It's Thursday and 60 deg. F for the high and lots of sun today. I have my grandson to watch today, so while he's eating his breakfast, I figured I would post those other pics I promised. I forgot to show how I milled each of the 12 aluminum vanes, but it wasn't much, just two .0625" holes at right angles to each other 1.0" and 1.3" from one end of the 5" long, .3125" dia., rod. One hole is for the dog-leg shaped wire hook which holds the sliding release collar and the other is for the lower end of the deployment springs. At the other end , I milled a 3 deg., 2.0" long chamfer, to present a flat surface to the air as this missile speeds along. Looks like the weather will cooperate on Sunday for some testing; hope so.
Today J and I are going to the pond to look for fox tracks. Last time he learned that particularly pleasing sound that a Red-Winged Black Bird makes and what a thrush looks like.
Tracy
Here are the parts we have so far. Each needs a 1/4" hole so they can be assembled together.
The major parts are aligned by a 1/4" steel rod. Everything you see was then epoxied together.
The sliding collar is set to .40" above the 'collar limit surface' of the vane assy. base. At this height, the vane hooks have .25" engagement with the collar's I.D. All the vanes with their hooks and springs are connected to the screw eyes on the base.
In this top view, you can see how each hook engages the I.D. of the steel, sliding collar after each vane's deployment spring is fully extended. This view shows the undeployed, launch position of the spring-loaded vanes.
Assembly of the can and vane sub-assys. The masking tape makes for a snug, friction fit.
Assembly is 66% complete. Final assy. will be done at the test range and will allow only 2.5" of the vanes to protrude above the projectile's steel skin.
Until Sunday!