PADDING YOUR ROCKET CRADLES
One of the first things a new person builds after their first really good looking rocket is a stand to display it on. These are simple balsa wood pieces cut to hold the rocket in a cradle like situation. As models get bigger, larger and stronger cradles are required and the move up to the good old pine scrap is made. Once into High Power all cradles are at least ½" pine and each rocket has its own to accommodate different diameters and rocket weights. The old pine scraps hold up well however the heavier the rocket you soon find that your nice paint job is acquiring scratches, not from flights but from resting and turning in the cradle.
Many solutions are developed to protect the rocket from the dreaded cradle rash. Simplest is to line the cradle circle with foam or felt. Usually a trip to Home Depot or Lowes can return a small expensive piece of foam or felt that needs to be attached, usually with glue, to the cradle circle - sometimes hardening the foam or felt. Now an inexpensive solution is here!
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MICHAELS Craft Stores have sheets of both foam and felt and the price is perfect. They come in plain or stickyback versions and you actually have a selection of colors available.
The foam is a good ⅛" thick, sufficient to protect anything. The adhesive is aggressive enough to adhered to any clean surface provided some attempt was made to make it smooth - doesn't have to be perfect. A 9" x 12" sheet, any color is only 99¢.
The felt seems a bit thinner but is still good enough to use on surfaces that are better finished. The felt is not as forgiving as the foam so the better the finish the nicer is sticks. Also available in many colors a 9" x 12" sheet of stickyback felt is only 49¢!
Both the foam or the felt is easy to attach as shown in the photos below. Be sure the area you wish to cover is clean and smooth. Click on the photos for larger versions.
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