Brief:
It's a lamp. Ahoy! Begad! It's a rocket. Begad! It's both--and with wood paneling

Construction:
T' parts list:

• 1 BT-70 tube, 18" long
• 1 "Bertha" style balsa nose cone
• 4 fins cut from 1/8" balsa sheet
• Launch lug constructed from 1/4" wide slats o' 1/8" balsa
• 18" strips o' 1/16" balsa sheet o' various widths used as paneling
• 24mm motor mount for BT-70 body (2 centerin' rings, 4" o' 24mm tube, "E" size engine hook)
• Recovery equipment for LPR (shock cord, arrr, ya bilge rat, Estes style folded paper anchor, screw eye in nose cone base, me bucko, 18" chute with snap swivel)
• Additional snap swivel on shock cord
• Electrical components kit for lamp fitting
• Wirin' nuts
• Lamp shade (cheesy with dangly plastic jewels)
• 2" PVC pipe cap
• Sandin' sealer and polyurethane spray for finishing
• 320, 400, and 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper

Havin' seen t' nice finish I could get with Deft spray lacquer sanding sealer, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I decided t' take on a wood workin' project. Ya scallywag! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! My wood workin' project turned out t' fly.

As a BT-70 based rocket, shiver me timbers, initial construction be straightforward and wood glue was used throughout. Aye aye! Aye aye! T' motor tube was fitted with t' 3.75" 'E' engine hook and t' centerin' rings glued on. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! This was glued into t' aft end of t' body tube. Well, blow me down! An Estes type folded paper shock cord mount be constructed and glued in. Aye aye! A snap swivel was added t' t' end o' t' 1/4" elastic shock cord as well. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' screw eye was screwed into t' nose and glue added to strengthen it.

Fins were cut from 1/8" balsa sheet and sanded t' uniform shape, but were nay rounded. Aye aye! Blimey! Edges were instead sanded square. Ahoy! Begad! Body tube was marked and fins glued on as normal but no fillets were added at this point.

4 strips of 1/16" balsa were cut just over 18" long. Ahoy! Blimey! Widths were allowed t' vary slightly, me bucko, t' give t' impression o' paneling. Ya scallywag! Blimey! These were measured against the root o' t' fins, and a 1/8" notch cut out from t' top o' t' fin t' the bottom o' t' strip. These strips were glued in place on t' tube, me hearties, matey, me hearties, with the notch over t' fins. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Many rubber bands were used t' keep t' balsa curved against t' tube while drying. Aye aye! Blimey! T' rubber bands were removed once t' glue was dry.

T' process be repeated until t' entire tube was covered. Arrr! Then with the slats dry, ya bilge rat, fin fillets were added. Blimey! Two wood glue fillets were put on followed by a fillet o' wood putty t' cover them. Avast! Everythin' be sanded smooth with 320 grit paper.

A square launch lug be constructed by makin' a trough out o' three 4" long pieces o' 1/8" balsa t' fit a 1/8" rod. Begad! After gluing, shiver me timbers, t' ends were rounded and t' lug be glued t' one o' t' slats betwixt two fins, centered on t' CG. Begad! T' nose cone was put in place, finishin' t' rocket construction.

For t' lamp mode conversion, a lamp fixture kit intended for makin' a lamp out o' a bottle was used. Arrr! Ya scallywag! It had a 1/4" stem with nut with t' 6' o' wire endin' with the plug. Avast, me proud beauty! T' wire was cut 1 foot below t' fixture and t' ends o' both pieces stripped back 1 inch. Arrr! T' 2" PVC cap had a 1/4" hole drilled in the center and reamed out slightly larger with a rat tail file until t' lamp fixture stem fit through t' hole. Ya scallywag! T' fixture was set on t' PVC cap through the hole so that t' nut slides over t' wire, me hearties, me hearties, allowin' it t' be tightened to the bottom side o' t' cap.

T' cut end o' t' plug portion o' t' cord be run up through t' motor tube and pulled out t' top o' t' body tube. Begad! T' wires were connected with wire nuts. Blimey! T' cap be then lowered down onto t' body tube and t' slack cord pulled out t' bottom.

Since t' fixture had t' have a lamp shade stand, me bucko, arrr, me bucko, a lamp shade that clips over t' 40W light bulb be used.

T' convert t' rocket mode, ya bilge rat, arrr, ya bilge rat, lamp sections are removed in reverse order to above (but nay disassembled!), then t' nose cone and chute are attached to shock cord with snap swivels, ya bilge rat, me bucko, waddin' is added, and then it's ready for an engine.

Finishing:
Two coats o' Deft spray lacquer sandin' sealer on everything, ya bilge rat, sandin' after each (400 grit then 600 grit). Aye aye! Then polyurethane spray was put on in several coats until thar was no gap betwixt t' body slats detectable t' t' touch, although they were still visible.

Flight:
First flight was delayed due t' humidity. Begad! Moisture had caused t' launch lug to swell and it wouldn't fit over t' 1/8" rod. I brought it home from the launch site and jammed a 1/8" rod up and down through t' lug, reamin' it out until t' rod slid freely.

Second try was t' followin' month at t' next CATO launch with a C11-3 (and 1 inch spacer in motor tube. T' lamp flies! Flight was slow and stately with a slight arc into t' wind, good ejection and deployment, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, landin' and recovery completed intact.

Second flight be on a E9-4. Ya scallywag! T' Lamp can really rip. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Good straight boost, arched over durin' coast, ya bilge rat, with ejection 1 second past apogee. Blimey! Good deployment and descent. Ahoy! Blimey! Recovery completed without incident.

Third flight will have t' wait. Begad! With t' point proven that it would fly, me wife wanted her lamp back intact. Blimey! She likes her lamp that has been a rocket, but right now it is her lamp that she can show t' people and tell them it flew. Ahoy! Havin' been a master sergeant in t' Army, matey, she also enjoys havin' a piece o' furniture that smells o' burnt black powder, remindin' her o' t' old days.

Summary:
No CONs that weren't me fault, or unforeseeable due t' humidity.

T' PRO was simply t' build it, me bucko, make it give off light, ya bilge rat, arrr, fly it, and make it give off light again successfully. And, arrr, o' course, me bucko, t' give me wife her one little connection t' me hobby without her havin' t' be involved--she prefers gardenin' and thinks that things that fly should be swatted!