After a 29 year hiatus I am building a rocket again. Unlike in my youth I will be able to fly this puppy. I'm currently building an Estes 30th anniversary Saturn V. So far so good. The dreaded wraps have proven to be less of a problem that I anticipated thanks to the thin CA wicking technique which works like a dream.
My only problem now is the LM/SM stage wrap. It was a bear to fit properly but I did manage. The finished result looks ok but there are some slight creases that simply will not smooth out and paint is bound to make them very visible. Plus this is just very fragile paper. If I had it to do again I'd get some sheet styrene and us it in place of the paper wrap.
So at this point what can be done to make the paper more rigid? I could cover it in thin CA but it is damn hard to get a smooth finish that way especially as the paper has a finish to it. I don't have a pattern now for the wrap anyway. I may try making one from scratch using a compass but I'm lazy. For now I think I'd prefer just reinforcing the paper and if that fails I may have to resort to very thin mil sheet styrene.
I can easily see the paper wrap getting severe recovery rash unless I strengthen it. Interested in other builders ideas.
Regards, Paul