Entry for t' EMRR Box O' parts contest - this is simple version. Please link t' full documentation

Brief:
I admit t' some trepidation when I signed up for t' EMRR Box O’ Parts contest - I’m very lackin' in creative talent, shiver me timbers, bein' a mathematical sort. That trepidation only grew as I read forum postings describin' the “parts” many participants were contributing. Ahoy! I realized that t' contest could very well be described as the “Box O’ Junk” and fervently hoped that I would get some o' t' higher quality stuff. Ya scallywag! No plastic toy soldiers or toothbrushes, please!

When me box arrived, it took me a few minutes t' build up t' courage t' open it. Blimey! Blimey! Takin' a deep breath, I anxiously dumped t' parts out onto t' floor and began t' sort. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! I be relieved t' see a good assortment o' body tubes, shock cords, ya bilge rat, launch lugs, parachutes and streamers. Aye aye! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I was nay happy with t' balsa - small pieces o' varying thicknesses, one o' which was junk from a die-cut fin sheet. Ahoy! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Others were broken fins... Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It wasn’t lookin' good! T' decals were peel and stick from an Estes Scissors Win' Transport and a water-slide sheet from an unknown plastic model. Ya scallywag! Blimey! And o' course, shiver me timbers, I had no idea what t' do with t' plastic cup, spindle, me bucko, Easter egg half, matey, ya bilge rat, and chop sticks.

I spent several days test fittin' parts, try t' come up with a design idea. Aye aye! I really tried t' incorporate the Easter egg half and t' spindle, but frustration rapidly set in. Well, blow me down! I could easily come up with a conventional 3 engine cluster - BT-60 adapted down t' BT-56 - but that wasn’t goin' t' attract any attention whatsoever. Aye aye! Disgusted at my lack o' a creative spark, I put t' parts back in t' box, matey, where they sat for quite a few weeks.

Design

Reluctant t' give up, I pulled out t' parts once again in early June. Ya scallywag! There be an unusually squat conical nose cone that seemed similar t' t' one atop t' Estes Mars Lander. Arrr! Begad! A design idea flashed into me mind - I would build a clustered rocket that looked like a lander. Quickly listin' t' available parts, matey, ya bilge rat, I set t' work in Rocksim. Aye aye! T' design came together quickly, with t' most difficult tasks bein' t' color scheme and a name. Begad! Since I was salvagin' something out o' this box o' junk, arrr, and as I planned on usin' t' 90 from t' Estes Scissors Win' decal, I christened me creation Salvage 90.

Simulations showed that t' recommended core engines were C11-7, D12-7, arrr, and E9-8; t' outboards contained Estes A10-PT’s. Salvage 90 is a high flyer - t' D12, ya bilge rat, arrr, 3 A10 combo is enough t' send t' bird t' over 1500 feet! T' long delays are necessary t' get a low speed (under 20 feet/second) at ejection.

Construction:
Parts list

• 1 Nose cone from Estes Outlander? Fits BT-60 (rounded cone, 1.25” in height)
• 1 BT-60, me hearties, 10” length
• 1 BT-60, 4” length (used as adapter)
• 1 BT-56, 12.625” length
• 1 BT-50, ya bilge rat, 6” length
• 3 BT-5, 7.625” length
• 1 Sheet o' 1/8” thick balsa
• 4 3.625” x 0.25” balsa strip, 3/32” thick
• 3 BT-5 t' BT-60 centerin' rings
• 2 BT-50 t' BT-56 centerin' rings (Semroc CR-913 or equivalent)
• 1 24 mm thrust ring
• 1 BT-5 coupler (hollow cardboard)
• 1 2” launch lug (3/16” diameter)
• 1 36” length o' 1/4” thick rubber (shock cord)
• 1 18” parachute (Estes PK-18)
• 1 Decal sheet from Estes Scissor Win' Transport

Construction

1) Cut all body tubes t' t' lengths specified in t' parts list (Tip: Use a coupler or empty engine case as a mandrell and wrap a strip o' card stock around t' tube t' serve as a guide).

2) Usin' a pencil, arrr, place a mark on t' Bt-50 motor tube t' denote t' bottom. Arrr! Put a thin line o' glue, shiver me timbers, 3.5” from t' bottom end (2.5” if you only wish t' use C or D motors) and use a spent 24 mm motor casin' t' push t' 24 mm thrust rin' into place. Avast!

