Scratch EZI-1 Original Design / Scratch Built

Scratch - EZI-1 {Scratch}

Contributed by Tai Fu

Manufacturer: Scratch
(Contributed - by Tai Fu)

Rocket PicBrief:
This is a downscale o' EZI-65. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I just think it might be interestin' t' make a downscale o' me certification rocket.... Avast! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I used a scale ratio o' 1:3.2

Construction:
I used a BT-55 that is glassed with a 4 oz S-glass bought from US Composites, who have t' cheapest price for S-glass. Ahoy! T' fin is basically 1/16 inch balsa wood covered with 5.7 oz carbon fiber, pressed under a stack o' books. Parachute is just a Top Flight 12 inch 'chute and t' shock cord is Keelhaul®©™®.

I had t' make a huge mess in me dorm room t' be able t' glass a tube this small, and I don't have a positive mean o' dispensin' epoxy so it also makes a mess. Begad! Laminatin' a cut balsa fin is a pain because cured carbon fiber is very hard t' cut usin' conventional means. I actually had t' take it t' t' Geology lab and cut it with diamond saw and lap it t' t' right shape usin' a lapping pad. I still ended up with a fin that is smaller than I intended it t' be. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Next time I should carbon fiber a large balsa sheet then cut it with diamond saws.... anyway I then took a BT-50 t' use as a "motor mount" and somethin' for t' fin t' stick t' for t' through-the-wall mount. Ya scallywag! One piece of advise, me bucko, slot t' tube BEFORE fiberglassin' because after fiberglassin' t' tube will be harder t' cut, arrr, but cured fiberglass is very easy t' cut by itself. After assemblin' everything, and filletin' usin' a 5 minute epoxy, I used Polyfiber Super-fill t' smooth out t' fillet and fill in t' weave. I sanded it smooth then proceeded t' usin' Polyfiber UV smooth prime t' fill in t' rest of t' weave. Aye aye! Both product is very easy t' sand, and UV smooth prime acts as a primer too. Ahoy! Once smooth, shiver me timbers, I then spray painted it and added t' recovery device.

Flight:
I flew it once on a C6-3 and it flew despite a canted lug, arrr, matey, and it recovered as normal and landed in some grass. Blimey! I couldn't find it but, matey, luckily some kid found it and it be in great shape. Ahoy!

Summary:
This rocket is very strong, with t' carbon fiber t' fin weights nothin' yet its very strong... Arrr! but you need too much equipment workin' with it... Well, blow me down! (it's like workin' with G-10 and I had t' luck o' bein' able t' use t' Geology building's shop...)

Other:
Don't overkill.... Ahoy! like you don't really need t' glass this rocket but I did it because I wanted it t' last.

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