The Thrifty Rocketeer

 The Thrift Rocketeer blog continues.... It didn't occur to me until after I had done it. I wanted so badly to launch a low power rocket or two, that I gathered up my stuff on a Sunday and headed for our club launch site. To be fair, I shouldn't have tried to fly on such a windy day, but I did pay close attention to the wind direction and speed in the weather forecast prior to the weekend.  It turns out that the winds were 8 mph out of the NW with gusts to 13.  And I thought if the wind slowed, I could get one up in the air on an A8-3. Turns out I was only half right, as the winds were slowly picking up, and it turns out the anemometer is not placed in the optimal position for monitoring the winds.  Just a convenient spot near a one story building.  This means the winds may be dammed up against that building, or lift over it, affecting the accuracy of the reports. I did get my lone rocket into the air on an A8-3, but I wasn't very satisfied with the flight. It d...

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues... It wasn't all that long ago that I posted about alligator clips and launch pad leads.  But I'm going to do it again. Cause something minor has come up. Before we start our spring launch season each year, we inspect our equipment and make repairs, improvement, corrections... to our gear.  This may mean new launch rods, or a new extension cord, or maybe clean and re-solder the alligator clips. Now, it wasn't all that long ago that I was under the impression that there was only one size of alligator clip.  I was wrong.  There is a micro-size that I understand goes by the name "test clips" and is typically the size that you find attached to the end of the Estes-style launch controller leads.  Sometimes these clips have flattened ends, like a duck bill, to press flat against each other.   Sometimes the clips have small teeth to bite onto the ignitor wires. More frequently, the next larger size is a more traditio...

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues... It popped up on my newsfeed without much warning... an orange fireball picture of a raging wildfire along with the headline, "Out of Control wildfire due to Rocket Enthusiasts burns Housing Development". My heart sank in my chest as I realized what I was looking at. Then, after examining the spectacular shots, I took a closer look at the headline and posting. I had slightly misread it. A Fire Department had determined that a wildfire that consumed an area known as "The Compound" had been caused by rocket enthusiasts testing a motor.  There was no indication if this was current, local or an older article. I looked more closely at the photos.  There was no indication that they were actually photos of the fire, OR if they were stock pictures of fireballs and wildfires.  In short, there was no claim that the fire, whenever it had happened, was depicted here.  But the attention getting photos had done their job...they grabbed ...

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues... No, this is not a column about how Model Rocketry is a dying hobby.  It's actually about another sister hobby that sometimes overlaps into Rocketry. I'm talking about Amateur Radio. Just this last weekend, our local Ham Radio club held a "swap meet" which is commonly called a Hamfest.  These gatherings to buy and sell used equipment, parts and visit old friends typically happen just once a year and in the absence of the late Radio Shack, is one of the only places to find parts and electronic elements. There is also testing held to advance to higher licenses. The admission varies depending on the club, their overhead, expense of renting the hall or venue, and the number of tables that they can sell to area vendors who will drive across state with their wares to set up for the half day show. It's not uncommon for amateur radio operators to drive across state to attend, pay admission and get a single entry into the door prize ...

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues... In almost every hobby, there is a turn-over in participants.  Some move away, some age out, some get married, some just loose interest. But the result is a constant supply of new blood.  New bodies to replace old ones.  And if the hobby is to survive, this is a requirement.  Hopefully, our hobby will continue to see new participants find their way here and thrive. It has been my experience that there is also an almost constant flow of used, older equipment that goes in the opposite direction.  That is, older hobbyists will donate or attempt to sell their older gear to younger fellas. In the case of rocketry, I have found a semi regular donation of older rockets, launchers, launch rods, motors or devices to be the case.  In some instances, as a rocketeer is moving up from low power to medium or high power, the lower power materials simply don't interest them any more.  Maybe the wife has told him to clean up...

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues... Many times, I have written about my use of yellow glue from Elmer's and my preference for their needle-nose applicator/valve from the white glue bottle.  I routinely remove the chisel tip and replace it with the orange twist applicator instead. I don't know how many have followed me in doing this, but I hit a problem with it today. I was working on an Astron Explorer and used my usual tip and bottle of yellow wood glue to secure the motor mount assembly.  While it dried overnight, I moved on and began to mark and prepare to cut slots or ports in the three smaller tubes and two larger body tubes.  I also punched out the balsa fins, sanded the edges slightly, feathered the leading edge, and then sealed the balsa with sealant.  I set that aside to dry as well. As I completed all this and prepared to begin again with the assembly tonight, I discovered my "valve" on the needle nose applicator wasn't opening.  I could...

OK, I've got a real good one for you this time. The name of the blog is The Thrifty Rocketeer , and I've got a great cost saving tip for you, provided that you use this method. Just bear with me... For years, rocketeers have been looking for an alternative to the Estes rubber-strip shock cord.  And some people advocate totally skipping it in favor of a hard Kelvar string segment. Some even advocate a combination hybrid of half Kevlar and half rubber shock cord. Well, I'm not going to debate that here.  What reared its head was the tendency for Kevlar string (or similar hard, thin cord) to pull a zipper down a cardboard tube when it snaps taut. The obvious solution is to either strengthen or pad the rim of the body tube, which is not practical, OR in some way, pad the string to spread the load and cushion the point where it bends over the body tube. Some people slip a short piece of rubbery insulated wire coating (like shrink tubing?) over the string and knot it into place. ...