Dr. Zooch Saturn 1 SA-5 Build Part 16 Fin Shaping

Those "Stub" fins are narrow!

The direction of the balsa grain doesn't help sanding very much.

This picture shows a side view of the stub fin, the finished shape is on the left.

The kit instructions don't give much information about the actual shape of the fin.

I looked at pictures of the finished model on various vendor sites and EMRR. But those pictures show the fin left square, like the fin on the right.

I found the correct profile HERE on the Meatball Rocketry website.

Check out the Saturn 1 SA-5! Scroll down to the "Casting Hollow Fins" section.

Special thanks to Josh Tschirhart for the great website and permission for the link.

For strength, I usually sand the leading edge down to a thin, but not a knife edge.

First, sand down a wedge shape at the leading edge (shown in the picture) maybe 3/16" wide. Then, taper down the sides.

This gives more control keeping the thin leading edge straight and even.