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Friday, February 21, 2014

Quest Stiletto Build Part 3, Engine Mount 24mm Upgrade



The rings were glued 1/2" from either side of the engine mount tube.

Electrical tape was wrapped over the engine mount and Kevlar Q-tip tube.
At the top the plastic Kevlar tube is recessed away from the ejection charge end.

Somewhere in the Apogee Peak Of Flight archives is a reference to this type of engine mount reinforcement. I couldn't find the link.
Balsa strip gussets are glued between the centering rings.
I've never used this method before and was surprised at how much stronger the mount is now.
Four gusset strips were cut from the kits scrap 3/32" balsa and glued between the centering rings.




The gussets were cut wide and sanded even with the outside diameter of the rings.
You'll have to sand a bit to get a slip fit into the 35mm main air frame tube.

2 comments:

  1. Did you notice if the glue on the gussets pulled the outside of the body tube down (leaving a dent) like centering rings do?

    If this is the case, I would align the gussets with the fins to save time filling and sanding any areas that got suck down on the body tube. Eh?

    (bradycros)

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  2. Hi Todd,
    The gussets didn't pucker or pull in the tube. Most of the glue was above the top and bottom centering rings. The 35mm tube in this kit was thick walled and sturdy. No glue rings can be seen when finished.
    It never occurred to me to align the gussets with the fin locations but that's a great idea.

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