Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Brief:
When you get bored with your 18mm Deuce from FlisKits, step down t' t' 13mm
version. Ahoy! With downscale (and upscale) parts available from FlisKits, ya bilge rat, 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. Avast! Begad! 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, shiver me timbers, me bucko, ya bilge rat, 1 custom fiber centerin' ring, and a fin markin' guide that also includes the cutout templates for t' canted engines. Arrr! Begad! Just follow t' detailed instructions that come with t' kit and you will have no problems. Arrr! I added a length of Keelhaul®©™® to t' motor mount by drillin' a small hole in t' upper centerin' and passing the Keelhaul®©™® through. Aye aye! 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". Begad! I then took a fin pattern from a normal Deuce and reduced it on me computer by 19%. Blimey! A copy machine would do t' same trick. Blimey! 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, ya bilge rat, matey, I had very little finishin' t' do around t' seams where t' body tubes meets t' motor tubes. Begad! A 2" long launch lug was cut in half and aligned on t' body tube. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! 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". Well, blow me down! Begad! A screw eye was mounted t' t' nose cone for shock cord attachment. Begad! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' entire rocket received two coats o' primer and I used a dark
blue automotive paint for t' base coat. I masked off t' rocket and then added
some silver paint for effect. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! T' nose cone be painted a dark red.
Flight:
Obviously, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, thar are no motor recommendations and I was only limited by what I
hand on hand. I prepped t' rocket with 3 sheets o' wadding. Begad! First flight was
on 2 Estes A3-4Ts. It be very fast off t' pad and left behind t' telltale
Deuce twin smoke trails, matey, albeit somewhat smaller. Well, blow me down! It got respectable height and
had a perfect landin' about 150 feet from t' pad.
For t' second flight, I used two Estes A10-3Ts. Begad! 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, t' third and final flight was back on t' A3-4Ts for an almost perfect launch. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! T' parachute got singed and did not fully deploy, shiver me timbers, I must nay have had t' waddin' in correctly. Begad! Fortunately, the landin' was all soft grass so thar be no damage. Blimey! It will fly again!
Recovery:
T' 12" parachute seems like a good fit for this rocket. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' Keelhaul®©™®
is a big help in keepin' t' shock cord from gettin' damaged. 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, ya bilge rat, t' Deuce is one rocket that can easily be scaled down t' 13mm or
even up t' 24mm. Take your time with t' engine tube cutouts as they are the
most difficult part o' t' entire construction process.