Binge Build: Forty Fin Fitting

 Yep, that's the number of balsa fin pieces spread across this six-rocket build.

The past couple of evenings has been spent in the process of gluing them on.

Again, I am deviating from my standard building MO in that I am attaching the fins before doing the grain filling and sanding. 

Usually, I do that part on the unassembled fins prior to attaching them, but I figured it might be better for the general flow of this project by doing it post-assembly.

The only exceptions are the small balsa vanes for the Crossfire ISX, and the fins for the Icarus booster section.  The latter are papered for extra strength.

Here is a pic of the first evening's 'fin attachment production line'.  I set up my portable workbench in the bedroom where I could watch a movie with the missus while gluing up fins:

Here is a pic of all the models with fins successfully attached. Kinda beginning to look like rockets!

Next step: applying fillets.

Here are the first two... only 78 more to go....

Binge Build: A Large Lot of Launch Lugs !

 Today's post covers the construction process of all the launch lugs for the multi-rocket project.

I am trying out a radically different way of approaching this step.  My normal method was to first do seam filling and sanding, glue the lugs to their 1/16 by 1/8 balsa standoffs, glue those assemblies to the model airframe (after the fins have already been done), and apply glue fillets.

My new method entails doing all of this before the model's fins go on.  I have found it to be immensely easier to attach these small low-profile parts without having to work around taller fins.

Also, the order of operations is changed. 

First, the standoffs are glued on along the marked line.  When these are dry, the lugs themselves are glued to the standoffs.  Alignment can be done much more quickly and precisely.

Next, it's an easy matter to apply the glue fillets.

Finally, the lug seams get the normal CWF fill and sanding. Plenty of room to do this without interfering fins to worry about.

Here are all the rocket airframes with these processes completed:

Binge Build: A Cache of Cradles

 Before I get too much further into this build, I will need a number of rocket-holding cradle stands for gluing fins and applying fillets.

A half hour spent in the LEGO room was good for taking care of these needed fixtures...

While I'm on the subject of LEGO, check out my blog page on that subject. The link is in the "All of My Blog Pages" list found at the right side of this page. Lots of cool brick stuff to be found there ...

Cheers!

Binge Build: A Passel of Pencil Marks !

Here is the part of the build project where I have to actually pull out some of the kit instructions to ascertain the proper placement of fins, launch lugs, and whatever other details there happen to be. 

Setting to work with a precision-sharpened pencil, fin spacing guides, ruler,  and a length of metal shelving standard to draw the longitudinal lines, I soon have a set of tubes all ready for assembly.

Time to fire up the ol' glue pot...

An Array of Assembled Airframes...

 This part of the big year-end rocket-fest consists of gluing the freshly-built motor mounts into their respective airframe tubes.

Epoxy was used to secure all of the mounts.

Here is a shot of the 'business-ends' of all the models.

Next stop: tube marking, launch lugs, and fins.

Binge Build: A Motley Mix of Motor Mounts !

 This part of the build focuses on building up the motor mounts for each of the selected model rockets.

Here is a group pic of all the completed mounts:

Mounts that use the (flimsy) paper rings have been reinforced with balsa support vanes to prevent them from flexing under thrust forces.

For the BT-60 sized birds (Big Bertha and Esam-58), I went with some longer BT-20 stuffer tubes.

One further modification to the Big Daddy mount involves building the motor tube to accommodate the longer E- motors.

For a couple of these mounts, I didn't have enough centering rings in my parts stash, so I cut some out of 1/16 basswood. 

Additionally, a lack of enough stock engine hooks meant that I had to fashion a couple out of old windshield wiper springs.

Sometime in the recent past, I must have raided the kit pile to purloin some of these parts for other scratch-built models.

Oops, yet another motor mount modification: 

It seems that, at some point in time, I lost the inner motor retainer ring that came with the ESAM-58 kit.  So, this mount gets the normal motor hook, instead.

"Hey, BlastFromThePast, you said you were starting six new kits. How come the photo shows seven motor mounts?"

Very astute observation.

The short answer:  I am modifying the Quest Icarus build considerably.  The shorter 35mm tube, instead of being a payload  section, is being built as a 24mm motor booster stage.   The Icarus will share the Big Rage's payload section with that model. Awhile back, I lost the Big Rage "Nike Smoke" nose cone, and ended up stealing the nose from the Icarus kit to replace it.

Confused?  Me, too...

In the near future, I intend to send off an order to Quest that will include a new Nike Smoke nose cone and a 35mm tube, so I can straighten out the mess and restore both birds to their original form.

For the Icarus booster, I had intended to cut centering rings out of basswood, but I have since discovered that an Estes BT -55 fits snugly inside of the Icarus' 35mm tube. I can now make the components by gluing Estes 50-55 rings into short lengths of BT-55. A very convenient and time-saving work-around.

Here is the tube-cutting process I use:

A shop-built "Kuhn Cutter" made from some Home Depot paint stir sticks makes for some precision cuts for the two centering ring BT-55 extensions.  This particular tube came from a Cherokee-E kit in damaged condition, so it's perfect for cutting up into shorter useful parts.

This is the finished motor mount, now ready to plug into the Icarus booster.

Next step: Gluing 'em all into the airframes.

More to come...

Binge Build - A Substantial Stack of Shape-Sanded Fins

This step of the great rocket building caper involves the formidable task of sanding the myriad fins.

First, all of the edges get squared up, and laser/die cut marks removed.  

My standard method of operation for this involves clamping a sanding block vertically in the shop woodworking vise.  A sheet of plate glass provides a great bearing surface to slide the balsa stock back and forth against the block.  This results in a perfect ninety degree edge on all surfaces.

The beverage shown is an additional essential requirement for this operation.

Tip:  This is also a very efficient method for gang sanding stacked hand-cut fins so that they are of identical shape and size.  I followed this procedure for the set of Big Bertha fins.

Next, a medium grit sanding block is used to round the leading and trailing edges of all the fins.

Finally, the components get a once-over with 400 grit sandpaper to smooth things out.

Here are all of the completed fins for six model rockets ready for assembly:

Moving on....