Ye Olde Rocket Forum

Go Back   Ye Olde Rocket Forum > Work Bench > Scale & Sport Scale Rocketry
User Name
Password
Auctions Register FAQ Members List Calendar Today's Posts Search Mark Forums Read


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #111  
Old 07-11-2018, 09:49 PM
neil_w's Avatar
neil_w neil_w is offline
Mr. Cut-by-hand
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Northern New Jersey
Posts: 439
Default Nose cone, part 1

The nose cone has taken me weeks to do, for various reasons, and it's still not done. But enough to start documenting it.

Objective: recreate, to a reasonable extent, the nose in picture 1.

Start with a 3.1" balsa ogive cone, apply CA to protect it from all the handling it's going to receive, and chop of the end so the blunt end is about 1" in diameter. See picture 2. Then sand down until it's exactly right.

The clear dome comes from a toy from a Dollar Store, after a monumental search which cost me a ridiculous amount of time (hours and hours and hours). Eventually I ended up with exactly what I wanted: a clear plastic dome, slightly less than a full hemisphere, 1" diameter at the base. See picture 3.

After all sanding to size, the fit is pretty good. See picture 4.

I drilled an oversized hole in the base for a future installation of a large eyelet that will also anchor in some washers for nose weight. I did this by putting the drill bits (successively larger size) in a vise to the desired depth, and turning the cone by hand onto the bits. Worked great. See picture 5.

Finally, thinned CWF, filler/primer, and a coat of Perfect Gray finishes up this phase. See picture 6.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:  nose1-0.png
Views: 23
Size:  381.8 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  Nose1-6.jpg
Views: 17
Size:  390.8 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  Nose1-3.jpg
Views: 17
Size:  181.7 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  Nose1-7.jpg
Views: 25
Size:  377.6 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  Nose1-8.jpg
Views: 18
Size:  157.6 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  Nose1-9.jpg
Views: 25
Size:  121.7 KB  
Reply With Quote
  #112  
Old 07-12-2018, 09:06 PM
neil_w's Avatar
neil_w neil_w is offline
Mr. Cut-by-hand
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Northern New Jersey
Posts: 439
Default Camera and gimbal

Once I decide to use the "functional" paint job, I knew the nose cone had to follow suit. So I rounded up all the pictures I could find of the functional nose. See picture one.

The only way I was going to come close to that was with a 3D print, so I whipped up a model in Tinkercad. See picture two.

I then spent too much getting it printed in black resin. Picture three shows the finished part, with a penny for scale.

Next came some painting with Testor's Enamel and some of those super-fine detail brushes. Now I know how people who paint miniature figurines feel. See picture four.

Finally, to get the "iris", the colored ring that surrounds the pupil, I printed up a very small shroud, made about a zillion of them until I got the size just right. Picture five shows one (with that penny again). It's not the final one I used; I changed the color to make it more bluish to match the pictures better.

Picture six shows the finished assembly.

Next post will complete the nose.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:  nose2-collage.jpg
Views: 19
Size:  94.9 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  nose2-model.png
Views: 16
Size:  91.3 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  Nose2-4.jpg
Views: 16
Size:  265.4 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  Nose2-1.jpg
Views: 19
Size:  244.3 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  Nose2-5.jpg
Views: 18
Size:  305.1 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  Nose2-2.jpg
Views: 25
Size:  283.2 KB  
Reply With Quote
  #113  
Old 07-12-2018, 10:59 PM
olDave olDave is offline
Craftsman
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 174
Default Way to go!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by neil_w
The clear dome comes from a toy from a Dollar Store.....


I have found lots of interesting parts at places like the dollar stores. Congrats on finding just the "right" shape (in clear material). It is embarrassingly rewarding to find a part like this at a place like that when you really really need it.

One other idea: lots of craft places (like HobLob) sell clear spheres in both glass and plastic, in a range of sizes, for making your own Christmas tree decorations. I know you don't want to wait for Christmas, but when it approaches you might just want to stock up on clear spherical model rocket pieces....
__________________
NAR 20602
used to be "powderburner" in another life
Reply With Quote
  #114  
Old 07-13-2018, 09:37 AM
neil_w's Avatar
neil_w neil_w is offline
Mr. Cut-by-hand
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Northern New Jersey
Posts: 439
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by olDave
I have found lots of interesting parts at places like the dollar stores. Congrats on finding just the "right" shape (in clear material). It is embarrassingly rewarding to find a part like this at a place like that when you really really need it.

I felt like I had won the lottery.

Quote:
One other idea: lots of craft places (like HobLob) sell clear spheres in both glass and plastic, in a range of sizes, for making your own Christmas tree decorations. I know you don't want to wait for Christmas, but when it approaches you might just want to stock up on clear spherical model rocket pieces....

