Spoiler-alert, the fins turn out great!

Original laser-cut 1/4″ birch plywood fins.

At the National Sport Launch 2017 in Alamogordo, NM, I picked up a large crayon bank kit from Discount Rocketry. It comes with a 38 mm motor mount and 1/4″ birch plywood laser-cut parts. The kit is nicely put together, but I wanted to do a little something extra with the fins to help ensure a good flight with a J motor in it. My goal was to bevel the fins and laminate them with carbon fiber. I’ve done a small amount of fiberglass work, but I’ve never dealt with carbon fiber, and I’ve never done vacuum bagging before, and both of those would be required for this project.  The equipment for this project included a fin beveling jig, a Foodsaver vacuum sealer, a custom edge drilling guide, and a buffing wheel with a polishing compound. The supplies included 5.7 oz carbon fiber cloth, 2 oz fiberglass cloth, laminating epoxy, 100% polyester smooth tightly woven cloth (instead of peel-ply), paper towels (instead of breather material), multiple grits of sandpaper (120, 180, 220, 400, 600, 800, 1500, and 2000), and a 12″ vacuum bag roll. Continue reading Carbon Fiber Skinned Plywood Core Fins…