Space Shuttle Launch Pad 39A with Challenger STS-6

[bootneck]

Good evening Manfred,  Happy New Year to you also. 

 

Thank you for entertaining and educating us throughout 2018 and I hope you continue to do  so in 2019.

 

All the best.

 

Mike

[RichO]

Have a great New Year Manfred.

[roma847]

Thanks Mike and Rich for your nice wishes,

 

I wish you and your families a Happy and healthy New Year too. 

[roma847]

Hello everybody,

 

well then, let's start 2019 with fresh power and full motivation.  

 

In the old year I had still registered in the Dental laboratory ChiliDent for another ultrasonic cleaning, in order to clean the Early LWT Intertank (FUD) of the support wax. 

 

 

Last Friday I visited the Dental lab, 

 

 

wherefore I packed not only the IT but also all Track Shoes and Main Sprockets, in order to speak about their still pending cleaning.  

 

 

The cleaning in the ultrasonic bath took place again under the same conditions as the first time with TICKOPURR 60 (20 %) at approx. 70 °C, whereby I turned the flat lying IT every half hour by 180°. 

 

 

          

 

In the interim, I've read further in Scott Phillips's book Remove Before Flight, which I can really recommend because it's easy , and was even provided by the nice guys with espresso and fresh soda.  

 

 

 

Here is an image of the IT after 2 h cleaning, on which unfortunately one can not see too much, at least but so much, that still some areas remained with wax residues, so cleaning was continued for a total of 4 h.

 

    

 

After that, the IT had adopted the familiar white color, which is generally a sign that all wax remains are removed and the IT is completely cleaned, which can be seen very nicely in these images.  

 

 

 

 

And with this result, I was then more than satisfied and could ride home after appointment for the next cleaning.

 

And here are a few shots of the clean IT after my return, on which one also can recognize well the details of the Close-outs.

 

 

 

 

And even in the provisionally installed state, the IT looks really good.  

 

 

Here again for comparison the uncleaned tank after Shapeways' delivery, which this time, unlike previous prints, had strangely felt rather oily, which I was wondering about.

 

 

Now this IT really fits to the original Lightweight Tank (LWT) ET-8, as flown for the first time during STS-6, which finally satisfies me absolutely - All's well that ends well.  

[Mustermark]

Good work. The IT looks fntastic. ☺️

[roma847]

Thanks Mark, 

 

I wonder what he will look like when it's painted ... 

[roma847]

Hello everybody,

 

after a short detour to the moon in the year of the 50th Anniversary of the first Moon landing by Apollo 11 in our German Raumcon Forum, in order to comment on the events around Paul Van Hoeydonck's unique sculpture "Man in Space", which was laid down on the moon by David Scott  during Apollo 15 mission as "Fallen Astronaut" along with a plaque with the fourteen names of astronauts and cosmonauts who have died in the pursuit of Space exploration, 

 

Source: BILD (Ken Glover) 

 

I'm back on track again.

 

Today I want to start with the preparations for the creation of the wavy SOFI Ring Structure, for which I famously wanted to apply a combined Flour&Strip Method.

 

Last summer I had first determined the shape and then the geometry of the SOFI Texture and started with first preliminary experiments, Reply #1522

 

 

For the starting pattern (left) that time I had glued single rings of 1 mm wide Rai-Ro-Tape next to each other onto my ET dummy and used a magnet strip loop of Evergreen strip 0,25 mm x 0,5 mm as a spacer.

 

 

In the meantime, I also got me the required different width masking tapes and thought about some more patterns.

 

For the 2nd pattern I have successively glued single turns of 0,75 mm tape and in between at the same time as spacer a black 0,5 mm tape as continuous spirals (Barber pole), which was rather tricky,

 

 

 

but has worked well nevertheless.  

 

 

For the 3rd pattern I've glued Evergreen strips 0,25 mm x 0,75 mm in the same way by using MEK, which are thicker than the used Tape strip (about 0,1 mm).

 

 

Before the Flour test, the spacer tapes (0,5 mm) are removed again.

 

 

For the 4th pattern I have glued onto the 0,75 mm tape one more layer 0,5 mm tape, to get something more thickness, and for the 5th pattern I have cut some 0,75 mm wide strips of Evergreen Sheet Styrene (0,1 mm) and glued them also by using MEK with 0,5 mm spacing.

 

 

Next up follows the Flour test by using spray glue, which I am very curious about.  

[RichO]

The excitement is mounting!!  Come on with the flour storm.

[roma847]

Thanks Rich and keep cool! 

 

Hello everybody,

 

the ingredients for the Flour orgy are ready and waiting for their application.

 

 

The flour is fresh from the supermarket, and the Pattex spray glue I have precautionally tested once more, because I did not use it for a long time, but it still glues like hell!  

 

But now I have to go to the basement, because here I ultimately want to continue with building ...

 

That's why it could then also start soon.  

 

Now I just have to think about how I can hold best the Dummy when spraying and sprinkling with flour ...

[xffw45343tg]

Manfred - I expected you to have tested out at least 10 types of flour before rushing straight into it . Oh well, I'm sure it will be brilliant.

