Wednesday, March 13, 2013

BT-50 Crimp Reinforcement Part 2



Be sure to clean out any ejection crud on the upper tube and lower tube if you can reach it.
Glue won't stick as well over the ejection charge ash.
The 3" long BT-50 coupler was glued in the fin can end first against the top of the upper centering ring. This coupler was cut to 3" long.

The test fits were too tight. I didn't want the upper tube to "freeze up" in the wrong position when gluing and sliding it into position.
I did a lot of sanding with 220 grit to get a sliding fit over the coupler.
I used white glue (old Elmer's formula) but should have used epoxy!
All that sanding didn't help much and the tubes were starting to lock up before seating in the correct position.
Epoxy stays slippery and gives you plenty of time to line up the name between two fins.

The finished fix is okay, not perfect.
From cutting the tube the paint edge has some small chips on it.
Still, the rocket is stronger and won't see an early retirement.

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