The Thrifty Rocketeer

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues... A recent inquiry on Facebook about papering fins has triggered a memory of my learning about  balsa wood sealing.     I learned the hard way about sealing your balsa nose cone before painting.  My first red nosecone looked SO good, I was proud of it until I launched the second time. The shock cord snapping the nosecone back against the top of the body tube (I presume) caused what is known as an "Estes Smile"... a curved indentation into the wood that mars the appearance.     Some wood filler and another coat of paint and I was good to go again.... and AGAIN it happened.  That's when I learned...  I've done papering of larger fins once... using typewriter paper and a heavy slurry of wood glue and water. It worked well, but seemed to be more work than I wanted to go into.   Instead, from my very first rockets some ten years ago, I read about mixing a slurry of Elmer's wood glue (yello...

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues...   It's been a long while since we've done a build thread.... or posted anything in this blog, for that matter. A recent photo on Facebook showed a short, small rocket with what appears to be washers on the lower tips of each fin.   A closer inspection reveals that it's a "Lil' Hercules" reproduction rocket by Semroc. Now, Semroc has been acquired some years ago by eRockets.biz who have reissued many of the classic kits.  This is part of a reissued repro rocket line.  As some parts and motors have been discontinued, there have been some slight alterations in the kit, but they were made available to the buying public. After a number of years, all that appear to remain are a few sheets of laser cut fins, a file of the reissued instructions, and a parts list.  Fortunately, all the parts listed (all 12 of them) are still available.  Note that the washers are for weight purposes, as the length of the motor has ch...

  It's pretty well known that the NAR Safety Code does not permit metal parts composing a model rocket. However, there are a few notable exceptions. First, is the metal spring clip.  This is almost essential for most rockets, and it tends to be something that is permitted, or overlooked. Second, is the screw-eye.  In the days of balsa wood nosecones, this was essential to securing the shock cord and/or parachute to the nosecone. Third, is the fishing lure swivel, which is very commonly added at the gathering point of the shroud lines of a chute to prevent tangling. Though this device can be quite heavy and strong in higher power levels, they are relatively minor for low power.  The only drawback that I have heard, is that most cheap versions contain a sharp point on the clasp, which can poke or rip a plastic chute. So, with this background of metal parts in mind, I was a bit surprised to see an old-school plan for a model rocket that specifically calls for a metal st...

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues... Recently, we conducted a poll of Facebook members asking what items would you tell a new rocketeer they need in their Range Box/Jump Kit/Tackle Box? The following is a list of the first 20 items in no particular order. See if you agree: 1.Spare parachutes-- every low power rocket eventually melts or rips a chute 2.Clothes pins-- great for a temporary clamp while gluing; also used on launch rods to keep the rocket elevated off the blast shield 3. Hobby Knife-- razor sharp, this cutting tool performs a host of services from slicing Kevlar cord to slicing balsa wood 4. Spare Swivels-- these fishing tackle devices can help repair a chute or connect 5.Spare Igniters-- sometimes they just won't start, and you need a replacement 6.Masking Tape-- great for a wrap around a motor to snug up a friction fit or to be used to mask off an area to be painted... or not. 7.Scotch Tape-- especially 3M Magic Mending Tape, used to CHAD stage a booster onto the e...

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues.. There's an old tale of how a struggling to middle level razor company came up with a strategy to improve their sales and thereby saved the company. This goes back many decades to the time period when men used straight razors to shave or be shaved in a barber's chair. Someone recognized that perhaps the customer would prefer to do their own shaving in the privacy of their room or in front of a mirror.  However, the customer was not likely to have a strap of leather on which to sharpen their razor, as was common in the barber shop chair. The invention of the personal razor was a revolution to the industry, but also in the approach to the  blade. That is, Wilkenson developed a razor blade holder that would clamp down on the razor blade and allow the customer to weld their own tool.  When one side got clogged or failed to shave, the man could simply rotate the device and use the second blade to continue.  When necessary, they ...

The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues... This entry won't really have a lot to do with model rocketry directly... but it started with it. An area rocketry club decided that they would hold a launch this weekend.  They planned well, assigned who would set up, who would strike, what times they would be at the launch field, and they checked the weather forecast. Although a bit cold for my tastes, the skies would clear and bright sunshine might offset the March chill in the air. They would go for it. However the night before, something odd happened in the weather. There were a lot of reports of "dirty rain".  The public was commenting to media outlets that their cars were dirty after sprinkles or showers, even after they had just run them through a car wash.  They wanted to know what this tan, brown, white or dirty residue was. And, they posted on social media about what they found and some snapped pictures of their hoods and roofs to share. Almost immediately, the misinformat...