Estes Cosmic Interceptor Build, Part 16, Filler/Primer On The Balsa Parts

Here's all the parts taped down to scrap cardboard for a shot of filler/primer.

Notice the thin masking tape strips over the gluing area slots on the Q pieces. There is tape over the glue tabs on the T pieces.

With the S braces dry fitted, this will mask the gluing contact areas.  

After the filler/primer shot,

the glue tabs have no spray.

The wing showing the clear glue areas for the S braces.

The end tip Q pieces had a measured strip of masking tape over the gluing area.

The open CWF strip isn't sealed and glue can be absorbed. The gray filler/primer seals the rest of the balsa.

Estes Cosmic Interceptor Build, Part 15, More Pre-glue Fitting

The low edges of the intake tube will set into the fillet joints of the wings.

Looking ahead, I checked how straight the sides were using an aluminum angle. This will require some sanding to get the sides straight. notice the pencil mark - 

The visible end edges of the intake can be cleaned up with a wipe of CA glue and light sanding. This removes the fuzz and sharpens the looks.

Don't wipe any CA glue where wood glue will follow.


 

I set the vertical brace in place to mask the gluing areas for the filler/primer shoot.

The underside tabs aren't tall enough to fully fill the notch! This will need more filling after gluing the braces in. No glue yet, wait until after sanding the filler/primer.

Estes USS Enterprise #1275, Part 25, The "Stand"

It's a nice gesture to include a cardstock display stand.

As is, it won't fit together. The cut slots (or slits) are too thin to slide together the thick cardstock.

With a sharp knife and straightedge, 

The slots were widened.

320 grit sandpaper was folded and the slot sanded until I got a better slip fit.

Here's the finished, assembled stand.

Plain, but functional.

Estes USS Enterprise #1275, Part 24, Forming & Gluing The Rectangles

The rectangles are flat, the tube is round.

On the left, notice the right and left sides don't contact the tube.

On the right is a much better fit.

Curve the rectangles by pressure forming them around a dowel or around the Sharpie barrel shown here. 

The picture on the right shows the slight curvature

The intercoolers and rectangles are glued on the engines.

All are centered on their pencil lines at 7/32" from the rear of the tube.

Estes USS Enterprise #1275, Part 23, Intercooler Assembly

The dowels were fitted to each individual cardstock piece.

Previously, the fitted pairs were marked 1, 2, 3 & 4.

When gluing, sight down the two pieces and adjust to center.

The filler/primer gluing areas were scraped for better adhesion.
 

Estes USS Enterprise #1275, Part 22, Rectangle Detail Prep

Here's the back of the die-cut cardstock piece.

Note the crimping. This side will be glued down.

A before and after sanding with 400 grit on a block.

Any raised edges are rolled over with a burnisher to flatten the top.

The edges get a smoothed bead of glue to seal them.

After the glue dries, sand the sides with 400 grit.

Estes USS Enterprise #1275, Part 21, Intercooler Prep

Note - The front side of the cardstock intercooler piece is shorter than the rear.

The die cutting process has buckled the the centers of the intercooler pieces.

I filled the depressions with CWF and sanding. Here the pieces are taped down for a shot of filler/primer.

After sanding the filler primer.

In this picture, the front is to the left side.

There are small die-cut inconsistencies in the length of the inside cuts. All four dowels were cut to fit each individual intercooler piece.

The pairs were pencil marked 1, 2 3 & 4.

The dowels also got a shot of filler/primer and sanding.

Note the tall overhang of the front end cardstock.

This was trimmed down to fit the diameter height of the dowel.

Estes LTV Scout, Build, Part 10, Some Parts Prep

The blow molded adapters fit loose in their body tubes.

The ones that are to be glued in got the shoulders built up with two lines of Fabri-Tac.

Let the glue lines dry before trying the new fit in the tubes.

The nose cone still had a seam recess after sanding down the raised mold line. 

This was filled with a bead of medium CA glue. This CA bead will take a while to dry.

Sand to surface with 400 grit on a block. 

The molded eyelet on the third stage was small and thin. I wouldn't trust it at ejection. The small eyelet reminds me of the Bullpup kit nose cone. I've had that one break in the past.

A hole was drilled in the shoulder. The shock cord will be tied through it and the larger hole in the base.

BMS School Rocket, Build, Part 2, Some Parts Prep

I like to strengthen the inside lip of BT-20 and 50 tubes with a wipe of medium CA glue.

Think ahead, You don't want any CA glue where wood glue would follow. The CA glue seals the tube, no wood glue can  soak in.

After the CA dries, 

square up the tube end with some 400 grit on a block.

