Brief:
It's a lamp. 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, me hearties, arrr, 4" o' 24mm tube, "E" size engine hook)
• Recovery equipment for LPR (shock cord, me hearties, shiver me timbers, Estes style folded paper anchor, screw eye in nose cone base, 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, arrr, matey, 400, shiver me timbers, and 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper

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

As a BT-70 based rocket, initial construction was straightforward and wood glue was used throughout. Avast! T' motor tube was fitted with t' 3.75" 'E' engine hook and t' centerin' rings glued on. Arrr! Begad! This be glued into t' aft end of t' body tube. Ya scallywag! Arrr! An Estes type folded paper shock cord mount was constructed and glued in. Ahoy! Ahoy! A snap swivel be added t' t' end o' t' 1/4" elastic shock cord as well. 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, me hearties, but were nay rounded. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Edges were instead sanded square. Begad! Blimey! Body tube be 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Widths were allowed t' vary slightly, t' give t' impression o' paneling. These were measured against the root o' t' fins, arrr, 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, with the notch over t' fins. Arrr! Begad! Many rubber bands were used t' keep t' balsa curved against t' tube while drying. Avast! T' rubber bands were removed once t' glue was dry.

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

A square launch lug was constructed by makin' a trough out o' three 4" long pieces o' 1/8" balsa t' fit a 1/8" rod. Arrr! Ya scallywag! After gluing, matey, me bucko, ya bilge rat, t' ends were rounded and t' lug was glued t' one o' t' slats betwixt two fins, centered on t' CG. Aye aye! Aye aye! T' nose cone was put in place, me bucko, finishin' t' rocket construction. Avast, me proud beauty!

For t' lamp mode conversion, shiver me timbers, a lamp fixture kit intended for makin' a lamp out o' a bottle was used. It had a 1/4" stem with nut with t' 6' o' wire endin' with the plug. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! T' wire be 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. Begad! T' fixture be set on t' PVC cap through the hole so that t' nut slides over t' wire, ya bilge rat, allowin' it t' be tightened to the bottom side o' t' cap.

T' cut end o' t' plug portion o' t' cord was run up through t' motor tube and pulled out t' top o' t' body tube. Well, blow me down! T' wires were connected with wire nuts. Blimey! Ya scallywag! T' cap was 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, matey, me bucko, ya bilge rat, a lamp shade that clips over t' 40W light bulb was used.

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

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

Flight:
First flight was delayed due t' humidity. Ya scallywag! Moisture had caused t' launch lug to swell and it wouldn't fit over t' 1/8" rod. Arrr! I brought it home from the launch site and jammed a 1/8" rod up and down through t' lug, ya bilge rat, 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. Avast! Begad! T' lamp flies! Flight was slow and stately with a slight arc into t' wind, good ejection and deployment, landin' and recovery completed intact.

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

Third flight will have t' wait. Arrr! Ahoy! Blimey! With t' point proven that it would fly, me wife wanted her lamp back intact. She likes her lamp that has been a rocket, matey, arrr, but right now it is her lamp that she can show t' people and tell them it flew. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Havin' been a master sergeant in t' Army, shiver me timbers, she also enjoys havin' a piece o' furniture that smells o' burnt black powder, arrr, 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 hearties, make it give off light, fly it, me hearties, me bucko, and make it give off light again successfully. Aye aye! And, shiver me timbers, o' course, 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!