Ceramic Blast Deflector History

An interesting Blast! Deflector back story from YORF:

The MPC starter kit pictured earlier featured a unique parabolic blast deflector.  The design made its first appearance as an R&D entry at NARAM 11 submitted by Sven Englund of New Canaan, CT.  

This was the very same Sven Englund who was the winner of the Estes "Launch Pad Sweepstakes" which had a trip to see the Apollo 11 launch with Vern Estes as its grand prize.  Methinks that ol' Sven might have been the object of envy by a few thousand rocketeers over that win!

Only a few months later the April 7, 1970 issue of Model Rocketry magazine would report that MPC had purchased the rights to his deflector design from Sven for the princely sum of $75 dollars.  Here's the story from Ninfinger.org:  Model Rocketry Magazine April, 1970 (http://www.ninfinger.org/rockets/ModelRocketry/Model_Rocketry_v02n07_04-70.pdf) 

The design is still available today from various model rocketry dealers. (an Odd'l Rockets product!)

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What's In A Name?

I've been asked before, "Why the name, Odd'l Rockets?"

I had always been attracted to Odd-Ball rockets ever since I made a Sputnik-Too back in 1970. It was a perfect small field flyer. I remember being surprised that it was stable, I was expecting the worst.

The name is simpler than you might expect.
Take the word MODEL and remove the "M" and "E".
You are left with ODL ROCKETS.
Add another D and an apostrophe and you end up with -
ODD'L ROCKETS.

The company name says what we do, we make Odd - Model Rockets.
Odd'l Rockets also rhymes with Model Rockets.

The Sputnik-Too design was one of the first published Odd-Rocs and was added to the logo.
The oval shape was used in the early Estes and Centuri logos. The Red and Yellow colors were also used in early logos designs.

To check out the original Sputnik -Too, CLICK HERE
Odd'l Rockets produces a much easier to build version of the Sputnik-Too, simply called the Sputnik.

Kitting Up Sputniks - Part 3

After drilling the antenna holes, the tip of the Sharpie is rotated near the edge.

This outlines the holes so the builder can easily find them.

When building the Sputnik, the dowel legs must be gently rotated and wiggled into the drilled holes. By doing this slowly, the dowels will find their way into the holes at the correct pre-drilled angle.

Drilling for the 3" long launch lug is next.

This is the hardest part of the preparation and can ruin the work done up until now if the drilling isn't straight down the engine mount tube.

A BT-5 tube with a dowel glued in is used for support. The 3/16" dowel used for the lug hole drill must be guided down the length of this support tube. It had to be reinforced with the interior dowel.

TRIVIA: A 1/8" diameter launch lug actually has a 3/16" outside diameter.

The 1/2" support tube (with hardwood dowel interior) is slid into the 1/2" drilled hole.

The last Sharpie mark is the lug hole, running inside the ball along the side of the engine mount tube. It is 3" long and goes all the way through the ball.

As the sharpened 3/16" dowel is pressed through the ball, it is checked for straightness traveling along the inserted support tube in the ball.

Keep pressing and drilling until the sharpened end goes all the way through the top of the ball.
Keep your hand away from the top of the ball or your palm could be skewered!