Estes Black Brant XII, Kit # 9723 Build, Part 6, Gluing The Fin Laminations

THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT POST. 

Don't just glue up the layers and leave them to dry for a few hours. You have to check the laminations every few minutes, reposition and slide the laminate sides back into position.

Gluing up the laminations is tricky! Read this entire post before layering up your fins.

You've got to use enough glue to guarantee complete side to side coverage. On the left is how much glue I used. On the right is the glue smoothed out with a fingertip.

But -

The glue makes the layers slippery!

When the glued pieces are pressed together, they will slide.

Line up the first two layers as best you can, use your block to get the root edges flat or slightly recessed as shown in the last post.

Some would be tempted to use Super Glues from the outside of the joint seam - don't!

Super Glues won't give you a strong complete seal. When the fins are sanded and shaped, you might find the layers opening up.

 

You'll need a heavy, flat weight to set on the glued up pieces, like a few very heavy books. I used a marble slab from my leather working days.

After placing the weight on the aligned glued fins, the pieces can slide from their original position.

YOU HAVE TO GO BACK AND CHECK THE ALIGNMENT EVERY FEW MINUTES before the glue sets up. I set the audible timer on the Microwave for three minute intervals.

When checking the laminates - 

The outside layers can open up, warped from the wet glue.

I set a bit more glue inside and spread it out with my knife. Back under the weight to dry. 

 

As you are checking the fin layer alignment, remove any glue that has squeezed out at the root edge.

It's easier to remove the glue before it dries. That glue bead won't allow a close fit against the body tube.

Estes Black Brant XII, Kit # 9723 Build, Part 4, Prepping The Fin Pieces

I've mentioned this a few times before - 

Laser cut fins are great! Except, the laser cut beam is diffused when it cuts into the balsa sheet.

Look at both sides of the sheet. On one side of the sheet, the line will be wider. It is a angled "wedge" cut.

Square up the fins setting the at a 90 degree angle on your sanding block. The right side picture shows the fin edge after light sanding. Some of the angle and the hold down tic has been sanded.

After gluing up a few of the fin sets - 

TIP: I recommend gluing together the outside halves (Parts L & M) together FIRST before joining to the center tabbed balsa layer. There will be too much sliding around when the laminate layers are glued up. It's easier with the L and M pieces joined beforehand.

TIP: You can use your block to square up the root edges.

On the right is the "M" piece. Notice the notch and most of the front root edge is slightly raised. Don't sand or remove this raised root edge area.

Piglet-sus! Build Part 3 Laminating Fins

Oops! 

I skipped Step 3 of the build! I'll post it here today, then put it into the correct build order tomorrow.

Here's the wing fin "sandwiched" over the straight edge of the cereal box cardboard you cut earlier

Note the fins aren't cut to shape yet.

Lightly coat the back, unprinted side of the fin with white glue.

Set it over the edge of the cereal box stock. Push the fin fold all the way over (in this picture push to the left) until the fold is touching the straight edge of the cereal box stock.

Lay a clean piece of paper over the three layers and burnish. Clean off any glue that squeezes out around the sides.

Here's the side you'll cut on (left) and the other overlap side. (right)

The overlap on the back gives total color coverage to both sides.

 

Piglet-sus! Build Part 2 Folding Fins

For sharp folds, pre-score the dashed fold lines. 

On your prints (and in the picture to the right) there are boxes opposite the leg and wing outlines. These are the colored backs of the leg and wing fins. When the fins are glued and folded over the cereal box middle cores, you'll cut through all the layers using the outside lines as a guide. You won't have to worry about lining up any lines on the opposite (box) side. The other side will be fully colored on both sides after cutting out the shapes. 

Here I'm using a strait edge and the backside of a razor blade to score the card stock folds. There is a few layers of masking tape over the sharp side of the blade (facing up) so I don't cut my fingers. 

You can also use the tip of a butter knife with no serrations to score the fold. 

