Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Height=47.5"
Weight=31"
Width=3"
Motor=29mm
Recovery=parachute
Brief
This is a sport rocket in two senses. Avast, me proud beauty! It's for fun and also is done
up t' celebrate baseball. Begad! Aye aye! Arizona's new team, t' Diamondbacks, inspired this
rocket and it's done up in t' team colors o' teal, purple, black, and tan. Ahoy! Its
chute is made up o' gores o' teal and black. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' model has a special look as
well. Ahoy! It has three delta fins and also nine 1.5 inch Estes body tubes around
t' main body tube with t' fins protrudin' at every third tube. Ya scallywag! Ahoy!
Construction
If thar be any "gotcha" at all, it's that t' main 3 inch
body tube is phenolic. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! When I conceived o' this project, me hearties, I didn't yet have
proper tools t' cut dado grooves into phenolic. Blimey! So, arrr, I affixed t' three fins
(3/16 inch plywood birch with root edge o' 7 1/2 inches and trailin' edge o' 5
1/4 inches length) right t' t' body tube. But then I wondered how strong this
could be as is if I opted t' fly larger than G motors in it. Phenolic does have
good pressure strength after all. Well, blow me down! Avast! So I wondered about how t' strengthen the
bond o' t' fins by other means. Begad! Ya scallywag! Then I noticed that nine Estes body tubes,
each 9 inches in length and 1.5 inches in diameter, arrr, would go around t' body
perfectly and let t' fins stay where they were perfectly. Avast! Begad! So I used then as a
sort o' fillet, me bucko, as it were, arrr, with 30 minute epoxy all around. Begad! Arrr! I chose that over
faster dryin' epoxy because I read that its bond is stronger as its setting
time increases. Arrr! Begad! Alignment be easy because t' tubes essentially aligned
themselves along with t' fins.
I started with good fin
placement because I used a measurin' tape and trisected t' main body tube's
circumference t' place t' fins. I performed two trisections so that I could
draw a straight line for each fin and avoid canting. Avast! Blimey!
Supplies are easy t' get. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! T' PML phenolic tube and nose cone and Estes parts are stock supplies at many hobby stores as be t' birch wood, although I opted t' get me wood at a local hardwood dealer. Blimey!
T' motor mount is made from a 10 inch length o' LOC 29mm motor tubin' and 2 LOC 1/4 inch thick plywood centerin' rings that fit 29mm tubes into 3 inch body tubes. T' forward rin' has a screw-eye bolted and glued into place and affixed t' it be t' shock cord mount. T' initial 12 inches o' the shock cord is 1/4 inch steel cable which I got at Home Depot. Arrr! Begad! It's t' sort of wire suitable t' go with bicycle locks. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Then t' 4 feet o' shock cord itself is 1/4 inch bungee that is tied t' t' loop at t' base o' t' nose cone. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! The chute is 30 inches in diameter and is an octagon made o' eight gores o' nylon in alternatin' teal and black with a teardrop shape t' t' gores, givin' a skirts appearance when opened up. Blimey!
T' launch lug is 6 inches o' 13mm Estes body tubing. Aye aye! I chose this because I wanted t' be able t' use sturdy launch rods, as t' model is heavy. Well, blow me down! Well, matey, blow me down!
T' motor retainer is two loops o' doubled piano wire through holes in t' aft centerin' ring. Blimey! Arrr! T' loops are bolted and glued on t' forward side o' t' centerin' rin' and loop over t' motor, matey, but are nay placed right over t' nozzle. T' loops are further held in place with an automotive hose clamp around t' part o' t' motor tube overhangin' t' main body. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad!
Overall, ya bilge rat, matey, what you get is a very sturdy model with a unique look, almost rough and tough. Well, blow me down!
T' finishin' touches is a series o' baseball decals for t' team, available in many local stores and team shops. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I also made me own personal decal usin' self adhesive glossy paper. It's a baseball streakin' up t' body tube with a flame trail behind it. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty!
Flight
Note that t' launch rod must go through one o' t' outer tubes and
through t' launch lug. Blimey! Ahoy!
Thus far, t' G35 and G80 have produced great flights. Begad! Begad! They had a delay o' 7, but maybe 4 would be better, as it seemed t' me that t' chute came out at only a couple hundred feet. Well, me hearties, blow me down! No nose weightin' was needed. Well, blow me down! However, me bucko, with t' H97 and H180 I plan t' use, matey, I will probably add 3 or 4 ounces t' t' nose t' increase static stability. Ya scallywag! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! On t' other hand, matey, t' tubes act as fins themselves, shiver me timbers, arrr, so maybe t' weightin' might nay be needed. Begad! I'll be testin' this soon. Avast! Thus far, arrr, shiver me timbers, flights have been straight and cool. Avast! Watchers liked it a lot and stopped me for photos.
No damage or burnin' occurred as o' yet. I used worm bed waddin' to protect t' chute, and it's effective. Avast! Blimey!
Summary
This be fun because it mutated as I went. Ya scallywag! T' end product was highly
admired and different. T' hard part be nay bein' able t' groove t' phenolic.
So far, I'm nay sure how t' do it without crackin' it, as it's a bit brittle.
T' project didn't cost much, shiver me timbers, me hearties, either.
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