Hans "Chris" Michielssen's Page

AKA: hcmbanjo
Location: Orlando, FL
Club Memberships: NAR
Favorite Rockets: Estes Goblin
Personal Home Page: www.oddlrockets.com
Club Home Page: www.R-O-C-K.org
RocketReviews.com Pages:
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Flight Log
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2024-11-14

Enerjet by Aerotech Strong Arm Build, Part 14, Launch Lug Fit & Fillets

Blog
While the fit of the vane sides were pretty good, the edges could still use a fillet. I used Titebond Quick and Thick with a smaller Elmer's glue bottle nozzle. TIP: On a long fillet like this, it's easier to glue and smooth about half of the length, then do the upper half. Too much excess glue can pool under your finger when smoothing out a long fillet. GOTCHA: The coupler end ... [More]

2024-11-13

Enerjet by Aerotech Strong Arm Build, Part 13, Gluing The Vanes

Blog
With the low end tip of the vane set at the tape wrap, the vane is pressed in place down the pencil line. Hold the vanes in place with tape as the glue sets up. Go back and check the alignment to be sure there wasn't any movement. Epoxy is slippery! Check the edges for any glue that may have squeezed out. You can pick it up with a Q-tip. I'm building three of the Strong Arm kits, ... [More]

2024-11-12

Enerjet by Aerotech Strong Arm Build, Part 12, Setting The Vanes

Blog
The rear of the vanes are 2" from the front tip of the fins. Instead of using the wrap around guide, I got out my aluminum angle. It's pretty easy to draw a pencil line, extending from the front leading edge tip of the fins. I made a 2" mark on the angle and transferred that onto the body. For position consistency, I pencil marked an even wrap of masking tape. The low end of the vane will ... [More]

2024-11-10

Enerjet by Aerotech Strong Arm Build, Part 11, Fin Fitting

Blog
Earlier - The lower lock ring (on the engine mount) had to be moved forward 1/2" to be in the correct position for the rings to sit just outside the end s of the fin slots. This also set the engine mount to be flush with the main airframe tube. Try as I might, the low end of the TTW tab would not click into place. To fit into the new position of the lower lock ring, the inside notch had to ... [More]

2024-11-09

Enerjet by Aerotech Strong Arm Build, Part 10, You're Not Alone!

Blog
I see paint problems on the Facebook rocketry pages. It happens to all of us! I usually have better luck at spray painting once the weather cools and the humidity drops. No fancy masks on this one, the nose cone is sprayed a medium gray. I did mask off the shoulder. The initial two coats are sprayed on light, the third coat is sprayed on a bit wetter for a good, smooth gloss. ... [More]

2024-11-08

Enerjet by Aerotech Strong Arm Build, Part 9, Filling The Tube Joint

Blog
Here's the tubes together, the coupler inside glued together using 15 minute epoxy. The pencil lines are lined up before the glue sets up. Most of the joint gap was first filled with CWF, the excess smoothed out using a single edge razor blade. The picture shows the joint after the CWF was sanded to surface. The high spots end up fuzzy after sanding. I wipe on some medium CA Super Glue ... [More]

2024-11-07

Enerjet by Aerotech Strong Arm Build, Part 8, Gluing In The Engine Mount

Blog
This may seem like a lot of pre-glue fitting, but everything must be in the correct position so I double check the fit of all parts. The engine mount is glued in. I applied a ring of 15 minute epoxy from the low end, just above the top of the fin slots. Why use epoxy? You'll have more working time. You can slide and turn the engine mount into the correct position without it locking up in ... [More]

2024-11-06

Enerjet by Aerotech Strong Arm Build, Part 7, Engine Mount Fit & Coupler Gluing

Blog
Before setting the engine mount, the TTW fin slots are removed. You'll want to see the centering rings position through the slots. Remove the launch lug slots, too. Slide in the engine mount. Slide in the fins, don't fully snap them in place yet. You are just checking that the centering rings are above and below the top and bottom of the fin slots. The end of the engine mount ... [More]

