| 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, arrr, ya bilge rat, I couldnt resist gettin' one o' each size. T' spike on t' bigger one, which be used here, me hearties, is 15 long and t' base matches a 2.125" mailin' tube well. Ahoy! Begad! T' smaller one is 10 and fits nicely in a 38mm tube. Arrr! T' latter will be t' subject o' a future review.

Please refer t' t' attached image t' see how t' spike be used. Begad! 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. Arrr! This be then glued into a short piece o' mailin' tube. When I chopped off t' hook that protruded from t' spike's base, I left a slightly flat area. Well, blow me down! Blimey! 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. Well, blow me down! So, me bucko, I attached some 1/8" Keelhaul®©™® t' an eyebolt that I installed in t' spike's base, shiver me timbers, inserted it in t' tube assembly and sealed t' base, which is inset couple o' inches, with Gorilla Glue. I had thought that I'd drill a small hole in t' nose section's body and pour in some foam. Begad! However, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! One good thin' about savin' bit and pieces o' old rockets is you have bits and pieces. Aye aye! Blimey! I found a recycled 29mm mount with rings t' match this tube. Ya scallywag! Blimey! It also had an attachment point for t' shock cord. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I attached some more Keelhaul®©™® t' t' mount and wrapped t' lower 6" or so with a strip o' car airbag. Arrr! Begad! I sure wish I had more o' this, me bucko, but all that's left is a few scraps. Begad! I affixed it with a few twists o' bare wire.
I
used t' G-10 fins from t' now defunct
Stratoshpere. One o' t' bilge-suckin' parts about havin' an assembled mount is you can't install it sans aft ring, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, so inner
fillets are tough. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! I marked t' mount so t' fins would avoid t' shock cord mount and motor retention hardware and
swabbed on some 5-minute epoxy. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! 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. This means that I set it on end, eyeballed t' alignment,
and adjusted t' alignment as t' glue dried. Ahoy! Ahoy! T' results are nay perfect but are pretty good. Arrr! I then masked t' fins
and added some Super-Fil fillets. Ahoy! I also added some epoxy clay betwixt t' base o' t' body tube and t' motor mount
just t' toughen it up a bit. Begad! 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, shiver me timbers, t' spike is heavy enough t' make it very stable. Blimey! Arrr! 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! Begad! I used a couple of coats and waited a couple o' days before painting. Avast! Avast! T' body is Rustoleum green hammered metallic and will no doubt appeal t' Packers fans. Avast, me proud beauty! 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, me proud beauty! Blimey! Luckily, me hearties, I had some scraps that I could use t' cover t' blemishes. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! I also printed a couple o' stickers, arrr, one t' pay homage t' t' rocket's name and one that just seemed appropriate. Well, blow me down! Avast! I sealed these with a clear coat and covered t' edges with clear finger nail polish. Well, blow me down! I have found that stickers made from t' Avery white label stock tend t' peel up over time. Blimey! This is mostly t' case when it is used on curved surfaces like t' body tube. Aye aye! Hopefully, t' thicker polish will keep them tacked down.
Flight:
I used both a little dog barf and a small chute pad. Begad! I decided on an undersized 18
chute t' keep t' rocket in t' same county. Begad! Avast! T' G64-10s delay was drilled t' -8. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! T' boost was fast and
high as would be expected. Begad! Aye aye! Ejection appeared t' be at apogee, although it be hard t' see. Avast! Well, blow me down! It recovered close by and
with no damage.
Summary:
T' main point t' this build be t' garden spike nose cone. Ya scallywag! At $3.25, me bucko, arrr, it be inexpensive. Ahoy! I
think it looks pretty cool and appears t' fly nicely. Ya scallywag! Others at t' launch seemed t' share me opinion.
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