Brief:
OddRoc, matey, ya bilge rat, Paper, arrr, 18mm, me hearties, me bucko, me hearties, Streamer

T' 2009 Holiday Bell is Erik Truax's Christmas gift t' t' rocketry community for 2009. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! It is a rocket powered flyin' model o' a Christmas bell. Begad! Aye aye! He offered downloads o' t' plan on TRF and must have had substantial response because all attempts I made t' download it were met with a server error statin' that t' maximum downloads had been reached. Avast, me proud beauty! He be kind enough t' send me t' Zip file for t' rocket and I immediately thought that puttin' it together sounded preferable t' fillin' out end o' year paperwork.

Construction:
T' Zip file consisted o' 2 PDF files o' t' actual cutouts and a 5 page PDF o' the instructions. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! All I had t' do was print out t' shrouds on 60# cardstock and t' instruction on bond and was ready to go.

I began t' process by startin' t' cut out t' various pieces and gluin' them together t' form t' various "rings". Ahoy! First up for me was t' "aft bulkhead" which is actually t' interior surface o' t' bell. It be nice because it had a minimum o' "shark's teeth" t' deal with. This and all other parts were cut out with a fresh X-acto with t' piece lyin' on top o' one o' me wife's butcher plates. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! (Don't tell her!) When it be cut out, a very light coat o' white glue was applied t' t' glue tab and it be glued together t' form t' interior cone.

I next turned t' t' conic section that would be second from t' top. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! It was chosen because it happened t' be the next one I picked up. Again, thar were nay too many o' t' teeth t' cut out and, once cut, shiver me timbers, it was glued along t' tab line. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! T' top section came next for much t' same reason. It also had a lug hole t' cut out. Begad! T' main body o' t' bell came next. Well, blow me down! By this time, me hearties, arrr, t' teeth were becomin' tedious and I adopted a procedure o' makin' all t' cuts in one direction first and then tryin' t' other. Begad! It seemed t' help. Aye aye! T' bottom rim o' t' bell was t' most tedious part. Blimey! It had teeth along both edges. In time,though, it too was cut and glued, arrr, matey, arrr, just in time for me t' do t' Christmas Eve service at me church.

T' "body tube" o' this rocket is actually t' bell handle. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! It be fairly easy t' cut out since it is essentially a rectangle with some glue tabs. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Since rollin' paper tubes is a known weakness o' mine, me bucko, shiver me timbers, matey, I decided to pre-roll t' handle around a wooden dowel o' smaller diameter than t' actual handle is supposed t' be in order t' get t' final handle t' holds its shape more easily. Avast! Blimey! T' handle was then glued into a tube at t' marked line.

While t' glue set up on t' bell and handle portions, I turned me attention t' t' nose cone. Begad! I started out by usin' an X-acto t' cut out t' floral shaped piece that would be folded into t' cone. Avast! For me clumsy fingers, it was an exacting process. Aye aye! When it be cut out and I had shaved off t' excess paper as best I could, I applied a touch o' white glue to t' tabs o' 4 o' t' cone sections. Well, blow me down! These were nay four adjacent panels but 4 spaced out t' form a cross. Avast! Begad! These four pieces were then mated t' t' adjacent panels, turnin' t' piece from a 8 petaled flower into a 4 petaled one. This order be adopted based on t' recommendations in t' instructions and made puttin' t' cone together much easier than it otherwise would have been.

As t' glue on t' NC petals was drying, I cut out t' band that would form t' shoulder o' t' nose cone. Avast! Arrr! The band be then glued into a loop usin' t' marked line t' determine t' circumference. Ya scallywag! While that set up, arrr, I applied a little glue t' form t' 4 lobes o' t' cone into two, givin' it an even more pronounced curve. Blimey! That be given an hour t' dry and then t' final two sets o' tabs were glued into place t' finish formin' t' leader surface. Begad! A coatin' of white glue was also applied t' t' inside o' t' cone t' strengthen as help t' seal it a bit.

Fortunately for me, ya bilge rat, I had t' presence o' mind t' test fit t' shoulder band o' t' nosecone into t' body tube (handle) before tryin' t' affix it t' t' nose cone. Aye aye! It be too big and did nay fit either because I had rolled the tube too tightly or because I had nay rolled t' band tight enough. Begad! A check with a spent motor casin' revealed a bit of both. Ya scallywag! T' motor was tight but did fit. Avast, me proud beauty! I cut a slit out o' t' NC band and reglued it with a tight but nay too tight fit. When that had set, me hearties, some glue be put on t' sawtooth tabs o' t' band and it be fixed t' t' cone proper.

Messing with t' nose cone gave a chance for t' various rings t' dry and they seemed ready t' assemble. Ya scallywag! Arrr! T' instructions reveal that alignment o' t' bell sections is achieved with a series o' tick marks that are aligned with seams. Ya scallywag! With that known, I began t' put t' sections together, arrr, me hearties, puttin' a little white glue on t' shark's teeth and gluin' a little bit at a time. Begad! When that was dry, me hearties, me bucko, I would do a little more. When t' first two pieces were together, I started on the next and found that a little clamp be helpful. Then came t' top section which be slowly glued in place in t' same way.

