Please learn the correct names of model rocket parts!
It’s a body tube, not a “pipe” or a cylinder.
A fin is not a wing! Wings produce aerodynamic lift. Fins provide no lift but create stability.
The launch lug is not a “straw” or a “pipe thing”.
It’s a shock cord tri-fold mount not a folded “tab”.
It’s called an engine block, not an “O-Ring.
Engines are expendable, not rechargeable”.
Engines are expendable, not rechargeable”.
It’s a recovery streamer, not a “tape”.
You don’t “stuff” a parachute in the body tube, you pack a parachute.
More quotes:
“They have it (nose cone base) detached in shipping because they want you to tie the rubber band to it first.”
Huh? Not in my instructions. The base is glued on first, then the shock cord is tied on.
"Apply hot glue to the nose cone shoulder".
No - Apply the glue inside the nose cone so glue won’t be squeezed out when inserting the base.
If you can rub the excess (hot glue) off the model after the glue dries, the glue isn’t holding the rocket together.
“I used 100 grit to smooth the fin edges, but any sandpaper will do”.
100 grit on balsa wood? You'll be lucky if there is any wood left when you are done! Yeah, grab that 60 grit, that'll work even better!
“Most super glue brands will work to assemble your rocket.”
And your rocket will self destruct during boost after the CA glue gets brittle.
Super Glues have their place but not for assembling a model rocket.
And your rocket will self destruct during boost after the CA glue gets brittle.
Super Glues have their place but not for assembling a model rocket.
“Apply glue to the engine mount centering rings and slide the mount into the body tube.”
No . . . apply glue inside the body tube and slide the mount in. This is just another way to have an excess glue mess and an engine mount freezing up in the wrong place.
“Use Super Glue to attach the rubber shock cord to the tri-fold mount”.
No . . . super Glues will make the rubber shock cord brittle and it will break and fail.
Another video had you paint the rocket before gluing on the fins and launch lug.
Another reason fins come off during boost. Glue won’t stick to sealed wood and tubing.
My favorite quote:
"Nose cones roll, be careful with that!" (When a nose cone rolled off the work bench)
And the best new quote:
“You’ll want it straight, ‘cause if it is crooked you’ll have trouble getting off”.
No comment, too easy . . .
Some popular misconceptions:
Carpenter’s Wood Filler does not seal the balsa fins. CWF is water based.
If fins are sealed, water cannot be absorbed into the wood.
Kevlar is flame resistant, not flame proof.
Ejection charges will break down Kevlar over time.
Very refreshing, Chris...A voice of reason in a vast sea of ignorance! Quite entertaining - and hilarious - post.
ReplyDelete“I used 100 grit to smooth the fin edges, but any sandpaper will do”.
ReplyDeleteWhen sanding down lots of small detail parts for a complex rocket, I like to pull out the ol' belt sander.
“Most super glue brands will work to assemble your rocket.”
For his Accur8 skin models, John Pursley actually recommends thin CA applied with double-glue joint technique to attach basswood fins. Basswood specifically because he says that it soaks up an incredible amount through the root, and it really hardens up the fin and provides a good surface for the double glue joint.
I didn't have the nerve to try it when building my Ragnarok Cosmic Interceptor.
Hi Neil,
DeleteI can't see the double glue method using Super Glue. But I've never tried it, so who knows. John Pursley knows his stuff!
That summarizes my reaction fairly precisely.
Delete:)
Shaking my head and laughing my butt off at the same time...
ReplyDeleteWith regards to sandpaper... It does make a BIG difference on where you've been shopping for sandpaper. If you go to the lumber yard, DIY hardware store, or places like Dollar Tree to pick up packs of sandpaper, you're likely to end up thinking 120 is the finest grit.
ReplyDeleteHi Naoto,
DeleteAfter a few bargain store sandpaper purchases I went to Home Depot for the good stuff. The Norton 3X Premium costs more, but doesn't load up and seems to last forever.
There are however occasional helpful you could find in various places... I would suggest wandering aisles at the drugstore where menfolk rarely wander into -- such as section where they sell nail care and nail polish. Emery boards, nail buffing sticks, and nail files can be "repurposed" as modeling tools. I do recall my older sister being puzzled to why I bought a manicure set -- I responded "tools is tools" to which she rolled her eyes (same expression she used when I frequently "borrowed" and "repurposed" some of her stuff for model-making activities when we were kids). Other places that could yield useful implements and supplies -- fabric stores or places selling sewing supplies.
ReplyDeleteActually entertaining to watch some of the YouTube videos that could be found with the keywords "女の子とガンプラ".
Hi Naoto,
DeleteI've picked up building tools from nail and sewing stores stores before!
BTW, the keyword text in preceding message is in Japanese -- it translates as "girls and gunpla" ("gunpla" is a term referring to plastic models associated with the animated TV series Gundam). Not sure if this link will work for you:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%E5%A5%B3%E3%81%AE%E5%AD%90%E3%81%AE%E3%82%AC%E3%83%B3%E3%83%97%E3%83%A9
Hi Naoto,
DeleteI have to be honest, the Gundam animation style really isn't my style. I prefer the old Warner Brothers animation, more frames drawn per second.
(shrug) "limited animation" technique pioneered (at least for animation production in Japan) by Osamu Tezuka (creator of Tetsuwan Atom, aka Astro Boy). In a nutshell "draw only the frames necessary to get the point across" - a technique that was key in bringing down the cost for animation to make it affordable for the medium of television. Essentially an adaptation of what would be done in comic book art -- careful framing and composition could convey something in a single or only a few images.
DeleteAs for stateside folks using same type of technique would be Hanna-Barbera productions. Jonny Quest was an interesting example of bringing in semi-realistic comic book art stile into animation.
Similar "limited animation" technique is used on numerous videogames (typically fighting game genre).