Rocket Doctor,

Welcome to YORF. Sorry to hear about your elbow.

A reasonably priced metal fin jig would be most welcome.

BMI Cad produces an aluminum jig (in 1st photo below) similar in function to the old Estes jig, but I've read some complaints about the quality of the machining, and the price is higher than most would consider paying.

The highest quality fin jig produced (seen in 2nd photo), built by Art Rose, is available from High Tech Rocketry. Intended for competetion rocketeers, its $450 price is beyond the reach of most, although a number of reviewers say it is well worth the price. It seems doubtful, though, that most sport rockets would need that level of precision.

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Gus

Thanks for the info.

I am going to find a metal stampings company that can produce a metal (like the original fin kwik - 1974).

It would be steel, that would be plated to accomidate up to bt-80 body tubes.

At thus point, I have no idea on the cost,

I wish that I could find the original manufacturer, but, after all of these years, they may not be in business.

I would want a quality item at a resonable price. Not a piece of garbage as was the case with the plastic one.

andman

It's ironic, I do have a brother named Kevin.....

Rocket Doctor, hope your elbow isn't hurting too much this morning....

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Dave, NAR # 21853 SR.

It was a little hard trying to sleep with my arm on a pillow and unable to move that much.

The pain is still there, but, not as intense when it first happened.

Thank goodness I'm right handed.

Kind of difficult to do basic tasks.

Thanks for asking.

Yes, Art does make a fantastic jig. You get what you pay for I guess. Too expensive for me though for general sport flying.

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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

Doesn't your Fin Kwik patent list a persons name and city/state where the patent was filed? If so, use Google to try to track down that person.

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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

You'd never guess that the plastic version is junk judging by the exhorbitant prices they bring on eBay!

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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 plastic ones from Estes might not live up to our BAR standards, as it were, but my sons use theirs religiously, and I have to admit, their finished rockets look a heckuva lot better than mine did at that age.

(although I, too, would like to get a decent metal jig at a reasonable price for my use...and if I'm gonna spend the kind of $$$ the folks on greedBay want for their plastic jigs, I'd prefer it be for a metal one that will last)

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Dean Fox
NAR #53946SR

---- "Wherever you go, there you are"

I guess something, even a piece of junk is better than nothing at all.

I did a search of the original patent holder using many methods, nothing came up.Were talking 34 years ago. Alot could have happened over all of those years.

I am going to contact local metal stamping companies to explore the possibility of having an updated metal (fin kwik0 produced.

FYI,when I was on the Estes Forum, I had passed along all of the requests, and sent emails to thr powers to be at Estes trying to get them to produce the metal one.

One response was, we could make a better plastic one, I told them,the cosumers wanted the metal one, not a crappy plastic one.

When I was in Penrose the first week in April, I brought it up to the former marketing manager, he told me that Estes was not going to waste it's mpney on tooling that woild probably cost $5,000, and this request was on the back burner.

You have no idea of the resistance that I experienced by bringing up issues to managemeny.I guess this is part of the reason the Forum shut down and my services were no longer needed.

FYI, the former marketing manager didn't know what an engine block was used for, he thought that is was used to prevent the engine mount tube from colapsing when the slit for the engine hook was being made,NOTE; And I have the email to back up this statement 111