Tintinique

Tintinique

OK, shiver me timbers, so it's nay exactly t' right proportions for Tin Tin's rocket, shiver me timbers, me hearties, far too squat and stubby, but that's why it's called Tintinique. Ahoy! Ahoy! Just As diamonique isn't diamond, Tintinique isn't Tin Tin. ( Anyone who doesn't know what I'm talkin' about here, shiver me timbers, me hearties, me bucko, needs t' watch more QVC!)

Nestlé time capsule

Centerin' rin' in position

Time Capsules

In October 99, I attended K-Lob in Lincolnshire. Begad! Amongst t' rockets thar was somethin' very different. Avast! It looked like a 50's retro rocket. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! It was great. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! How on earth did they make t' body for that? It turns out, matey, ya bilge rat, that durin' t' run up t' t' millenium celebrations someone at Nestlé thought it would be a good idea t' produce a time capsule in which people could bury stuff, me bucko, me bucko, and dig it up in t' future. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Bein' Nestlé o' course they sold it full o' sweets (candy for those o' you across t' pond). Blimey! Blimey! For some bizzarre reason known only t' t' designer, shiver me timbers, t' capsule itself, was made from a shape resemblin' t' body o' a typical sci-fi or cartoon rocket. Ahoy! Aye aye! Better still, t' screw-on lid was easily convertible into a removeable nose cone. Aye aye! Whoever it was I'd love t' ask them why they did it. Blimey! I buy two, me bucko, one for a podded Tin Tin rocket, t' other for spare.

Anyway, time passes and every time I go t' a launch thar's another time capsule. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I've got t' build this thing. Ahoy! I decide t' build it for RMR DesCon6. Time passes. DesCon6 begins. Begad! Blimey! Time passes. Ya scallywag! DesCon6 finishes. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! UKRA 2000 approaches, and I realise that t' rocket I intended t' take, Accusatory Finger o' Suspicion, me bucko, me hearties, isn't goin' t' be ready. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! I dig out t' time capsule. Avast! Blimey! I dig out cover scans o' t' books Destination Moon, and Explorers on t' Moon. Ahoy! I wonder how on earth I'm goin' t' make t' fin pods.

I ignore t' question o' t' fin pods, shiver me timbers, and start t' think about t' body instead. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Time capsules are cheaply moulded, matey, thick in some places thin in others, and very flexible. I had decided that it be t' have a 29mm motor mount t' utilise t' short 29mm casings I had, shiver me timbers, and so t' body would need t' be reinforced. Aye aye! Avast! It needs an internal body tube, shiver me timbers, t' give structural strength and provide somethin' t' attach other components to, matey, ya bilge rat, leavin' t' time capsule t' form only an outer shell. Ya scallywag! Begad! I had some 3" plastic tubin' that I had got from Ziggy at K-Lob, me bucko, and this seemed ideal. Aye aye! I could have used standard 3" PML phenolic, me hearties, or even quantum tubing, but I didn't have any.

In order t' fit t' internal body tube into t' time capsule I hacked off t' screw thread at t' open end, ya bilge rat, me hearties, and hacked a 3" diameter hole in t' base. Ahoy! T' openin' at t' top o' t' time casule was larger than 3", arrr, so I cut a 3mm thick plywood centerin' ring, shiver me timbers, and glued it in place, ya bilge rat, under t' shoulder. T' plastic tube now fits snugly at both ends.

T' preliminary sketches

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Design

I still don't know what t' completed rocket will look like, shiver me timbers, so I draw some rough sketches, then some rough, dimensioned sketches. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! My son, matey, me bucko, James, arrr, me bucko, draws some sketches. Begad! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I'm nay really gettin' anywhere. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It's all free hand and nay very satisfactory. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Rocksim! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' time capsule is suprisingly easy t' describe usin' a parabolic nose cone, ya bilge rat, and a couple o' eliptical transitions. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Now, Rocksim isn't really designed for this shape o' rocket, shiver me timbers, and so I'm nay goin' t' trust what it says about stability, but at least it helps visualise what t' rocket will look like when complete.

