Tintinique

Tintinique

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

Nestlé time capsule

Centerin' rin' in position

Time Capsules

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

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

I ignore t' question o' t' fin pods, and start t' think about t' body instead. Begad! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Time capsules are cheaply moulded, shiver me timbers, me hearties, thick in some places thin in others, and very flexible. Begad! Blimey! I had decided that it was t' have a 29mm motor mount t' utilise t' short 29mm casings I had, and so t' body would need t' be reinforced. Begad! Blimey! It needs an internal body tube, matey, shiver me timbers, t' give structural strength and provide somethin' t' attach other components to, matey, arrr, leavin' t' time capsule t' form only an outer shell. I had some 3" plastic tubin' that I had got from Ziggy at K-Lob, and this seemed ideal. Ya scallywag! Blimey! 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, and hacked a 3" diameter hole in t' base. Aye aye! T' openin' at t' top o' t' time casule be larger than 3", ya bilge rat, so I cut a 3mm thick plywood centerin' ring, and glued it in place, under t' shoulder. Aye aye! Begad! 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, arrr, so I draw some rough sketches, matey, then some rough, shiver me timbers, dimensioned sketches. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! My son, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, James, ya bilge rat, draws some sketches. I'm nay really gettin' anywhere. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! It's all free hand and nay very satisfactory. Avast! Rocksim! Blimey! T' time capsule is suprisingly easy t' describe usin' a parabolic nose cone, and a couple o' eliptical transitions. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Now, Rocksim isn't really designed for this shape o' rocket, me hearties, 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, me hearties, motor mount

Inner body tube, matey, me hearties, parachute bay

Aft centerin' ring, retainin' nuts

Aft centerin' ring, retainin' clips

Construction

Motor Mount & Retention

I do have a short piece o' PML 29mm motor mount. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! I had originally intended for t' motor mount t' run t' length o' t' body, matey, with t' space for a parachute betwixt t' internal body tube and t' motor mount. Begad! Arrr! 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. So, arrr, matey, I decide t' have a short motor mount, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, givin' t' full internal diameter o' t' internal tube for a parachute. Ahoy! Avast! I cut two, ya bilge rat, 3mm thick, plywood centerin' rings that fit over t' motor mount and into t' plastic tube. Avast, me proud beauty! T' forward centerin' rin' has a notch t' pass a nylon strap. Avast! T' strap is about25mm wide and 400mm long. T' nylon strap will provide an attachment point for t' elastic shock cord. Ya scallywag! T' strap is t' epoxied t' t' inside o' t' internal body tube. Ahoy! Aye aye! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! T' aft cebterin' rein' was fitted, with no epoxy, t' t' aft o' t' motor mount. Ahoy! T' forward centerin' rin' was epoxied into t' internal motor mount. Once t' forward centerin' rin' was fixed, shiver me timbers, arrr, t' aft centerin' rin' was removed. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! This gives access t' t' inside o' t' internal body tube, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, for filleting.

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

Fins & Fin Pods

Fins & Fin Pods

After much sketching, 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, when viewed side-on. This neccessitated a four fin design, me hearties, which be fine. I reckoned I needed all t' stability I could get. Begad! It wasn't consistant with Tin Tin, 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. Begad! That way they can be securely mounted t' t' motor mount. Avast, me proud beauty! This means that all t' major structural elements are glued t' each other, matey, shiver me timbers, givin' maximum strength.

T' more I think about t' fins pods, me bucko, t' more they seem like a nose cone, but rounded at t' base, shiver me timbers, where t' shoulder would normally be. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! I've had custom nose cones made before. Ya scallywag! I sketch a plan and get them made by Rockets & Things. Blimey! I order five, one for emergencies! They arrive within a few days, and I'm well pleased, exactly t' right shape, and all identical. Avast! 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. Well, blow me down! I leave a large tab for through-the-wall mounting. Avast, me proud beauty! I'm still wonderin' how t' mount t' pods. Well, blow me down! Shouls I try t' slot them and slip them over t' fin? Tricky. Aye aye! Cut t' fin t' t' shape o' t' pod and make a butt-joint? Trickier. Avast! Eventually I take t' brute force method and saw t' pods in half along their vertical axis. Aye aye! T' thickness o' t' saw takes about 1.5mm from t' diameter, measure at right angles t' t' cut. Blimey! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! A little sanding, me hearties, required anyway t' level t' cut up a bit, matey, removes 3mm in total. Begad! Well, blow me down! When placed on either side o' t' fin, they are back t' t' original diameter. Begad! Arrr! T' pod halves are simply glued t' either side o' a fin with carpenters glue, shiver me timbers, clamped up and left t' dry.

Next step is t' seal t' balsa and plywood. Well, blow me down! Begad! I use several coats o' sandin' sealer, with a light sandin' o' 120 grit betwixt coats. Aye aye! Next I fill t' joins. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I've tried all kinds o' filler. P38, specialist modelling filler, Ronseal exterior wood filler all sorts, and they all smell terrible! I found t' P38 dries too smartly and sets too hard. Avast! Ya scallywag! T' modellin' filler is expensive and doesn't stick t' phenolic very well. I like t' Ronseal best, it was workable longer, matey, and easier t' sand, but heavy. Begad! Avast! I like t' fill t' spirals in phenolic tubin' with this. In t' end I use t' specialist modelling filler because it's light. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. 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, I need t' cut fin slots in both t' inner body tube and t' outer body shell. Avast! 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! Avast, me proud beauty! I reason that it will be easier t' attach t' fins t' t' inner body tube, before t' outer body shell is fitted. If I do that I won't be able t' get t' outer body shell on, so I make those slots all t' way t' t' bottom. Avast! Blimey! This reduces teh strength, but t' body shell isn't really stuctural anyway. Avast, me proud beauty! T' fins are slotted into place in t' inner body and epoxied t' t' motor mount. Epoxy fillets are made where t' fins attach t' t' motor mount, shiver me timbers, and on both t' inside and outside o' t' inner body. Arrr! T' slots are longe enough t' stretch from t' forward centerin' rin' t' t' aft centerin' ring. This all adds strength, matey, but weight as well. Ahoy! 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. Aye aye! I don't have any, shiver me timbers, so make a short tlength from t' same tubing. Ahoy! 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. Avast! Is epoxy t' cut out strip t' t' back o' t' join for reinforcement. This tube is first superglued and then epoxied into t' nose cone.

Fully assembled

Fully assembled, aft view

Final Assembly

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

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

Swin' test

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

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

Primed

Primed, aft view

Painting

Finish

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

Flight Test

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

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

Nosecone damage