Vashon Valkyrie II Build, Part 9, Filling The Balsa

The fins got a coat of CWF and sanding.

On the left is the follow-up coat of Duplicolor Filler/Primer .
On the right is the filler/primer sanded using 220 grit. This removes almost all of the gray filler. 

After the 220, 400 grit smooths the surface and fills any removing grain the CWF didn't get.








The nose cone also got a good coat of filler/primer and sanding.

Everything was ready for the first coat of gloss white, then the nose cone rolled off the patio table. I have to go back and fill the small dings.

Here's a strange composite picture.
So you don't round off the shoulder lip:

TIP:  Set your left thumb tip right at the shoulder edge. It works like a "bumper" stopping the back and forth travel of the sandpaper held in your right hand. Your left thumb stops the sandpaper so you can't round off the shoulder edge.

Wallingford Sign

One of many cleverly worded signs.
To see the website: CLICK HERE

I wonder if Steven Wright gets residuals?

Vashon Valkyrie II Build, Part 8, Balsa Nose Cone

I could use one of the Styrofoam nose cones, but my original Valkyrie had a balsa cone. Vashon changed to Styrofoam nose cones later in kit runs.

My balsa cone from the Break-Away kits is very close to the styrofoam cone profile. It's a little taller.

To start, sand the tip down flat. Mark the center with a pencil.

Use that center dot as a reference while the sides are sanded down.

Look from the side to get the contour profile smooth.










Side by side both cones are close enough for me!

Vashon Valkyrie II Build, Part 7, Cleaning Up The Metal Parts

I remember using NEVR-DULL batting to clean up a brass bed. I don't know what is in it, but it cleans up most metals, but not rust.

A piece of the wadding material is sitting on top of the can. All that black gunk came off the metal parts in the Valkyrie kit.

First up was the two-piece, 1/8" diameter launch rods.
On the right is the polished upper half. The Nevr-Dull took off most all the black tarnish.

I followed up with a light rub of oil on the rods.

The 40+ year old aluminum bodies looked okay, but check out the difference in the before and after pictures.

One thing that first attracted me to the Vashon models was the shiny metal bodies. I wanted to get it close to new condition without scratching the aluminum.

More NARAM Pictures

Here's more shots from NARAM 60. The opening weekend was all Sport Launches. I knew I'd taken more pictures, these were in my other camera.

Bob Kaplow launched a plastic saucer with a long burning engine. I know it was an engine that Aerotech produced for the gimble stabilized rockets. A very stable spinning boost and descent!

Scott Pennington had some innovative builds. The picture on the right shows his interchangeable twist -lock engine mount.







Frederick Cobb writes the recommended engines on the nose cone shoulder. I'll be using this tip!







Here's my favorite odd-roc of the meet -
Tim Doll's Plumber's Helper!

Estes "Starter" Igniter Upgrade - Update

A while back I started upgrading the clear tip Estes Starter Igniters using Beacon Fabri-Tac glue and 4F black powder. Many have commented that the igniter treatment has helped them have quicker, more reliable launches.

At the recent Estes NARAM plant tour, we saw the igniter machine in operation. Somebody mentioned the clear igniter tip was nothing more than corn starch, glue and water.






So, the clear tip is water soluble.
I bent the wire ends over the top lip glass of water and let the clear tip soak for a few minutes.

The softened clear tip came off pretty easily. The bridge wire top loop is delicate. Go easy when knocking off the clear tip.

These two bare wire starters (shown below) got the Fabri-Tac glue and powdered black powder applied.

Two regular clear tip were tested beside two with the clear tip removed. All four starters got the glue and BP treatment.

It was apparent the clear tipped igniters took a moment longer to heat before the black powder treatment would flame.

The igniters with the clear tip removed flamed up much faster than the igniters with the clear tips.
The clear tips slowed up the heating of the bridge wire.

So, there you go! If you add an additional step, the Estes Starters can be further improved.

Vashon Valkyrie II Build, Part 6, My Original Vashon Launcher

I honestly don't know how I still have this.
This is my original Vashon Starter Set launcher base. It's been stored for years. The other rocket parts are nowhere to be found.








The two pieces simply interlock.  The fit is tight.A launch rod is pushed into the center hole.

No blast deflector was needed, the Freon propellant (really just a compressed gas) is self refrigerant. Freon was used in air conditioners and aerosol propellant for years. It was responsible for some depletion of the Ozone layer and was outlawed. That was one reason these models were discontinued.
The Vashon name for their Freon was RP-100.