Fold the pieces on their score lines. Set a piece of clean paper over the top and go over the fold with the back side of a burnisher, in this case, the rear of a Sharpie pen. 

 

Using clean paper over a burnished fold keeps the card stock print clean. If there is any dirt on the pen barrel or burnisher, it will transfer onto your fin!

Piglet-sus! MMX Build Part 1, Prepping Cardstock

If you've already printed off the wraps and fins: Rough up some cereal box cardboard with 220 grit sandpaper. Lightly sand both sides. On the printed side sand a bit more removing some of the ink. 

Be ready, sanding the print side will make quite a bit of colored dust that can get everywhere. Wipe it off with a paper towel before laminating the printed fins.

 

Cut a straight strip off the long side of the cereal box cardboard.

This is to insure you have a long straight edge to fold over the fin skin overlays.

Semroc Micro Mars Lander, KMX-02, Part 7, Support Housing Assemblies

In the kit instructions-
The lander legs are glued on the body tube, then the triangular pieces are glue around the upper leg.
I thought the leg supports would be easier to smooth out off the model, especially the joint seams at the open slot top.
Glue the small center piece on one side of the larger side supports. Follow with the side support on the other side.






The tops and bottoms were sanded smooth on some 400 grit.

Here's a dry test fit of a lander leg in the support housing.








With the new, even sanded tops on the support housings I had to give them another shot of filler/primer and smooth sanding.

Centuri Flying Saucer #5325, Part 5, Shrouds

The C and L braces are cut out.
Note the pencil mark along the top. That's to fit the short end of the antenna top bend.

Cut the interior curves first, then the straight lines connecting them with a straightedge and sharp blade.

Before cutting out the shroud pieces,
The backings are peeled off and stuck to 110 lb. card stock. The  pieces that are curved into a circle are two layer and don't have a thick cereal box board center.

Cut the centers out first, then the outside curve. This picture shows the Minor Shroud that ends up on the bottom of the model.

The main shroud is also peeled and stuck to 110 lb. card stock, again two-layer.
Use white glue on the tab! It will dry clear. Wood glues dry yellow. You'll want your saucer to have a clean, white surfaces.





Finally the two piece "Core Tube Halves" are glued into a circle with the print to the inside. The picture shows the core flipped. In the end, those light green dots should end up down towards the bottom of the model.

Centuri Flying Saucer #5325, Part 3, The Large Ring

The large ring and C and L center braces (and large ring) got a cereal box cardboard lamination.
You could probably use a thin coat of white glue, but a shot of Supper 77 spray adhesive is much easier. Some self adhesive paper went on the bottom covering the brown cereal box stock.





Cut our the rounded ends first using a new blade in your knife.

After the circles are cut, cut the lines with a strait edge.

The small arcs on the inside edge are hard to cut with a knife.

TIP: Use a rotary punch on the tight inside circles.

After the circles are punched,

Cut off the sides with your knife.






On the left is the rough cut slots.

Smooth them out by sanding with 400 grit sandpaper wrapped around a dowel.

Centuri Flying Saucer #5325, Part 2, Laminations

The printed side of the cereal box cardboard should be lightly sanded to remove some of the printing and glossiness. This will remove some of the ink so it won't show through the overlay. It also makes for better adhesion of the self adhesive sheets..

The two 110 lb. card stock prints were sprayed with 77 adhesive and stuck down to cereal box cardboard. The cereal box cardboard backs got a sheet of self-adhesive backed paper.

These two ended up as a three layer laminate -
1. TOP: Print on 110 lb card stock,
2. MIDDLE layer of cereal box cardboard,
3. BOTTOM: The lower layer of self adhesive backed paper.
I was trying to build up the thickness to match that from the Centuri kit.

The two prints on the self adhesive backed paper ended up as two layers. The self adhesive prints were stuck onto 110 lb. cardstock.

These two prints ended up as two layers -
1 TOP: Print on self adhesive backed paper
2. BOTTOM: 110 lb. card stock.

The brown engine mount tube got an outside layer of peel and stick paper.
The top was sanded smooth.









