Scratch Orange Concentrate Original Design / Scratch Built

Scratch - Orange Concentrate {Scratch}

Contributed by Eric Ripp

Manufacturer: Scratch
(Contributed - by Eric Ripp - 04/20/05) (Scratch) Orange Concentrate

Brief:
I started off by tryin' t' build a rocket without spendin' any money. Ahoy! So I had my son look around t' house t' find things that look like rocket parts. Ahoy! Aye aye! We finally settled on an ultra large orange juice concentrate container, shiver me timbers, a foam Easter egg, me hearties, and tongue depressors. I decided t' stick t' single stage since couplin' t' two stages together would complicate a simple concept.

Construction:
I used a 16 fluid oz orange juice container, matey, foam Easter egg, matey, shiver me timbers, 3 tongue depressors, arrr, shiver me timbers, bread bag (parachute), shiver me timbers, and lots o' glue. Well, blow me down! T' make t' foam egg fit, I had t' carve down t' butt, this was a simple task with a kitchen knife. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! To make t' egg more durable, me hearties, arrr, I used 4 coats o' Elmer’s glue. This was a unique look for t' rocket as sealed foam makes t' nose cone look like an orange rind. Avast! Well, blow me down! I had problems gettin' t' tongue depressors (wings) t' stay attached, so I had t' change over t' a bondin' epoxy instead o' modelin' glue. T' only item that needed t' be purchased be a engine tube since I could not find a free substitute. T' bread bag for a parachute was great, durable, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and the best price. Begad!

T' biggest problem I had assemblin' t' rocket was gettin' t' wings to stay attached. Begad! T' glossy finish on t' juice can was nay t' best for adhesion. Aye aye! T' tongue depressors are perfect material for wings, arrr, but they just need t' be glued t' a more sturdy platform. No special tools needed t' be created. Begad! T' give t' unit a nice look, ya bilge rat, I applied 10 coats o' clear paint. Connectin' t' shock cord and parachute t' t' nose cone be tough due t' the frailty o' t' foam. Begad! I used a pencil t' create a hole in t' shoulder o' the nose cone, arrr, then I filled t' hole with epoxy and attached a eyelet screw in the glue.

Flight:
I recommend a C6-3 motor for this unit since t' parachute is home made I did not want t' have a high speed deployment rip t' shock cord off. Begad! T' nice thing about this design be t' weight: it is so light that it goes up fast and comes down slow.

Recovery:
I used waddin' with this unit but t' next iteration will have a parachute protection tube and will nay require wadding.

Summary:
T' next version will also have a 24mm MMT for use with D12 or E9 motors and a wider fin design.

PROs: Cheap, ya bilge rat, easy t' fix, and it's an attention getter.

CONs: T' OJ container is a weak surface t' glue to

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