Streamers and other delights

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues...

Well, it happened just yesterday.

Our rocketry club FINALLY hit the weather right, and a handful of dedicated rocketeers showed up to launch whatever they've been working on all winter long..and most of this spring as well.

In one case, it was a cluster, to end all clusters.

In another, it was a Der Red Max, but with a twist.  This version had not a parachute, but an accordion foil streamer.

As a result, when it was launched, it went up up up, arced over, and started down, down before popping it's top and begun to unfurl the silver foil streamer.  It disappeared over a small hill, as we all called out to take sightings on it, so we could triangulate for the owner where it likely would be....in the marsh, or cattails, or tall grasses of the hillside.

As it was, we need not have bothered (although it's always a good practice), as it drifted down range a little farther and cleared the marsh and the grassy strip.

It landed on the concrete runway, dead center, on the painted centerline.

And from what I heard, it suffered some minor damage.

All of a sudden, the discussion was how best to repair it... which glue...how fast...what was the curing time.  One expert was suggesting some JBWeld 10 minute epoxy, which frankly, seemed to be the best option for getting it back in the air later in the day.

I had my trusty bottle of Elmer's Yellow Wood Glue which I offered, but others rejected it as taking to long to cure. (I hadn't seen the damage, but assumed that it was a wooden fin.)  I would have set the fin with glue, and then set it aside for the rest of the day. After four hours time, I'd have tried another launch again.

Some debated whether the streamer had worked or not.  The thought was that if it had landed under a chute on the pavement, it would have survived.  Others though the streamer would be fine, had it landed on the grass.  But it didn't work out that way.  At least the owner wasn't upset, and seemed to take it in good stride.

I got to thinking about streamers and how you could make your own out of a roll of surveyor's tape orange plastic Mylar roll... or maybe some abandoned yellow caution tape as well. The book says you should use party creep paper streamers since they're treated with fire retardant chemical. (Well, they're supposed to be, but you know China....)

Then as I was eating my lunch, a thought came to me.  I pulled the last chip out of my foil bag and had only crumbs left.  I up-ended my bag for the last of the crumbs and seasoning, popped it in my mouth, and was left with a foil baggie that was silver on the inside, and printed various colors on the outside.

It came to me.  You could cut the top off, and be left with a strip or loop of silver foil in a ring. Would it be long enough  if I just slit the ring open and laid it out?  Not likely.

I got to thinking about making a mobius strip out of that strip of foil, but what good would that do me?

Then I got it in a flash.  

Don't cut straight across the package producing a ring, but start at a diagonal and proceed smoothly until  you had a strip that was perhaps an inch wide, and proceed around the bag in an ever decreasing spiral.... one long endless foil streamer cut from one bag.  Would it be long enough?

Heck yeah!

Could it be wide enough?

Heck yes, if you were careful.

And it occurred to me that you'd have to be careful not to cause a kink or tear in the foil to make a notch effect.... one steady, smooth cut would do well.

Of  course, you'd need some method to tie it onto the nosecone or shock cord without ripping it... perhaps a hole punch would work?  Or maybe a ring binder re-enforcement ring on both sides of the foil to punch a string through.

I can't wait to try this out.

This has been the Thrifty Rocketeer saying " Save your foil bags" and "Join me for more cheap recycling tips."