Step 48
Gather the shroud lines together
and attach them to the swivel end of one of
the snap links. Attach the swivel end of the
remaining snap link to the free end of the
elastic shock chord. Apply a drop of thinned
glue to these knots to secure them, and
allow to dry. Do not attach the parachute to
the nose cone, or store it in the body tube at
this time.
Step 49
Pull the elastic shock chord and
the excess length of the Kevlar thread back
through the motor tube and out the front end
of the main body tube.
Step 50
Attach the snap link of the shock
chord to the screw eye in the base of the
nose cone. Push the shock chord back into
the body tube, and insert the nose cone into
the tube.
Step 51
Remove the small end pieces
from the rear of the fin alignment tool.
Remove the scrap piece of BT-50 from the
front end pieces. Slide the alignment tool
down from the top of the main body tube,
such that the six BT-3 tubes are pointed
toward the rear of the model. Rotate the tool
so that the gap between the tubes is aligned
directly over the fin attachment areas.
Step 52
Apply a second layer of glue to
the one fin attachment area directly below
the tool, and to the root edge of one main
fin. Slide the fin into the gap between the
guide tubes, and press the fin against the
body tube with the trailing edge touching
the rear edge of the body tube, and the
leading edge touching the line at 4”. Slide
the short end pieces onto the six guide tubes
to firmly clamp the fin in place. Make any
adjustments to the position of the fin while
the glue is still wet. Use a moist brush to
remove the excess glue from the joint, and
to smooth out the remaining glue into a
fillet. Allow about 20 minutes to dry.
Remove the short end pieces, then slide the
guide forward just enough to clear the
leading edges of the fin. Rotate the guide,
and repeat this sequence for each of the
remaining three main fins.
Step 53
Remove the strip of tape from
one of the pods. Mix up a small quantity of
20-minute epoxy. Apply a very thin layer of
epoxy to the tip edge of one main fin, and to
the exposed area on the pod. Force some of
the epoxy into the holes. Attach the pod to
the fin tip, with the longer cone pointing
toward the front. Slide one of the pod
alignment guides from the rear over the pod,
with the fin in the slot. Do the same with a
second guide from the front. Wipe away any
excess epoxy that squeezes out from the
joint, but do not get any epoxy on the
guides. Allow at least two hours for the
epoxy to cure before removing the guides.
Repeat this sequence for the remaining three
pods.
Step 54
Inspect the main body, fins, and
pods for glue ridges or other imperfections
that might show through the primer. Sand,
apply filler, let dry, and sand again as
needed to achieve a level of surface finish
you are satisfied with.
Step 55
Apply glue to the two launch lug
attachment areas, and to the two launch
lugs, then attach the lugs to the body tube.
Sight down the two lugs and adjust them as
needed until they are parallel to the tube and
in-line with each other. Wipe away the
excess glue with a moist brush, being
careful not to disturb the position of the
lugs. Allow to dry.
Step 56
When all of the glue joints have
dried completely, apply a second fillet of
glue to all of the non-epoxy joints, and
smooth this into a fillet with your finger.
This will reinforce the joint against flight
stresses. Allow to dry.
Finishing
Main Fins and Fin Tip Pods
Summary of Contents for Antares
Page 5: ...Painting Guide...
