How to make nice fins on your rocket.

[cmjnrockets]

Does anyone nows how to make nice fins on your rocket, and how to attach them on your rocket??

[RaZias]

You need to search that in this forum because that is already answeread.

If you want fins for a 2L rocket put to 2 sticks from the body of the bottle going down at least half the size.
In the end of the sticks put a bottle with the top and bottom cutted off.
That will make a circular fin. You can attach with black PVC tape.

For fins like the wings I don´t have experience because I just work with circular ones.

In case of the rocket being more taller than 2L you can put other circular fins around the main one.
From the vertical sticks you should put horizontal thin sticks that will hit the ground.
This way the circular fins will be saved from the impact when falling.

[Tim Chen]

Does anyone nows how to make nice fins on your rocket, and how to attach them on your rocket??

Check out this discussion thread:

http://www.wra2.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=346

[WRA2]

Does anyone nows how to make nice fins on your rocket, and how to attach them on your rocket??

Welcome to the forum and welcome to the WRA2

Its great to see so many new members this week. Keep spreading the word everyone!

[dongfang]

Hi,

The best fins I have made for small rockets were made of balsa wood...
See the pictures in my first post in this thread: http://www.wra2.org/forum/viewtopic.php ... 92&start=0.

I got lazy and tried with Depron (a foam material) later but those fins got too fragile.

Regards
Soren

[Tim Chen]

Another material that people overlook is to use old key-cards like the door keys they give out at hotels or the cards they give at arcades to play games. Old credit cards work too but then you have your card number on the rocket and if you lose it someone can steal your ID.

[Graveyard]

Well, I'm cheap and I use one 2l bottle per fin. I cut off the top and the bottom of the bottle which leaves the straight center section.
Then I cut it along one of the 2 seams vertically. (as if the bottle were standing up) After that, I fold the material in half either long ways or short ways...depending on if ya want a long or short fin. Next, I decide the angle or shape I want and trim the plastic accordingly leaving an extra 1/2" inch away from the fold. The extra 1/2" I fold at 90 degrees. If you hold the fin along the fold then the 1/2" folds would kinda be like a paper airplane with really narrow wings.
It takes one bottle per fin. I use 1/16" thick double sided foam tape to attach the fin to the rocket. After making one fin, use it as a pattern for the rest to insure same bends and sizes. They're very durable and you can also slide cardboard reinforcement inside the folds.
I'm going to attach a photo http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l261/ ... 0_1301.jpg
Maybe this will help

Later

[dongfang]

Hi,

I once broke a winglet on a model plane. It is a piece of sheet plastic mounted vertically at the end of the wing, aiding stability. I found a lid from a (PP=polypropylene) paint bucket, and cut a new on out of that. I guess one could also made tailfins out if it - my credit cards run for 2 years each, and 8 years is long to wait

Regards
Soren

[Spaceman Spiff]

Hi,

I once broke a winglet on a model plane. It is a piece of sheet plastic mounted vertically at the end of the wing, aiding stability. I found a lid from a (PP=polypropylene) paint bucket, and cut a new on out of that. I guess one could also made tailfins out if it - my credit cards run for 2 years each, and 8 years is long to wait

Regards
Soren

If you live in the U.S. they mail you fake credit cards with an application for each card to show you how awesome their card looks. ;-) They have some "Your Name Here" and numbers like 1234-5678-9101-1213 on them. I just save them up and throw out the junk that comes with them. They are also good for putting body putty on cars and as a knife for spackle on a wall repair!

[karthickvr]

To make nice fins on your rocket you need to attach a fine fin made of thin plastic but at the same time the plastic fin should be strong. I don't know how to attach the fin to the rocket.

------------
Karthick

Blaze Infotech

[Spaceman Spiff]

[quote="karthickvr"]To make nice fins on your rocket you need to attach a fine fin made of thin plastic but at the same time the plastic fin should be strong. I don't know how to attach the fin to the rocket.

------------
Karthick

Do they have PL Premium Construction Adhesive where you live?

[thampson]

I find this method is cheap and works very well. Attach fins to body section with wire / staples or PL Premium

http://wrocket.hampson.net.au/?p=198

http://wrocket.hampson.net.au/?p=556

-todd-
HHWRSA

[water rock1]

If you want to make a solid fin fillet , use epoxy of any type of glue and place it on the root of the fin and run either end of a paddle pop or any other rounded object like spoon ect.

[U.S. Water Rockets1]

If you want to make a solid fin fillet , use epoxy of any type of glue and place it on the root of the fin and run either end of a paddle pop or any other rounded object like spoon ect.

Good suggestion! Epoxy works great for this. Other types of glue and caulk can be used as well. PL Premium does not work very well because it foams up as it cures and the fillets get bubbles in them.

[water rock1]

i know , i used it on my Pyro rockets they really works well. , why doesn't PL premium foam up when doing splicing , There one glue i know foams up i think is called VISE .