This past weekend was a good one in the BlastFromThePast rocket lab.
I managed to make significant progress on a build of an Orbital Transport. I think that this model is hands down my favorite of all Estes kit offerings, past and present.
Progress on the model included getting the engine mount assembled and installed, marking the main booster tube, assembling the ram-air tubes, and cutting out the million-and-a-half required balsa parts.
I am one piece short - one of the forward booster wing fairings. I simply ran out of available 3/32 balsa stock of sufficient length to fit in this final long component. Need to get to Home Depot to pick up another sheet. Why Home Depot? Because I have consistently been finding nice pieces of C-grain in their stock. Perfect for me, since there are some upcoming glider projects on my schedule, and I prefer using C-grain for glider wings.
Another model that saw some work was my new Canopus-2 (not the Argentine sounding rocket) cluster bird. This one is my own design from 1975. More details on it later.
Anyway, I finished attaching and filleting the fins, so the model is now ready for grain filling.
So, how have I managed to find the time to get all this accomplished with my hectic weekly schedule?
Easy.
I built a nifty little lap work bench surface that I can bring up to the living room and work on rockets in the evening, rather than burying myself in solitude in the basement workshop. In this way I can hang out with Mrs. BlastFromThePast, watch some movies, or listen to music, and still build rockets. Naturally, processes like sanding, sealing, and painting are 'verboten' in the living room and still need to be confined to the main shop, but all of the parts measuring, cutting, assembly gluing, and decaling is fair game.
One other project I managed to fit in was getting a start on building a half dozen more rocket display stands. These are made in the woodshop using vintage woodworking hand tools. I completed sawing the bases to length, planing the 45 degree bevel, and center marking the pieces for boring the holes. I have a previous post on this whole process, if you should care to look.
Now for the 'Frustration' part....
There's an old adage about Colorado:
"There is no wind in Colorado - Kansas just sucks!" (My apologies to any Kansas readers)
It seems that the wind has been blowing non-stop here in Castle Rock since the beginning of February.
All during the weekend, I wistfully made periodic checks to assess wind conditions. From my upper bedroom window I can see a U.S. flag on a pole a couple of blocks away. All weekend, this flag was proudly standing horizontally. Sigh.....
I am anxious to get some models out to be painted, but to no avail. Currently in the painting queue are the three parts of the Lunar Patrol all ready for color coats, an Astron Alpha awaiting primer, and a Satellite Interceptor also awaiting primer. It will only be a short matter of time until the Canopus-2 and Orbital Transport will also be on the 'Awaiting Paint' shelf. Sigh.....
Also, I have been itching to get out and do some rocket flying. Wind's blowing.
Sigh..........