Carl,

The Mylar BT-10 in the vintage Streak kit that I have in my collection is spiral wound. It is also not crystal clear, but instead, has a translucent gel-like appearance. It would not be accurate to call it "milky" because there is really no white in it. It definitely does NOT resemble a payload tube - it has nothing like the transparency of the latter.

My kit's tube does not show any yellowing or other signs of oxidation or UV damage, so I am pretty sure that it retains its original appearance.

Give me a few minutes and I'll dig the kit out and post a picture.

Mark

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SAM # 0011

I recall my Astron Streak (purchased & built in 1969) had a clear mylar or plastic tube very
similar to the clear payload tubes Estes used those days. A paper with adhesive on one side
was carefully wrapped around the clear tubing so the fins and launch lug could be glued on.
I think two tape strips went inside the upper part so the nose cone can be glued. I remember thinking back then how cool the construction of the Astron Streak was compared
to the other "traditional" Astron series in the Estes lineup.

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Dave, NAR # 21853 SR.

"Upon further review..."

OK, it looks like I was wrong about the cloudiness of the tube. The BT-10 in my unopened kit is quite clear, although not as crystal clear as a newly produced payload tube would be. It has a slightly grayish cast, which may or may not be due to age (unlike the condition of its owner, for whom the cause is less disputable ). The accompanying unpackaged BT-10 is also fairly transparent, but is more cloudy, presumably from exposure and occasional handling by its previous owner over the past 40 years .

In the attached pictures, you can just make out the tube spirals on the kit's BT-10 in the 3rd and 4th photo. The spirals are much more obvious in the close-ups of the unpackaged BT-10 in the 5th and 6th pictures.

Hope this helps.

Mark

Attached Thumbnails

           

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SAM # 0011

Wow!! Thanks for posting those pictures of the Astron Streak kit! That's the one I got in 1969. Forgotten that those kits came with the inspection slip that sort of served as a
"warranty" guarantee. I can remember the great, personal customer service I got back in
those days by Estes & Centuri.....

BTW, can't remember what happened to my Astron Streak model; maybe it got lost either in
flight or during a move . I definitely will have to take a look at building a clone of the
Astron Streak; I got the parts to build a clone of the Astron Scout (which I lost my vintage
kit in January 2004, just as I became a BAR)....

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Dave, NAR # 21853 SR.

It was spiral wound. I just got a 9" length of it, which apparently came from a 25 year old Designers Special. They also used it as replacement for clear BT20 in some kits, probably in a s.p.e.v. function. The interesting thing I got from a recent acquisition is an old Scrambler with a spiral mylar PST-65! Most of the recent stash I received came from '75-'83

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Roy
nar12605

Carl,

I used one of these when I built my Loadmaster prototype, and I'm not unhappy about the way it turned out. Those spirals are not 'that' detracting. If anything, they feel a bit more rugged than the standard extruded plastic tubes; those always felt a bit flimsy and fragile.

Maybe you should try out a batch of these in ST-10 diameter. If they're less expensive than the standard tubes, and easier to obtain (they'd use the same mandrels as the paper tubes, right?), then this might be a viable option for those other projects we're wanting to see...

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Craig McGraw

BARCLONE Rocketry -- http://barclone.rocketshoppe.com
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BARCLONE Forum -- BARCLONE Forum

BARs helping BARs

SAM 0044
AMA 352635

Carl,

It is spiral wound. Talk to Kurt Schachner here via PM or email. He already has done the legwork to have spiral wound mylar BT-10 (Streak) and PST-65 (Scrambler) tubes made by the same company that Estes used. I'm confident he'd pass the info on to you if those are two tubes you'd be interested in carrying.

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Scott D. Hansen
Ye Olde Rocket Shoppe - Your One Stop BAR Shoppe!
Ye Olde Rocket Plans - OOP Rocket Plans From 38 Companies!
Ye Olde Rocket Forum
WOOSH NAR Section #558

The BT-10 was spiral wound and a bit opaque or hazy, not clear.

Thanks for all the replies. Next question is how is it constructed? Launch lugs are glassine/mylar/glassine, meaning the mylar has a wrap of glassine on both sides. The HR-20 rings I have are mylar with glassine on the outside only.

The BT-10 would be a great addition, but $200 for a box of tubes to make a few Streaks ...

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Carl McLawhorn
NAR#4717 L2
semroc.com

I'd be more interested in the Scrambler payload myself. Anywho, Mark II could probably answer the question on the tube since he has an open Streak kit. All of mine are sealed. Kurt could probably answer the question on the construction of the Scrambler payload section. I know he has a built one at home. I do as well, but it's literally buried in this mess of a basement.

__________________
Scott D. Hansen
Ye Olde Rocket Shoppe - Your One Stop BAR Shoppe!
Ye Olde Rocket Plans - OOP Rocket Plans From 38 Companies!
Ye Olde Rocket Forum
WOOSH NAR Section #558