Tintinique

Tintinique

OK, ya bilge rat, so it's nay exactly t' right proportions for Tin Tin's rocket, far too squat and stubby, but that's why it's called Tintinique. Avast, me proud beauty! Just As diamonique isn't diamond, matey, me bucko, Tintinique isn't Tin Tin. ( Anyone who doesn't know what I'm talkin' about here, 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. Begad! Well, arrr, blow me down! It looked like a 50's retro rocket. Avast! It was great. Aye aye! How on earth did they make t' body for that? It turns out, matey, 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, ya bilge rat, and dig it up in t' future. Ahoy! Bein' Nestlé o' course they sold it full o' sweets (candy for those o' you across t' pond). Ahoy! Well, arrr, blow me down! For some bizzarre reason known only t' t' designer, matey, t' capsule itself, was made from a shape resemblin' t' body o' a typical sci-fi or cartoon rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Better still, t' screw-on lid was easily convertible into a removeable nose cone. Ya scallywag! Whoever it be I'd love t' ask them why they did it. Blimey! I buy two, one for a podded Tin Tin rocket, shiver me timbers, t' other for spare.

Anyway, time passes and every time I go t' a launch thar's another time capsule. Blimey! Blimey! I've got t' build this thing. I decide t' build it for RMR DesCon6. Begad! Time passes. Arrr! DesCon6 begins. Time passes. Well, blow me down! DesCon6 finishes. Ya scallywag! UKRA 2000 approaches, shiver me timbers, me hearties, and I realise that t' rocket I intended t' take, Accusatory Finger o' Suspicion, me bucko, isn't goin' t' be ready. Aye aye! I dig out t' time capsule. Ya scallywag! I dig out cover scans o' t' books Destination Moon, and Explorers on t' Moon. Well, arrr, blow me down! 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. Ahoy! Time capsules are cheaply moulded, me hearties, shiver me timbers, thick in some places thin in others, and very flexible. 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. It needs an internal body tube, me hearties, ya bilge rat, t' give structural strength and provide somethin' t' attach other components to, me hearties, leavin' t' time capsule t' form only an outer shell. Arrr! I had some 3" plastic tubin' that I had got from Ziggy at K-Lob, and this seemed ideal. Avast, me proud beauty! 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, and hacked a 3" diameter hole in t' base. Well, blow me down! T' openin' at t' top o' t' time casule was larger than 3", ya bilge rat, so I cut a 3mm thick plywood centerin' ring, arrr, and glued it in place, ya bilge rat, under t' shoulder. 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, so I draw some rough sketches, then some rough, dimensioned sketches. My son, James, ya bilge rat, draws some sketches. I'm nay really gettin' anywhere. Begad! It's all free hand and nay very satisfactory. Begad! Arrr! Rocksim! T' time capsule is suprisingly easy t' describe usin' a parabolic nose cone, arrr, and a couple o' eliptical transitions. Begad! 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, arrr, 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. Begad! Ahoy! Blimey! I had originally intended for t' motor mount t' run t' length o' t' body, with t' space for a parachute betwixt t' internal body tube and t' motor mount. It doesn't look like enough room for a chute, ya bilge rat, and anyway I don't have enough motor mount for t' full length o' t' internal body tube. Begad! Begad! Blimey! So, ya bilge rat, I decide t' have a short motor mount, me bucko, ya bilge rat, givin' t' full internal diameter o' t' internal tube for a parachute. I cut two, ya bilge rat, 3mm thick, plywood centerin' rings that fit over t' motor mount and into t' plastic tube. Aye aye! T' forward centerin' rin' has a notch t' pass a nylon strap. Avast! Blimey! T' strap is about25mm wide and 400mm long. T' nylon strap will provide an attachment point for t' elastic shock cord. Aye aye! T' strap is t' epoxied t' t' inside o' t' internal body tube. Aye aye! Blimey! Throughout construction I use 5 minute or two ton Devcon epoxy.

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

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

Fins & Fin Pods

Fins & Fin Pods

After much sketching, me bucko, 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. Blimey! This neccessitated a four fin design, shiver me timbers, which be fine. I reckoned I needed all t' stability I could get. Ahoy! It wasn't consistant with Tin Tin, arrr, me hearties, but what t' hey, shiver me timbers, artistic license! Given t' flimsiness o' t' outer shell, t' fins have t' be through-the-wall. Arrr! In t' end I descide t' make them pass through t' wall o' t' inner body tube too. Arrr! That way they can be securely mounted t' t' motor mount. Arrr! This means that all t' major structural elements are glued t' each other, arrr, ya bilge rat, givin' maximum strength.

