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  #1  
Old 03-26-2007, 08:30 PM
Kadet Kadet is offline
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Default Homemade fin alignment jig

Does anybody know where I can find plans for a homemade fin alignment jig that will work for three and four fins? Thanks in advance.
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  #2  
Old 03-26-2007, 08:46 PM
Kadet Kadet is offline
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I feel rather dumb. I've had one all along, but forgot how it works. See below.

http://scale-rocketry.tripod.com/id19.htm
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  #3  
Old 03-26-2007, 10:28 PM
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sandman sandman is offline
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Actually that is not a fin alignment guide. That's a fin "marking" guide.

Easy mistake to make.

Speaking of that link you posted...has anyone heard from Silverleaf?

I haven't seen or heard from him in over a year.
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Old 03-26-2007, 10:57 PM
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Daniel Runyon Daniel Runyon is offline
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The yellow dohicky above does indeed have a fin alignment tool on the end... but MAN does it suck. I have one and used it on my first couple of rockets and determined that it is not as accurate as the Looks About Right method... which is... pretty sad.

I've found that you can do them pretty well by eyesight if you extend your tube markings around to the back of the tube so you'll have a solid rear reference to go with the line that protrudes beyond the front of the fin... between the two of them you can get a fin pretty dang straight... then your concern is having its verticle angle right... the above yellow Estes tools is EDIT (got it backwards!) worse at that than it is getting your fin straight. I'd say you'd have to be pretty bad at doing it by eyesight before saying that tool is worth using, but everyone is different and your milage may vary! In any case, may The Force be with you in this pursuit!

EDIT:

I would like to also add that it MAY even be useless for marking tubes with a pencil... mine is! Hold it out in front of you and eyeball down its length... I'd about bet that it's warped, even if it's brand new (as is mine)!
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Last edited by dwrunyon : 03-27-2007 at 05:36 PM.
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  #5  
Old 03-26-2007, 11:08 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dwrunyon
The yellow dohicky above does indeed have a fin alignment tool on the end... but MAN does it suck. I have one and used it on my first couple of rockets and determined that it is not as accurate as the Looks About Right method... which is... pretty sad.

I've found that you can do them pretty well by eyesight if you extend your tube markings around to the back of the tube so you'll have a solid rear reference to go with the line that protrudes beyond the front of the fin... between the two of them you can get a fin pretty dang straight... then your concern is having its verticle angle right... the above yellow Estes tools is better at that than it is getting your fin straight, but it's not perfect in this area either. I'd say you'd have to be pretty bad at doing it by eyesight before saying that tool is worth using, but everyone is different and your milage may vary! In any case, may The Force be with you in this pursuit!

EDIT:

I would like to also add that it MAY even be useless for marking tubes with a pencil... mine is! Hold it out in front of you and eyeball down its length... I'd about bet that it's warped, even if it's brand new (as is mine)!


Mine isn't. Mine is about six years old and works about as well as I can ask. The small tube slots in the side are pretty much useless, but I get some decent use out of it with bigger tubes.
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  #6  
Old 03-26-2007, 11:15 PM
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Daniel Runyon Daniel Runyon is offline
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You might be a lucky fellow! There were some other reports on them being warped over at the Estes forum so I figured they might all be to some degree. I just went ahead and gave up on mine.

Do you use the fin alignment function on yours? I found that the plastic is too flexible to be accurate and it's difficult to get the fin inserted into the little V at just the right pressure.
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Old 03-27-2007, 12:10 AM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dwrunyon
You might be a lucky fellow! There were some other reports on them being warped over at the Estes forum so I figured they might all be to some degree. I just went ahead and gave up on mine.

Do you use the fin alignment function on yours? I found that the plastic is too flexible to be accurate and it's difficult to get the fin inserted into the little V at just the right pressure.



No, I have a fin alignment guide, but I don't bother with that either. Occasionally I wish I had.
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  #8  
Old 03-27-2007, 04:21 PM
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SEL SEL is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by A Fish Named Wallyum
No, I have a fin alignment guide, but I don't bother with that either. Occasionally I wish I had.


Dowload the VCP program from here: < http://v-serv.com/vcp/ >.
It includes a nifty program for printing out fin alignment guides.

Sean
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  #9  
Old 03-27-2007, 04:22 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SEL
Dowload the VCP program from here: < http://v-serv.com/vcp/ >.
It includes a nifty program for printing out fin alignment guides.

Sean


I meant 'fin alignment templates'. Sorry.

Sean
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  #10  
Old 03-27-2007, 05:25 PM
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barone barone is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dwrunyon
The yellow dohicky above does indeed have a fin alignment tool on the end... but MAN does it suck. I have one and used it on my first couple of rockets and determined that it is not as accurate as the Looks About Right method... which is... pretty sad.

I've found that you can do them pretty well by eyesight if you extend your tube markings around to the back of the tube so you'll have a solid rear reference to go with the line that protrudes beyond the front of the fin... between the two of them you can get a fin pretty dang straight... then your concern is having its verticle angle right... the above yellow Estes tools is better at that than it is getting your fin straight, but it's not perfect in this area either. I'd say you'd have to be pretty bad at doing it by eyesight before saying that tool is worth using, but everyone is different and your milage may vary! In any case, may The Force be with you in this pursuit!

EDIT:

I would like to also add that it MAY even be useless for marking tubes with a pencil... mine is! Hold it out in front of you and eyeball down its length... I'd about bet that it's warped, even if it's brand new (as is mine)!
You can't beat a T angle for marking straight lines on a body tube. Picked mine up at Hobby Lobby (I think, I've had it for years). And it comes in handy for those little wing tips on the end of fins that some designers add....holds them at a true 90 degrees.....
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