T' launch lug intended for this project is hand rolled from t' same cardstock as t' rest o' t' project. To me, that did nay sound fun and I cheated and glued on a piece o' 1/8" lug I had sittin' around.

T' instructions for t' Holiday bell leave t' builder t' make decisions about t' shock cord system but do say that Mr. Arrr! Blimey! Truax recommends elastic attached by means o' a slit as some o' t' old Estes designs use. Aye aye! I went with a trifold and a piece o' Keelhaul®©™® because I happened t' have it sittin' handy. Begad! One end o' t' Keelhaul®©™® was knotted and then glued into a very ugly trifold cut from a piece o' t' instructions already used. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' mount was then glued into t' tube usin' a 1/2" bolt t' press it into place. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' other end o' t' Keelhaul®©™® was also knotted and then bent double into t' NC. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Blimey! A large glob o' white glue was then poured in t' fix in into place.

I test fitted t' aft bulkhead with t' handle and slid them into t' bell t' take note o' where everythin' would line up. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Some glue was then applied t' t' handle and t' bulkhead was glued in place t' t' handle.

While t' glue on t' handle be drying, me bucko, I took a pair o' needle nose pliers and bent back all o' t' shark's teeth around t' bottom o' t' bell t' prepare it for receivin' t' bulkhead.

When t' glue on t' handle be dry, me hearties, I slipped it back through t' bell and began t' process o' gluin' t' teeth t' t' bulkhead a few tabs at a time. A clamp was used t' hold everythin' in place as t' glue set. Arrr! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Towards t' end of t' process, I found that me alignment had nay always been as good as it should have been. Blimey! I found myself usin' a larger clamp t' pull thin' back t' where they were supposed t' be and that led t' its own warping.

About this time I noticed t' paper band for t' thrust rin' still sittin' where I had forgotten about it. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! I never intended t' roll me own. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Instead, I cut a rin' from a spent 18mm casing. Begad! Begad! Because me handle tube was a bit tight, I had t' peel some paper off t' ring. Ahoy! Some glue be then swabbed into t' tube and another casin' be used t' push t' rin' into place. Arrr! Begad! This helped t' pull everythin' back into round again.

After that, matey, I applied some white glue fillets where thar were gaps or things looked weak and t' Holiday bell was ready t' fly.

Finishing:
There be no finishin' t' be done on this rocket. Aye aye! T' decoration scheme be a part o' the shrouds that were printed out.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
I finally got t' fly me bell.

At me recent makeup launch it be one o' 2 rockets that HAD t' be flown. Ya scallywag! For t' maiden flight, arrr, I located a piece o' streamer, cut it t' size and tied it t' t' Keelhaul®©™®. I then selected a B4-4. Begad! I had t' strip some o' t' paper off but I got it in and then let Tiger hook it up. Begad! Blimey! It was his first time.

We had t' wait while Todd's Ricochet took off...

...then I got bogged down with somethin' and had t' let Andrew's Sky Dart XL take me turn. Blimey! Well, blow me down! O' course Tiger wanted t' help Andrew retrieve his Sky Dart and Andrew was generous enough t' allow him t' do it so that Stu's Titan III Dyna Soar slipped in ahead o' me. Due t' stability issues, matey, retrievin' t' Dyna Soar be nay an option so, me hearties, me bucko, at last, it was my turn.

T' bell actually looked pretty good under thrust and was one o' t' straightest flyin' rockets I have ever flown. Begad! It decelerated smartly after t' thrust ended and began t' tumble down. Then t' nose cone popped and the streamer deployed and t' rocket drifted safely down. Blimey! Since Andrew had already set t' example, shiver me timbers, I decided t' let Tiger and Lindsey run out t' retrieve t' rocket...good as new!

The second flight o' t' Holiday Bell be with an Estes C6-5. Avast! It was prepped with minimal waddin' and taken t' t' pad where it be supposed t' fly right after Andrew Cooper's Extended Payload A.S.P. Ahoy! Andrew was up first and commenced his countdown and all were watchin' his A.S.P. Arrr! All were surprised when me Bell took off instead. Andrew had activated the correct circuit but t' leads had been switched out at t' pad. Ya scallywag! I be a bit startled so I did nay get many photos of t' flight. Arrr! Ya scallywag! I can say that it was another performance like t' previous one where it flew well and straight with a quick deceleration after t' boost phase. Avast! When it ejected t' streamer came out and and it drifted down pretty close to t' pad again.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This rocket is a novelty, me hearties, definitely an oddroc. Arrr! Aye aye! Blimey! It is made from paper and was free for t' cost o' printin' it out and puttin' it together. Aye aye! T' build was at times tedious with all t' little shark's teeth t' cut out but it was nay difficult. T' flights were definitely first rate. Avast! Avast! Blimey! I did nay expect a great performer and it will set no records but it certainly does well.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Other:
Anyone wishin' t' keep up with what is happenin' with this rocket is invited t' check here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23694991@N03/collections/72157623233049554/