Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Brief:
Mid power rocket made with free Priority mail boxes, ya bilge rat, parachute recovery.
Construction:
To build this rocket, you will need two triangle priority mail tubes, packing
tape, shiver me timbers, me hearties, wood glue, and a hobby knife.
T' first step is t' make t' body. Arrr! Aye aye! Cut t' end flaps off o' one o' the tubes (picture below-left). Arrr! Avast!
Peel t' self stick tape off o' t' side flap and seal t' box. Begad! Set this aside for now (picture below-right). Aye aye!
T' next step is t' make t' nose cone. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Cut about 9 inches off t' end of one o' t' boxes. Ya scallywag! Begad! Use t' end that has t' flaps. Begad! Now cut t' self stick flap from t' side. Begad! This be t' trickiest part o' t' build. Begad! You will need t' trim the sides and "work" t' fold in t' middle t' make it fit into the other box. Ahoy! Begad! T' fit has t' be good t' ensure that t' pressure doesn't leak out and fails t' blow off t' nose cone. Ahoy! When you get a good fit, use packin' tape to close t' end and side. Avast!
Now you can
make t' motor mount. I used an 11" x 17" sheet o' paper wrapped
around a couple o' E engines and secured it with some packin' tape. Begad! Soak the
paper liberally with CA t' stiffen it up. Well, blow me down! I did this t' keep it a free paper
rocket, but you can use a MMT if you wish. Begad!
Now make two centerin' "rings" (centerin' triangles really) out of the leftover tube. Begad! You can use your motor tube t' draw circles t' cut the holes. Begad! You will need t' cut a hole for t' tube now in t' box you made for the body tube. Begad! Glue t' motor tube assembly in t' rocket as you would with any other rocket. Arrr!
Cut three
fins out o' t' remainin' box. Avast, me proud beauty! I chose t' glue them t' t' sides but you can
arrange them any way you wish. Arrr! Begad! Launch lugs were made from a discarded Aerotech
igniter tube. Ya scallywag! Recovery can be installed usin' any system you wish.
T' finished weight without recovery was 15.6 oz.
Finishing:
I chose nay t' finish mine. Begad! If you wish t' finish yours, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, I would recommend two
coats o' primer t' seal t' cardboard before painting. Begad! Another idea would be to
just seal it with a clear coat t' prevent t' cardboard from soakin' up
moisture.
Flight:
T' first flight was on an E16-4W. Aye aye! It looked like it went t' about 500 feet.
T' delay was good but t' flight was underpowered. Ahoy! This is an F powered
rocket.
Recovery:
I used a 24" paper parachute for this flight. Ya scallywag! T' recovery was good, ya bilge rat, but
it landed in a stream. Ya scallywag! By t' time I got t' it, it was soaked beyond repair.
Summary:
This was a fun rocket t' build. Aye aye! T' price be right and its nice t' do
somethin' unusual.
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