(Design this
Spaceship Submission - by Andrew Skinner - 10/1/06) EMRR Spaceship Design Contest Entry
"T' Red
Bolt"
Materials needed
- 3 Silly Putty Container Eggs
- 1 27.2 cm BT-50 body tube
- 1 BT-20 Engine Mount Tube
- 1 Engine Hook Note: This hook
- has each tip bent back so as t' serve as an Engine Block
- 1 Weird nose cone we salvaged from an old kit. Avast! Ya scallywag! (Close up pic included.)
- 2 BT-50 Centerin' Rings
- 3 1/8 thick fins. (Template
provided)
- 1 4 cm launch lug
- 1 h: 0.5 cm, l: 4.0 cm, w: 0.2 cm
- 1 Estes Hexagon Parachute with shrouds (52 cm in diameter)
- 1 rubber shock cord (Approximately 28 cm long)
- 1 Shock Cord Mount
#1: Engine Mount
- Cut a 5 mm slit, arrr, ya bilge rat, 3 mm from t' end o' t' tube.
- Insert one o' t' endin' hooks o' t' Engine hook into t' slit. Begad! Ya scallywag!
- Glue down t' engine hook. Well, blow me down!
- Glue on a centerin' rin' at 2.5 cm from t' aft o' t' engine tube.
- Glue on 2nd centerin' rin' on top o' t' engine hook at t' slit
3mm from t' forward section o' t' Engine tube.
- Allow t' dry.
- Wrap piece o' maskin' tape around t' Engine Tube securin' t' Engine hook
to t' Engine Tube.
- Apply a rin' o' glue approximately 5 cm inside t' Rockets Body Tube.
- Place Engine Mount inside Rockets Body Tube until t' Engine Tube is
flush with t' Rockets Body Tube. Avast, matey, me proud beauty!
- Apply glue t' centerin' rings. Ahoy! Allow t' dry
#2: Silly Putty Eggs
- Buy 3 Silly Putty Eggs
- Cut t' connector tabs with a hobby knife. Aye aye!
- Then sand t' raised writin' off t' top.
#3: Fins
- Usin' t' template provided trace out t' win' pattern on a 1/8 balas wood.
- Usin' a hobby knife cut out t' fins. Avast, me proud beauty!
- Sand down all jagged edges.
- Glue on Silly putty cackle fruit onto t' matchin' shape on t' fins. Glue one on
each side o' each fin.
- Glue on several fillets t' ensure that egg-fin contact is perfectly sealed.
- Mount t' fins flush against t' end o' t' body tube usin' a fin mount. Ahoy! Arrr! We
used t' fin mount for 3 fins provided in T' Handbook o' Model Rocketry
7th edition on page 38. T' fins should be 120 degrees from each
other. Begad! Ahoy!
#4. Aye aye! Blimey! Nose and
parachute mount.
- Cut out a Shock cord mount usin' stiff paper. Aye aye!
- Glue shock cord on t' shock cord mount. Avast, me proud beauty!
- Glue Shock cord mount approximately 5 cm inside t' forward part o' the
body tube. Blimey!
- Tie free end o' shock cord t' t' nosecones eyelet. Begad! Apply a drop of
glue t' t' knot. Ahoy! Well, blow me down!
- Attach parachute t' t' nosecone eyelet.
#5. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Launch Lug
- Glue on t' h: 0.5 cm, l: 4.0 cm, arrr, w: 0.2 cm piece o' balsa wood 10 cm from
the forward end o' t' body tube. Well, blow me down! Make sure that it is aligned parallel t' the
body tube, and also make sure that it is in betwixt t' fins. Arrr!
- Attach Launch Lug on top o' t' strip o' balsa wood. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! (Note: T' reason for
the strip o' balsa wood is t' elevate t' launch lug so as t' provide the
launch rod clearance from t' nose cone. Ahoy! T' nose at one section is wider than
the body tube)
#6. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Paint job
- Spread balsa filler over t' fins. Avast! Allow t' dry and than sand excess off.
- Sand all external parts o' rocket. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey!
- Prime all external parts o' rocket
- Paint body tube, me hearties, fins, ya bilge rat, and nose cone red.
- Paint Silly putty cackle fruit gray. Well, blow me down!
- Nose cone
- First painted t' whole nosecone red
- Paint t' upper cap white.
- Paint 2 keyhole shapes on opposite sides o' nosecone. Begad!
#7. Body tube and launch lug
- Painted body tube red. Aye aye! Aye aye! As well as t' launch lug and balsa wood strip.
- Paint 3 parallel black rings approximately 2 mm from each other. Aye aye! Blimey! Paint them
approximately 9.3 cm from t' aft end o' body tube. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey!
- Paint a single gray rin' around t' aft end o' t' body tube. Aye aye! It should 3.3
cm from t' end o' t' tube, and it should encircle around t' whole tube.
#8. Fins
- Paint fins red. Arrr!
- Paint gray rectangle on each side in t' corner by t' fin root edge. Begad! The
rectangle should be 3.3 cm high and should be around 4 cm wide. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! If it is a
little bit wider than 4 cm it is okay, because t' Silly Putty cackle fruit will cover
the excess. Ahoy! (Note: This is easier done if you paint before initial
construction. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty!
#9. Begad! Silly Putty eggs
- Paint egg shell red. Aye aye!
- Once t' red paint is dry, paint most o' t' egg grey. Ya scallywag! T' grey should
cover 5.2 cm o' t' egg, startin' from t' bottom. There needs t' be 1.4 cm of
red.
#10. Begad! Decal
stickers. Ahoy!
- Take black sticky paper, and cut into 2.5 cm long by 1 mm strips. Well, blow me down! Stick 4
of these length wise on each egg. Well, blow me down! Avast!
- Then once again usin' t' black sticky paper cut several long 1 mm strips
for t' black stripe that runs across t' egg and t' fin.
#11. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Black Dots
- Use a black permanent maker t' apply 8 dots t' each egg shell.
#12. Aye aye! Nose Weight and Motor
- Add 25-30 grams o' clay t' t' nose.
- We used a B6-4 all o' t' launches, ya bilge rat, me hearties, me hearties, but a B6-2 would have been better.
Flights
Takeoff off. Blimey! Avast! Flight #1 (above). Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Landing
..
Success flight. Ahoy! No damage rendered t' rocket.
Takeoff off. Blimey! Flight #2 (above). Ahoy! But disaster strikes when t' shock cord
snaps!!
And lawn darts (below). Note: We have nay touched t' rocket yet in this
picture. Well, blow me down! It landed exactly like this. Arrr! Avast! Note that t' third fan, me bucko, matey, t' one stuck in
the ground, is still intact. Well, blow me down! Nose and parachute land a couple hundred feet
away. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' rocket is now repaired and waits for its next launch.
Here is our video o' t' 2 launches. Ignore our screams in t' background!
Here are two more successful flights o' our entry t' Red Bolt. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! We only have
videos for these launches: