Install a PVC frame inside your jet pack?

I was wondering how necessary it is to install the PVC frame inside the jet pack. Do any of you go without doing it?

Also, where do you get the dowel rod to hold the thrusters at? Is this just a wooden dowel that I can buy at a place like Home Depot or Lowes?

The PVC frame is extremely helpfull in the ABS/styrene jet packs for making it rigid.It also provides a place in which to hook the connector straps since the plastic body would never be strong enough.If you follow the tutorial on OB1's acadamy site for jet pack construction,you can't go wrong. It provided me with everything I needed to assemble my jet pack,and it was rock solid.There are some places during construction that leave room for improvisation,but you can mostly follow it to the letter.Good luck


Steve

I never used the pvc form inside mine and it's quite sturdy. It all depends on how you put it together...

I found a wooden dowel at a local hardware store for a couple of bucks. No biggie.

No PVC here either. Then again my JP is FG. I attached my straps to the wooden dowel rod and fed them up through the back cover near the top. I ran long wood screws through the thrusters and directly into the dowel rod. I tried just gluing them on at first and one came loose on me at C2. No problems since I added the screws. You can cover the screw heads with bondo or putty and paint right over them.

"If you follow the tutorial on OB1's acadamy site for jet pack construction, you can't go wrong. "

Steve.... Actually, not to toot my own horn, but that PVC frame that is on Obi wans site is the one I designed and made for for my Bradley pack back in 99.
Thanks for finding it useful.

mcabrera1275.... Is it necessary? absolutly not, can you get by without it? probably.
I will tell you this however, it will give a solid place to anchor your harness straping system to and it is the main reason why I designed it the way it is. If you just use the back plastic to mount your pack harness system it will put lot of undo stress on the plastic and "possibly" fail. That would not be pretty. :p

It dosn't put any "real" additional weight on the pack if thats what is worrying you, my bradley pack only weighed 12lbs with it's frame, my new fiberglass pack weighs 15 lbs.
It is also really cheap and easy to make and install. too many +++++ not to use it.

Bradley put the wooden dowl in my kit when I got mine 3 years ago. I think mine was 1", you can get it any good hardware or craft store.

If you have any questions feel free to email me at lnlbar@epix.net or post here, I'll be glad to help.
HTH,
Lynn

I'm in the process of building the PVC frame. It was really inexpensive. Under $12 for everything. Plus I can tell that this will really be the "skeleton" of the structure which will allow stress to be removed from all parts of the styrene.

Instead of using a wooden dowel, I used the remaining portion of my 5' PVC pipe. Its 3/4" in diameter for anyone looking to get one too.

I used that frame also (thanks Lynn ) from OJA and did the same thing with using the left over pvc for my thrusters.

Ok, I finally got my tube. How is everyone securing it into the JP, glue, epoxy, etc?

Does anyone have any pics of the exposed view into their JP before the back was put on?

I just used 5min epoxy,but any dirivitive of an epoxy would do fine.

Steve

Make sure to leave room at the bottom of the pvc.For the wood dowel that holds your thrusters.If your useing wood dowel.

At what stage and what method are you using to secure the 3" PVC barrel into your JP? Are you clamping it, glueing it, both? It would be a disaster if after complete, it came loose!!!

I'm using a product that in Australia is known as "liquid nails" by a company called "Sellys".
Don't know if you've got it over there, but CRIKEY it's good stuff.

Yeah, here we've got liguid nails. Comes in a gold-ish tube right?

Agree, Liquid Nails is the way to go, just stay away for the Liquid Hammer.

When I built my "Two Ton" jet pack, I used PVC tubes. I mounted them on a piece of 1/2 in plywood with some deck screws. I then took cardboard and made some stencils for the pointed rectangular pieces that surround the two tubes on either side of the jet pack. Once I had all these pieces made, I cut them out of 1/8 in plywood and held them onto the PVC tubes with screws. I then covered each joint with fiberglass. I could then remove all the screws and pull out the PVC tube. After that, I cut the PVC tube down so only the top and bottom portion were showing (to save on weight ... like it helped!) Once I had these pieces of PVC back in place I held them in with some screws, countersunk the screw heads into the 1/2in plywood and covered them over with bondo. The only problem I had was getting the fiberglass to stick to the plywood. I solved that problem by scoring the plywood, taking some fiberglass resin and diluting it with some acetone and brushing on a few coats into the plywood. The last layer was only resin, then I could lay on the fiberglass without it pulling free. Hope this helps!

fettcicle- I believe you when you say "two-ton" . But, that thing has got to be rock solid.

Use liquid nails and score/scuff the areas of the pvc you are glueing.

Yes!, and it feels like it is filled with rocks too!

I think you may have gotten me wrong. I have an ABS Bradely jet pack and an about to attach the 3" PVC tobe into it which is the support for the missle. Rather than just place it in, I want to somehow secure it into the JP so it doesn't slide around, and put pressure in the vent and bottom of the JP.

Should I just glue it in or clamp it????

OH, screws, use some screws with some liquid nails. Drill a pilot hole, and use some sheet metal screws. If the tube feels secure enough, you can remove the screws, if it wobles without them, then just put the screws back in. Just a suggestion.

Screw it through the outside? Won't the screws show?

Small correction, you have a styrene Bradley jet pack not an ABS one. My oh my I would be so envious if anyone had an ABS jet pack.

Bob, at least you are way ahead of me in the progess of your jet pack. I'm still at the stage where I am epoxy-puttying the seams along the jp body.

Jedi-Bob..... My first pack was a Bradley, I found no need to screw or glue the PVC tube in the main body...... mine fit REALLY snug in the body and with the PVC frame (If you choose to use one) installed, and the body cavity filled with the foam, it wasn't going or moving anywhere....
My .02.....
Lynn