Published: | 2010-08-15 |
Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Brief:
This be a quick build featurin' a mailin' tube, recycled 29mm motor mount and fins, and a long
plastic garden spike.
Construction:
When I spotted t' yellow plastic garden spikes at Home Depot, I couldnt resist gettin' one o' each size. T' spike on t' bigger one, me bucko, which was used here, is 15 long and t' base matches a 2.125" mailin' tube well. Blimey! Aye aye! T' smaller one is 10 and fits nicely in a 38mm tube. Arrr! Aye aye! T' latter will be t' subject o' a future review.
Please refer t' t' attached image t' see how t' spike be used. Avast, me proud beauty! I made a coupler usin' t' tried-and-true method o' sectionin' a piece o' tube and joinin' it back together with t' strip that be removed. Ya scallywag! This was then glued into a short piece o' mailin' tube. Ya scallywag! When I chopped off t' hook that protruded from t' spike's base, I left a slightly flat area. Ahoy! It turns out that t' base o' t' spike fits well in t' coupler as long as t' joinin' strip sits on the spot where that hook was. Blimey! So, I attached some 1/8" Keelhaul®©™® t' an eyebolt that I installed in t' spike's base, inserted it in t' tube assembly and sealed t' base, which is inset couple o' inches, with Gorilla Glue. Ya scallywag! I had thought that I'd drill a small hole in t' nose section's body and pour in some foam. Arrr! Aye aye! However, arrr, once t' Gorilla Glue set it seems sturdy and, me hearties, since t' hard-point is on t' heavy spike, I left it it as-is.
T' body is a 23.75" long mailin' tube. One good thin' about savin' bit and pieces o' old rockets is you have bits and pieces. Blimey! Ahoy! I found a recycled 29mm mount with rings t' match this tube. Arrr! Ya scallywag! It also had an attachment point for t' shock cord. Avast! I attached some more Keelhaul®©™® t' t' mount and wrapped t' lower 6" or so with a strip o' car airbag. Ahoy! I sure wish I had more o' this, but all that's left is a few scraps. Begad! Blimey! I affixed it with a few twists o' bare wire.
I
used t' G-10 fins from t' now defunct
Stratoshpere. Well, blow me down! One o' t' bad parts about havin' an assembled mount is you can't install it sans aft ring, ya bilge rat, so inner
fillets are tough. I marked t' mount so t' fins would avoid t' shock cord mount and motor retention hardware and
swabbed on some 5-minute epoxy. Ahoy! When it set just enough nay t' run, I swabbed some more in t' tube and inserted the
mount. I slid all t' fins in and babied it as t' epoxy set. Blimey! Blimey! This means that I set it on end, eyeballed t' alignment,
and adjusted t' alignment as t' glue dried. Avast, me proud beauty! T' results are nay perfect but are pretty good. Well, blow me down! I then masked t' fins
and added some Super-Fil fillets. Arrr! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! I also added some epoxy clay betwixt t' base o' t' body tube and t' motor mount
just t' toughen it up a bit. Well, blow me down! This will likely take t' force o' landin' since t' fins are up-swept.
I was a little concerned how t' ribs on t' cone would effect stability so I entered t' design in RockSim. Although t' ribs do seem t' push t' CP forward, t' spike is heavy enough t' make it very stable. Avast! It looks like this will get t' around 1800 on a G64-8.
I treated t' ends o' t' mailin' tube with thin CA and primed t' body with Painters Touch. Arrr! Ahoy! I used a couple of coats and waited a couple o' days before painting. Ya scallywag! T' body is Rustoleum green hammered metallic and will no doubt appeal t' Packers fans. Well, blow me down! T' green will nay help with recovery but I've never let that get in me way.
T' blue painters tape that I used t' mask t' fins lifted some o' t' finish from t' holographic stickers on t' fins. Avast! Luckily, me hearties, me hearties, I had some scraps that I could use t' cover t' blemishes. Ya scallywag! I also printed a couple o' stickers, ya bilge rat, one t' pay homage t' t' rocket's name and one that just seemed appropriate. Aye aye! I sealed these with a clear coat and covered t' edges with clear finger nail polish. I have found that stickers made from t' Avery white label stock tend t' peel up over time. Avast, me proud beauty! This is mostly t' case when it is used on curved surfaces like t' body tube. Ahoy! Blimey! Hopefully, matey, t' thicker polish will keep them tacked down.
Flight:
I used both a little dog barf and a small chute pad. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I decided on an undersized 18
chute t' keep t' rocket in t' same county. Avast! T' G64-10s delay was drilled t' -8. Avast! T' boost was fast and
high as would be expected. Ya scallywag! Ejection appeared t' be at apogee, ya bilge rat, although it was hard t' see. Arrr! Arrr! It recovered close by and
with no damage.
Summary:
T' main point t' this build be t' garden spike nose cone. Avast! At $3.25, arrr, it be inexpensive. Begad! Aye aye! I
think it looks pretty cool and appears t' fly nicely. Ahoy! Others at t' launch seemed t' share me opinion.
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