Rail Button Advice

[ZeroCooL]

I need some advice on rail button placement. I have a HyperLoc 835 4" diameter 54mm engine tube. I also fiber glassed the body tube. I installed the 1010 rail buttons on the aft and front most centering rings which puts them 16 inches apart at the rear of the rocket. Which would you do? (I also just received custom 3D printed conformal rail backings if I want to place another more forward.)

A. Leave it like it is.
B. Install a 3rd rail button further up the body tube. (Indicate where you would place it)
C. Do B but remove the middle one and just use 2.
D. Something totally different.

Any advice is appreciated.

 

[MidOH]

I'm voting C.

A little dab of epoxy and some sanding, and you'll never know that hole was ever there. Although, I'd love to try a third rail button in the middle. The rail only steadies the rocket until the front button leaves. Could a middle button effectively give us an extra half foot of rail? Would it help?

 

[David Schwantz]

I use 3 buttons on a lot of rockets. Big, heavy, tall, large dia. I would leave the 2 that you have and install a third in the payload section above the Av Bay. A third button makes a lot of difference on the rail as far as wind goes. It also supports a heavy NC.

 

[David Schwantz]

Do NOT remove the middle button. If you do, now you only have the very bottom button for support when the top one clears the rail.

 

[dr wogz]

And I say: leave it as is..

The farther apart the rail buttons, the sooner the first one leaves the launch rail. I'm a fan of them down low, with 2 to 4 dimeters between them. (I also plan for them, and bulk-up the CR in teh intended button location)

Installing a 3rd button can cause binding issues & such, if they are not absolutely on the same line.

1010 buttons with wood screws into the CRs can be pretty strong / hefty. if your rocket is over 20 or 30 lbs, I might consider something else, but I would go 1515 first..

 

[heada]

Leave the 2 lower buttons in place and add a 3rd up forward, closer to the CG. Nothing wrong with 3 buttons on the rocket unless they're not co-planar.

 

[Crazyrocket]

I sometimes use 3 buttons, 1 in the aft CR, 1 in the upper CR and then 1 on my ebay. I put it on the ebay as I can rotate it as needed to ensure proper alignment. YMMV.

 

[Ronz Rocketz]

A lot of different opinions. Might be easier to turn this into a poll.

 

[Bat-mite]

I have never used a third button on any rocket. My biggest is 14-feet long and weighs over 100# on the pad. Two in the booster works for me every time.

 

[SILVERFOX]

It really boils down to personal preference. I am a three button fan, to squeeze out every inch of longitudinal stability possible at the end of the rail. Just line 'em up nice and straight. (I also like aluminum guides over buttons)

 

[JimJarvis50]

This is like a glue thread. The two buttons will work as you have them placed. The ideal IMO would be 2 buttons at the bottom perhaps 10-12" apart and then a third up higher. CG or above. You only need 1010 buttons. Lining up three 1010 buttons is pretty easy - much easier than lining up three 1515 buttons.

Jim