While I'm watching paint dry, a new project is in the works:
I got the Centuri Skylab 3D parts back from a commercial printer I found on Etsy.
These are resin printed, much smoother than the older 3D printers.
Almost all the original kit plastic parts were vacu-formed.
At $80.00 (including shipping), it was more expensive than I would have liked. I don't have a 3D printer.
In the lower right is a "docking collar". Two are needed for the build, I was only sent one!
I've messaged the printer and a second collar is being sent out.
The Centuri Skylab Thingverse page: CLICK HERE
Thanks to Scott Dee for drawing up the 3D parts and to Kevin Hedspeth for inspiration and answering all my questions about his build experience.
You aren't told on the Thingverse page - but -
The two pod nose cones and nozzles fit a BT-20, not the original Centuri ST-7 tubes.
The engine mount tube is also a BT-20. A Centuri ST-7 won't slide through the large nozzle.
I don't have any ST-10 Centuri tubes, I found some Estes BT-52 tubes from an old Thor Agena B build.
Hang onto those spare parts! The nose cone shoulder slides smoothly in the BT-52 tube.
I have had this happen with some Upol spray paint, which normally dries fast. I waited over a week the first try and it was still tacky. I then tried spraying a light coat of gloss over it and it worked! Since then I do that right after spraying the color and it dries normally. I am using the Duplicolor 1K clear.
ReplyDeleteI once had a "mystery brand" of chrome paint that stayed tacky for a long time (had to set the painted articles aside for a couple weeks). It was a can that I'd picked up from a local hardware store -- and the can was probably quite old -- considering the price on the label stated 25 cents. Despite its apparent age, it sprayed out nicely. I'm not sure what sort of solvent it was based on -- as the fumes smelled quite different from any of the paints I'd ever used. The can also lasted a surprisingly long time -- though the can wasn't much larger than typical spraycan of hobby paint -- it lasted a bit longer than the much larger spraycans of paint you'd find at hardware store.
ReplyDelete$80 for all those parts in 3D print in resin (including shipping), doesn't seem too bad (when taking into various factors involving the fabrication of the parts) -- though definitely may sting a bit (especially if you remember the entire kit being priced at just under $6 back in the mid-1970s -- roughly equivalent to $35~$36 today).
ReplyDeleteI have indeed pondered getting a 3D print rig (the older type that essentially squirts molten plastic) as they're now "affordable" (somewhat subjective metric). The resin type is still a bit out of my reach (mainly due to material cost, as well as needing special handing due to the chemicals).
ReplyDeleteAh yes, the incompatibility of the parts between Estes and Centuri kits was indeed a bit of a frustration -- close enough in sizes that you couldn't tell just by looking -- but quite obvious when you try to fit the parts together. The period during the late 1970s and early 1980s (just before the Centuri brand was phased out) were an odd time where you started seeing some new Centuri kits that used Estes-sized body tubes and parts. At that time, I was yet not aware of the fact that both Centuri and Estes were under the same parent company for several years already.
ReplyDelete