Right out of the bag,

The corners of the nose cone shoulder are square.

Round the ends off for an easier insertion in the body tube.

Here's the rounded shoulder.

The rounded edge won't fray or start a peel of the inside layers of the BT-50 tube.

Quest Intruder Kit Bash, Part 8, Balsa Fin Prep

Here's the parts off the die-cut sheet.

There were doubles of everything except for the lower, small fin! 

I had to cut out another piece. There was enough "free" balsa on the sheet.

Trace, cut out, stack and gang sand.

I checked the fit of the two piece wing and upper tail fin pieces. Shown in the left picture, there was a gap.

Some fine sanding with a block gave a better fit.

Quest Intruder Kit Bash, Part 7, Die-Cut Balsa

The hold down tics on the die cut balsa sheet were pretty wide. You'll definitely need a sharp knife to separate the pieces off the sheet.

Here's the back of the sheet. You can't see the die cuts meaning the blades didn't go all the way through the sheet. It took a lot of work to cut and free the fin pieces.

With old-school die cuts, there will be some variance between the pieces.

You'll have to stack and gang sand them using a sanding block with 220 grit.

After sanding, the forward fin fairing tips ended up uneven.

Line up the backs and trim the front tips even.

Quest Intruder Kit Bash, Part 6, Shock Cord & Engine Mount Gluing

Here's the finished engine mount with the Kevlar line rolled up inside.

The Kevlar line is pulled out and tied to the elastic shock cord with a simple overhand knot.

Roll up the elastic and Kevlar and push into the motor mount tube before gluing the mount into the main airframe tube.

I used and old dowel to apply the glue into the main airframe tube before sliding the engine mount in.

Set the dowel beside the engine mount just below the upper centering ring. 

Mark the dowel at the end of the engine tube.

Apply a ring of glue around the top of the dowel. 

Insert the glued tipped dowel into the tube up to the pencil mark on the dowel. Roll the glue around the inside of the tube.

Quickly slide in the mount into the main airframe tube.

You can use the flat face of a sanding block to help press the mount tube ends even.

Quest Intruder Kit Bash, Part 5, Engine Mount & Kevlar

The Quest instructions use the engine block height to mark the slit cut line. 

Pencil mark and cut the 1/8" wide slot for the engine hook.

The instruction say to glue the two rings 1/2" from the top and bottom of the engine tube.

I don't think that offers enough flex of the engine hook when sliding in an engine.

I set the low centering ring 7/8" from the bottom.

Instead of 1/2" from the top of the tube - 

The upper ring was set over the upper bend of the engine hook, approximately 1/4 from the top of the tube.

I've pencil marked the ring to show how the ring is centered over the hook.

This strengthens the mount. 

The instructions have you tie a double overhand knot to secure the Kevlar under the upper ring. That thick knot might bulge the outer tube - not much room between the 20/50 rings and 1" diameter tube.

I rolled the Kevlar around the tube with the overhang tail twisted under the start of the line. The twisted Kevlar end is pushed into the glue fillet.

Quest Intruder Kit Bash, Part 4, Parts Prep & Centering Rings

The shoulder base was glued into the nose cone using Fabri-Tac glue.

This glue works great on simple plastic to plastic and plastic to body tube joints.

It is not recommended for delicate assemblies like a Mercury Redstone tower.

The Quest instructions offer a great TIP:.

For a better fit over the engine mount tube: Use the tapered nose cone to compress down the burrs and slightly widen the diameter of the centering rings

I'm replacing the thin yellow engine mount tube with an Odd'l Rockets heavy wall BT-20H. This will require a some  peeling of the inside layers of the centering rings to fit the  slightly wider diameter tube. 

It doesn't take much of a peel for a good sliding fit.

Odd'l Rockets BT-20H heavy wall tubes are only available through jonrocket.com. 

TIP: In the left pic: To prevent peeling, don't cut an engine hook recess slot on the diagonal inside seams. 

Right side pic: Start your notch on the other smooth side.

On the left: The engine hook notch is cut. I marked it with pencil to show up better in the picture.

On the opposite side of the engine hook notch, the upper ring gets a Kevlar notch made with a diamond file.

Quest Intruder Kit Bash, Part 3, Parts Prep

I always check the tube end cuts with the flat face of a sanding block.

The cut was off and took some square sanding with 220 grit on the sanding block.

The tube had a slight dent that would show up with paint applied.

I filled it with some thinned CWF and followed with 400 grit sanding.

There was some molding flash on the nose cone end plug.

This was trimmed and sanded off. 

 

The nose cone tip had some mold lines at the rounded tip.

On the left is the before - 

On the right is after sanding with 400 grit.