Estes Mini Bomarc Clone, Kit #TK-5, Part 6, Downsizing A Parachute

The original Mini Bomarc kit had a 10" parachute. Estes makes a 9" chute, but I didn't want to spend the $4.49 price.

I have a lot of Odd'l Rockets parachutes. I'll cut a 10 chute from one of these.

Mark the center of the chute material. Then, simply mark 5" on either side of the center. Repeat for all six sides.

Make straight cuts, parallel to the 12" dashed lines above. 

Rotate the chute make the next five cut lines.

Here's the 10" chute with the plastic reinforcement rings in place.

The finished chute using #10 cotton embroidery thread for the shroud lines.

Estes AMRAAM AIM-120 Downscale, Build, Part 12, Shock Cord & Parachute

The elastic shock cord was tied to the lug at the bottom of the nose cone shoulder. Notice the tail was not cut off.

When packing the chute, the short shock cord tail can get wedged between the nose cone shoulder and the end of the body tube.

TIP: On this style nose cone - Push the shock cord tail inside the open holes beneath the tie off lug.

The parachute shroud lines were tied to a shock cord loop a few inches away from the nose cone. 

I used the Target bag parachute shown in an earlier blog post.

Cheap Target Bag Parachute, DIY, Part 2

Here's the extended circle marks, all are 6" from the center of the middle dot.

Cut out the circle. It's easiest to trace around the circle with a sharp knife.

To mark the sheet for six shroud lines - 

Fold the circle in half.

Fold the outsides in into even thirds. Lightly mark the folds with a Sharpie.

I cut three 26" lengths of #10 cotton embroidery thread.

Cutting 26" long lines allows 1" on either side for the loop and knots.

Here's the finished chute, ready to be tied onto the shock cord.

Cheap Target Bag Parachute, DIY, Part 1

Do you shop at Target? Start collecting their shopping bags for cheap two color chutes.

The bags can make good 12" parachutes. 

There is a red and white target print, very visible in the air.

The bag seems to be 1 mil thick.

I'd recommend cutting the chute to a circle.

Measuring from the center of the middle dot, the largest incomplete circle band is 6". I wish this broken red circle went all the way around the bag.

With the 6" mark set at the middle of the center circle, (see picture above)

Make some cut reference marks from the end of the red print around into the white areas, completing the circle.

Next post - cutting out the chute.

New Way Letter - Go Build, Part 10, The Parachute

Gee, where have I seen this parachute design before?

I'd place the reinforcement disks towards the outside corner of the chute.

The printed placement disk outlines are pretty big.

A toothpick is supplied to punch holes in the plastic.

I like a cleaner assembly so I punch a round hole using the rotary punch.

Set some scrap cardstock under the chute plastic for a clean, round punch. 

The shroud line spool is pretty smart.

Hold the side (over the punched hole) with your thumb and index finger. 

As you pull the red shroud line with your right hand, the spool wobbles back and forth releasing the line. 

No tangles!

I actually enjoy assembling parachutes - 

Especially after I started using ling tweezers to tie the knots.

I use a simple square knot - not a "Granny".

Square knots will not come undone. If you don't know how to tie a square knot: CLICK HERE

Estes Condor #0807 Build, Part 8, Parachute Ties

Most instructions show scissors used to cut out the sheet parachutes. 

Use a straightedge and sharp blade to get clean, straight lines.

The shroud lines are old and have bends. 

Run an iron over the lines with the iron on a dry, cotton setting.

NEWBIES:

Try not to touch any stickers. The oils on your fingers could diminish the adhesive. Here I've lifted the reinforcement ring with my knife. Center and position with the sticker still on the blade.

TIP: 

To prevent a tear from starting, punch the hole up against the outside edge of the ring. Rotary punches work great but you've got to have cardstock behind the sheet when punching through the plastic.

Shroud lines can be hard to tie.

TIP: Use long tweezers to tie the knot. On shroud lines, I use a simple square knot.

New Way Nike Ajax Build, Part 15, Parachute

A 18" diameter parachute is cut from the multi size parachute kit.

These suggested shroud line lengths seem long. Some simple math tell me they are 1 1/2 times the cute diameter. 

Years back there was a NARAM R&D presentation that showed a 1 1/2  length shroud line is the most efficient.  

