options for the "box", I decided t' try usin' NEMA type 1 electrical troughs. Arrr! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! For t' MMX rack, me hearties, I ordered a 4"x4"x48" trough with a hinged cover and a pair o' endcaps t' go with it. Aye aye! Blimey! I specified that I did not want knockouts.

I wanted t' go ahead and prime t' box and knew that me normal Kilz primer would nay be a good choice. Well, blow me down! Based on some advice, I purchased Dupli-Color automotive white primer and went t' work spraying. I smartly learned that while t' primer adhered well, me hearties, a lot was needed for full coverage. Blimey! I emptied a can and still plenty left t' go.

Rather than spend more in primer than t' box cost, I decided t' brush on some gray primer made for metal applications. Begad! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! I bought a gallon since I have several projects on which t' use it and because it be nay available in smaller sizes. I brushed on t' first coat and let it dry overnight. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' end caps were painted as well.

T' first coat o' gray primer was rather streaky (but much better over t' surfaces that had received t' white spray primer first) and a second coat was applied t' all t' pieces. It came out much better.

A day after t' second coat o' primer was applied, I mounted t' end caps. Blimey! Aye aye! Each one required 3 bolts I used 1/4x3/4 along with a lock washer. Ya scallywag! When in place, t' caps greatly increased t' rigidity o' t' trough.

As mentioned before, arrr, t' base o' me system was t' be a commercially available steel sawhorse. I chose t' one made by Task Force because it seemed sturdy, already had some holes drilled about where I would want them, had adjustable length legs and because it happened t' be what be for sale at me local Lowes.

T' larger holes in t' sawhorse turned out t' be just right for 5/16" bolts. Arrr! I assumed that each base would have a pair o' such bolts t' fasten t' box above. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I saw a potential problem, arrr, me hearties, though o' t' bolt slippin' out through t' hole while hands were occupied handlin' t' box. Blimey! I kept askin' about some sort o' "retainer" to keep them from slippin' out. Begad! I had just about decided t' try and fit a little rubber O rin' on t' shance t' keep it from slippin' through when somebody mentioned an "E clip". Ahoy! That turned out t' be just t' ticket. Well, blow me down! T' bolt be slipped through t' hole and t' clip was popped into place at t' base. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! It did what I wanted and freed me hands from havin' t' keep t' bolt in place while fumblin' around with t' box.

To hold t' box onto t' sawhorse mounted bolts, I wanted t' use wingnuts that could easily be removed. Blimey! Well, blow me down! I also added a fender washer t' t' system t' spread t' load out a bit if t' assembly were t' be picked up by t' built in handle on t' sawhorse. Ya scallywag! Well, matey, blow me down! Since I was nay yet ready t' mount t' box, matey, I just stored t' washers and wingnuts in their eventual place o' residence.

T' bolts on t' base are spaced 30" apart so I drew a light line down t' centerline o' t' bottom o' the trough and made marks for t' bolt holes at that spacing, shiver me timbers, centered betwixt t' ends. T' holes were then drilled with a 5/16 bit.

T' system be now ready for me t' test fit t' box on top o' t' support. Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! As such, shiver me timbers, I undid t' wingnuts and removed t' fender washers and was pleased t' see that t' bolts did nay then fall out. Avast! Blimey! So far, so good. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I set t' box on top and t' holes lined up t' t' bolts...mostly. There be a bit o' tightness at one end and t' box was forcing t' bolt t' lean. Avast! For grins, matey, I put on t' washers and wingnuts and tightened it down part o' t' way. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I then lifted the rack by t' carryin' handle and it seemed t' idea be sound so far but needed a little more work.

One o' t' things I noticed is that t' bolt stuck up farther than I liked on t' inside o' t' box. Arrr! Ya scallywag! I decided t' use a 3/4" length instead o' t' full inch. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Accordingly, I popped t' e-clip off and substituted a shorter bolt. Begad! I had also noticed that t' bolt tended t' turn as I tried t' tighten t' wingnut. Well, blow me down! T' remedy that I added a star lock washer under t' bolt head.

