Woodys rocket tooling broke on the first use. Why did this happen? i was only pressing with 5000 psi.

[DecimusMaximus]

On 11/27/2023 at 5:13 PM, DavidF said:

I'll describe the mylar support later.

Is this the general idea with the mylar support?

 

[DavidF]

Yes. Same idea. I made that video a long time ago. Then I tried mylar, and it got the job done with a lot less hassle (cutting the material) and expense. I have pressed 3lb whistle rockets with the mylar sleeve with no CATOs.

EDIT: You might want to download the video if you need to watch it again. The other one I made was taken down because of the background music. Ozzy!

Edited November 29, 2023 by DavidF

[DecimusMaximus]

5 hours ago, DavidF said:

Yes. Same idea. I made that video a long time ago. Then I tried mylar, and it got the job done with a lot less hassle (cutting the material) and expense. I have pressed 3lb whistle rockets with the mylar sleeve with no CATOs.

EDIT: You might want to download the video if you need to watch it again. The other one I made was taken down because of the background music. Ozzy!

Oh wow thats you in the video? Thanks for the helpful tips and knowledge man! Really appreciate it. I already learned a lot  from your videos. 

What thickness mylar did you use and i would need something that supports 10” tube. So you basically do the same thing as your video but with mylar? Same rubberbands and rotate to widen or lessen? 

[DavidF]

Thanks for the kind words. I love rockets, but I don't make them the way most people do. I use rubber bands, plastic, tape, wax, and water, which is not the 'generally approved' way to do things. Just a heads up. The tube support idea came from the inability/ unwillingness of NEPT to provide tubes of a consistent OD for our community. My ODs varied, even within a single batch of tubes. Solid clamshell supports are useless if they aren't sized to the tubes, so people have to resort to adding layers of paper to undersized tubes, or getting the supports milled out to suit oversized tubes. But then the OD changes again! The PVC/ hose clamp supports work quite well, and are more forgiving with tube OD variations. The last tubes I got from NEPT, they took 10% of the tube away, which made the PVC support fail to fit unless it was shaved down on one side of the gap, they were that much smaller. NeighborJ made a unique tube support for 1lb motors that accommodated tube OD variations. This problem (with NEPT) has gone on for as long as I've been making rockets. 

The Duralar (mylar) roll I bought was 0.005" thick, 20" wide and 120" long. I made a 1lb and a 3lb support with it. It's important to get the matte stuff because it slides on itself easier than the glossy version. I cut it with a straight edge and a box cutter and used the cut end on the top so the machine cut edge was on the bottom. I use rubber bands and tape, just like with the brass. It ain't pretty, it just works. 

Again- my methods are not the 'popular' methods, and I don't present anything I suggest as the way things are usually done. I do things my way and get results I like. If anything I do works for somebody else, great!

[DecimusMaximus]

5 hours ago, DavidF said:

Thanks for the kind words. I love rockets, but I don't make them the way most people do. I use rubber bands, plastic, tape, wax, and water, which is not the 'generally approved' way to do things. Just a heads up. The tube support idea came from the inability/ unwillingness of NEPT to provide tubes of a consistent OD for our community. My ODs varied, even within a single batch of tubes. Solid clamshell supports are useless if they aren't sized to the tubes, so people have to resort to adding layers of paper to undersized tubes, or getting the supports milled out to suit oversized tubes. But then the OD changes again! The PVC/ hose clamp supports work quite well, and are more forgiving with tube OD variations. The last tubes I got from NEPT, they took 10% of the tube away, which made the PVC support fail to fit unless it was shaved down on one side of the gap, they were that much smaller. NeighborJ made a unique tube support for 1lb motors that accommodated tube OD variations. This problem (with NEPT) has gone on for as long as I've been making rockets. 

The Duralar (mylar) roll I bought was 0.005" thick, 20" wide and 120" long. I made a 1lb and a 3lb support with it. It's important to get the matte stuff because it slides on itself easier than the glossy version. I cut it with a straight edge and a box cutter and used the cut end on the top so the machine cut edge was on the bottom. I use rubber bands and tape, just like with the brass. It ain't pretty, it just works. 

Again- my methods are not the 'popular' methods, and I don't present anything I suggest as the way things are usually done. I do things my way and get results I like. If anything I do works for somebody else, great!

Aww man what a mess!! and I just started too. trying to lessen the head aches. I dont want to be spending $270+ for tube supports for all the various rocket IDs i'd want to mess with so your solution sounds great. I personally am always open to ideas. For example, I started making my own red cedar charcoal because of it and i dont think im ever buying pre-made ERC ever again.

According to google, "Dura-Lar is a polyester film that combines the best features of Mylar and Acetate". So you're using a plastic alternative to your brass method and that material is strong enough to withstand 5000-9000 psi?

[DavidF]

I would say up to 7500psi. The brass is good to 9000+.

[DecimusMaximus]

On 11/29/2023 at 10:29 AM, DavidF said:

Yes. Same idea. I made that video a long time ago. Then I tried mylar, and it got the job done with a lot less hassle (cutting the material) and expense. I have pressed 3lb whistle rockets with the mylar sleeve with no CATOs.

EDIT: You might want to download the video if you need to watch it again. The other one I made was taken down because of the background music. Ozzy!

Hey I just wanted to update you that ive been using your brass shim method and it seems to be working great!! (As far as the non-nept tubes not breaking)

However, i am having a ton of issues with cato’s on strobe rockets. I started with sali and even my first benz i tried tonight are cato-ing. I’ll make another thread about my issues to get into details but just wanted to update you!

i use a 3d printed tube support that wraps around your brass shim method for better support as well.