Inner body tube, motor mount

Inner body tube, parachute bay

Aft centerin' ring, shiver me timbers, matey, retainin' nuts

Aft centerin' ring, retainin' clips

Construction

Motor Mount & Retention

I do have a short piece o' PML 29mm motor mount. Begad! I had originally intended for t' motor mount t' run t' length o' t' body, ya bilge rat, me hearties, with t' space for a parachute betwixt t' internal body tube and t' motor mount. Aye aye! It doesn't look like enough room for a chute, shiver me timbers, and anyway I don't have enough motor mount for t' full length o' t' internal body tube. Ya scallywag! So, ya bilge rat, I decide t' have a short motor mount, me hearties, arrr, givin' t' full internal diameter o' t' internal tube for a parachute. I cut two, me bucko, 3mm thick, ya bilge rat, plywood centerin' rings that fit over t' motor mount and into t' plastic tube. Begad! T' forward centerin' rin' has a notch t' pass a nylon strap. Blimey! Aye aye! T' strap is about25mm wide and 400mm long. Blimey! T' nylon strap will provide an attachment point for t' elastic shock cord. Arrr! T' strap is t' epoxied t' t' inside o' t' internal body tube. Avast! Throughout construction I use 5 minute or two ton Devcon epoxy.

T' forward centerin' rin' was epoxied t' t' forward end o' t' motor mount and allowed t' cure. T' aft cebterin' rein' be fitted, arrr, with no epoxy, t' t' aft o' t' motor mount. T' forward centerin' rin' be epoxied into t' internal motor mount. Begad! Once t' forward centerin' rin' was fixed, me hearties, t' aft centerin' rin' was removed. Ya scallywag! This gives access t' t' inside o' t' internal body tube, shiver me timbers, matey, for filleting.

As I'm plannin' on flyin' with a 29mm RMS, no thrust rin' is required. But I do need a retention system. Avast! Ahoy! I decide on a Kaplow Klip style affair. Arrr! Aye aye! Two M5 nuts are glued t' t' forward side o' t' aft centerin' ring. Begad! Then a hole is drilled in t' center o' t' nuts, arrr, through t' centerin' ring, takin' care t' use a small enough drill bit that t' threads aren't stripped. Arrr! Once dry, bolts are screwed into t' nuts and through t' plywood o' t' centerin' ring. T' clips are made from aluminium, bent t' shape by hammerin' them over, ya bilge rat, while held in a vice. Blimey! T' unformed blanks were about 10mm wide and 35mm long.

Fins & Fin Pods

Fins & Fin Pods

After much sketching, ya bilge rat, I eventually determine that t' most aesthetically pleasin' fin pattern (to me anyhow) is such that t' fins oposite each other on t' body form a semicircle, shiver me timbers, when viewed side-on. Ya scallywag! This neccessitated a four fin design, which be fine. Aye aye! Avast! I reckoned I needed all t' stability I could get. Arrr! It wasn't consistant with Tin Tin, ya bilge rat, me bucko, but what t' hey, artistic license! Given t' flimsiness o' t' outer shell, t' fins have t' be through-the-wall. Blimey! In t' end I descide t' make them pass through t' wall o' t' inner body tube too. Blimey! That way they can be securely mounted t' t' motor mount. This means that all t' major structural elements are glued t' each other, givin' maximum strength.

T' more I think about t' fins pods, me hearties, t' more they seem like a nose cone, but rounded at t' base, ya bilge rat, where t' shoulder would normally be. I've had custom nose cones made before. Avast! I sketch a plan and get them made by Rockets & Things. Ahoy! Arrr! I order five, arrr, one for emergencies! They arrive within a few days, me bucko, and I'm well pleased, ya bilge rat, exactly t' right shape, and all identical. Begad! But how am I goin' t' attach them?

Rear view o' fins

Close up o' fin mounting

Rear view o' fins

While I ponder this I cut out t' fins from 3mm plywood. Begad! I leave a large tab for through-the-wall mounting. I'm still wonderin' how t' mount t' pods. Begad! Shouls I try t' slot them and slip them over t' fin? Tricky. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Cut t' fin t' t' shape o' t' pod and make a butt-joint? Trickier. Eventually I take t' brute force method and saw t' pods in half along their vertical axis. Aye aye! Arrr! T' thickness o' t' saw takes about 1.5mm from t' diameter, me hearties, measure at right angles t' t' cut. Begad! A little sanding, shiver me timbers, required anyway t' level t' cut up a bit, removes 3mm in total. When placed on either side o' t' fin, me hearties, me bucko, they are back t' t' original diameter. T' pod halves are simply glued t' either side o' a fin with carpenters glue, clamped up and left t' dry.