A slit was cut for the upper bend in the engine hook.
A engine block was glued in the top against the upper bend of the hook. The hook retainer ring is added later on.

Lawn Dart Rocketry SLAT/S Build, Part 2, Fin Fairings

Here's a cross section drawing of the model. The instructions call the assemblies "Fin Pods".

The fin fairings are interesting, made up of a three piece laminate.

There are three pieces on each side so cut out six in total. In the top picture is all six stacked up for uniform sanding.

Two of the three pieces on each side are cut for the fin tab fitting.

The sides of the middle notch is easily cut out using a single edge razor blade. Cut down to the long , straight bottom of the notch.


The longer center line is cut with a knife and straightedge.

The top piece notch is a bit trickier. This is one of the few times I'll use an X-Acto #11 blade instead of the break-off blade knife.

Cut the short sides first, then the longer middle cuts.

Estes Little Joe 1, #7255, Build Part 7, Engine Mount

The engine mount is pretty standard except for the big rings.

On the right is the lower ring. The four nozzles holes are cut. The laser cut lines are the glue positions for the plastic pieces. Notice the off-set notches for the tabs in the motor housings.

The lower ring is glued 1/4" from the bottom of the motor mount tube.

The upper ring is two layers. The smaller ring with the cutouts faces up.

On the left is the finished engine mount.
On the right is the top showing the laminated two rings. The "spoke" holes keep the weight down.

Note that the interior 2" diameter tube fits over the lip of the smaller, spoked ring. Keep this in mind as you don't want glue around the edge (that could affect the tube fit) of the upper ring.

Estes Gryphon #7280 Build, Part 4, Gluing up the Pod Hook

Pay close attention and do a few dry fits to get an idea how the hook is glued up.

Only the upper half of the outside pieces gets glue!

Here's one side showing the glue. Set the pieces side by side and draw a pencil line at the glue area border.

I used my flipped clothes pins to hold the laminated hook together wile the glue dried.

The front end of the hook was contour sanded with some 400 grit wrapped around a used engine casing.

After sanding I had to fill the seam left from the layered pieces.

Estes Scissor Wing Transport Build, Part 6, Dowel Mount

I sanded the sides clean trying not to change the shape of the parts.

GOTCHA: Check the next post before gluing on the side pieces!
The three pieces were glued side by side with the dowel in the middle top.
Clothes pin clamps held it all together while it dried.

The sides were cleaned up again without sanding too much off the sides. The height of the dowel mount could be critical later on.





The top was rounded off trying to match the contour of the dowel.

Model Minutes Leduc 22 Build, Part 8, Rear Fins

TIP: Don't ever buy Rose Art glue sticks, they are crap! They are stringy and bead up. You can't get the glue to lay down smooth.

Look close at the center of the fin. Some of the glue stick mess got on the outside grey ink. When I tried to clean it off some of the ink was removed - Arghh!
I threw out the bad glue stick and bought some made by Elmer's.

The Elmer's glue stick goes on purple and dries clear.
The G4 tip piece is glued on the outside edges of the fin.







As always, burnishing was done with the backside of a Sharpie barrel.

Estes Honest John, #7240 Build, Part 5, Fin Gluing

Here's how I set the glue down on the outside laminate pieces.
I wanted good coverage but not so much that the laminations could slip out of alignment when set under weight when drying.

EDIT: After painting I noticed some very slight lifting on the outside laminate on one fin side. Use enough glue to guarantee full adhesion. After the glue was applied as in the picture, smooth it out before bonding to the center core piece.




While the glue was still wet, the fin pieces were set against the tail cone. I was trying to see if I could coax a curvature into the root edge.
While the fins were being pressed into the tail cone the glue was warping the outside laminates away from the center piece.
I knew I had to get this assembly into a heavy book soon, before the glue started to set up.







I found this interesting -
There is a slight gap between the root edge and the recessed band on the tail cone. You don't see this gap in the instruction drawings.