[RichO]

              So how is going to work??  Do you roll the test in the flour like bread dough?  Do you sprinkle the flour on to it?  Do you put the test into a bag with flour and shake it?  Inquiring minds want to know.

[roma847]

Thanks Kirk for looking in on me again and for your nice joke,  but because I had the free choice I grabbed this bag because I simply liked the picture. 

 

Thanks Rich for your thoughts too, 

 

yep, these all could be useful techniques, but I'm thinking about a simple small holding jig from cardboard, much like a Rotary spit for suckling pigs, the dummy being the suckling pig. 

 

Source: chefkoch.de

 

For this I will fill the Dummy tube on both sides with Styrofoam and insert a rod. And then I'll turn this spit slowly by hand, both when spraying with the Spray adhesive and during the subsequent dusting with flour, that's all. 

[RichO]

DANG!!!  That looks good!

[xffw45343tg]

Indeed. It's making me hungry...

[roma847]

Thanks Rich and Kirk, I did not want to lead you into temptation. 

 

Hello friends,

 

and thus from the idea to the practical implementation, this is my Hi-Tech Holding jig for dusting the ET Dummy with flour, which looks cool, right?

 

 

 

I do not want to win a Designer prize, and so the purpose justifies the means!  

 

Therefore, please keep all available fingers pressed that the test works well.  

[John_W]

I see you have gloves, hope you have goggles and a hi viz vest just to be safe

[roma847]

Don't worry, John, I will handle it with care. 

[John_W]

1 hour ago, roma847 said:

Don't worry, John, I will handle it with care. 

 

 

[roma847]

New Year is over ... 

[roma847]

Hello everybody,
well then let's go into the cellar bakery and get to the sticky Flour pleasure. So that not everything is made sticky afterwards, I have precautionally covered the environment with foil. 

 

 

For a more even flour application I used this sieve instead of the small shovel, which is very suitable for this.  

 

 

And then the Pattex Adhesive Spray was applicated, whereby I've turned the Dummy slowly several times during the spraying process. 

 

 

The spray layer looked strangely flaky, whereat I've wondered about, especially because I remembered the image of the formerly used UHU Adhesive Spray which looked somehow more fluidly ...

 

After the photo, I've immediately taken up the flour sieve. While I was shooting the Dummy, I then sprinkled up a lot of flour and subsequently pressed it lightly with my fingers. 

 

 

Then I've gently tapped the Dummy around with my finger, causing much of the flour to fall off. 

 

 

So now I let stand the whole thing once over night, so that the glue can dry through.  

Here is a close-up of the first two patterns, where one can still recognize the stripes of the cover tape. 

 

 

In the meantime I've taken the LH₂Tank and started to remove this Pressurization line, which had not existed on the ET-8 during STS-6. That was pretty good doable with the Chisel cutter,

 

 

whereby it is advantageous to put the blade with the slope downwards to produce no unsightly nicks.  

 

 

Tomorrow I will then remove the excess flour with a brush and present you the result of this Flour test application, which I myself am very curious.  

[roma847]

Hello everybody,

 

these are some photos from brushing off the excess flour, whereupon the patterns have reappeared. The long-haired soft brush was perfectly suited for it, and I was amazed how easily the flour was removed.

 

 

And this is how the cleanly brushed Dummy looks like with the following patterns:

 

1 - single rings of 1 mm Tape, distance 0,5 mm,

 

2 - single turns of 0,75 mm Tape, distance 0,5 mm, as a continuous spiral (Barber pole),

 

3 - single turns of Evergreen Strips 0,25 mm x 0,75 mm, distance 0,5 mm, as a continuous spiral,

 

4 - single turns of 0,75 mm Tape, distance 0,5 mm, on it one more layer  0,5 mm Tape, as a continuous spiral,

 

5 - single turns of 0,75 mm Evergreen Sheet Styrene (0,1 mm), distance 0,5 mm, as a continuous spiral.

 

And now to the evaluation, whereby it is to be noted that all patterns will still be leveled a little bit by the following priming and airbrushing.  

 

After that, I think the Patterns 2 and 4 are most likely to be considered, as well as possibly also Pattern 5, which correspond with the geometry (width, distance, thickness) of the SOFI Texture I had previously estimated on the basis of original photos.  

 

 

Pattern 3 seems to me to be a little bit too much raised because of the thickness (0,25 mm).

 

 

On this image, the thicknesses become a bit clearer.

 

 

And here is once more a comparison of the Dummy with and without the flour structure, which I also have imagined more or less like this and which I like quite well. 

 

 

As I said, a better impression one will receive only in the primed and painted state and only then can be made a final choice.

 

And now I'm curious about your opinion of how you see it.  

[RichO]

  I'm partial to #5 myself.  It seems to bee just slightly more subtle with the shadows.  "As I said, a better impression one will receive only in the primed and painted state and only then can be made a final choice."  Time to try a primed and painted test.

 

  Nice work to date.

[roma847]

Thanks Rich, 

yep, only after priming and painting one will be able to see the true effect, because this flour structure then will surely appear even more leveled and therefore will look still a bit more realistic, I hope so. 

[xffw45343tg]

5 for me too. Intrigued to see how it takes paint and whether it can be handled at all once painted.

[roma847]

Let's wait and see, but I think it will work in some way ...