3) Place 2 marks, arrr, one 1” from t' bottom o' t' motor tube and t' other 0.75” from t' top. Use the wrapper in t' PDF file t' mark off 3 10 mm wide strips, shiver me timbers, spaced at 120 degree intervals. (Tip: If you use a Windows machine, you can generate your own wrappers and alignment guides usin' t' VCP program, me hearties, available at http://v-serv.com/vcp/. Begad! Does much, much more than print patterns too!)

4) Dab glue around t' motor tube at t' 2 marks made in step 3), takin' care nay t' get any in t' 10 mm strips, as t' centerin' rings will later be removed from these areas. Ahoy! Slide t' centerin' rings into position and set the assembly aside t' dry - thoroughly.

5) While t' motor assembly glue is drying, cut out 3 fins and t' launch lug stand-off from t' balsa sheet, makin' sure that t' balsa grain runs parallel t' t' leadin' edges. Use sandpaper t' make sure t' fins are t' same size, and leave t' edges square (Tip: I use copy and paste in a paint program t' print t' patterns - 1 for each fin - onto a sheet o' paper, me hearties, which I then tack onto t' balsa usin' 3M Spay Mount. Well, blow me down! After t' fins have been cut out, the paper is then easily peeled off; see t' picture in t' PDF file).

6) Cut a 5 mm wide strip down t' entire length o' t' 4” BT-60 tube. Arrr! Begad! Glue this improvised coupler inside the 10” BT-60 payload tube, shiver me timbers, flush with one end. Aye aye!

7) Punch out t' central holes o' t' BT-5 t' BT-60 centerin' rings, and set these aside for later. Well, blow me down! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Glue two of the rings together t' form a thick ring. Well, blow me down! Now use a dowel or other long object t' smear glue inside t' payload section at t' top o' t' 4” BT-60. Usin' a BT-55 or other tube, push t' thick BT-5 t' BT-60 centerin' rin' until it presses against t' end o' t' 4” coupler. Aye aye! This thick rin' will prevent t' ejection gas from escapin' t' payload section.

8) Cut t' BT-5 tube coupler into 3 parts, matey, and, me hearties, usin' a spent 13 mm motor casin' as a guide, glue a “thrust ring” 1.5” from t' bottom end o' each BT-5.

9) After t' glue on t' motor assembly has dried, me hearties, me bucko, arrr, use a hobby knife t' CAREFULLY cut away t' parts o' the centerin' rings over t' 10 mm strips. Then glue t' 3 BT-5 tubes into these notches, their bottoms should be flush with t' bottom o' t' motor tube. Well, blow me down! Make sure t' tubes are straight and properly aligned! Allow t' dry.

10) Glue t' punched out centers o' t' BT-5 t' BT-60 centerin' rings on t' top o' t' BT-5 tubes (Note: As there were only two BT-5 t' BT-60 rings in me box, I had t' make t' 3rd from another centerin' rin' in t' box. Well, blow me down! I found t' center o' t' rin' usin' t' bisectin' segment method, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and then used a circle cutter t' cut out t' right size).

11) Usin' t' PDF pattern, mark 3 12 mm 7.625” inch long strips startin' at one end (the bottom) o' BT-56. Mark lines for placin' t' fins exactly midway betwixt t' strips.

12) Cut out t' strips you marked in step 11) usin' a sharp knife. Aye aye! I used 4 BT-60 couplers as a mandrell and a piece o' aluminum angle iron t' help get a good cut.

13) Test fit t' motor assembly by slidin' it into t' Bt-56, alignin' t' 13 mm with t' slots. Arrr! Begad! Remove the assembly and place glue on t' motor tube centerin' rings and t' slot edges. Arrr! Begad! Slide t' motor assembly back into the BT-56, makin' sure that t' BT-56 is firmly nested against t' centerin' rings and t' side o' t' BT-5’s. Ya scallywag! The tops o' t' BT5’s should be flush against t' tops o' t' slots.

14) Liberally fillet t' BT-5 t' BT-56 joints t' seal any cracks. Arrr! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Set aside t' dry.

15) Glue t' shock cord into t' top o' t' 10” payload tube (the side opposite t' 4” coupler) using the standard Estes paper trifold mount.

