Well, the rocket is ready to be prepared for paint. This includes using epoxy based filler to get a nice smooth surface and of course lots of sanding. I started off by sanding down any globs of epoxy, not any fiberglass, that where on the surface and edges. I then started to apply the filler to the fins. The filler I use is epoxy based and setup in 5 minutes, so I have to make and apply small batches at a time.
Then I applied more to the rest of the fin can. Next I finished off with doing a coat of fill to the upper body tube with the altimeter bay attached. After letting it setup a few days, I started sanding. Using 120 and 100 grit sandpaper with an electric sander, I removed and cleaned up all high spots and low spots. It took about 4.5 hours, but I like to sand, not. I finished the top tube and about 3/4 of the fin can section. I still have to finish up the areas around the fin fillets. I needed to shape the top of the fin fillet some more so I added more filler to the top of the root area. After sanding off and on for two days, and small filling sanding, I got it to the point of painting on the first primer coat. This allowed me to see any places I need to fix up and sand before the second touch up coat.
I got the rocket painted. I'm still working on the nose cone. Here is the finished rocket on my HPR stand.
