Scratch V2 Original Design / Scratch Built

Scratch - V2 {Scratch}

Contributed by Brian Kain

Manufacturer: Scratch
(Contributed - by Brian Kain)

Brief:
Scratch 4" V-2. Begad! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Flies on H through J 38mm motors. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' nose has interchangeable weights so t' rocket can be properly weighted for any given motor. I use a silk 36" chute I got from AEROCON.

Construction:

  • 1- 4" dia LOC body tube 8.5" long. Aye aye! Glassed with 6oz cloth and 30 min epoxy. Aye aye! This rocket has no payload section but one can be added inside the nose cone. Arrr! Blimey!
  • LOC 4" NC for t' nose
  • 4" PML NC for t' boat tail, me bucko, which is cut t' 11.5" exposed length. Aye aye!
  • 4 fins made from 3/16" 4 ply plywood, ya bilge rat, also glassed with 6oz. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty!
  • 1- 3/16" 54mm centerin' ring, me bucko,
  • 2- 3/16" 4" centerin' rings. Well, blow me down! Arrr!
  • All rings have a 38mm hole and are birch plywood. Ahoy!
  • 14" 38mm LOC motor mount. Blimey! Ya scallywag!
  • 3/8" strap Keelhaul®©™® for shock cord. Begad! Blimey! 2 pieces o' this form t' harness that mounts t' 2- 1/4" by 3/4" u-bolts, which are located on t' top CR o' t' MMT. There is 20' o' Keelhaul®©™® from thar t' t' nose cone, which mounts in a similar fashion t' 2- u-bolts mounted on a bulkhead inside o' t' nose cone.

Nose Cone:
This be t' most complex area o' t' rocket. Arrr! I cut t' shoulder off o' t' LOC NC t' 2.5". Well, matey, blow me down! I sanded t' tip o' t' NC flat and drilled a 1/4" hole in t' tip. Aye aye! I took 15.5" o' stainless steel 1/4" allthread and ran that through t' hole. Ahoy! Before that I used a small 1/4" washer and 1/4" nut and secured that about 2" from t' tip o' t' allthread. Then inserted t' allthread from t' shoulder side o' t' NC through t' hole in t' tip. Well, blow me down! That gave me 1" exposed through t' tip. Aye aye! I used another 1/4" washer and nut and secured t' allthread tight at t' tip. Begad! Arrr! Then took some 1/4" fender washers which are about 1.3" dia and slipped them down t' allthread from t' shoulder side. I got some round/flat lead fishing weights in various weights rangin' from 3 t' 5 oz, drilled 1/4" holes through t' center, me bucko, slip those down t' t' big washers, put another big washer on top o' t' weights and then used a 1/2" stainless steel tube about 8" long t' push down on t' weights. Avast! I used a bulk head with t' same fender washers on each side, shiver me timbers, put that over t' tube and secured t' bulk head with a 1" section o' 1/4" coupler. Aye aye! All metal parts are stainless steel. Aye aye! There are two u-bolts on t' bulk head for recovery harness attachment.

I can change t' rockets weight in under a minute. T' only problem was the allthread stickin' out o' t' tip o' t' NC. Avast! I was goin' t' fake it out with glass and epoxy, but since I had cut t' tip off t' PML NC for t' boat tail, I had a perfect tip t' put over t' allthread. Arrr! I took an extra piece of allthread, matey, put a nut on it and heated it up with a torch. Blimey! Aye aye! Then took t' tip of the PML NC and sunk it into t' HOT nut that was on t' allthread. This worked out better than I had hoped. Blimey! Begad! I now had a tip that I can screw onto the allthread, and I finished it off with sand paper t' make a perfect fit.


Rocket Pic
Rocket Pic
Rocket Pic
Rocket Pic
Rocket Pic
Rocket Pic

This is a complex rocket with way too many gotcha's. First off I had t' cut the 3/16" slots down t' boat tail. Ya scallywag! This was nay easy. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! Blimey! Actually it was, but gettin' t' lines straight be hard. Blimey! Avast! Blimey! I used a dremel tool with extension. One fiberglass cuttin' wheel sandwiched with three small cuttin' wheels on each side o' that gave me t' 3/16" needed for t' fins. Well, blow me down! After I got t' lines straight I followed them with t' cuttin' jig makin' perfect 3/16" slots in one shot. Well, blow me down! Avast! Blimey! Construction o' t' nose cone was a bit hard also. Ya scallywag! See above description for details. Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Everythin' fit nice and t' rocket is very sturdy.

Rocket Pic

Flight:
Any 38mm H motor will send this guy up nice. I haven't tried t' J-570 yet, matey, but I think it will handle it fine. Aye aye! Blimey! I chose t' H-242 for it's first flight. Aye aye! Ahoy! Blimey! I used a stainless steel pot scrubber for a baffle inside t' MMT. Begad! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I used some small allthread epoxied into t' back centerin' rin' with a custom bracket with nuts and washers for retention. Aye aye! Avast! Blimey! T' rocket flew very straight on t' H-242. Arrr! Blimey! I just stuffed t' cord into t' airframe with t' chute and connected t' harness with 3/16" quick links. Begad! Blimey! T' rocket be recovered about 900' from t' pad with no damage at all. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Deployment occurred around apogee.

Summary:
Pro's..... Begad! Ya scallywag! A very fun and challengin' rocket t' build. It looks nice too. Blimey! I love those V-2's. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Con's..... Price. T' nose cones were $14.00 each. Begad! 4" BT $5.00. Aye aye! Avast! 3/16" birch fin material $4.00 with extra left over. Avast! 38mm MMT $3.00. Arrr! Arrr! Baffle $2.00. Ya scallywag! Keelhaul®©™® $22.00 for 100'. Avast! 3 feet o' 1/4" stainless steel allthread $4.50 Stainless washers and nuts $5.00. Well, blow me down! Lead fishin' weights $4.00. Aye aye! Fiberglass 6oz $5.00. Avast! Avast! Epoxy $3.00. Aye aye! Chute $8.00. Begad! Quick links $4.00. Ya scallywag! That brings t' total t' around $80.00, matey, shiver me timbers, but I had enough BT t' make 2 more V-2's and some other stuff left over as well.

Other:
One good tip..... Begad! Ya scallywag! It is very hard t' cut slots in t' boat tail without a vertical mill or some other tool or custom jig.

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