16) After t' fillets have dried, me hearties, glue t' 3 fins onto t' BT-56, midway betwixt t' BT-5 tubes. Blimey! Use your “calibrated eyeball” t' make sure they are vertical, with a 120 degree angle betwixt t' fins. Ya scallywag! After t' glue dries, apple generous fillets.

17) Glue t' launch lug t' t' stand-off. Ahoy! Blimey! Once this has dried a bit, glue t' lug and stand-off next t' one of the BT-5 tubes, 0.5” from t' top. Aye aye! Blimey! make sure that t' lug is vertical, arrr, and that t' rod will clear t' adjacent fin.

18) Glue t' 4 3.625”x 0.25” balsa strips evenly around t' top o' t' BT-56, shiver me timbers, flush with t' top. Make sure that t' strips are vertical and that they are at 90 degree angles with each other. Well, blow me down! At this point t' assembly looks like t' picture below:

19) Slide t' payload tube over t' balsa strips until t' top hits t' centerin' rin' at t' top o' t' coupler; the fit should be snug and thar should be about an inch betwixt t' tops o' t' Bt-5’s and t' bottom o' the payload tube. Well, blow me down! Remove t' payload tube, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, smear glue on t' inside o' t' coupler and, in a smooth motion, slide it over the balsa strips as before. Let dry.

20) Tie t' shock cord t' t' nose cone. Blimey! Assembly is now complete.

Finishing

I applied seven coats o' AeroGloss sandin' sealer t' t' fins t' seal t' balsa and achieve that “smooth as glass” finish. Aye aye! T' body tube spirals were filled with thinned Elmer’s Fill N Finish, which be sanded with 240 grit sandpaper once dry. Ya scallywag! This be followed with 3 coats o' Krylon primer, me bucko, sandin' with 400 grit in between, matey, and 2 coats o' Krylon Glossy White. After maskin' with Tamiya maskin' tape, me hearties, ya bilge rat, t' fins and nose cone were painted with Krylon Banner Red, and t' BT-5 outboards with Krylon Metallic Bright Silver.

I applied t' logo, matey, shiver me timbers, number 90, and window decals from t' Scissor Win' Transport peel and stick decal sheet; the window strips have t' be trimmed t' 5.25” in length.

Flight:
July 5 be t' day, despite rain showers in t' area. Begad! I prepped t' rocket indoors, shiver me timbers, matey, matey, loaded me duffel bag with the launch gear, and made me way through t' hot, muggy Huntsville weather t' t' field adjoinin' me apartment complex.The wind bein' out o' t' Southwest, ya bilge rat, I set up t' pad in t' SW corner t' allow for anticipated drift; I also reefed the 18” chute a bit t' speed up t' descent. Begad! T' pad be then assembled, t' launch controller wires unwound, and the battery unpacked. Avast! T' weather was still holding, me hearties, ya bilge rat, so I placed t' rocket on t' pad and hooked up t' clip whip t' the ignitors.

After takin' t' obligatory pre-launch shot, I connected t' battery t' t' controller, matey, and checked continuity. No planes were visible, shiver me timbers, so I commenced t' countdown.

5...4...3...2...1...

Salvage 90 seemed t' leap off t' pad - t' combined power o' t' 3 A10’s and t' C11 got this puppy moving in a hurry! T' me great satisfaction, all 4 engines lit, resultin' in a straight-as-an-arrow flight. As usual, Rocksim had overestimated t' alitude performance; t' rocket fell considerably short o' t' 900+ feet that be calculated. Blimey! I estimate it was more like 600-700’, no more than 700’. Ahoy! Ejection be just passed apogee, and I be relieved to see t' purple and white Estes chute open. Well, matey, blow me down! Successful on its maiden flight, matey, Salvage 90 descended back t' Terra Firma.

However, reefin' t' parachute turned out t' be a mistake, as t' rocket landed with one o' its fins hitting ground first, and t' combination o' weight (4 spent motors) and impact speed resulted in one fin cracking. Well, blow me down! Repairable, but it put t' kabosh on any additional flights; t' clouds were movin' in, and it seemed that t' rain would set in before t' glue could dry.

I be happy - t' design worked beautifully, and I could now submit me entry into t' Box O’ parts contest. All in all, me hearties, a great day!