Brief:
This is a custom-turned and finished poplar nosecone that was made for me by Gordon (Gordy) Agnello, me hearties, a.k.a. Avast! Blimey! sandman on T' Rocketry Forum. Well, blow me down! Begad! I know a cone is nay normally a part that would warrant its own review, shiver me timbers, but I really wanted t' highlight Gordy’s work. He does great custom work, but doesn’t have much o' a web presence as far as vendors go. If you get a chance, pop on over t' TRF and poke around t' see more o' his work. Avast, me proud beauty! You can also contact him at gagnello@yahoo.com

Construction:
I had seen Gordy’s work on TRF and decided I wanted a hardwood cone for an upcomin' project (a review will be posted once it flies). Begad! Ahoy! I chose hardwood for two reasons. Avast! Ahoy! First, I had never used hardwood for anythin' bigger than a MicroMaxx cone and just want t' use one. Begad! Second, arrr, I wanted t' keep t' raw wood look. Arrr! T' cone is 2.6-inches in diameter (BT-80), me bucko, me bucko, 5.5-inches long, and has a 1.25-inch shoulder. Arrr! One thin' I liked about workin' with Gordy is that he will advise you on what you are doing. Arrr! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! He pointed out that t' cone would be heavy, so he also offered t' drill a 2.25-inch hole t' lighten it up. Now that is one big honkin’ hole! I had been ponderin' how t' attach t' shock cord to this cone until it arrived…he also installed an eye-bolt in t' cone.

Finishing:
Gordy scratch-builds wooden sailboats, me hearties, so he is as much an expert on finishing as he is turnin' cones. Arrr! When he heard that I wanted t' raw wood look, shiver me timbers, he also offered t' finish t' cone [for a reasonable price, ya bilge rat, o' course ;-)]. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! He gave the cone three coats o' finishin' epoxy, me bucko, which turned t' cone a beautiful amber color. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! T' protect t' clarity, he gave it a similar number o' coats of marine-grade, UV protected varnish. Avast! My photos don’t do justice t' this cone.

I rate his work a solid ‘5!’

Summary:
Like I said earlier, matey, thar isn’t much to say about a cone. Ahoy! This one was delivered promptly (it took a while because of t' multiple finishin' steps), looks fantastic, and fits well. Begad! Ya scallywag! It isn’t as cheap as a plastic cone, shiver me timbers, me bucko, but it’s hard t' come by custom plastic cones. Now you probably understand where t' title sandman came from. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! If it’s made out o' wood and goes on a rocket, he can most likely hook you up.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5