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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
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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 |
#3
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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.
__________________
"I'm a sandman. I've never killed anyone. I terminate runners when their time is up." Logan from "Logan's Run" http://sandmandecals.com/ |
#4
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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)! Last edited by dwrunyon : 03-27-2007 at 05:36 PM. |
#5
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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.
__________________
Bill Eichelberger NAR 79563 http://wallyum.blogspot.com/ I miss being SAM 0058 Build floor: Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Marauder, Shrike, SST Shuttle In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Centuri Mini Dactyl Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II, Xarconian Cruiser Semroc Cyber III Ready to fly: Estes - Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark |
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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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No, I have a fin alignment guide, but I don't bother with that either. Occasionally I wish I had.
__________________
Bill Eichelberger NAR 79563 http://wallyum.blogspot.com/ I miss being SAM 0058 Build floor: Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Marauder, Shrike, SST Shuttle In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Centuri Mini Dactyl Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II, Xarconian Cruiser Semroc Cyber III Ready to fly: Estes - Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark |
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Dowload the VCP program from here: < http://v-serv.com/vcp/ >. It includes a nifty program for printing out fin alignment guides. Sean |
#9
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I meant 'fin alignment templates'. Sorry. Sean |
#10
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Don NAR 53455 "Carpe Diem" |
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