FIN GUIDES

Discussions about rockets, construction materials, adhesives, nozzles, nosecones and fin design.
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bugwubber
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FIN GUIDES

Post by bugwubber »

Best method I've seen yet for marking fin lines on your rocket body.

http://www.masa-rocketry.org/tech/Fin%2 ... 0Guide.pdf

This template generator makes it easy to print your rocket body and fin cross section. Use spray contact cement to apply the paper to foam board and then cut out the cross section to make a nice fin holder.

http://www.payloadbay.com/index.php?pag ... =FINGUIDES
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Re: FIN GUIDES

Post by Water Rocket Expert »

Thanks for these!
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Re: FIN GUIDES

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Water Rocket Expert wrote:Thanks for these!

Make sure when you print the pdf from payloadbay that fit to page isn't selected. My printer tried to scale it since the orig page is 11×17
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Re: FIN GUIDES

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bugwubber wrote:
Water Rocket Expert wrote:Thanks for these!

Make sure when you print the pdf from payloadbay that fit to page isn't selected. My printer tried to scale it since the orig page is 11×17
Thanks for letting me know, I just did that!
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U.S. Water Rockets
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Re: FIN GUIDES

Post by U.S. Water Rockets »

bugwubber wrote:Best method I've seen yet for marking fin lines on your rocket body.

http://www.masa-rocketry.org/tech/Fin%2 ... 0Guide.pdf

This template generator makes it easy to print your rocket body and fin cross section. Use spray contact cement to apply the paper to foam board and then cut out the cross section to make a nice fin holder.

http://www.payloadbay.com/index.php?pag ... =FINGUIDES

Doesn't everyone do it like that?
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bugwubber
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Re: FIN GUIDES

Post by bugwubber »

U.S. Water Rockets wrote:
bugwubber wrote:Best method I've seen yet for marking fin lines on your rocket body.

http://www.masa-rocketry.org/tech/Fin%2 ... 0Guide.pdf

This template generator makes it easy to print your rocket body and fin cross section. Use spray contact cement to apply the paper to foam board and then cut out the cross section to make a nice fin holder.

http://www.payloadbay.com/index.php?pag ... =FINGUIDES

Doesn't everyone do it like that?
Haven't seen that particular method referenced on utube. In the past, I just folded the paper in thirds or quarters. That usually had a little bit of error in it.
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Re: FIN GUIDES

Post by U.S. Water Rockets »

bugwubber wrote:
U.S. Water Rockets wrote:
bugwubber wrote:Best method I've seen yet for marking fin lines on your rocket body.

http://www.masa-rocketry.org/tech/Fin%2 ... 0Guide.pdf

This template generator makes it easy to print your rocket body and fin cross section. Use spray contact cement to apply the paper to foam board and then cut out the cross section to make a nice fin holder.

http://www.payloadbay.com/index.php?pag ... =FINGUIDES

Doesn't everyone do it like that?
Haven't seen that particular method referenced on utube. In the past, I just folded the paper in thirds or quarters. That usually had a little bit of error in it.

We created our box fin design to eliminate the guesswork. The trick with paper seems really obvious, but it does little to get the fins perpendicular to the body tube. That's why we designed the box fin method.
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Re: FIN GUIDES

Post by bugwubber »

U.S. Water Rockets wrote: We created our box fin design to eliminate the guesswork. The trick with paper seems really obvious, but it does little to get the fins perpendicular to the body tube. That's why we designed the box fin method.
Definitely, the box fins worked really well for us this summer. My daughter decided to dispense with the calculations and found if she folded a piece of extra long fin material into a V shape and then placed it over a bottle laying on the table, she could cut the V at the point where the ends touched the table, and then just cut the 3rd fin to the same length.
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Re: FIN GUIDES

Post by U.S. Water Rockets »

bugwubber wrote:
U.S. Water Rockets wrote: We created our box fin design to eliminate the guesswork. The trick with paper seems really obvious, but it does little to get the fins perpendicular to the body tube. That's why we designed the box fin method.
Definitely, the box fins worked really well for us this summer. My daughter decided to dispense with the calculations and found if she folded a piece of extra long fin material into a V shape and then placed it over a bottle laying on the table, she could cut the V at the point where the ends touched the table, and then just cut the 3rd fin to the same length.
That sort of thing definitely works, but we found over the years that some people actually hated it if we suggested "eyeballing" a measurement in our tutorials, because they were afraid of getting it wrong. So we try to give detailed measurements where possible. Everyone is happy then, and people who are comfortable with making up their own dimensions will do so anyhow.