The Thrifty Rocketeer

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues... I saw it tonight when I stopped by to see if there was anything new for me at HL.  Not only did I take a look at the model rocketry display, but also took a glance at the clearance shelves as well. There, hanging on a single peg, was a small blue cardboard box, all alone, and without any fanfare or picture to show the contents.  I had expected that it was going to be a printer cartridge or something for a craft paint project, but I was wrong. The plain white lettering on the blue box said it was a micro-burnishing tool kit for the Pinewood Derby kit.  Huh? Now, I recall the Pinewood Derby from my days as a cub scout in the mid-1960s. The basic concept is to take a fairly standard block of pine with two wire axels and four black plastic wheels and turn it into a racecar.   The block of wood can be carved to any shape, and the wheels attached so that it will roll down an inclined plane or track and drag race five or si...

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues... I think we can all agree that Estes Rockets are pretty much the entry point to our hobby.  As one of, if not THE longest running company , we all know their product and the construction level that is called for in those kits. And these days, with the demise of many mom and pop hobby stores as well as a consolidation of brick and mortar outlets,  we're probably all resigned to the fact that a store with the initials "HL" is the main entry point for mothers buying a gift for their kid. And those mothers need all the help they can get.  Skill Levels, materials, heights, motors, staging, fin cans, launch sets... the list of information that a knowledgeable buyer needs to make an informed purchase goes on and on. Unfortunately, it has been my experience that none of the employees of HL have any depth of knowledge at all. Which is why I am always so grateful whenever a rocket kit manufacturer gives some form of skill level chart or...

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues.... Several months ago, I spotted a suggestion from a newbie to our hobby in a Facebook posting that caught my eye. Though I initially dismissed it as impractical, I got to thinking about the suggestion, and now believe that it may have some merit. The posting on Facebook was inspired by the amount of dogbarf that is scattered by the ejection charge when the nosecone and parachutes are dislodged. Now this isn't my original idea, but the poster suggested that we could include flower seeds along with the wrapping of our parachute, so that they would be released and scattered when it opened. Think about that.  That's a pretty good dispersal system. Now the downside is if you're launching over a farmer's plowed field, he may not WANT flowers or weed type plants in the middle of his field. But then I would think he always has to handle unwanted plants when he tills and plants his fields anyway.  So I don't think this is a major objec...