Friday, February 7, 2020

Quest Future Launch Vehicle #3013 Build, Part 12, SRB & Nozzle Gluing




It's a good idea to rough up the gloss on the wrap for a better glue bond.

220 grit was wrapped around a Q-tip for a soft, rounded sanding surface. Sand and remove the ink down the printed glue line.
Here's the first SRB glued on. Note it overhangs the back of the main body tube.
Visually sight down the SRB body to be sure it is straight.

TIP: The SRB tubes felt a bit wobbly after gluing onto the main air frame tube.
I didn't try to fillet down the length of the SRB tubes. That would lead to many air bubbles down the crevice gap when the glue dries.
I did put a good sized single drop of white glue at the top and bottom and let that run into the joint. The glue drop went at the lowest orange stripe on the SRB shown in the picture on the left. Another drop went at the top, below the nose cone. The extra glue dots really strengthened the bond and weren't noticeable after drying.




TIP: Use your aluminum angle to double check the SRB vertical alignment.
The angle isn't touching the SRB tube, I made sure the space between the angle and tube was consistent down the entire length.
The nozzles are simply pressed into the end of the SRB tubes.

A line of glue was run around the inside perimeter. This was smoothed and evened out with a turn of a fingertip.
Drop in the nozzle and be sure it is centered and even on all sides.

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