I have checked some of the online venders but have had no luck finding BT-100 tubing at all. Isn't it still available? I need a 34" piece if I can get it. Anyone have any sources?

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Geoffrey

NAR 85416 L3 as of 4/2010

"There is never enough rope to do the job but it is always long enough to hang yourself up with problems"

Semroc has it, but the longest is 10.9".

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I love sanding.

I'm not familiar with BT-100. What diameter is it? I've heard of Estes BT-101, but not BT-100. Have you tried Semroc or Balsa Machining ?

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NAR 91107, Level 2

Paint is the devil.

BT-100 had/has an OD of 3.744", with a wall thickness of 0.021". It was first used in the K-43 Mars Lander, and later appeared in the #1301 R2-D2.

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John
YORF #003
SAM #004

It is also the main body tube (second stage) on the 1/70 Saturn 1B. The lower skirt is BT-101. As far as I know, the Saturn was the first appearance of both BT sizes.

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I love sanding.

Oops! You're right! Skipped that one. Nice catch.

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John
YORF #003
SAM #004

Yes, I did check out both. I may have to get the shorter tubes from Semroc and some couplers from BMS to get the length I need. I was just hoping to do the main body in one piece. I would like to build an Atlas/Centaur based off of the Estes MA kit pieces.

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Geoffrey

NAR 85416 L3 as of 4/2010

"There is never enough rope to do the job but it is always long enough to hang yourself up with problems"

If you want a single tube, get 34" long BT-101 from Totally Tubular (or eRockets.com) and cut it down to BT-100 size. It's a simple process and not hard to do on large diameters. Scale competitors do it all the time. The advantages would be less weight and less $$$ for tubes and couplers. Filling seams would be a wash....either fill one long longitudinal one, or fill several circumference seams. The only disadvantage would be taking a little time to do the project.

To give you an idea of what I'm talking about, take a look at the how-to article I did for making couplers. It's wordy to read, but the actual process is simple. Click here to make your own couplers (and custom body tubes)

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I love sanding.

At 1/35th scale, the Estes kit is based on a 3.4" main tube. I have not found an identical replacement yet. That may be close enough for your purpose, but I thought you should know.


Bill

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It is well past time to Drill, Baby, Drill!

If your June, July, August and September was like this, you might just hate summer too...

Please unload your question before you ask it unless you have a concealed harry permit.

: countdown begin cr dup . 1- ?dup 0= until cr ." Launch!" cr ;

Give a man a rocket and he will fly for a day; teach him to build and he will spend the rest of his days sanding...

Actually, tbzep's idea is a good one which I was considering. I have done that a few times so can do it well and he is right about less work with filling and sanding. I love that too!!
It will also allow me to get the body diameter just right with the scale needed.
I was hoping to do this the easy way since I have WAY too many projects already in the Q but I just finished the Mercury Atlas and have some parts left over to get at least 3/4th's of the A C done. (I had one good kit and one that I got that someone had mostly butchered up to make some mistakes on and still come out with a nice finished model.
Thanks for the help, all, much appreciated .

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Geoffrey

NAR 85416 L3 as of 4/2010

"There is never enough rope to do the job but it is always long enough to hang yourself up with problems"