2024-11-05

Enerjet by Aerotech Strong Arm Build, Part 6, Fit & Joining Two Tubes

Blog
On the left are the two tubes slid together using the coupler inside. No glue yet. On the right is after sanding the tube ends square, the sanding shown below in the left side picture. Again, no glue yet. Square up both tubes with a sanding block with 220 grit. Slide the tubes together using no glue over the inside coupler. Rotate the upper tube until you get the best, tightest join of the two ... [More]

2024-11-04

Enerjet by Aerotech Strong Arm Build, Part 5, Tube Seams

Blog
Back to the Enerjet by Aerotech Strong Arm build. To see the first four posts: CLICK HERE I had to go back and do a little more CWF fill where it fell out of the seam. This happens on occasion. I mark them as I find them using pencil. After sanding the CWF to surface, The tubes got a shot of filler/primer. Notice the masking tape set inside the tube end to keep the interior ... [More]

2024-06-29

Odd'l Rockets Little Green Man

Flight
A little wobble on the way up. Not much altitude but recovered safely. - B4-4 - Muncie AMA Field [More]

2024-04-06

Centuri ARGUS clone

Flight
I only used one parachute, the original kit had two, one for the low end, another for the long upper section. The parachute was taped closed in a "hillbilly hat" for faster descent. - C6-5 - Orlando R.O.C.K. [More]

Estes Mini Bertha Clone

Flight
First launch today. After all these years I shouldn't be surprised by how well mini engine models perform. Very stable, the 1/2A3-2t motor. I would guess the altitude capped out at 275'. The two second delay seemed short. - Estes 1/2A3-2t - Orlando R.O.C.K. [More]

Semroc MMX Blue Bird Zero

Flight
I actually captured a MicroMaxx launch! Estimated altitude was 75', no damage after the streamer recovery. - 1/8A-1 - Orlando R.O.C.K. [More]

Warped! (Scratch Design)

Flight
A weird one. It started as a regular bagged Custom kit that sat in the direct sun a little too long. The nose cone was melted and bent. I bought the kit. The body tube was cut into angled wedges and glued together like the Fliskits ACME Spitfire. I renamed it WARPED. A B6-4 pushed it to at ... [More]

Custom Solar Explorer

Flight
I wasn't worried about losing this one - the BT-50 tube was crimped above the engine mount from an earlier hard landing. After reaching an altitude around 600', the winds blew it into the trees just South of the flight line. Lost! I really need to thin the heard anyway. - C6-5 - Orlando R.O.C.K. [More]

Quest MMX Saturn V

Flight
The larger fins really didn't help much, it was unstable after it cleared the short launch rod. - 1/8A-1 - Orlando R.O.C.K. [More]

2024-03-02

Estes Skytracer Clone

Flight
- A8-3 - Orlando R.O.C.K. [More]

Rocketship Games R5 Hawkeye

Flight
Boost is always fast on these little models, good thing I had some young eyes to point me to the landing area. - 1/8A-1 - Orlando R.O.C.K. [More]

Nike X Goon

Flight
A B6-4 got an altitude of 350'. Full chute, textbook flight. - B6-4 - Orlando R.O.C.K. [More]

2015-04-19

Rockets By Style / Kit-Bash/Modified

Photograph

Hans "Chris" Michielssen's Orange (Q Cobalt Kitbash)

2014-11-09

Rockets By Style / Kit-Bash/Modified

Photograph

MX-774 Kitbash on an Estes A8-3. Bunnell Blast, November 8, 2014

2012-09-22

Saturn Press Saturn V - Step 17

Build Entry
The outside curved lines of the Engine Fairing Shrouds were cut from the cardstock with scissors. The interior Fin Slots were cut with a knife and straight-edge. [More]

Saturn Press Saturn V - Step 16

Build Entry
The A Frames and Fins were pressed together. The C Frames are pressed into the A Frames and Fins. Be careful handling the Fin paint while assembling. Silver or metallic paints are easy to dull with fingerprints. After all were assembled dry (no glue) I applied white glue to all the joints with ... [More]