I looked at all of them, and then some. The smallest size was still slightly too big for my needs. Even the stuff I ended up using was slightly too big, but it was closer.

Doing this at a larger scale (even slightly) would have opened up a lot more options. In any case, I'm satisfied with my results, even though it took an absurd amount of searching to get there.
Reply With Quote
  #115  
Old 07-14-2018, 08:05 PM
neil_w's Avatar
neil_w neil_w is offline
Mr. Cut-by-hand
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Northern New Jersey
Posts: 439
Default Finishing the nose cone

The top of the cone was painted flat black. A clear spot in the middle was left for gluing the camera piece. I originally tried to leave a slight border around the edge as well (for gluing the dome) but that didn't work out so I painted to the edge. See picture 1.

The camera piece was glued on with epoxy. The decal also found its way on at some point. See picture 2.

Speaking of the decal, I got the black line at the bottom as close to the shoulder as possible, but could get all the way there. See picture 3. I painted the gap with some Tamiya gloss black, so when the nose cone is inserted into the body only a single black line should be visible.

Gluing the clear dome was a pain. The first thing I discovered, while trying to clean it off first, was that alcohol fogs Future. Fortunately, two more coats of Future cleared that up, so to speak. I made myself a "tape handle" to hold it with. See picture 4.

The first attempt to glue it on with CA was a complete failure, so I resorted to the epoxy, using it very sparingly because I didn't want to need to use alcohol to clean up. It seems to have held on just fine. After some flat clear coat over everything but the dome, the nose cone if finished. See pictures 5 and 6. Here you can see that the black line goes all the way to the shoulder.

I am pretty darn pleased with this; it is exactly what I set out to do when originally planning about this build (although I guess the 3D printed part was an improvisation along the way). All told I spent more time on this nose cone than on some other complete builds. Fun!
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:  Nose3-1.jpg
Views: 24
Size:  113.8 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  Nose3-3.jpg
Views: 24
Size:  157.6 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  nose3-decal.JPG
Views: 20
Size:  196.6 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  Nose3-4.jpg
Views: 19
Size:  108.6 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  Nose3-5.jpg
Views: 28
Size:  54.6 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  Nose3-6.jpg
Views: 31
Size:  197.7 KB  
Reply With Quote
  #116  
Old 07-15-2018, 08:22 PM
neil_w's Avatar
neil_w neil_w is offline
Mr. Cut-by-hand
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Northern New Jersey
Posts: 439
Default Decals, part 1: color bands

The decals are taking a little while, as I try to proceed slowly and not rush. Most are routine, a few are a bit more challenging; I'll describe those as I go. This is my first time with home inkjet-printed decals; all are clear-coated with Krylon UV-resistant gloss clear.

I started with the yellow and brown bands. These were tricky because they needed to wrap all the way around the wiring tunnel, and therefore I had no way to get a very precise measurement of their length in advance. Instead I made them extra long and figured I'd cut them to fit. What I failed to consider was that the only time I could do that was after the decals were applied, while still wet. That was not fun.

I did the brown first, and eventually trimmed it so that there was only a very small overlap at the end. Because these are translucent dye-printed decals, you can see the overlaps as a darkening of the color. See picture 1.

After I saw how much I cut off the brown one, I pre-cut the yellow band to the same size, so I didn't need to trim it after application. It went on about the same as the brown, with an equal overlap area. See picture 2.

I put the seams at the edge of the wiring tunnels because I thought they'd be least visible there. Really, the bottom is not the most photogenic side of the rocket, I don't expect too many eyeballs lingering there.

Getting the bands to be perfectly straight was hard, enough so that I could only get close. It's not noticeable except under very close inspection.

All decals got generous application of Micro-sol on top. I can't tell how much it helps with the clear-coated decals, but it definitely doesn't hurt, so any advantage it can give me will be welcome. All decals will easily visible until the final matte clear coat is applied.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:  Decals1-2.jpg
Views: 25
Size:  423.4 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  Decals1-1.jpg
Views: 22
Size:  308.0 KB  
Reply With Quote
  #117  
Old 07-16-2018, 08:44 PM
neil_w's Avatar
neil_w neil_w is offline
Mr. Cut-by-hand
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Northern New Jersey
Posts: 439
Default Decals, part 2: front bolts

Picture 1 shows a close-up of one of the side bulges on the real thing. Each strake has two bolts on either side (the other strakes with the side bulges are the same). The rest of the bulge has two rows of 5 bolts.

When I went to put on the bolt decals, I found that I had not left quite enough room for them. See pictures 2 and 3. I might be able to force it if I really tried, but I don't think the result would be good. So I bagged those decals.

The 10 bulge bolts went on in one big piece. Only now, looking at the first picture, do I realize I space the two rows of bolts too far apart, putting them too close to the edges. Oh well! Still looks good. See picture 4. This picture also shows the logo (it's bluer than in the picture), which is on a bit crooked (oy!), and the guidance serrno plate below the strake.