I'm used to the Estes lengths. I settled for three 40" long shroud line loops.

 

This red shroud line is a fire resistant Nomex.

The "spool" is interesting. 

When you set your index and thumb tips over the hole, the black spool and pull the string and it will teeter tot back and forth to unwrap.

This is a big improvement over the Estes style of a long looped line that usually gets snagged when you try to open it up.

This chute kit had round reinforcement rings instead of the folded jewelry tags normally seen in the New Way kits.

Cut the chute to 18".

TIP: Apply a ring to both sides of the chute material. Both sides is a great way to go, especially if you use paper reinforcement rings.

Punch holes and tie on the shroud lines.
 

MPC Lambda Payloader Build, Part 7, Lug Fit, Paint & Chute

I sanded a light curve into the bottom of the launch lug standoff.

I wrapped some 400 grit around a 1/4" launch lug and ran it up and down the length of the standoff. I should have also done this on the top side of the standoff before gluing on the lug.

TIP: If you ever need to sand a curve into the bottom of a standoff to better fit the body tube, sand with a smaller diameter tube than what you are gluing it on to. You'll get a better fit.

Here's the model ready for a white undercoat.

It does really remind me of the Estes X-Ray.

The lower body will initially be painted gloss white.

A painting wand (dowel with a glued on engine casing) is slipped into the engine mount. At the open top, a rolled up paper towel will keep paint out of the tube.

I didn't use the six separate red shroud lines included in the kit. I used the more recent three long "loop" method. It's difficult to get six separate lines evenly tied and attached to the plastic adapter loop. 

I also added a snap swivel.

The parachute was stored in a small zip bag with the snap swivel out the top. This prevents any tangles.

New Way N-21 Sky Fighter Build, Part 5, Parachute, Filler/Primer & Nose Cone Fill

The New Way kit parachutes use (no-tear) Tyvek ring labels for shroud line attachment.

There are holes punched into the corners of the parachutes for the reinforcement tab locations. 

Center the round side under the punched hole.

The white parachute is 9 1/2" from "flat" to "flat". It seems a little small, I would rather have a 12" diameter chute on a model this size and weight.

Fold the other side of the "dumbbell'" shaped reinforcement directly over the round end under the chute corner.

This leaves a fold just outside the corner of the parachute to tie on shroud lines.

After a first coat of CWF and sanding - 

The wings, fins and launch lugs were taped to some cardboard for spraying with the filler/primer.

The New Way nose cones are very smooth for a 3D print.

After sanding down the filler/primer, you can see how little was left in the very slight layer ridges. 

3D printing has come a long way!

Quest Icarus Build #Q2006, Part 2, Parachutes

Unless you enjoy frustration - Don't cut out sheet plastic parachutes with scissors!

TIP: Notice the ruler is turned over, with the cork facing up. 

With the metal down there is less flex of the sheet plastic and you won't end up with a jagged cut.

Why place cork on the back of a ruler? Sure it helps with slippage, but - 

The cork also raises the ruler so old style India ink pens wouldn't run under the edge. 

 

TIP: Notice the cardstock under the chute material.

This backs up the thin plastic and makes for a cleaner punch.

It's hard to get a good punch without the backing.

Note the punch is set to the outside of the reinforcement ring center, towards the "point" of the chute edge. A tear won't have a chance to start if the string is against the stronger reinforcement.

The Quest shroud lines look like they might be weak, but they are stronger than the lines included in some current Estes kits.

If you don't have long tweezers yet - these are very useful: CLICK HERE

Centuri Quasar Clone Build, Kit #KC-7, Part 19, Parachute, Tying It Together

A  glue line was applied with a Q-tip inside the low end of the BT-5 ramjet pod tube. 

The three silver nozzle assemblies were slid in place, recessed a bit.

A 36" long elastic shock cord was tied to the Kevlar cord coming off the baffle. 

I used the Duncan Uni-Knot to tie the shock cord to the nose cone base loop. The reach was long so the cord was slipped under the plastic loop using long tweezers. 

To see the Duncan knot: CLICK HERE

The Duncan Uni Knot is great for this tie - you can cinch it down without losing much length of the shock cord.

