Contest - Full Circle

I got a small package in the mail today from Semroc.

I wasn't expecting an order, that came last week.

I was surprised to receive a special edition Sky Hook kit signed by Bill Simon. That's Mr. Simon on the cover of the instruction booklet. He's looking over a Bomarc model.

This was one of the kits given to participants at the recent NARAM.

I won a contest held on the Ye Olde Rocket Forum where Carl McLawhorn asked for Sky Hook stories. I wrote a poem about a 1972 Estes Craftsmanship Contest where I entered a Sky Hook and won a gift certificate. A replica model was built and posted on this blog.

Check out the parts from the back of the bag.

This version does have the (correct) BT-30 tube.

The engine block is a hollow balsa, like the original from 1963.

There is 18" of yellow elastic shock cord, plenty for a model from the past when ejection charges weren't as strong.

To all the guys at Semroc - a BIG Thank You!

Sky Hook Build Finished! Part 10

Here's how it looked when sent to the Estes Craftsmanship Contest back in 1972.

If I were to enter in a contest now, the lettering would be at least 30 point for this size of model.

Instead of circle masks on the nose cone, I'd do something a little more rakish to match the sharp lines on the fins.

Still a fun build, this one really took me back.

I failed to mention earlier, the natural wood finish idea came from the father of a guy I flew rockets with in the 1970s named Pete Salhberg. His father Ray was probably the best model airplane builder I'd ever seen. Some of his models featured natural wood surrounded by colored tissue.

Sky Hook Build Lettering Part 9

This is from the original Letraset rub-on lettering sheet I used on my Sky Hook entry from 1972. They still rubbed on, but not very easily.

24 point type is actually too small for this model, but it is what I used then.

Through High School and college I had plenty of experience doing this kind of lettering in paste-up or diplomas. Anytime I wanted something centered, I'd make practice wording on a separate sheet of paper and set it on the work surface for positioning.

I laid masking tape down for a baseline reference once I decided what side of the rocket I wanted the lettering line to go.

Those tick marks under the lettering were meant for "proper" spacing. They are actually useless, unless you want the letter spacing to look like it was done on a machine. I only used them for my baseline.

Sky Hook Fins Part 8

Here's the fins glued to the already painted body tube.

I roughed up the paint over the fin alignment lines for better adhesion. The root edges were tacked in place with white glue. After that dried, thin CA was run down the root edge. White glue fillets followed.

After the lettering is added, I'll clear coat the entire model. The paint is gloss, but the white glue fillets are a flat. White glue fillets are transparent (as opposed to Titebond yellow) and will gloss over and become invisible after a clear coat.

Gluing the fins on after finishing doesn't make a very strong fin joint. Even with roughing up the body tube and root edge, it's not as strong as I would have liked.

Sky Hook Build Part 7

Here's how I cut the mask for the fins.

I'm back at the patio door glass, the fin is taped to the outside of the glass.

This is a simple way to see its shape and (hopefully) cut a mask that will fit the fin.

I had to make six fin masks. For consistency, I made dots at the intersection points of the mask with a Sharpie. (It'll all come off the glass later.)

Remember the fin is taped to the outside of the glass - Scotch tape was laid over the inside of the glass over the fin silhouette.

I used my straight edge to cut the tape using the black dots as end points.

This is the tape leaving the outside of the leading edges open for the white border paint. Masking tape was added for a "handle" and to cover any parts not fully covered by the Scotch tape.

You can see the glove on my hand, I'll be holding these when spraying.

The finished fins, ready for gluing on the main body. I decided to paint the fins off the body tube, it just made a complex mask easier.

Sky Hook Build Part 6

For the nose cone mask I've gone back to cutting some Scotch tape on my patio window again.

I set my compass to a circle size that matched the three fin spacing on an ST-7, or as close as I could get to it.

Three half cicles were drawn and cut with a #11 XActo blade.

Notice the masking tape on both sides to give it some strength when pulling the cut circles off the glass.

Here's the mask in place, three open half circles for the white spray.

Over the top of the nose cone I've wrapped a piece of plastic grocery bag.

With the mask removed, this is how the old Sky Hook nose cone looked back in 1972.

