2022 checking in. I just glassed my first three body tubes using your guidance and they came out great. I know this video is 8 years old but it is rocketry gold 🙌
John, Wanted to let you know that we have successfully fiberglassed our airframe. I really appreciate your assistance because that kind of knowledge was just not available around here and learning by trial and error was not an appealing alternative. Our final product didn't turn out as pretty as yours but enough sandpaper and paint and no one will know any better:)
your fiberglass videos are awesome. i wasn't sure i wanted to take this next step in rocketry, but after watching you work i'm thinking that maybe i could do it too!
Thank's for the video! I tried the same on my 50 mm plastic pipe rockets. One layer of fibreglass and 1 inch overlapping was not enough - rocket exploded. 2 layers was enough. I also tried water based bonding. I tried PVA glue and water based lacquer - both rockets worked perfectly after 3 hours of drying. PVA version just turned a bit brownish after the heat. Water based lacquer version was as perfectly transparent as it was before the flight. Might be good information if someone does not have well ventilated garage.
Well, I finally got around to trying this. For what it's worth, I placed a piece of thin plastic (aka. Paintin' Pal™ Floor & Carpet Shield ) under the edge of the glass before wetting it out. The paint shield extended beyond each edge of the fabric and was used as a handle(s) to get the fabric up off the freezerr paper and onto the tube without fanfare.
I did a practice run and had numerous small blisters where the cloth did not lay against the tube. I went heavier with the Aeropoxy the next time which only made things more difficult (slippery). In addition, there were actually a few voids between the mylar and the cloth ! The net result was one full day's worth of of spot filling/wet sanding and some extra weight on the airframe. I may need some better lighting for the process.
@@frankwaters2133 What cloth (type and weight) are you using? I've found that fiberglass stretches a lot, so you can smooth it toward the ends as well as pulling as you roll to get it tight. Also, don't lift it up off the paper when you're done; try to "roll" it off so the cloth doesn't stick.
It's 4 oz plain weave e-glass on a 4" tube. Now that you mention it, I did lift up instead of roll off upon completion, and can see why that would be bad .
Your videos are tremendously informative, thank you! I have recently just purchased a Madcow 2.6 inch Black Brant II kit. I want to do a tip-to-tip glass on the fins. I have zero experience with glass/composites. Do you have any tutorials or resource suggestions for tip-to-tip fin layups? Thank you again!
Very nice work. Suggestion, why not cut the glass during the leather stage with the Mylar left on? It stands to reason that it would be easier, give a better product and be less of a hassle when you're removing the guide tubes. Just a thought.
Thank you John. I'm going to try this, but have noticed mylar rolls are available in different thicknesses. Any suggestions on which thickness would be best for this purpose?
It is plastic coated butcher paper. I got it from U-LINE because they offered it in wide rolls, but I have also used ordinary waxed paper for smaller jobs. Some people say don't used waxed paper because the (paraffin) wax can come off.
Hey John, thanks for the video. I getting ready to take my class through a similar project and I have zero experience so this really helps. I do have a question though: if you are fiberglassing a slotted tube do you just go over the slots and then cut them out after is cures?
Yeah, that will work fine. I suggest putting masking tape over the slots from the inside first. (If you're working with paper tubes, make sure it's low-tack tape.) Also, it will be easier to out the slots before the fiberglass fully cures (at the "leather" stage when it's no longer sticky, but still pliable). Finally, cut along a metal rule to prevent the knife from wandering.
I may have missed something.. at roughly 11:47 the tube appears to be very shiny. Did anyone notice a step where he wets the tube with laminating epoxy? All I remember seeing is John sanding, then cleaning the tube with alcohol. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
@@JohnLCoker Thank you for your reply John. At 11:47 you are beginning to align the tube before wrapping with the glass. My question was regarding the shine on the tube before glassing. In an earlier step you sanded the glassine coating on the cardboard tube, and then cleaned it with alcohol. Did you coat the tube with anything prior to wrapping?
Most types of plastic don't have the right mechanical properties and are hard to bond to. There are plastic tubes available from Public Missiles, Ltd. that work for rocketry: m.publicmissiles.com/airframes.aspx
I love this technique, and I can't wait to try it. Could it be used on something like an Estes Liviathon? When it comes to the slots for through the body fins would you cut them out in the leather stage? Thanks again Jeff.
tripolipref For this tube I used 0.005", but for smaller tubes I've used 0.002". The 5-thousandths stuff doesn't have much stretch, but is easier to work with.
Not much; the cloth weighs 4 or 6oz per (square) yard and the epoxy is similar. As far as the base weight of the tube, see this article: jcrocket.com/body-tubes.shtml
You can view my Level 2 in Style video for another example, this time on Loc/Precision tubing: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-PMqzxl1tVF4.html
+Hakasauars Yes it is. That's making your own tube and using the existing tube as a "mandrel". You need to use something the epoxy won't stick to, such as Mylar. I will do a video on this one day, but Tony Alcocer has some videos up now: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-q3wtcNTd9wg.html
