Hello Everyone:

Early on in our project discussions, we decided to use JB Weld high-temperature epoxy to attach the fins to the motor mount.  This is a common practice for Level 3 rockets which are exposed to the high heat of long-burn 98-mm motors, especially where the fins attach to the motor mount.  Most epoxies become liquid again at around 200 degrees but JB Weld is good to 600 degrees.

The down side of using JB Weld is the cure time of 4 - 6 hours for green cure and 15 hours for full cure.  From a practical standpoint, this means that we can only attach one fin per work session.  We did attach the first fin at our last session on May 26th, but we have 3 more fins to go.

So in order to move this process along, we've come up with the idea of holding a series of 3 "mini-sessions" on three consecutive evenings to "Git 'er Done".  Accomplishing this task quickly will help us keep the overall project moving and on-track for launch this fall at Pawhuska.

The mini-session schedule is as follows:

We'll meet at Jeff Chaplin's house, as before.  All we're going to do is attach a single fin at each session.  We'll also be using Randy Luhman's laser-level device to assist in this process.  Jeff Chaplin has completed spraying the first coat of primer on the airframe tubes, so on Saturday we'll also try to do some sanding.

I realize many people will not be able to attend these sessions and that's OK.  We just need a few folks to stop by and help us make sure we get the fins on straight and secure.  If you're available, please join us.