Sky Hook Build Part 5

Here's the back end of the body tube after sanding down the primer.

That launch lug seems long but that is what originally came with the kit.

I'm not sure how I'm going to glue the fins on yet. The finishing of the fins will dictate the method - more on that later.

You can see the fin placement lines on the body tube. I scratched them in place with the tip of my hobby knife before spraying with the gray primer.

Sky Hook Entry Story for TRF

Carl from Semroc said there was one more Bill Simon autographed Sky Hook kit left from NARAM.
He asked for Sky Hook stories. Here's mine:

Back in the spring of '72,
Estes mailed Model Rocket News
They announced there'd be a Craftsman Contest,
With merchandise prizes, all won by the best.

I built the Sky Hook as best I could,
My entry featured stained balsa wood.
With walnut stain brushed on nose cone and fins,
I had hope to place or maybe to win.

I boxed it, mailed it, not again to see,
All entries now property of E. Industries.
For results I'd waited, then waited some more,
'Till a letter from Penrose arrived at the door.

It announced second place, I was surprised,
To win 25 dollars in rocket supplies.
Never knowing where that Sky Hook would go,
I traveled to NARAM in Orlando.

Dane Bowles was there as an Estes rep.
I asked him where the old entries were kept.
I asked of my Sky Hook: "Who could possess?"
He said: "It's in Penrose, on Vern Estes Desk!"

Sorry about the bad poetry, but it's a true story.
I don't really know if my Sky Hook found a home on Mr. Estes desk.
Maybe Dane Bowles was trying to give a young enthusiast a great answer.

Sky Hook Build Part 4

Here's the nose cone - filled, stained and hit with two coats of the clear.

After it sets up for a day or two, I'll start with the mask and gloss white.

Believe it or not, I found the original sheet of Letraset lettering I used on the Sky Hook contest entry from 1972. It's the "Brush" font. This font has been really overused in the past.

I'm really not a pack rat, but I will hang on to things I know I'll use in the future. And here is is, 38 years later and the rub on lettering still works. I knew I was keeping this for something.

Sky Hook Build Part 3

The fin on the left has been filled with Carpenter's Wood Filler and sanded smooth.

The fin on the has been stained with Walnut wood stain.

Contrary to what some believe, Carpenter's Wood Filler doesn't actually seal the wood. Stain will still permeate it and soak into the wood.

I'm using the fins that came with the kit as I'm trying to replicate the build I made for the Estes Craftsmanship Contest back in 1972. I used the kit fins on the original version of the build.

The grain on this balsa isn't very exciting. If I were to build a show model, I'd go through the balsa rack at a hobby store and pick out a sheet with lots of wild grain patterns.

I've sprayed the fins with Rustoleum Painter's Touch Clear.

Here it is after just two coats, sanding lightly between coats.

In the past I've done clear coat treatments using red, orange, green and blue stains. The color leather stains from Tandy Leather work very well on balsa.

Sky Hook Build Part 2

I've always like the look of the Sky Hook fins.

There's subtle angles, a rounded trailing tip and a very small concave notch where the trailing edge meets the body tube.

The instructions tell you to round all edges except for the root edge.

That small notch at the bottom of the root edge would disapear or be broken off if I were to try and round it.

I used the angled edge of my wooden sanding block to get into the notch. I'll leave it square where it becomes the root edge.

In the picture the trailing edge is against the block. That little notch is against the angled wedge of the wooden Warner sanding block.

Sky Hook Build Part 1

I read a post on YORF from Carl at Semroc. He talked about how Bill Simon was at NARAM and signing the Semroc Sky Hook kit giveaways to the participants.

Carl wrote he had an extra kit and would give it away for a good Sky Hook story.

Stay tuned - I can promise an interesting story and a different finishing technque.

I needed a good excuse to build my Sky Hook. I'd started this one but didn't finish it.

This will be a quick build, I want to submit my story and picture before too much time passes.

This kit was an earlier Semroc release. It has the ST-7 tube instead of the original BT-30.

To me it's not a big deal, but as I heard it, some modeler's did complain. The current Semroc Sky Hook kits now have a BT-30 body tube.

This will be a build in progress. Like I mentioned, I've already started the build.