Next step is t' seal t' balsa and plywood. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! I use several coats o' sandin' sealer, me hearties, with a light sandin' o' 120 grit betwixt coats. Avast! Blimey! Next I fill t' joins. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I've tried all kinds o' filler. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! P38, arrr, specialist modelling filler, arrr, Ronseal exterior wood filler all sorts, shiver me timbers, and they all smell terrible! I found t' P38 dries too smartly and sets too hard. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! T' modellin' filler is expensive and doesn't stick t' phenolic very well. Avast! Ya scallywag! I like t' Ronseal best, arrr, it was workable longer, arrr, and easier t' sand, ya bilge rat, me bucko, but heavy. I like t' fill t' spirals in phenolic tubin' with this. In t' end I use t' specialist modelling filler because it's light. Aye aye! I don't need any extra weight at t' that end o' t' rocket! It takes a lot o' filler around t' join betwixt t' fin pod halves and t' fin. Begad! I apply a few light coats o' primer t' t' pods, sandin' betwixt coats.

Fin Assembly

To allow for through-the-wall mountin' o' t' fins, shiver me timbers, me hearties, I need t' cut fin slots in both t' inner body tube and t' outer body shell. Avast, me proud beauty! I use a Dremmel for this with a disc cutter. Begad! T' slots in t' inner body tube are true closed slots for strength. Begad! I reason that it will be easier t' attach t' fins t' t' inner body tube, before t' outer body shell is fitted. Begad! If I do that I won't be able t' get t' outer body shell on, ya bilge rat, so I make those slots all t' way t' t' bottom. Avast, me proud beauty! This reduces teh strength, me bucko, but t' body shell isn't really stuctural anyway. Well, blow me down! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' fins are slotted into place in t' inner body and epoxied t' t' motor mount. Avast! Epoxy fillets are made where t' fins attach t' t' motor mount, arrr, and on both t' inside and outside o' t' inner body. Avast, me proud beauty! T' slots are longe enough t' stretch from t' forward centerin' rin' t' t' aft centerin' ring. Avast! This all adds strength, but weight as well. Begad! Finally t' aft centerin' rin' is epoxied into position.

Nose Cone

I need a coupler tube that will fit into t' plastic tubin' o' t' inner body. Avast! I don't have any, matey, me bucko, so make a short tlength from t' same tubing. I simply cut out a slot o' t' correct width t' reduce t' outer circimference t' that o' t' inner circumference o' t' opriginal tube. Well, blow me down! Is epoxy t' cut out strip t' t' back o' t' join for reinforcement. Blimey! Ahoy! This tube is first superglued and then epoxied into t' nose cone.

Fully assembled

Fully assembled, aft view

Final Assembly

Just in time, shiver me timbers, I realise that t' outer shell isn't goin' t' be strong enough t' attach a launch lug to, shiver me timbers, without some form o' reinforcement. Avast, me proud beauty! I cut a small rectangulat slot in t' side o' t' body shell. Avast! I epoxy some plywood t' t' interior o' t' shell, behind t' slot. Avast, me proud beauty! T' epoxy gunges through t' slot, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and I use it t' fix t' launch lug in place.

T' body shell slips on easily, me bucko, and is epoxied initially t' just t' forward end. Begad! Ya scallywag! Actually t' inner tube is glued t' t' centerin' rin' previously fixed into t' outer shell. Avast, me proud beauty! Because t' aft and o' t' shell is flappin' about a bit, me hearties, I tack it into place with CA. Avast, me proud beauty! Then I apply a liberal application o' epoxy, me bucko, t' t' aft end and also t' t' fin roots. Once it's all set, it gets sanded and filled. Blimey! Ya scallywag! T' epoxy fillets in t' fin roots turn out a bit rough, so I rebuild t' fillets with Ronseal. Prime, sand, arrr, me bucko, fill, sand, primne, sand, fill, arrr, sand, prime, sand. Arrr! Or somethin' like that. Ahoy! Ahoy! It's ready. Avast, me proud beauty! I rub it down lightly with 200 grit wet and dry.

Swin' test

Because o' t' odd shape, I didn't trust t' stability factor given by Rocksim. Begad! In fact rocksim reckoned it wasn't stable by a mile. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! But you don't always need more than a calibre o' stability on a stubby rocket anyway. Arrr! I still reckon I need nose weight, ya bilge rat, but what t' use? Lead would be good, but where can I get it and how much is it goin' t' cost, I'll probably have t' buy it by t' yard! Blimey! My eldest son, me bucko, Shaun has t' answer, shiver me timbers, me bucko, doubloon o' t' realm. One pees are quite heavy for their size. I add 200g o' weight t' t' nose. Blimey! Blimey! Rocksim says "marginal". Aye aye! Begad! I decide that t' only way t' be certain is a swin' test.

