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Old 07-12-2020, 06:12 PM
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mbauer mbauer is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Nikiski, Alaska
Posts: 353
Default Now Time For the Make It or Break It Part

This step is incredibly difficult. It is the hardest step in the construction of this rocket.

Why is joining the next cone to the ones already glued the hardest step?

Because you can't get your hand inside to pinch the glue tabs. Fingers are not long enough.

NOTE:
Important to use a 1/2" or bigger diameter of wood dowel. 5/8" is better, 3/4" works awesome. Insert the wood dowel inside the bottom cone, make sure it pokes at least 1/2" past the glue tabs, 3/4" will work, but not too much longer than that.

Now mark all the way around the wood dowel where the bottom edge of the cone ends. This step helps when using the wood dowel to pinch the tabs when gluing.

Too far and you will crush the cones as you glue, the mark helps you know where the end of the dowel is, making it easier to pinch the glue connections.

Ok, time to jump in with both feet.

1st step is to glue the seam, aligning it with the previous glue seams, keeping the cone connections straight. Once the glue is applied to the two tabs at the seam, time to play twister with the dowel.

The dowel I use is 3-feet long, a 4-footer will work but is awkward:

I place the tail end of the dowel under my left thigh, and over the right thigh. Now I can hold the dowel tight without it moving by applying downward pressure with my left leg. Might be possible to clamp dowel to a table top, but that will cause issues when trying to pinch the glue joint.

The mark on the dowel is on the top end of the dowel. Now slide the bottom cone onto the dowel to your mark. The two glue tabs with glue on them are flat against the dowel, now using your hands/fingers align the glue seam and pinch the two cones together. Use the dowel for a bucking bar, similar to using your fingers in the last step.

Once the seam connection is tacked, make sure it is tacked GOOD.

Rotate the cones to the opposite side and once again apply glue to the two tabs under the tick marks. Now you find out why we marked the dowel. You should be able to apply a pressure pinch to this connection just like the first one.

Once this connection tacks, do the rest of the tick marks before gluing all of the other tabs.

This step is hard work, but when done should be just as strong as the first set of cone connections.

You will find that the end of the dowel is the secret for this step, to far up inside the top cones, you have a difficult time of pinching, to low no way to pinch because dowel isn't there to help.

Hoping you make it through this step ok. Might be possible to speed things up using super glue, but dowel will stick if too much is used. A wet rag helps keep the dowel glue free and working correctly, be careful to NOT get the cardstock wet. This will cause major issues with this connection!
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