Brief:
This is a spool very much in t' vein o' those like Scott's Spool Rocket and Dick Stafford's Lobbin' Bobbin except it has a 24mm motor mount.

Construction:
Recently I was in t' electrical department o' me local home improvement store where I inquired as t' what they did with their empty wire spools. Avast! Aye aye! Believe it or not, they just throw them away! I politely asked if I could have some. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! The sales associate guided me t' t' back o' t' store where he pointed t' a large box and told me t' help myself. Ahoy! And I did!

T' spools were all made o' plastic. Avast! While they were all about 6.5" in diameter, thar were 2 different widths: about 3" and 5.5". Avast! Helping myself t' a few, shiver me timbers, I took them home. Aye aye! Once I got them into me workspace, I took some 24mm and 29mm tubin' t' help gauge how far I be goin' t' need t' open the center hole.

A Dremel made quick work (in fact, arrr, too quick in t' case o' t' one I wanted t' use for 29mm tubing) o' openin' up for a snug fit o' t' 24mm tubing. Openin' up only one end, arrr, t' unmodified hole made for an excellent thrust ring. I cut t' tube t' fit and used some Devcon 5-minute epoxy t' hold it in place. A 3/16" drill bit was all I needed t' create holes for a launch rod.

Finishing:
No finishin' be necessary. Aye aye! I kept it t' black plastic as is.

Flight:
I loaded up t' Live Wire Spool with an Estes E9-6 and friction fit it into place with maskin' tape, matey, leavin' about 3/4 o' an inch o' t' motor sticking out. Avast! Blimey! My club's mid power pads sit close t' t' ground so I practically had to lie down on t' ground t' attach t' clips t' t' ignitor...but that's t' not the rocket's fault. Ya scallywag! T' Estes E9 is a super motor for this rocket as it provides a pleasant 3 second burn. Avast, me proud beauty! While t' spool didn't leave t' pad with amazin' authority, it did manage t' continue a steady ascent durin' t' entire thrust phase o' flight t' about 300ft.

This rocket could easily handle higher thrust motors but I have learned that long burn motors (regardless o' total thrust) provide t' best flights with spools and other high drag designs.

Recovery:
I love spools because they do nay require any waddin' and/or lengthy preparation. Recovery comes from t' gentle tumble that they go into after motor burnout all t' way t' t' ground. I would go so far as t' describe it as simple elegance. Because o' t' low altitude, it didn't get very far away from the pad durin' recovery. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Unable t' modify t' motor t' remove t' ejection charge, arrr, ya bilge rat, me bucko, t' ejection charge went off comfortably about halfway back t' the ground.

Summary:
Spools rule! Best o' all, it be practically free and only took a matter of minutes t' modify it for flight. Combined with plenty o' Estes E9s, you will always be entertained while flyin' this all day long on even t' smallest fields.