Now, me hearties, this be t' biggest rocket I've ever swung test, and it turns out me garden isn't quite big enough, nay when t' washin' is dryin' anyway. Ahoy! So I comandeer t' next door neighbours garden, because they're nay in. Needless t' say they came home durin' t' swin' test, shiver me timbers, but they're used t' it by now. Anyway I start t' swing, and it jumps into t' right orientation. Blimey! Great. Begad! I do a few more sims, usin' different motors, ya bilge rat, and it doesn't go very high. Avast, me proud beauty! So I reduce t' nose weight t' about 100g, or t' be more exact 31p. Ya scallywag! Another quick swin' test and it's still good. I blue t' nose wight into t' nose with epoxy. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Once t' epoxy is dry I realise that I have no where t' attach t' shock cord to. Blimey! I drill a hole into t' nose weight, ya bilge rat, fill it with epoxy, and insert an eye hook. Begad! Begad! Sorted.

Primed

Primed, me bucko, aft view

Painting

Finish

I had been primin' as I went along, shiver me timbers, so as soon as t' fin fillets were complete, me bucko, it only took another couple o' coats t' get a nice smooth finish. T' primer used throughout is Halfords car paint, shiver me timbers, arrr, in t' aerosol cans. Begad! I also use Halfords for t' main colours. Avast, me proud beauty! Rover Diamond White and Volkswagen Mars Red. Blimey! Aye aye! Seems appropriate really. Aye aye! First I spray t' whole rocket white. Blimey! I do about 3 coats, lightly sandin' betwixt each. I had decided much earlier on that a full Tin Tin chequerboard was far too much work, so I had scaled t' pattern down t' two bands, o' four quadrants. Arrr! First I masked off every thin' above t' fins, and painted everythin' below red. Avast! I also painted t' nose cone. T' red covered really well in only two light coats. Well, blow me down! Avast! Next I painted t' two red quadrants o' t' lower band. So far so good. Avast! Begad! T' red quadrants o' t' upper band were hardest, me hearties, bacause it was hard t' get a t' maskin' tape into exactly t' right position t' make t' square corners o' red meet exactly. Aye aye! T' maskin' be t' hardest part o' t' entire project. Blimey! T' red paint crept underneath t' tape in certain areas, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and in other areas t' tape lifted off some small areas o' white when removed. Ya scallywag! But I managed t' touch those defects up, and I'm pretty pleased with t' final outcome. Begad! It's t' best finish o' all t' rockets I've made so far. Avast, me proud beauty! It needs goin' over with 400 grit wet and dry and a coat o' lacquer applying, shiver me timbers, but thar's no time. Begad! UKRA 2000 starts tomorrow!

Flight Test

I use about 150mm o' Nomex® sheath over t' nylon strap, me bucko, and a Nomex® sheet above that t' protect t' chute. Well, blow me down! About 70mm o' 20mm elastic attach t' nose cone t' t' nylon strap. Ya scallywag! A 34" PML chute is atached t' t' elastic too. Begad! I decide upon a G104 blue thunder reload. Arrr! It's only just a G, matey, ya bilge rat, but it gets t' rocket movin' quick. Ahoy! I reckon t' sooner I can get it up t' stable speed t' better.

It rains on Friday and Saturday, and I'm hesitant t' fly. Avast! Sunday is better, arrr, shiver me timbers, and I decide t' fly before I take up spottin' duty. On t' Staryrday I'd had it on a rod, and found it was a little tight, matey, shiver me timbers, but I had found a slightly smaller diametr rod, matey, which was perfect. Aye aye! Arrr! I was pretty nervous durin' t' countdown, and we had a hold for a low flyin' aircraft, but finally, arrr, t' moment comes. Avast! Arrr! 5, 4, arrr, 3, 2, shiver me timbers, 1 ignition. Ya scallywag! It's away! Great flight! It arced a bit after it left t' rod, ya bilge rat, but very smooth, no sign o' a wobble or instability o' any kind. Begad! Avast! T' ejection fired right at apogee, ya bilge rat, and Tintinique drifted slowly down, shiver me timbers, landin' approximately 40" from t' pad. Ahoy! There is a little damage t' t' nose cone,I can't figure out if it happened in flight or on impact with t' ground, me hearties, but I couldn't find t' piece chipped out so it probably happened in t' air. Easy t' fix, me hearties, next flight comin' soon...

Nosecone damage