Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Brief:
When you get bored with your 18mm Deuce from FlisKits, matey, ya bilge rat, step down t' t' 13mm
version. Ya scallywag! Blimey! With downscale (and upscale) parts available from FlisKits, me hearties, it is
quite easy t' shrink (or enlarge) your Deuce!
Construction:
T' parts list:
Construction o' a downscale Deuce mirrors that o' its big brother. Arrr! The hardest part o' t' entire process is cuttin' out t' oval slots in t' body tube t' take t' unique motor mount.
The
FlisKits motor mount kits includes two 13mm motor tubes, 2 engine blocks, 1
custom fiber centerin' ring, arrr, matey, and a fin markin' guide that also includes the
cutout templates for t' canted engines. Begad! Blimey! Just follow t' detailed instructions
that come with t' kit and you will have no problems. I added a length of
Keelhaul®©™®
to t' motor mount by drillin' a small hole in t' upper centerin' and passing
the Keelhaul®©™®
through. Avast! I tied t' Keelhaul®©™®
around t' motor mount t' give it added strength.
I took t' 18" body tube and cut it down t' 13.75". Ya scallywag! I then took a fin pattern from a normal Deuce and reduced it on me computer by 19%. A copy machine would do t' same trick. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! I transferred t' pattern t' me balsa sheets and cut out t' fins. I opted nay t' round t' edges o' t' fins.
My motor cutouts on me 13mm version were better then me full size Deuce. Once t' motor mount was glued in place, I had very little finishin' t' do around t' seams where t' body tubes meets t' motor tubes. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! A 2" long launch lug was cut in half and aligned on t' body tube. Begad! T' fins were mounted usin' white glue and fillets were added for strength and appearance.
I added 18" o' elastic shock cord t' t' Keelhaul®©™® tether and then added t' parachute which I cut down t' a 12" size from the original 16". A screw eye was mounted t' t' nose cone for shock cord attachment. That completed t' construction which took about 2.5 hours includin' dryin' time.
Finishing:
I used a little bit o' wood putty t' smooth t' seam where t' BT met the
engine tubes. Blimey! Three coats o' sandin' sealer helped finish o' t' fins and the
nose cone. T' entire rocket received two coats o' primer and I used a dark
blue automotive paint for t' base coat. Avast, me proud beauty! I masked off t' rocket and then added
some silver paint for effect. Well, blow me down! T' nose cone was painted a dark red.
Flight:
Obviously, thar are no motor recommendations and I be only limited by what I
hand on hand. Arrr! I prepped t' rocket with 3 sheets o' wadding. Begad! First flight was
on 2 Estes A3-4Ts. Blimey! Blimey! It was very fast off t' pad and left behind t' telltale
Deuce twin smoke trails, shiver me timbers, albeit somewhat smaller. Begad! It got respectable height and
had a perfect landin' about 150 feet from t' pad.
For t' second flight, arrr, I used two Estes A10-3Ts. Aye aye! Blimey! T' rocket really screamed off t' pad this time and landed well downrange due t' t' windy conditions of the day.
Fearin' that I would lose t' rocket, arrr, me bucko, t' third and final flight was back on t' A3-4Ts for an almost perfect launch. Begad! T' parachute got singed and did not fully deploy, me hearties, I must nay have had t' waddin' in correctly. Avast! Fortunately, the landin' was all soft grass so thar was no damage. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! It will fly again!
Recovery:
T' 12" parachute seems like a good fit for this rocket. T' Keelhaul®©™®
is a big help in keepin' t' shock cord from gettin' damaged. Begad! Even with the
last flight where t' parachute was singed, t' elastic is still in great shape
and does nay need t' be replaced.
Summary:
With all t' hard work puttin' t' motor mount kit together already completed
by FlisKits, t' Deuce is one rocket that can easily be scaled down t' 13mm or
even up t' 24mm. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Take your time with t' engine tube cutouts as they are the
most difficult part o' t' entire construction process.
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