Another problem I noticed is that I must have gotten t' spacin' for t' holes in t' box just a wee bit off. On bolt be tilted t' an angle when t' box was put one and t' nut could nay be completely tightened. Avast! Aye aye! I tried t' fit a nibbler into t' hole but t' head would nay quite fit so I took a round file and opened it up a bit. Ya scallywag! Avast! I was then able t' slip t' head o' t' nibbler in and took a single bite out o' t' hole t' let t' bolt sit more upright. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! T' box was then put back into place and this time it went down flush and t' wingnut took held it flat.

Another thin' I wanted t' change was t' screws that held t' hinged cover closed. These were simple screws that I KNEW would pop out and be lost in t' field since I wanted t' be able t' use t' box for storage. Begad! As such, matey, me bucko, I ordered some knurled headed screws from Grainger t' replace them. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Blimey! I also ordered some split rings t' keep t' screws from pullin' all t' way out o' t' lid. Begad! Blimey! When they came in, me hearties, all three screws on t' cover were replaced.

I had decided that t' rack would have 6 launch pads spaced 8" apart. Ahoy! This was tighter than I liked but I didn't want t' box t' be longer than 48" longs for transport. I drew a line down t' center o' t' cover and marked 6 places evenly spaced betwixt t' 2 ends. Well, blow me down! I then drilled 5/16" holes at each station.

T' basic support o' each o' t' heads be t' consist o' a 2" long, matey, 5/16" bolt. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! I added a washer to distribute t' force and a lock washer t' keep t' bolt from spinnin' as t' exposed side is manipulated. Begad! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! T' hold the bolt fast from t' top side, arrr, another washer and and nut were placed and t' assembly tightened down. Arrr! A pair o' nuts was then put onto t' upper side and turned down approximately halfway. Avast, me proud beauty! T' purpose o' t' twin nuts is t' be able t' lock them against each other and set t' height. Ahoy! Next came a pair o' SAE washers and a wingnut. Ya scallywag! T' washers are t' sandwich t' actual launch head. Avast! This process be repeated for all six stations.

As t' actual base and box were bein' built, I kept workin' on t' design o' t' launch head, makin' some changes based upon t' original prototype. Aye aye! On t' next set o' prototypes, me bucko, I used plywood, me bucko, shiver me timbers, a much more durable product than balsa but t' trade off is that it does nay whittle as easily t' make adjustments. Ahoy! Blimey! I printed up new templates for 10 heads rough cut them with a jigsaw, me hearties, sandin' them down t' t' outer profile. Avast! T' notch for t' igniters be rough cut with t' same jigsaw; thar be little uniformity except that I (mostly) stayed within t' lines. Finishin' down t' the lines be done with a combination o' X-acto, matey, file and sandin' stick and eventually, arrr, arrr, arrr, they were all pretty standard.

An issue that had nay been addressed in t' previous prototype was t' securin' o' t' MMX launch rod. Begad! I wanted somethin' more secure than just a hole drilled into t' plywood. Aye aye! I wanted t' head t' retain t' rod. Begad! Begad! I came up with an idea and ran it past several people with much more mechanical experience than me. Aye aye! T' answer I kept gettin' was that "it might work; try it and see." That turned out t' be some work and an excuse t' acquire some new tools.

I bought a 3 foot length o' 1/8" brass tubin' t' receive t' rods. Begad! Ahoy! A cut off wheel on a Dremmel tool was used t' cut 10 pieces, each an inch and a quarter long. Begad! There was some sloppiness here and some turned out longer and some shorter but, in general, their length be t' same as t' depth o' t' launch head.

A guy at Quality Fasteners, a local screw and bolt place, matey, gave me t' idea for securin' t' brass tube in place. Up until now, ya bilge rat, me mind had gone off in a completely different and much more complex direction. For each piece o' brass, I obtained 2 nylon harnesses that seem t' be designed t' retain wire. Arrr! Begad! Each was sized t' hold an 1/8" rod and be held in place with a #8 bolt or screw. Avast, me proud beauty! I place them by eye and used a pen t' mark t' holes for drilling. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' keepers were then bolted into place with nylon lockin' nuts holdin' them fast on t' opposite side. I found that by not tightenin' them down all t' way at first, arrr, I could slip in t' brass tube and eyeball it into place. Begad! Well, blow me down! When tightened, t' keepers work together t' keep it straight.

