Request For Business

 awesomeness, blather, drawings, models, new products, nukes, projects, rockets, spacecraft  5 Responses »
Dec 212010
 

Two items:

1) Since I released the 10-by-70 inch Saturn V print, several people have inquired into getting a full-scale version of the print (as presented it’s about 1/3 the size of the original blueprint). The print shop that does these for me says they can do that, no sweat. It will require re-scanning the original at a higher resolution and some more tinkering… and it’ll cost substantially more to print. Based on what I’m hearing from the print shop, I’m looking at a price in the range of $200 for a print 36 inches wide by about 254 inches long (three feet by about 21.7 feet) . Before I take the plunge (I really can’t afford to stock items like this unless I know they’re gonna sell), I’m looking for interested parties. I’m not looking for payment just now (I need to do a partial test run to make sure the quality is up to code), but I am looking for people who would definitely be interested. Those who sign up now (by commenting in the affirmative below) will get 10% off whatever the final price winds up being. Keep in mind, there won’t be a whole lot of these made, so it’ll definitely be a collectors item.

2) And on the topic of “not a whole lot made” and “collectors item,” I’m also looking for people who’d be interested in a large-ish scale finished display model of Project Pluto. I had two signed up for a 1/48 version at $500, which was just enough to go ahead; but before I went ahead and told the prototyping shop to stereo-lith the parts, one customer backed out. So I’m looking for at least one more who’s interested for a Pluto/SLAM at 1/48 or larger (1/40 would put it in scale with other display models of the period, such as the Topping X-15).

 Posted by at 2:57 pm

Nukes!

 awesomeness, blather, books, drawings, history, models, new products, Nuclear Pulse Propulsion, nukes, projects, spacecraft, weapons  8 Responses »
Dec 032010
 

Still working the Orion pulse unit & M388 “Davy Crockett” nuclear projectile drawings, but they are now at a point where it’s not embarassing to show ’em. The pulse unit is from the General Atomic design for the 10-meter USAF vehicle, and had a yield of about 1 kiloton. The M388 used a version of the W54 warhead, and had a yield of only 0.01 to 0.02 kilotons. However, other versions of the same basic W54 warhead had yields of up to a kiloton. The Davy Crockett dialed it back for two main reasons:

1) Low yield like this means *really* filthy. The Davy Crockett was designed to make a mass of the foreseen Soviet invasion of western Europe through the Fulda Gap; nuking the bejeebers out of the troops and turning the region into a frighteningly radioactive wasteland was thought to be an effective way of slowing the tide.

2) The range of the M388: pathetic. Down to one slim kilometer. While one can survive a 1 kiloton nuclear blast at a range of one kilometer… one would not want to try.

The Orion was to use existing nuclear explosive designs in the early stages, so it’s safe to assume that the W54 – which, as it happens, was designed by the same guy who designed the pulse units – was the expected basic nuclear explosive. And a comparison of the pulse unit to the M388 shows that they compare quite nicely.

The interior of the M388 as shown here is a bit sparse. Oddly, the DoD is not especially forthcoming with technical information regarding the interior configurations of their nuclear weapons. Strange. Additionally, posted below are three half-ass decent photos… the best versions of ’em I could scrape off the Intarweb tubes. Even with actual units on display at the museums at West Point and Fort Benning (and an oddly painted one at Aberdeen), there are surprisingly few photos of this thing on line.

Anybody near Fort Benning or West Point, and have a camera?

Now, be honest: who *wouldn’t* want one of these hanging from the ceiling, or sitting on the coffee table? Or loaded with a big solid rocket motor and a chute? Or stuck on the end of a big-ass spud gun?

 Posted by at 2:27 am

Probably a bad idea: own your own nuke

 blather, models, new products, nukes, spacecraft, weapons  21 Responses »
Nov 302010
 

As previously mentioned, I’m working on the chapter in the Orion book on pulse unit design and development. In the course of doing so, I’m working ona  series of scale drawings comparing the external configurations of the known pulse units with a few relevant nuclear weapons, including the M388 Davy Crockett battlefield bomb. And it occurs to me that the 10-meter Orion pulse unit, at 13 inches diameter and 24 inches long, and just maybe the Davy Crocket, at 11 inches diameter and 30 inches long, would be things that I could make full-scale replicas of using the equipment I have. While it would be beyond neato to lathe these out of solid aluminum, fiberglass makes a lot more sense.

Replicas like these, full scale, would be kinda pricey (upwards of $300 for finished display items, probably). Would anyone be interested?

 Posted by at 3:11 pm

Pluto model: basically done

 aircraft, awesomeness, models, new products, news, nukes, projects, weapons  4 Responses »
Nov 232010
 

Still need to do some tweaks (don’t care much for the inlet yet, some suface details to add, pins & sockets for assembly to be added), but the parts of the missile itself are done.

Note that this will come complete with a  TORY-II reactor with controls. It will be visible from both the front through the inlet and the rear through the nozzle. The reactor will be a separate part from the fuselage halves, so it could in principle be displayed separately.

Now, the stand…

 Posted by at 12:01 pm

Convair NX-2 Wind Tunnel Model

 aircraft, models, nukes, projects  9 Responses »
Nov 152010
 

A few years back I got copies of some of the “blueprints” used to build wind tunnel models of the Convair NX-2 nuclear-powered bomber. Someday I’ll do something with them. But for now, here’s a photo of one of those models, in a NASA-Langley wind tunnel circa 1960:

 Posted by at 4:51 pm

Gold

 blather, models  6 Responses »
Nov 112010
 

For some display models I’m in the preliminary stages of working on, I’ll need to replicate the look of actual, factual gold over a fairly large area. So far, I’ve found no such thing as a gold paint that actually looks like gold. A lot of “gold colored” paints, and “paints with gold-like flecks,” but nothing that really looks gold. Gold leaf produces the right color, but the surface finish is aweful. Bare Metal Foil is somewhat similar. What I’m looking for is something akin to chrome plating, but gold.

I’ve just ordered the Alclad II “Mirrored Gold for Lexan” laquer. I’ve had good luck with their chrome, and have high hopes that this stuff will work. But in case it doesn’t, I’ll need a fallback option. Two that occur:

1) Vacuum metal deposition. This is obviously something I can’t do myself, but would seem to produce the best of all possible coatings. Anyone know of a good source for such a service?

2) “Spectra Chrome” paint. Looks great, but also something I can’t do myself without spending about ten grand. Only found one  source willing to spray small items such as these, adn the quoted prices was really high. Anyone know of someone set up for Spectra Chrome who’d be interested in doing a project like this for non-wallet-busting prices?

And finally… anybody got any other suggestions?

 Posted by at 10:35 pm
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