I didn't know you knew the meaning of "overkill".

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I love sanding.

That's generally a good idea but in this specific case not necessary. The tubes are held in place very nicely by other structural pieces, so just a dab of CA to tack them against that spikey internal brace thing works fine.

Hi Matt 38,

I'm glad the "How-To" website helped some with your building questions. Don't take anything on the website a gospel, these are the techniques that work for me. Everyone has their favorite ways of doing things right.

In regards to using CA to strengthen body tubes:
In your post you sounded as if you wanted to strengthen the entire length of the tubing. That's not really what I meant on the website. I only use CA just at the inside ends of exposed tubes. Usually at the inside of engine mount ends and the nose cone end of body tubes. After you use CA, you'll have to sand the inside surface as the glue will swell and thicken the tubes a bit. Don't push a balsa nose cone into the CA'd tube unless you have sanded that glued area smooth.

As tbzep already said, don't use CA over the outside of the built up 1B fins. The Zooch Saturn V fins are just balsa, not built-up like your Semroc 1B. It would ruin the glossy surface and be tough to smooth out.

Good luck with a great kit!

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Hans "Chris" Michielssen
Old/New NAR # 19086 SR

www.oddlrockets.com
www.modelrocketbuilding.blogspot.com
http://www.nar.org/educational-reso...ing-techniques/
Your results may vary
"Nose cones roll, be careful with that."
Every spaceman needs a ray gun.
Look out - I'm the Meister Shyster!

I'd cover the fins with paper myself... that results in the strongest fins and also makes them REALLY slick and nice for finishing...

The method I use is, cut the fins out (laser or die cut already?) stack and sand them all to the identical shape. Sand the front edges round (or go with the scale cross-section if you want, which is wedge-shaped for the I-B IIRC) and once you have your fins ready, get some printer paper and white glue. Cut out the sheets of paper into rough circles or squares about twice the size of the fin, with at least an inch or two all the way around the fin. Put a fairly big drop of white glue on the paper and spread it out VERY thin with your finger until the paper is coated evenly over an area at least the size of the fin, and then press the fin down firmly onto the glued paper. Wiggle the fin around a little bit while pressing to spread the glue evenly on the wood and squeeze as much glue out from under the fin as possible. Flip it over a second and make sure there are no wrinkles or bubbles-- there usually aren't but it doesn't hurt to check, as now's the time to work them out. Make sure most of the glue is squeezed out from between the paper and fin. Flip it back over and apply another similar sized drop of glue to the paper RIGHT ABOVE THE LEADING EDGE OF THE FIN. Spread it out as thinly and evenly as possible, then fold the paper over the leading edge of the fin and press it down onto the fin. I use the round end of a sharpie marker pen to burnish the paper down onto the fin from the leading edge toward the trailing edge, and out from the center to the root and tip edges. This will force most of the glue out, which is what you want. Once the fins are burnished out and smooth, set them aside to dry-- you can sandwich them between sheets of wax paper and put a book or something heavy on top and let them dry overnight if you want.

Once the fins are dry, take a new SHARP bladed hobby knife and carefully trim the paper back to within about 1/8 inch of the root, trailing, and tip edges of the fin, then 'shave' the paper back to the edge of the balsa with the hobby knife. It's not difficult at all-- just requires a steady hand and a little work and care. Once trimmed, the fin will be ready to install and the paper will cover ALL the balsa grain and make the fin MUCH MUCH stronger. Glue the fins on the rocket with double-glue joints using yellow glue as normal, and fillet with Titebond Moulding and Trim Glue, and you'll have fins every bit as slick and pretty as plastic fins, ready to paint, that are top notch...

Try it... you'll like it... OL JR

PS... if the kit uses a paper transition cone, I WOULD harden that with CA before I painted it... if it's preprinted and not supposed to be painted, then don't CA harden it-- CA will turn it 'translucent' and ruin it (well, require you to paint it) CA turns paper into something almost as tough as plastic...

Good luck and post pics! OL JR

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The X-87B Cruise Basselope-- THE Ultimate Weapon in the arsenal of Homeland Security and only $52 million per round!

I'd suggest that he use the built up fins instead of the balsa ones. They are plenty strong and look much better from any distance. It also means less sanding

The built up fins are a ROYAL NUISANCE to build based on the minimal appearance improvement.
I built ONE and said "yeah right" I'll go with the balsa fins and shape the leading edge.
Almost as bad as sanding the dowels to proper diameter for the escape tower instead of going with the Apogee capsule kit.

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When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!!

Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.
ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, and HAVOC !

LOL! GH, you remind me of Statler and Waldorf, from the Muppet Show. Which one are you?

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I love sanding.

They are the Dynamic Duo of Humorous Heckling.

Greg

I thought the built up fins were a cake walk. Score the paper, glue the balsa, fold the paper, and repeat. It's all gluing and cutting, which are the fun parts of building. The balsa fins involve a lot of sanding, which is the worst part.

I do, however, agree that the tower dowels were a serious pain in the rear.

Great! How bout doing mine?

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I love sanding.