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L1 Certification

  2026-04-01

  Edited: 2026-04-01

Steps and tips

Fins and Centering Rings

  1. Open OpenRocket, print design information, pick fin and centering ring guides, save as PDF
  2. PDF can be imported into CoralDraw or Inkscape
  3. You can use that for laser cutting fins
  4. The forward centering ring should have a hole for the eyebolt

Body Tube

Fin slots

  1. Print out fin marking guide
  2. Cut out the guide and then tape it so the guide goes in a circle
  3. Place your fins on the arrows and mark it on the body tube
  4. Cut markings out
  5. Test each slot by placing fins in

Motor Mount Tube

  1. Sand motor mount tube with sandpaper (220 grit)
  2. Sand forwarding rings with sandpaper (220)
  3. Place eyebolt in forwarding ring, use washers for both sides of the eyebolt
  4. Place forwarding ring in position and glue/epoxy (preferred) it
  5. Attach nuts to the eyebolt (apply threadlock)

Kevlar Rope

  1. Get kevlar rope to required size
  2. Tape ends of rope to prevent flaying
  3. Tie non-slip mono knot attached to the eyebolt
  4. Tie alpine butterfly knot around 14 inches from the end not attached to the eyebolt

Aft section (back of rocket)

  1. Slide fins in slot, slide motor mount tube in from the top all the way to the bottom
  2. Take fins and motor mount tubes out, sand the areas where the motor tube will rest
  3. Place the fins back in (they will serve as a guide)
  4. Coat outer diameter of center ring with epoxy or glue, and slide it down its location before
  5. Remove fins
  6. Fillet bot sides of the forward centering ring with epoxy or glue
  7. Insert fins and fillet all contact point of the fins (outside body tube, inside body tube, and where it touches the motor mount tube

Rail Buttons

  1. Drill holes for rail buttons
  2. Place them in the holes and screw them in
  3. Nut on the inside (and apply thread lock)

Rear

  1. Apply epoxy to outer diameter of rear centering ring
  2. Apply epoxy to where rear centering ring will touch
  3. Attach rear centering ring, and fillet its contact points
  4. Motor tube should stick out of back an inch or two

Parachute

  1. Clear up and untangle the parachute lines
  2. Gather the lines and hang the parachute down by raising it high
  3. Tape area where parachute slacks
  4. Lie parachute on ground
  5. Fold in half twice creating a triangle-like shape
  6. Lay lines in the center of the triangle-like shape
  7. Fold in an accordion like style
  8. Fold and roll like a burrito, attach parachute covering, tape it for now
  9. Take the parachute lines and connect to a quick link
  10. Attach quick link to Alpine butterfly knot
  11. Tie a non-slip mono knot from the free end to the nose cone

Nose Cone

  1. To prevent zippering, put tape around the kevlar where it touches the motor tube when the parachute is deployed (you can find the area by taking the kevlar out and pulling downwards on the rope)
  2. Gather the kevlar by bundling it in a figure eight motion on your hand
  3. Place bundle in the rocket
  4. Untape parachute burrito and slide it in (parachute cover side in first)
  5. Place nose cone on (it should not wiggle but it also should not take too much force to pull it out)

Motor

  1. Use universal drilling too to get the motor to reach the optimum delay (shown in OpenRocket). One end subtracts the time by 4 second while the other side subtracts by 8 seconds.
  2. Pour gunpowder in the hole
  3. Place the red cap in, the cave side should face you (really push it in)
  4. Place motor into the motor mount tube
  5. Attach motor retainer ring

Resources