Semroc (Estes) Starship Excalibur Build, Part 7, Splitting Reactor Bay Nose Cones

The BT-5 half tubes are capped by a split balsa nose cone.
Don't just drive a knife through the cone like you would split a log. Chances are on something this small the split won't end up being even.

Start by drawing a line around the nose cone bisecting it in half.

I extended my break off blade knife to get a longer straight edge.

The blade is set on the pencil line and lightly pressed into the balsa. Don't attempt to cut through, just start a shallow cut line.

Deepen the cut to about 1/8" deep all the way around the cone including the shoulder.

Now you can split the cone starting from the back slowly pushing the blade through towards the tip.
With any luck, the split will follow the straight guide cuts you've already made along the outside.







Here's the two halves ready for contouring to the BT-55.
Whew!