Despite the small mistakes, still looking good. Front actually looks awesome with the nose cone in, but I'm not showing that until the final reveal at the end.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:  bulge_closeup.jpeg
Views: 24
Size:  36.9 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  Front-bolts-2.jpg
Views: 25
Size:  281.2 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  Front-bolts-3.jpg
Views: 21
Size:  126.2 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  Front-bolts-1.jpg
Views: 24
Size:  611.8 KB  
Reply With Quote
  #118  
Old 07-18-2018, 08:53 PM
neil_w's Avatar
neil_w neil_w is offline
Mr. Cut-by-hand
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Northern New Jersey
Posts: 439
Default Decals, part 3: wing bolts

Each wing has three sets of large bolts on each side, fasting the wings to the body bands through the skirts. See picture 1.

I originally tried to position pieces of tape to guide my placement of the decals, see picture 2. I eventually decided that I was no better at getting the tape on straight than I would be just trying to do it with the decals. So all the tape came off.

Tweezers helped this job get done quickly and efficiently (relatively speaking). I realized that because these decals are very small, I could nudge them around with the tweezers quite easily. So I basically just plopped them down in the general vicinity and then nudged them into position. See picture 3, which also shows a few other decals in the same neighborhood.

I did make one mistake... I originally printed 6 sets of bolt decals: four for the wings and two spares. I failed to properly account for the fact that each wing needs *two* sets, one for each side. So I did half of the bolts so far, and will have to print up some new ones. This will also give me a chance to make some additional bolt decals for the wiring tunnel; I was unsure if I was going to put them on but now that I need to start off a new decal sheet I might as well take the opportunity to finish the job properly.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:  wing-bolts.jpg
Views: 15
Size:  9.9 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  Wing-bolts-1.jpg
Views: 20
Size:  731.8 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  Wing-bolts-2.jpg
Views: 19
Size:  277.1 KB  
Reply With Quote
  #119  
Old 07-23-2018, 08:49 AM
neil_w's Avatar
neil_w neil_w is offline
Mr. Cut-by-hand
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Northern New Jersey
Posts: 439
Default Decals, part 4: Wiring tunnel bolts

I decided to put bolts on the wiring tunnel, based on the one good picture I have of it. I don't have very high expectations of how accurate these will be but look reasonable to me, and I'm happy to have a little extra detail on the underside, which is otherwise the least photogenic part of the rocket (despite the considerable effort that went into the wiring tunnel in the first place).

Each pair of bolts, opposite each other on the tunnel, is a single tiny decal. See picture 1.

Pieces of tape placed alongside the tunnel have pencil marks marking 2" spacing for the bolts. See picture 2.

Final result is shown in picture 3. Note at the very rear there is a tighter cluster of bolts; this again comes from my picture. Those six bolts were done as one decal.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:  Tunnel-bolts-3.jpg
Views: 18
Size:  420.9 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  Tunnel-bolts-1.jpg
Views: 15
Size:  657.0 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  Tunnel-bolts-2.jpg
Views: 19
Size:  345.0 KB  
Reply With Quote
  #120  
Old 07-29-2018, 09:01 PM
neil_w's Avatar
neil_w neil_w is offline
Mr. Cut-by-hand
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Northern New Jersey
Posts: 439
Default Fin can decals

I was provided with an amazing picture to use as reference for the fin can decals. See picture one.

I'm doing it in four sessions. Each session will cover all the surfaces facing upward. Then I'll douse them all in Micro-sol and let dry before moving onto the next. Picture two shows the decal positions for one session; picture three shows the decals. These are all pretty small and a pain to cut out.

Decal one is a triangle of three bolts.

Decal two represents a piece that on the real missile goes under the rear edge of the control fin. Because my fins are glued down, I needed to cut a slot in the decal to wrap around the fin. Picture four shows the decal. I wasn't sure how well this would work but I'm pleased with the result, shown in picture five.

Decal three is a group of four bolts at the rear of the actuator fairing.

Decals four and five each consist of:
a) a forward-pointing arrow
b) recesses near the root of the fin for two bolts.

The completed session is shown in picture six. I think it's a decent representation of the prototype shown in the first picture.

I have two sessions done so far, two to go.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:  fin-can.png
Views: 14
Size:  514.6 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  Fin-can-decals-1.jpg
Views: 13
Size:  429.4 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  Fin-can-decals-2.jpg
Views: 11
Size:  851.6 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  Fin-can-decals-3.jpg
Views: 10
Size:  180.1 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  Fin-can-decals-4.jpg
Views: 11
Size:  138.5 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  Fin-can-decals-6.jpg
Views: 15
Size:  893.5 KB  
Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:31 PM.


Powered by: vBulletin Version 3.0.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Ye Olde Rocket Shoppe © 1998-2024