All Rocketry Blogs

 Rocketry Product: Estes - Astron Sprite {Kit} (885, K-15) [1964-1973]

Rich's Rockets: Building the [scratch] Mega Sprite (part 1) (2018-02-06)

There was a rocket club meeting last night, and we brought Sprite-like objects. There was one nice mostly-assembled 3D Rocketry Circulus 3. There was one nice scratch BT-60 upscale. There were two ... [Read More]

Rich's Rockets: Building the [scratch] Mega Sprite (part 2) (2018-02-11)

I did go and get a piece of 1/64″ plywood and I added it as an outside layer on the ring fin. More on that later. The ring fin is about 7 5/8″, maybe 7 11/16″, inside diameter. ... [Read More]

Rich's Rockets: Building the [scratch] Mega Sprite (part 3) (2018-02-11)

Here’s the body tube with cardboard mock fins taped on, and the ring fin around that. Fin size looks pretty near perfect. Could stand to cut them a bit more generous I guess. I trimmed the ... [Read More]

Rich's Rockets: Building the [scratch] Mega Sprite (part 4) (2018-02-16)

I bought a piece of balsa. It came from Michael’s and I’m not terribly impressed with it; it’s rather warped. Still, it’s only going to be a thin skin on a thicker, flatter ... [Read More]

Rich's Rockets: Building the [scratch] Mega Sprite (part 5) (2018-02-17)

I’m reasonably happy with the ring fin. There were some little gaps along the edges between layers but some yellow glue seems to have filled those pretty well. Now the flat fins. Normally when ... [Read More]

Rich's Rockets: Building the [scratch] Mega Sprite (part 6) (2018-02-18)

The fin centers aren’t papered (I guess that’s kinda obvious) so were done a bit more conventionally. The one unusual thing was that I cut the interior weight reducing holes by hand, that ... [Read More]

Rich's Rockets: Building the [scratch] Mega Sprite (part 7) (2018-02-19)

Perhaps you noticed my blunder before I did. By treating the tip edges of the fins with CA, I ended up with non porous surfaces where the tip pieces are supposed to be glued on. Oops. I also ... [Read More]

Rich's Rockets: Building the [scratch] Mega Sprite (part 8) (2018-02-25)

I trimmed the tabs on the fins, and then trimmed the fins themselves. The former I did with a hobby knife. The latter, due to the CA I’d put on the tip edges, I shaved off with a band saw. ... [Read More]

Rich's Rockets: Building the [scratch] Mega Sprite (part 9) (2018-04-22)

Sorry about how long it’s been since I updated you on this project. Here’s where it’s progressed to: So yeah. Into the trash with it. I did such a sloppy job making and mounting the ... [Read More]

Rich's Rockets: Building the [scratch] Mega Sprite (part 10) (2018-06-15)

Meanwhile, on the Mega side: The Mega Sprite’s paint (pink also) is drying right now. Before painting I stuck motors in both Sprites, shoved a parachute into the Mega Sprite, and checked the ... [Read More]

Rich's Rockets: Building the [scratch] Mega Sprite (part 11) (2018-06-16)

If I were running a Skin of the Teeth competition with myself, I’d be winning. I sprayed pink paint on the Mega Sprite yesterday afternoon. First thing this morning it was still too tacky to ... [Read More]