My Friend, Pot

No, I'm not talking about weed. That's the nickname of my long-time global friend, Postoria Aguirre. Pot and I go way back. We met in the spring of 1972. I was a sophomore at Chicago Vocational School (now called Chicago Vocational Career Academy or CCVA) and he, a freshman at Bowen High, just up 87th street in the steel district of Chicago's south side.

It was the occasion at the Avalon Branch Library where I was holding a model car display and a naming contest of my latest scratch built model; an amphibious motor home, that we met and found we shared the same interest, building plastic model cars at the height of the muscle car era.
No two beings could be more different: Me, a tall lanky 2nd year high schooler, and Pot, a diminutive guy just out of eighth grade. We were the African American Mutt & Jeff. We bought and built models together. After he picked up on the RV skills, he made his own, and we'd convene on a Sunday afternoon with our finished models and compare features:

"Mine has a furnished bathroom and toilet, complete with working lid"

"Mine flushes!"

"I've got vinyl paper wood panel walls"

" I've got polished wood veneer"

" My running lights work'

" My turn signals flash!"

We expanded RV power train technology to extreme lengths. Pot dabbled in fuel cells/hybrids while I fiddled with turbines. Our brains were in the 21st century back in '73! Thankfully, our parents never had to worry about us. We were either deep in our workshops or at Stanton Hobbies on the northwest side. Or, we were working the MPC model car contest at the custom car shows that hit Mc Cormick Place each year. In general, being two years older, I felt responsible for making sure he'd come to no harm and be a positive influence, so I stayed well away from the teenage distractions of booze, drugs and bad decisions with girls. This was good for both of us, looking back on it.

Our work benches were a contrast in methods: Mine was a clutter of the current project, materials and tools (and you can still see that even today in my pics) while Pot's spot in his cellar (god, how I miss those!) was/is satellite room spotless. A place for everything and everything in it's place. With a nod to Pot, I do clean up, only to have the next project make more mess. Ah well, I still know where everything is unless the wife comes in cleans the bench.

We shared the heyday of Estes rocketry, flying in Jeffery Park next to CVS. We'd get ridicule from the other kids in the park for "talking like white boys" when we enthused over the last flight, speaking in techno-tongue with terms like "apogee" "chute deployment". Our most interesting experiment (and don't try this at home, kids!) was comparing a ground detonation of an M-80 cherry bomb to an air detonation. On the ground, the whole neighborhood knew what you were up to, and car alarms went off. In the air, we noted the flash at 800 feet and heard a small "crack" a few seconds later. Don't worry NAR, we won't be conducting tests like that again.

1974 came , and I passed on my associations in the modeling hobby to Pot, while I finished my ultimate expression of RV design , the XRV, prior to joining the Air Force. The XRV was a product of watching too much Gerry Andersen stuff. Thunderbirds and UFO figured much in its design and function. It was big and could fly. In theory anyway. It was so powerful that it wasn't allowed in most cities. So a smaller vehicle (hey, who knew I invented "dingies") stored in a rear compartment that only Lockheed could envy, was used for travel into town! The XRV got an award at the city wide district school trades exhibition for it's radical pearl and multicolor stenciled paint job I applied to it for my major in auto body/fender repair. I joined the Air Force that summer and we parted ways for a time. When my leave allowed, I visited with him. When my tours took me overseas and to foreign hobby stores, I made sure Pot got a rarity that I'd discover; a Revell BMW 318i, other things.

While I pursued an Air Force career, Pot's talents were not wasted. He got a scholarship to GMIT and later worked for Buick's design department. Among the first African Americans to do so. We've both traveled widely and kept in touch, finally landing in California. He in the Bay, I in the Southern California. He'll mount up on his motor bike and stop by on the way to major IPMS events. He never forgets a birthday and always calls me on mine. Two teens, now in our 50's. Always one thing in common. Our love of hobby. These hobbies have kept us out of life's pitfalls. We've led interesting lives. Our friendship will play out like Sponge Bob and Patrick, chuckling in the grave. Our friendship continues on to that day we're called home to the Lord's hobby store. And I'm sure we'll be comparing who makes the best wings for everyone..........

Here's to you, my best bud!