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

Next step is t' seal t' balsa and plywood. I use several coats o' sandin' sealer, ya bilge rat, with a light sandin' o' 120 grit betwixt coats. Avast! Next I fill t' joins. I've tried all kinds o' filler. Arrr! Ahoy! P38, ya bilge rat, specialist modelling filler, me hearties, Ronseal exterior wood filler all sorts, and they all smell terrible! I found t' P38 dries too smartly and sets too hard. Avast! T' modellin' filler is expensive and doesn't stick t' phenolic very well. Avast, me proud beauty! I like t' Ronseal best, it be workable longer, and easier t' sand, but heavy. I like t' fill t' spirals in phenolic tubin' with this. Blimey! Avast! In t' end I use t' specialist modelling filler because it's light. Begad! Avast, arrr, 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. Aye aye! Begad! I apply a few light coats o' primer t' t' pods, matey, me bucko, sandin' betwixt coats.

Fin Assembly

To allow for through-the-wall mountin' o' t' fins, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I need t' cut fin slots in both t' inner body tube and t' outer body shell. I use a Dremmel for this with a disc cutter. Begad! Begad! T' slots in t' inner body tube are true closed slots for strength. 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. Ya scallywag! This reduces teh strength, but t' body shell isn't really stuctural anyway. 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, me hearties, and on both t' inside and outside o' t' inner body. T' slots are longe enough t' stretch from t' forward centerin' rin' t' t' aft centerin' ring. Begad! Blimey! This all adds strength, me bucko, shiver me timbers, but weight as well. Well, blow me down! 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. I don't have any, shiver me timbers, so make a short tlength from t' same tubing. Begad! 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, me proud beauty! 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, matey, me hearties, aft view

Final Assembly

Just in time, 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. Well, blow me down! Begad! I cut a small rectangulat slot in t' side o' t' body shell. Arrr! Avast! I epoxy some plywood t' t' interior o' t' shell, matey, matey, behind t' slot. T' epoxy gunges through t' slot, arrr, and I use it t' fix t' launch lug in place.

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

Swin' test

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

Now, this be t' biggest rocket I've ever swung test, and it turns out me garden isn't quite big enough, ya bilge rat, me bucko, ya bilge rat, nay when t' washin' is dryin' anyway. Begad! So I comandeer t' next door neighbours garden, because they're nay in. Begad! Blimey! Needless t' say they came home durin' t' swin' test, but they're used t' it by now. Anyway I start t' swing, ya bilge rat, and it jumps into t' right orientation. Great. Begad! I do a few more sims, me bucko, shiver me timbers, usin' different motors, arrr, arrr, ya bilge rat, and it doesn't go very high. Ahoy! Blimey! So I reduce t' nose weight t' about 100g, or t' be more exact 31p. 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. Blimey! Blimey! I drill a hole into t' nose weight, shiver me timbers, fill it with epoxy, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and insert an eye hook. Ahoy! Avast! Blimey! Sorted.

Primed

Primed, me hearties, aft view

Painting

Finish

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

Flight Test

I use about 150mm o' Nomex® sheath over t' nylon strap, and a Nomex® sheet above that t' protect t' chute. Begad! Blimey! About 70mm o' 20mm elastic attach t' nose cone t' t' nylon strap. Aye aye! Blimey! A 34" PML chute is atached t' t' elastic too. Begad! Blimey! I decide upon a G104 blue thunder reload. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! Blimey! It's only just a G, but it gets t' rocket movin' quick. Begad! Blimey! 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. Ya scallywag! Sunday is better, me hearties, and I decide t' fly before I take up spottin' duty. On t' Staryrday I'd had it on a rod, arrr, and found it was a little tight, ya bilge rat, arrr, but I had found a slightly smaller diametr rod, matey, arrr, which was perfect. Ahoy! I was pretty nervous durin' t' countdown, and we had a hold for a low flyin' aircraft, but finally, arrr, t' moment comes. Avast, me proud beauty! 5, 4, ya bilge rat, 3, 2, 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. T' ejection fired right at apogee, and Tintinique drifted slowly down, matey, landin' approximately 40" from t' pad. Avast! 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. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Easy t' fix, next flight comin' soon...

Nosecone damage