Gentlemen.

Now that I?m off the Oxy, can sit up straight, and can drink Scotch again I?m going to attempt a project that I?ve never considered before: building a vintage Estes #2001 Saturn V with a 24mm (x3) cluster.

I?ve clustered the #2001 before, but with 18mm (x4). I plant to use a BT-80 stuffer tube as an armature up the middle of the SV and use a Starlight 24mm (x3) kit in the bottom of the stuffer tube.

What I don?t know is: should I extend all 3 engine mount tubes into the parachute compartment, or should I extend only one of the engine tubes into the parachute compartment. OR, should I join all 3 engine tubes into a manifold and have only one engine tube enter the parachute compartment?
Thanks!

__________________
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Chemically, alcohol IS a solution.

NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078

I think I would be tempted to take all three into the parachute compartment. Otherwise, you gotta find a way to do something with the pressure of the other two ejection charges. And funneling all three down to one might be just a bit too much pressure for one single tube.

Just my thoughts.

Earl

__________________
Earl L. Cagle, Jr.
NAR# 29523
TRA# 962
SAM# 73
Owner/Producer
Point 39 Productions

Rocket-Brained Since 1970

Not to mention that if you choose just one you gotta make doggone sure that one lights every time!

(I had something stronger than "doggone" there but the forum censored me )

__________________
Bernard Cawley
NAR 89040 L1 - Life Member
SAM 0061
AMA 42160
KG7AIE

Very cool.
I'd run stuffer tubes, and use different motor delays.

I built a Saturn V with the correct number of motors for each stage.

1st Stage: (5) 24 mm
2nd Stage: (5) 18mm
3rd Stage: (1) 18mm
4th Stage: (1) 13mm

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John Simmons a.k.a. "Lakeroadster"
NAR 113985
My Fleet with Build Data: Lakeroadster's Rocket Shop

I favor one tube because then you can extend the ejection gas tube waayyy up into the parachute compartment, and pack the chutes along side the ejection gas tube.

A 3-in-1 manifold would eliminate relying on just one motor for recovery. This tube doesn't have to be a BT-50. Could go 3-in-1, BT-50 to BT-60. I'd add some coupler tubing as a liner with 8 inches or so above the motors. It gets a little hot down there.

You might need a little more nose weight.

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-Wolfram v. Kiparski
NAR 28643 - TRA 15520
MTMA Section #606 President

Let all three blast the ejection charge into the chute tube.
Use plenty of wadding.
You'll be guaranteed never to have a fail to eject.

__________________
When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!!

Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.
ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, AGITATION, CHAOS, TURMOIL, FIASCOS, AGGRAVATION, INSTIGATION, NUISANCE-ACTION, and HAVOC !

Clarification Jeffy: Are you saying to extend all three 24mm tubes INSIDE the BT-80 stuffer tube into the parachute compartment? In other words, lengthen the three motor tubes so that they run the full length of the BT-80?

If so, my recommendation would be to still run those three the full length of the BT-80 to provide some extra burn through protection to the BT-80 stuffer tube from those three ejection charges giong off, especially if the model winds up getting flown a number of times.

It is not super-critical to do that, but at the very least what I do with cluster core tubes like that (for example, the ST-16 core tube on the Centuri Saturn V) is smear a healthy dose of epoxy INSIDE that tube just ahead of where the cluster mount will be for a few inches forward to provide some flame and heat protection to the inside of the stuffer tube from repeated triple ejection charges going off in that area. I have even done an OUTSIDE paper wrap to the core tube in that same area to provide additional burn-through protection to the core tube.

Nothing worse than having a burn through INSIDE the model to the core tube after numerous flights from all those ejection charges going off.

Earl

__________________
Earl L. Cagle, Jr.
NAR# 29523
TRA# 962
SAM# 73
Owner/Producer
Point 39 Productions

Rocket-Brained Since 1970

Yes, I think I?ll extend all 3 engine mount tubes all the way up to the parachute compartment. I?ll treat the engine mount tubes inside and out, and I may even wrap the ODs of the engine mount tubes with aluminum exhaust tape. A NOMEX fire blanket in the laundry room might be a good idea also.

__________________
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Chemically, alcohol IS a solution.

NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078

All good ideas. It might be said that anythng beyond the Nomex blanket might be overkill.

Earl

__________________
Earl L. Cagle, Jr.
NAR# 29523
TRA# 962
SAM# 73
Owner/Producer
Point 39 Productions

Rocket-Brained Since 1970

A burn-thru is just normal wear-n-tear from too many flights.
Makes for a spectacular smouldering end of flight. Grab the extinguisher.

__________________
When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!!

Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.
ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, AGITATION, CHAOS, TURMOIL, FIASCOS, AGGRAVATION, INSTIGATION, NUISANCE-ACTION, and HAVOC !