Raisin' Maize FINISHED!

This was a fun break from the norm.
After the pictures were taken, it was prepped with a A10-3t engine, the only
engine I would use in it.













The Raisin' Maise has been flown twice.
First as a test and more recently at the last TTRA Tampa launch.
It was a spectator favorite.

Raisin' Maize Build Part 10 Fin & Lug Gluing

I did my best marking the body for three fins.

A corn cob doesn't fit any available fin alignment guide.





Slots were cut for the fins using my aluminum angle as a guide.





The fins were cut from 3/32" thick balsa. I had to go back and widen the slots.
Not a big deal - the fit was very tight and secure.
The fins were glued in place with white glue.

A launch lug was glued beside a fin root edge. I slid a segment of launch rod into the lug to make sure it would clear easily.

Raisin' Maize Buils Part 9 Adding Color

This was the only small Styrofoam corn cob left in the Hobby Lobby store. It was red with black highlights, pretty boring and not how I remember "Indian Corn" when I was a kid.
With a Q-Tip dipped in orange paint, I painted random kernels.

After that dried, some yellow was sprayed on a paper towel.
The yellow was lightly rubbed over the outside of the cob.


Then some permanant marker was added to some of the kernels.

The added colors really made a difference in the finished model and made it a little more realistic. Well, realistic for a rocket powered, Styrofoam corn cob anyway.

Raisin' Maize Build Part 8 Nose Weight

The plywood ring was pulled from one of my Odd'l Rockets Sputnik kits. The diameter was sanded down to fit tight in the coupler. A small hole was drilled for the screw eye attachment.

The plywood disk was glued in place against the clay weight.


I picked out a large screw eye.
When in doubt with an odd-roc, add more nose weight.
I only screwed the eye in until the threads were just inside the plywood.
Going past the screw threads there wouldn't be anything to hold the eye in place. You only have the 1/8" thickness of the ply disk to hold the screw eye.

Raisin' Maize Build Part 7 Tissue Glue Putty

This model does not have an engine hook.
The engine will stick out the rear by 1/4". To keep the engine in place at ejection, a single wrap of masking tape will go around the BT-5 tube (extending out the back) and around the exposed nozzle end of the engine.

TIP: To make sure the masking tape wrap doesn't lift and tear the thin BT-5 tube, a layer of white glue was smoothed over the back of the tube. This'll strengthen the tube end for a longer life of the model.

Here's a real "Old School" technique to fill a gap. I remember this on the old Estes Cobra instructions from way back. It's called Tissue Glue Putty.

Cut up some facial tissue or toilet paper into the smallest pieces you can.
I cut the paper into 1/8" wide strips. Stack them and cut small pieces off the end.

Shut off the fan and don't sneeze! These little pieces of paper go everywhere!



Add some white glue to the mix. As you stir the glue in, try to break up the pieces even smaller if you can.





Here I've pressed some of the Tissue Glue Putty into the gaps at the top of the body. It's hard to see against the white Styrofoam.
Smooth out the filler putty and remove excess with the end of a rounded dowel.

Years back on my Estes Cobra, I used pink tissue paper to make the glue putty. A mistake and not very manly!

Raisin' Maize Build Part 6 Cutting The Internal Tube

While the epoxy dries, the nose cone was taped down to be sure it stayed closed.







After all was dried, the nose cap was removed with the coupler glued in place.

The internal BT-5 was slid through and above the main body probably 1/2" higher than where it will be glued.
The nose cap and coupler were set in the BT-5



Now push the nose cap down and seat it against the main cob body. This pushed the BT-5 into the correct position inside the cob.

At the rear end, mark the BT-5, 1/4" from the rear of the cob body.
Cut the tube off at this mark. The internal BT-5 is now the correct length.

Raisin' Maize Build Part 5 Nose Block Gluing

Gluing the adapter into place will be tricky.
Use epoxy to glue the adapter into the hollow in the nose cap.

The internal BT-5 has not been glued in the cob yet. Right now, it is a little longer than it needs to be.
Slide the BT-5 into the cob body. Slide the adapter into the top of the BT-5 tube. Mix a small amount of 15 minute epoxy.




Epoxy is applied in the nose cap hollow recess and inside the upper lip of the black adapter.





Line up the kernels on the nose cap with the cut kernels on the cob body.
Press the nose cap onto the black adapter.

Don't let the epoxy glue the adapter to the BT-5 tube!
You only want an epoxy bead on the top edge of the black adapter and the nose cap hollow area.

Before the epoxy cures, you should remove the nose cap (and glued in adapter) to be sure the adapter and nose cap aren't glued to the cob body and internal tube.

It would be a good idea to let this adapter dry with the nose and body pointed down. This way the epoxy won't drip down into the internal BT-5 tube.

Raisin' Maize Build Part 4 Cleaning Up The Bore

Here's what the tube will look like coming up from the bottom through the top. You can see the cut Styrofoam inside the sharpened brass tube end.






Wrap some 220 grit sandpaper around a BT-5 and remove some of the excess Styrofoam from the inside edge of the upper cut hole.






To give yourself a better gluing area for the nose cap adapter, cut a round hollow into the nose cap. Make the hollow about the diameter of the 5 sized black fish paper adapter.

Raisin' Maize Build Part 3 Reaming the Interior

I don't know if this is how First Flight Hobbies accomplished this. Here's the way I cut a hole for the BT-5 tube.

Get a 1/2" diameter brass tube and file the edge sharp.
If the brass tube wasn't sharpened, the cob drilling would be very difficult.


Push and turn the sharpened brass tube from the nose cap end. Center it as best you can and while turning make sure the tube is going in straight.
Drill about halfway down the inside of the cob
Remove the tube and push out the styrofoam from the brass tube by pushing it out with a dowel.



Turn over the cob. Pull out and discard the tuft of "silk" from the bottom.

Continue reaming the cob from the bottom.
Keep the brass tube straight and try to intersect the hole you made earlier from the top.

Raisin' Maize Build Part 2 Nose Cap

I really didn't know how to tackle this. A nose cone (or nose cap) has to be cut into the top of the corn cob.

About an inch and a quarter down from the tip, my knife tip was stabbed straight into the cob body along the edges of the kernels.
The blade tip went in to about the midpoint. Following the kernel edges would help hide the nose cap break line.



Continue all the way around until you reach the starting point. By now it should be pretty easy to break off the nose cap.

Raisin' Maize Build Part 1 Parts

Here's an appropriate build for the Fall season.

A flying Corn Cob, or as I named it Raisin' Maize!

This is certainly not my idea. First Flight Hobbies came out with variations on their Corn-Roc design in 2008. I haven't seen the Corn kits being available for two years. First Flight was emailed but there was no response regarding this build.

I was at Hobby Lobby to buy some A10-3t engines with a 40% off coupon. I came accross just one corn cob this size in the seasonal aisle.
Everything is being cleared out for Christmas so it rang up at $1.08! Another really cheap, but interesting build!

The corn cob is lightweight formed Styrofoam, just over 7" long by 1 3/4" diameter.

The internal BT-5 is about 8" long, it'll be cut down later.
The engine block is 1/4" from a used 13mm casing. The parachute is 8" wide cut from a black garbage bag.
Everything else in the picture was pulled from my leftover parts box. Cheap and fun.