Hold Me Tender...Hold me Tight!

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues...

So, I was scrolling through Facebook when two things collide.

First, there's a notification of someone else's thread, and a picture of their latest paint job.  But it's the stand that interests me.  How do they come up with these things? 


Second, my wife comes downstairs and throws a few empty egg-cartons ahead of her... plus a couple of oddly colored paper mache/cardboard forms.  She says to me, I thought maybe you might use these to hold your rockets instead of the foam egg cartons.

Now, I'm not sure why she thinks that I need to change what has worked for many years for me, as I don't leave them laying around, but stacked on top of our fridge.  That way, whenever I need a stand or construction support for my latest build, I know right were to get them from.

And, I've written about these things before. How helpful they can be to hold low-power rocket body tubes in place, as you attempt to glue on fins.  Also, how you can stab one of the foam domes to hold a fin exactly as you want it, if you choose to.

So I ask her what these two tan paper-mache/cardboard forms are from... and she says, "You ought to recognize, you unpacked it."

Immediately I rack my brain to whatever I had just received, and remembered that she surprised me with an early Father's Day gift.... a medical-quality weight scale.  Yes, that's right, one you stand on to weigh yourself.  (Let's just say as I am pushing 300 lbs right now, it's a not so subtle hint that she thinks I am too heavy.)

Yes, these two oddly shaped  "trays" for lack of a better descriptor, nestled either end of the scale and protected it from shock and damage during shipping and storage.  I just hadn't been looking at them when I unpacked it.

But it occurs to me that on one end is a fairly round knob, and several other squarish knobs where the egg carton might have foam wells for holding an egg.   So I examine the things to see if there's any possibility of them holding a body tube either horizontally or vertically.  I decided, No...

But then it occurs to me that the two fairly rigid shells could be positioned upside down on a table, and act as saw horses or support braces in tandem.  And Eureka, a new form of rocket stand is discovered.

Not that I would urge anyone to rush out and buy a weight scale just to get the packing materials, but you might look at that Styrofoam that comes wrapped around your turntable, or computer, or TV the next time you unpack one.   It just might perform double duty for you.

This has been the Thrifty Rocketeer remining you to cap your glue and save your scrap balsa and Styrofoam packing!

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