What's the best way to clean the inside of a rocket tube after it's been launched.The shockcord system on my estes rocket(rubberband) looks brittle.I have extra kevlar and elastic.But with the powder residue,I want to make sure the new shockcord stays attatched to bodytube.This was my first rocket I built after getting back into the sport after 35 years.How do others go about this?Thanks,cjp.

cjp;

Just use a little fine sandpaper to clean off a spot inside the tube. It doesn't have to be operating room clean.

Make sure you put the new tri-fold mount far enough inside the tube so the nose cone doesn't hit it.

N

__________________
N - "Born - Again Rocketeer"

another option for doing this would be to make a Kevlar loop and then epoxying it to the spot where the original attachment was. This way all you would have to do would be to replace the shock cord every now and then when the rubber gets brittle. You can always add a swivel there too to make switching out a bit easier as well.

__________________
She said, "Don't make me release the flying monkeys!"

Too late, I'm here......

On retrofits with Kevlar, I generally use 2 methods.

If the design has a lug accessible, I poke 2 holes adjacent to it. I run the Kevlar into the lower one, fish it, and tie a knot in the end. Next, you pull that back so the knot is against the hole. The other end is inserted through the top hole and pulled tight. I then work some 5-min epoxy into each hole and create a thick fillet. Touch paint as desired.

Other wise, I basically do the same thing to a scrap section of tubing (2 holes with the Kevlar pulled through as described above). I then sand as much crud out as I can and epoxy the tubing and Kevlar into the body, making sure the exposed Kevlar is also covered.

__________________
- Dick
NAR L2, member of MDRA and NARHAMS
*** My Rocket Dungeon ***My Our Planet Page***
Co-moderator of the MicroMaxRockets, microhybrids, and OddRocs Yahoo groups
Volunteer compiler of product news for ROCKETS Magazine

My first two rockets I used the trifold,but the last five I used braided 750lb kevlar that I got from commonwealth.net that had 20ft lenghths on there ebay auctions.I won two different auctions for 20ft ea. for $1.25 and the second for $2.30(I don't remember the exact prices but they were within 10 cents of this).On the last five I used clay epoxy to attatch the kevlar.The one that I'm replacing has the trifold as well as the second one and that also will get replaced the same with clay epoxy.So if I were to pull as much of the trifold out and sandpaper on that spot untill clean of the residue,that should make a good enough spot to epoxy.I have some avis fixit that I use as fillets on my larger rockets as well as attaching the shockcords.Hope this makes sense.

you can use the clay epoxy if you like, but to me its a bit overkill. The five minute epoxy with a bit of micro balloons should work just fine, in fact the microballoons will make it set faster from my experience and it tends to be a bit thicker than standard five minute. To me the clay epoxy would be a bit expensive to use for this kind of rigging.

__________________
She said, "Don't make me release the flying monkeys!"

Too late, I'm here......

Your right about overkill,I'm not sure what micro balloons are.What type of 5min. epoxy are you talking about?I do have some Titebond moulding glue that I thought about using instead.It supposed to hold up to heat well.What are your thoughts about that?Thanks,cjp.

its just stuff you find at your local hobby store, I don't really know the true manufacture of the stuff. If i'm buying in HUGE amounts, I end up going with West Systems. Microballoons are pieces of fiberglass that are milled into little balls and used as filler for epoxy. It makes the epoxy more heat resistant, tackier, and easier to sand. You can also pick this up at a local hobby store. I've found the best places to find things like this are hobby stores dedicated to AMA or airplane flying. None of the big box hobby stores carry the stuff, IE Hobby Lobby, Michael's, Hobbytown, etc. Most times you can also find it online as well.

__________________
She said, "Don't make me release the flying monkeys!"

Too late, I'm here......

Looked it up and now know what to look for.As long as it does not have me driving all over looking for it I'll try it.I thought as I have the clay epoxy,I might as well use it.I also do not have any 5min. epoxy.I'll have to see how much both cost,as I 'm not working due to hernia surgery that has me home from work for 6 weeks.(A&S) pays only a third of my regular pay.But thanks for the insite as I'm learning alot from your great advice.cjp.

See this microballoon link.

You can order some through Applied Vehicle Technology.

Greg