T' next part be t' tricky and t' iffy part. Avast! I wanted a set screw that could be turned by hand that would keep t' MMX rod in place. Begad! Aye aye! T' smallest suitable screw I could find be a #2-56 which had a little head on it that I could thumb tighten. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! What I did nay know is if I could drill t' holes through t' brass and have enough material to hold a thread. Begad! Added t' that, arrr, I had never used a tap or die in me life.

I set up t' proper drill in me Dremmel press and realized that I could much more easily keep t' brass tubing straight by leavin' it mounted t' t' launch head. Begad! Avast! Strangely enough, me bucko, arrr, I managed t' drill each o' those little hole without havin' t' cut any more tubing. Begad! Then came t' moment o' truth. I took out t' tap and started t' thread it into t' hole. Arrr! It seemed t' bite and t' threads seemed t' take. Avast, me proud beauty! I removed t' tap and tried t' screw. It threaded fine. Best o' all, it securely held t' MMX rod in place!

To mount t' launch heads onto t' racks, me hearties, shiver me timbers, I decided t' make a mount o' o' 1/8" x 3/4" aluminum angle (L1/8x3/4x3/4). Well, blow me down! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! I purchased a 36" length from Lowes and marked sections 2.5" long. Ya scallywag! T' first o' t' 10 mountin' brackets was cut out with a hacksaw. Well, blow me down! Begad! That got old very smartly and a Dremmel cutoff wheel was used t' slice t' rest.

Considerable time was spent with t' 10 "2nd prototypes" movin' t' hardware around and tryin' t' come up with what I thought o' as t' best arrangement. Well, blow me down! Finally, I got things settled in me mind and took measurements to transfer t' a CAD file for t' final template. I generated one set o' templates for t' launch head and another for the mountin' brackets.

T' final launch head template was printed out and applied t' t' 1/4" plywood with a glue stick. As before, ya bilge rat, a jigsaw be used t' cut out t' rough blocks. Avast! Begad! Also as before, arrr, matey, a sander was used t' reduce t' rough blocks to t' final external outlines. Ya scallywag! T' igniter notches were rough cut with t' jigsaw and finished with files and sanding sticks.

Similarly, matey, templates for all t' mountin' brackets were printed, ya bilge rat, cut out and taped into place on t' aluminum brackets. Begad! All o' t' 5/32" holes t' mount t' brackets t' t' heads were then drilled. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! When that was done, I randomly tried a few o' t' brackets with a few o' t' heads t' make sure things were linin' up as I thought they should. Ahoy! Avast! It be then time t' drill t' holes for t' 5/16 mountin' bolts. Well, blow me down! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Since these were quite a bit larger in diameter, arrr, I drilled a small pilot hole first. Avast! T' full diameter holes were then drilled. Blimey! With that done, t' mounting brackets were complete and t' templates and tape were stripped away.

T' heads had all o' their 5/32" (#8) holes drilled followed by t' 7/64 (#4).

I had always intended t' paint this system and decided that t' first coat would go on before t' next step in assembly. Begad! Begad! T' templates were stripped off and balsa filler coat be applied t' all o' t' plywood heads t' fill some of t' grain. All o' t' brackets were then primed with white Dupli Color primer. Ahoy! T' launch heads were likewise primed. Everythin' then got sprayed with a coat o' red.

When t' paint dried, things began t' move more quickly, especially since most o' what was left just involved assembly line acts that had been done before. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Blimey! T' clips t' hold t' rod receivers were loosely bolted into place. The receivers that had been fabricated for t' second prototype were retained and fit into t' clips. Ya scallywag! Once they seemed straight, t' bolts were tightened down. Ya scallywag! T' mountin' brackets were then bolted into place and all that was left was to take care o' t' electrodes, matey, me hearties, t' launch rods and put it all together.