The Snap Swivel and chute was clipped to a simple overhand loop knot, 1/3 the way down from the nose cone.

Here's the ASP 15" Mylar chute.

There's not much room above the baffle so the chute was spiked, folded into quarters and lightly wrapped with the shroud lines.

There is some room in the tube extension on the nose cone base for the shroud lines and long shock cord.

Centuri Quasar Clone Build, Kit #KC-7, Part 13, Parachute & White Paint

I found a new ASP 15" Mylar parachute, again from the spare parts drawer.

I used a rotary punch to make clean cut holes for the shroud lines. 

TIP: To get clean holes, back up the parachute with some cardstock when making the punches.

TIP: Note the punched hole is at the bottom of the reinforcement disk. With the punch at the edge of the ring you could avoid a shroud line tear starting in the Mylar. 

The assembled rocket got a few shots of gloss white.

I do sand with 800 grit, between coats. Under a bright light, look for rough spots and dried glue bits. 

The initial color coats can be the last "filler" on the rocket. As you sand, paint is left in cracks and can give a slight fill. A few extra shots of paint and sanding really smoothed out the shroud/body tube joint. 

Estes Blue Origin New Shepard Build, Part 9, Parachute & Engine Retainer

Here's the finished nose cone with the upper tunnel ends filled and painted.

I was happy with the results.

Note the position of the tunnel top position to the right.

Oops! The tunnel top should be closer to the left, at the edge of the black paint feather edge. 

This was my mistake. It didn't really effect the look or position of the feather decals (by much) that go down the body.

The engine retainer is screwed in place. 

Note there is no white paint on the screw threads. The threads were masked before spraying the white.

I tugged the shroud lines and they easily broke. These were replaced using #10 Embroidery Thread.

The parachute was tied as a "no-tangle" chute. To see how a "No-Tangle" chute is tied, read the Apogee P.O.F. article: CLICK HERE

A snap swivel was added.

The chute was not tied to the nose cone, but attached a few inches down from the nose cone. This helps prevent the nose cone from swinging in and out of the shroud lines, tangling the chute.

Estes Space Shuttle Columbia Build #1385, Part 6, Assemblies

The fit of the triangular wedge in the rudder wasn't great. On the right you can see some of the distortion at the top and bottom.

This took some additional trimming for a slip fit.

Notice the balsa extending outside of the bottom of the cardstock wedge. After the cardstock rudder triangle was glued in place, the overhang was sanded even with the flat backside.

The split rudder was used as an air brake on recovery of the Shuttle. This model version uses the "open" air brake to deflect airflow and keep the boost vertical.

A quick search of the real Shuttle rudder:

"The split-rudder on the orbiter works as a rudder and also as a speed brake (found on most airplanes as a spoiler located on the wing). It does this by splitting in half vertically and opening like a book. This deflects the airflow, increases drag and decreases the orbiter's speed as it rolls along the runway upon landing."

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The original kit tape disks had lost all their stick. I substituted new Avery reinforcement disks.

The 18" parachute print was obviously an enlargement of a 12" chute. The blow-up works except where the tape disks are supposed to go. The location position circle is a bit large.                                                                                                                           

The body tube seams got a fill with CWF. Notice the exposed motor mount tube has some seam fill.

The CWF was knocked out of some small areas and required a second application and sanding.

The plastic nose cone mold lines were filled with a bead of medium CA and sanding to surface.

Be careful - the CA glue will run! It takes a while to dry so set the nose cone up so the clear glue can't form a drip.

New Way, Der Squared Max Build, Part 5, Fin Rounding & Parachute

The instructions don't mention rounding the outside edges of the fins. I guess square edge fins carry through the square rocket theme.

I rounded just the leading edges.

The parachute is square, four sides, not the regular six or eight sides.

The shroud line reinforcements are very smart, Nomex jewelry tags.

"Nomex® is a tear-resistant, high-temperature resistant fiber. It is offered in paper, felt, fabric, and fiber forms."

Under normal tag use, they are looped around the back of jewelry rings, the price written on the round ends. The facing round ends are sticky. The folded loop has no adhesion on the back.

The shroud line is tied through the loop. 

I store the parachute in a zip style jewelry bag with the snap swivel out the top. This prevents tangles in the shroud lines.