Recovery

I'm starting the recovery section of the crayon, and it seems I'm recovering too. I'm not coughing and hacking in the middle of the night at least, but I know it's still lurking about in my lungs. I've been getting some good advice from the folks at Rocketry Planet's forums. I'll be investing in snap rings and swivels to connect to the eyelets in the top centering ring and the nose cone. I recently received my engine retainer, Kevlar cord, nylon cord, Nomex heat shield blanket and a 48" nylon parachute.

Now it's time to bring them all together. While I'm using high strength parts, the idea of tying them all together with overhand knots seemed low brow and potentially unsafe for a rocket of this power, up to H or more. I was stumped for a while until my latent boy scout leader skills came to the fore. When I was active in scouting, one of my favorite skills I taught was pioneering. Woodland engineering were you would construct all manner of shelter and structures using rope and poles made from felled trees. You actually got to put those knots to good use. One skill that helped this project was making the cords into a eye end with an end whip. This is used to keep the ends of rope from fraying.

So I turned the cord back unto itself, and wound a whip with Quest Kevlar thread. Here's the results:

I work with Kevlar in my job in aerospace, so I knew I could do one more finishing maneuver; Once I had the whip secured, I put a drop of CA glue on the end of the cord to close it up and prevent fraying. It wicked immediately and solidified the end. I put another drop on the whip. It also wicked and hardened. I now have a strong Kevlar eyelet that can handle any stress put to it.

If you haven't done a whip before, here's a drawing to show how it's done. They also come in handy for securing control rods to wood dowels for R/C aircraft controls.

One final note: I perfected the operation by wicking the end of the cord first, looping it back, then tacking it with a drop of CA to hold everything while you wrap the thread for the whip. Well, that's all for the moment, back to rest in bed.

The Big Crayon Update

Got the parts I ordered in that will finish the rocket. I got rail buttons and put those on. I found this nifty engine retainer at Mad Cow Rocketry and put that in as well. Haven't done much in hobby this week, I found out that I had pneumonia so I've had to stand down and rest some. A lot in fact. You don't mess with the p-word. My doc has me on good meds and gave me a shot in the ketsu (go look it up in a Japanese dictionary) to get rid of it.

When I feel up to it, it's the shock cord and parachute to install. Peace out (Achooo0!)

Taking a Break....

Gotta order a large chute and Kevlar cord for the recovery system of the crayon. While that's going on, here's a look at the support equipment.



This is my "Mark I" Launch Pad. It's made from Schedule 40 1/2 inch PVC pipe and joints. Nothing new here; just a blown up version of a Quest launch pad. As you can see. it's in need of a tweaking. I wasn't able to get the hole in on center, so the 1/4" rod tilts a little. No worries. Just go out and buy another corner joint and drill it right next time.


This pad is not for the big crayon. It's for my other lighter rockets in the D-F class I'm developing. My daughters like big rockets, so Becky claimed a four tube BT-80 design she named Big Bazookie. Jackie claimed a 3 stacker and named it Mini Bazookie.

You can make this pad from larger diameter parts. Even metal. It's just a matter of what you want to do. The crayon will need a stouter launcher. I need to find some c-rail. The rocket itself will have rail buttons instead of lugs.

Progress

Here's the anchor for the shock cord. It's a 3/16ths eye bolt. High power rockets use this method frequently and there are others. I chose this one to be doubly sure I had a secure means of holding my shock cord, which will be a thick cord of nylon or Kevlar. I got it from the local Home Depot store. I haven't glued any of the main centering rings yet. I want to be certain of placement before doing that. The entire unit is designed to be removed for servicing, another idea I picked up from the good Doctor. Measure twice, glue once!

More fins work...

Last weekend, I attached the three fins to the engine tube along with the centering rings. I spent time sussing out the alignment of the outer shell to the fins and slotting them through the shell. I also devised the attachment method for the shell to the engine mount. Taking a cue from Dr Sue, I used blind nuts pressed into the aft centering ring. After all that engineering, I was rewarded with a clean fitting fin can.

The Work Continues....

More development of the fin can assembly. Here, I've made the fins and fitted them to the centering rings. I've also began cutting the slits for them to exit the end shell. Later, I'll attach the shell to the fin can with bolts and t-nuts installed in the aft centering ring.




An early view of how things will look.