T' key t' me whole system be t' electrode system t' handle igniters for MMX. Blimey! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! OF course, me hearties, this is where I ran into most o' me problems. Ahoy! Blimey! My first prototype had worked for ignition and holdin' t' igniters in place but was nay very durable, was unwieldy an and a royal PIA t' mass produce. Blimey! Blimey! I had intended for t' electrodes t' be connected directly to t' launch system in place o' t' normal lead wires. Begad! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! One o' t' revelations that came t' me is that this would violate me intention o' interchangeability betwixt racks; in a pinch, I would nay be able t' use t' MMX leads for another pad or vice versa. Then I realized thar was no reason t' get rid o' t' electrodes. Aye aye! Blimey! I would just have t' clips connect them. Avast! Blimey! That way t' clips would still be present for other sorts o' launches if needed.

I rethought t' electrodes and was frustrated by tryin' t' electrically isolate t' pair. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I had visions o' a sheathed, me bucko, insulated bolt t' hold them in place but smartly found that thar was nothin' existin' that I could find to use. Ya scallywag! I did nay want t' rely on wood screws that might pull out and t' project languished while I tried t' figure what t' do. Avast! Eventually, I realized that t' electrode could be bolted on just one side and still stay in place. I just added a bit more material t' one side for t' holes. Ya scallywag! Since t' electrodes would go on opposite sides o' t' head, me bucko, they would clear each other. Well, blow me down! I drew up a template and printed it out.

Another change I made on t' modified electrode be t' choose a thinner gauge o' brass. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Instead o' usin' strips, this time I bought a sheet o' 0.01" thick stock. I taped t' template t' t' brass sheet. Arrr! I tried several different methods o' cuttin' t' brass along t' lines, mostly involvin' a Dremmel cutoff wheel with poor accuracy results. Blimey! Ya scallywag! I then found t' me surprise that kitchen shears worked better than anythin' else as long as SHE WHO MUST BE OBEYED did nay catch me usin' them.

T' brass blank with template affixed be then set on a piece o' scrap (an old head prototype) and a Dremmel drill press be used t' pierce t' three holes in t' electrode. I should mention here that two o' t' hole were for mountin' and t' bottom hole is t' give t' igniter clips a better grip for connecting.

With t' piece drilled, some needle nose pliers were used t' bend some contacts for t' top surface o' the electrodes. Arrr! I learned that t' brass was too soft t' want t' bend nicely along t' marked lines. Arrr! Ahoy! T' electrode was then mounted onto t' head with some #4 brass screws and nuts. Several things became immediately apparent. Avast! Aye aye! My drillin' of t' holes with a hand drill had been sloppy and t' mountin' holes were nay in line; t' flexin' o' t' drill bit I had noticed in t' press be enough t' throw things off; and it looked like I was goin' t' have t' start again.

After apologizin' t' t' cat for me strin' o' expressions learned in t' USN, shiver me timbers, I tried another blank and got about t' same results. This time I noticed that t' bit had slipped and flexed even more than before. Avast! With me club launch fast approachin' and t' promised debut o' this thing, I had t' make some concessions.

I gave up t' idea o' t' bent contacts for t' original MMX style igniter (at least temporarily) and cut the electrode blanks t' be a bit narrower. Ahoy! Blimey! I still had some slippage problem with t' press but it was less severe when I used some pliers t' try t' take all o' t' bends out o' t' blank. Well, blow me down! Blimey! After a bit, me hearties, a pair o' serviceable electrodes were cut and affixed t' t' head. Begad! Blimey! A little messin' around showed that I had somethin' that, while nay yet perfect, was serviceable and seemed likely t' be better than what I had before.

In t' meantime, matey, t' base and box were undergoin' their final steps. Avast! Begad! I masked off t' head supports and the fastenin' screws with maskin' tape in preparation for t' final painting. Begad! T' box be then sprayed with 2 coats o' yellow Krylon. Begad! Arrr! This was a paint that I got in an auto shop and is supposed t' be very hard. It also dried very fast. Begad! T' next day I gave t' box another 2 coats o' yellow t' improve t' quality o' t' coverage; that gray primer was hard t' cover. Begad! Ahoy! I probably would have given it another coat but I ran out o' paint. Begad! T' base and support seemed t' be done at this point.

