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  #1  
Old 01-18-2009, 06:03 PM
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LeeR LeeR is offline
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Default Cherokee-D fin measurement needed

I've printed the Cherokee-D fin pattern from the JimZ Plans TIF, but scaling it to "fit",or "full page" produces a fin a little too big to fit on a 4" wide piece of balsa, with the grain running along leading edge. The JimZ file shows the piece of balsa, and printed "full size", it is well over 4" wide. I gotta believe Estes used standard width balsa stock. I could scale it down, but I'd like to see if someone can give me the length of the root edge, so I can scale it as close as possible.

Anyone out there with a built rocket they could measure, or an original fin template, or a better method of printing than I deduced?

Thanks!
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  #2  
Old 01-18-2009, 07:30 PM
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The fin pattern is a TIF file on Jim Z's site so I just saved it and then opened it up in MS Paint and printed it at 100%. The image was exactly 4 inches wide so you are correct in assuming that it was standard width balsa.

I have an original short body, balsa nose cone Cherokee-D and the fins were 2 piece so maybe they used 3 inch balsa for the first production run.
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  #3  
Old 01-18-2009, 07:34 PM
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CPMcGraw CPMcGraw is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LeeR
I've printed the Cherokee-D fin pattern from the JimZ Plans TIF, but scaling it to "fit",or "full page" produces a fin a little too big to fit on a 4" wide piece of balsa, with the grain running along leading edge. The JimZ file shows the piece of balsa, and printed "full size", it is well over 4" wide. I gotta believe Estes used standard width balsa stock. I could scale it down, but I'd like to see if someone can give me the length of the root edge, so I can scale it as close as possible.

Anyone out there with a built rocket they could measure, or an original fin template, or a better method of printing than I deduced?

Thanks!


What software are you using to adjust the image? GIMP? Or Photoshop (Photoshop Elements)? Something else? I use Photoshop Elements 5.

Those images are scanned at 100%, so they should be "on the money". Sometimes, if you're using the Micro$oft "Preview" function, the images get munged dimensionally. You really need to use something with a bit more substance and control to work with images (including the printing job). If Photoshop Elements ($80 to $100) is too high, try The GIMP (Free). Both take a bit of getting used to, but they allow you to work the image much better.

The balsa sheet is 4" wide by 9" long, BTW. If you can adjust the image to fit those constraints, it should print out correctly.
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  #4  
Old 01-18-2009, 07:42 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CPMcGraw
What software are you using to adjust the image? GIMP? Or Photoshop (Photoshop Elements)? Something else? I use Photoshop Elements 5.

Those images are scanned at 100%, so they should be "on the money". Sometimes, if you're using the Micro$oft "Preview" function, the images get munged dimensionally. You really need to use something with a bit more substance and control to work with images (including the printing job). If Photoshop Elements ($80 to $100) is too high, try The GIMP (Free). Both take a bit of getting used to, but they allow you to work the image much better.

The balsa sheet is 4" wide by 9" long, BTW. If you can adjust the image to fit those constraints, it should print out correctly.
I used no software other than MS Paint. I opened the TIF image in Paint, opened Page Setup and made sure the scaling box was set at Adjust to: 100% normal size. It printed on one page.
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Old 01-18-2009, 08:57 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob H
I used no software other than MS Paint. I opened the TIF image in Paint, opened Page Setup and made sure the scaling box was set at Adjust to: 100% normal size. It printed on one page.


I just tried Paint (on Vista) to see what it would do. I also printed a copy from Photoshop to see if there was any size difference. It looks like Paint is capable of handling the image without resizing.

What I do notice on both printouts is they are about 1/16" narrow along the width of the board, but they are a correct 9" along the length. Not enough to worry about, and I'm not going to adjust the image to "correct" it. The original board may not have been a true 4" wide.

OK, so I'm not too senile yet to learn sumthin' new.
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  #6  
Old 01-18-2009, 09:43 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CPMcGraw
OK, so I'm not too senile yet to learn sumthin' new.


Apparently I am ...


It is worse than I thought. Rather than not learning something new, I couldn't even use something correctly that I've used before...

I did a "save image", and it saved a GIF, which opened in the Windows Doc Viewer, and I just played with it. I didn't notice the file suffix said "GIF", and not "TIF". I should have known at this point I was dealing with a GIF.

To add insult to injury, I have Photoshop, and when I dowloaded the TIF, and opened it, and set to 100%, Photoshop told me the size was 9" X 4".

Sorry! But if I learned anything, it is to not use my small laptop display, and go upstairs and use the nice new 22" widescreen, so I can actually read filenames more clearly!

I appreciate all the helpful hints, and it just made me realize I need to use Photoshop more often, although I was impressed that Paint handled this fine, too.
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  #7  
Old 01-18-2009, 10:46 PM
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Be aware of the resolution as well. JimZ's scans are all at 300 dpi, but occasionally they open at some other setting. If you take a 300 dpi scan and open it at 72 dpi, the size will be WAY off!

I just downloaded and printed out the pattern from JimZ's archive, and the fins are indeed laid out on a 9" x 4" sheet. The root edge is 3.5" long, and the leading edge is 2.3125" (2-5/16") long.

I converted the pattern to a PDF and have attached it to this post. Print it at "Actual Size" or no reduction.

Mark \\.
Attached Files
File Type: pdf K-47 Cherokee-D fins.pdf (57.4 KB, 166 views)
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  #8  
Old 01-19-2009, 11:50 PM
GIJoe GIJoe is offline
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I went the easy route, Laser Cut fins from Semroc for $2.35. I had bought some other fins during this shopping spree couldn't pass them up, when I came across an original Estes Balsa Nose Cone.

Joe
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  #9  
Old 01-20-2009, 10:05 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GIJoe
I went the easy route, Laser Cut fins from Semroc for $2.35. I had bought some other fins during this shopping spree couldn't pass them up, when I came across an original Estes Balsa Nose Cone.

Joe


Good thing I already laid out the fins for cutting. If I had known this, I would have placed that $40 order (1 set of Cherokee-D fins, and a bunch of other things that wandered into the shopping cart ...)
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  #10  
Old 01-23-2009, 08:59 AM
Davidtmp Davidtmp is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark II
I just downloaded and printed out the pattern from JimZ's archive, and the fins are indeed laid out on a 9" x 4" sheet. The root edge is 3.5" long, and the leading edge is 2.3125" (2-5/16") long.
Mark \\.


they Mark, I think the root edge is actually 3.75" long. I'm gonna build one of these at some point, now that I know the fins downloaded are the correct size. Let me know if I am wrong, but the leading edge measurement is about what I am seeing. I'm hoping you just misread.

Last edited by Davidtmp : 01-23-2009 at 11:05 AM.
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