Model Rocket Building Blog

Model Rocket Building Posts

Sport Rocketry / Motors and Igniters / Motors / Testing

    Bill Cook's Engine Test Stand (2017-01-20)
    Bill Cooke built his own engine test stand. Check out the great article on his blog - Rocketeer's Corner, CLICK HERE He got some pretty interesting results on his first tests using A8-3 engines. [Read More]

    New Estes LED Launch Controller (2011-01-27)
    Estes has already sent out new LED launch controllers to TRF members for testing. Their reviews are now being posted - here's mine: At Jaunuary's NEFAR launch in Bunnell , Florida, John Bishop gave ... [Read More]

    The New BMS MIGHTY D Launch Controller (2011-08-06)
    Here's the newest from Balsa Machining Service: The MIGHTY D 12v Launch Controller It's a innovative design - 12 volts of power in a 7" long X 5" tall box. It'll fire any igniter from a Micromaxx to ... [Read More]

    Coming Soon! 3/16" Raise Spring from Odd'l Rockets (2011-10-10)
    Here's the latest product test from the Odd'l Rockets accessories: The 3/16" RAISE SPRING! The original 1/8" launch rod Raise Spring is at the top, the new 3/16" Raise Spring is at the bottom. I've ... [Read More]

    April Fool's Day Launch, 4/1/2012 - Rockets and Catfish (2012-04-02)
    I don't need an excuse to launch - any holiday works! April Fool's Day seemed appropriate for what happened. First and second up was my tree branched damaged CENTURION , launched twice with B6-4s to ... [Read More]

    New Estes Engines? (2013-01-11)
    From a NAR Email: The following motor has been certified by NAR Standards & Testing for general use as a Model Rocket Motor effective November 25, 2012. ************************************* ... [Read More]

    Quest Cobalt Build Part 3 Step 8 Gluing The Engine Mount (2013-01-13)
    I'll do Step 7, marking the fin and lug locations, after the engine mount is in place. I want to use my FinTool which centers the engine hook between two fins. There was a problem with the fit ... [Read More]

    Frog Tape? (2013-01-29)
    There was a recent post on TRF asking about Frog Tape for masking model rockets. Consumer Reports just gave it high marks in it's March 2013 issue. It scored better than the 3M blue tapes. Some ... [Read More]

    New Quest/Klima Engines are Closer! (2013-08-17)
    Here's a timeline of selected posts from YORF  Read the entire thread HERE Notice the post dates: From Bill Stine on YORF - August 12, 2011 - So much for keeping this project "Top Secret"... ... [Read More]

    Fixing My Estes LED Electron Beam Controller Part 1 (2014-05-15)
    Normally, I might toss an old controller when it doesn't work anymore. I did want to hang on to this one. This was a test controller, made up at Estes with the first LED continuity lights installed. ... [Read More]

    Parachute Descent Rate Calculators (2014-08-23)
    On TRF, sooner.boomer posted the question: Parachute-How Big, Too Big? How can I find the minimum weight for a given diameter chute (assuming a spherical chute)?  Race58 gave these links: By ... [Read More]

    Estes Altimeter (2014-10-17)
    I finally bought an altimeter! All my posted altitudes were guesses based on Open Rocket and Semroc predictions. I'm a little wary about using it. I know the actual heights reached will be lower ... [Read More]

    Red Launch Button (2014-11-19)
    I add a red tape piece over the launch buttons on my controllers. Shouldn't a launch button be red anyway? The Estes controllers have been a single color for years now.   I place a piece of ... [Read More]

    Quest Response to Out Of Stock (2014-11-25)
    After much speculation about igniters and supplies, Bill Stine posted this on TRF:  OK, here's an official response from Quest: First, NO, Q2G2 igniters are NOT gone forever and you will be ... [Read More]

    New Products Reply From Estes John Boren (2015-01-24)
    From John Boren (JumpJet on TRF):  "Sorry I haven't posted in this thread yet but I couldn't find it and since I seldom go to the Watering Hole section it was by chance I found this thread ... [Read More]

    A TRF Opinion Post About California (2015-03-22)
    I don't go to the rocketry forums as often as I used to. Many times posts go off topic. I went off topic today.  GH Rocketman will tell you how he feels. I don't know if this is his true ... [Read More]

    Making a Stable Model Rocket, String Testing (2015-06-10)
    Here's a great YouTube video from Bernardotech.org on Stability and Swing Testing CLICK HERE  "A tutorial on how to design a model rocket in such a way that it will be stable and fly correctly. ... [Read More]

    Simple Dual Deploy for LPR and MPR Rockets? (2015-09-19)
    Soon to be released from Jolly Logic -   THE CHUTE RELEASE "Chute Release is designed to be extremely easy to use. As a first step, you attach the tether to one of the parachute shroud ... [Read More]