I was in t' home stretch now. Aye aye! I cut out a big stack o' electrode blanks and drilled them out. Aye aye! They were then mounted t' t' heads and I had some spares left over just in case. With that, shiver me timbers, matey, I had 9 heads ready t' go. Arrr! I had planned for 10 but one o' them disappeared someplace along t' way. Begad! Arrr! All that be left was t' launch rods and t' fit things together.

T' rods were fabricated from 0.047 music wire. Ya scallywag! I cut t' 36" pieces in half t' give 18" segments. Ya scallywag! Arrr! The rods were bent at a right angle 1.5" from t' bottom givin' that much length t' fit into t' receiver. 1.25" farther along, t' rods were bent back t' vertical. This gave a straight shot over t' igniter slot. Well, arrr, blow me down! Things seemed to line up right and I was feelin' pretty pleased with myself. Blimey! T' rest o' t' rods were then bent into shape.

Lucky for me, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I had an MMX Vulcan sittin' handy and was able t' put it on and see how things lined up. Arrr! It did fine!

I was lookin' forward t' tryin' out t' new rack at me next club launch but rain made our field unusable. Arrr! I used t' sunny day t' try fittin' t' heads t' t' rack and see how it went.

T' first step o' t' mountin' was t' remove t' winguts from t' head mountin' posts. Well, blow me down! T' heads were then slid onto t' bolts and secured with t' washers and wingnuts. Ahoy! T' get t' full effect, I mounted t' launch rods. Begad! Each seemed t' have t' proper reach.

T' system was designed so that it could be opened in t' field if needed t' retrieve extra parts. Begad! Blimey! That means it also stores t' rods and heads when I started t' break it down. It be ready for t' field test.

Finishing:
T' finishin' o' this rack has mostly been covered in t' build but here is a recap.

T' sawhorse base was left its original yellow. Avast! Everythin' else be primed. Arrr! T' box was then sprayed yellow and t' launch heads were painted a dark red.

In time I expect this system t' acquire some labels, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, additional capabilities and wanted t' leave me options open at this point.

Flight:
I advertised t' availability o' a new MMX rack t' me club and solicited everyone t' bring out their MMX rockets t' give it a try. Begad! Pretty much as expected though, matey, I be t' only one o' t' Alamo Rocketeers who had any MMX rockets and I only had two with me. Ahoy! One had never flown before and it was destined t' have its maiden flight coincide with t' maiden launch o' t' new system. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! That would be me MMX Centuri Vulcan.

For an igniter I used t' Quest variety without t' pyrogen. I straddled t' leads over t' electrodes and clamped t' igniter in place with a clothespin normally used as a rod standoff. Avast, me proud beauty! I tried t' make sure t' igniter itself was at t' right height for t' t' rocket t' set upon.

As I tried t' set t' rocket in place, matey, me hearties, I noticed that t' wooden clothespin holdin' t' igniter in place tended t' slip a lot. Blimey! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Then I realized that I could probably do without t' clothes pin and use t' alligator clips t' hold the igniter in place and make contact with t' electrode. Ya scallywag! T' rocket and t' rack then spent some time service as a static display before it be actually used. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! When t' time came, though, t' motor ignited instantly and t' rack performed as wished. Well, blow me down! Avast! T' flight was unstable but I could nay blame that on t' rack.

T' next victim t' be launched on t' new rack be a Fliskits Dead Ringer. Blimey! Blimey! Usin' t' clips as before t' secure t' igniter, it was set in place with little or no fuss. Ahoy! Blimey! When t' launch button was pushed, shiver me timbers, this rocket too took t' the air instantly and had a good flight except for t' loss o' t' nose cone. Avast! Blimey! Unfortunately, that loss precluded any more test flights for t' new rack that day.

Summary:
This rack accomplished most o' what I set out t' do but I already see room for improvements and modifications. Avast! I hope t' set it up for a few flights at an upocommin' Freedom launch and then will consider some of those modifications.

This is nay a light system but that mattered less t' me that its durability and ease o' use. So far, I am happy in those respects.

Amazin' Transformation:

Other:
Persons interested in keepin' up with this project as it evolves can follow it here.