What is a nose cone for a model rocket?
Most model rockets have a nose cone that is either a solid block
of balsa wood, or a hollow plastic shell. Some rockets require that
a small amount of weight be added to the front end of the rocket to
make it fly in a stable (straight) manner. In these rockets, nose
weight is often added inside of hollow nose cones - common material
for weight is a small blob of modelling clay or a solid blob of
glue. When nose weight needs to be added to a rocket with a solid
balsa nose cone, it is common to add a small metal washer to the
bottom end of the nose cone (which will end up inside the body tube
when the rocket is assembled.) The amount of nose weight needed in
the size rockets commonly sold in hobby stores is usually between 0
and 20 grams.