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Showing posts from May, 2024

Diving into my build pile - Building the Great Goblin

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I decided to take a break from 3D printing everything (however, see note below) and try building a Pro Series II kit sold by Estes last year, the Great Goblin .  I comes with balsa fins in two parts that need to be glued together before using.  I've read numerous reports about these cracking on landing, etc., so decided this would be a good opportunity to learn how to coat fins with paper to make them less fragile.  Apogee Components has a great video about how to use normal printing paper and super glue to add a skin to strengthen the balsa fins. I cut out the fins and glued the two parts together for each fin, laying them on wax paper I covered the fins with a second layer of wax paper, then placed some objects on top to make sure they dried flat. The next day I photocopied two fins then cut out the paper fins and attached them to the balsa using Fast Grab Tacky Spray.  After positioning the paper over each fin, I brushed on Super Glue, wiping off the excess every couple of min

What can you build with a Pringles can? A rocket that looks like a bomb!

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When I first got my 3D printer I printed some parts for a Rear Eject Bomb Rocket MK II by Aslansmonkey I found on Thingiverse .  The design is supposed to eject the parachute from the rear of the rocket and calls for using a Pringles can  as the body tube (with a diameter of 2.95" and length of 11.25").  I didn't have any Pringles handy at the time so I set it aside and moved on to other projects.  Recently, I decided to revisit that project and try to clear off some space on my bench.  I had a Pringles can (yes, honey, I ate most of them myself!) and decided to go ahead and try trimming off the metal edges and seeing what I could build. I'd learned a lot about 3D printing since January, and reprinted some of the engine mounts and tail section using PETG for better heat resistance then layer everything out to see how to assemble it. After trying different configurations I figured out how it's supposed to go together and started off glueing the inner engine mount