"New" Old builder

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"New" Old builder

Postby Balsa Pilot » Wed Mar 25, 2015 11:50 am

Greetings to all of you.

My name is Henry. I live in eastern Ontario, Canada, and have finally returned to my favourite hobby of building balsa aircraft, after approximately 25 years. This is a hobby inherited from my uncle, who was an old single channel RC'er. But, he had the benefit of using materials I don't have access to.

Things have most definitely changed, and while things are pretty good, the changes aren't all for the better. (Having recently retired many of you will no doubt agree). I find after consulting with my local hobby shop, model airplane dope and dope thinners are no longer available. As the recommended alternative is a glue like mixture
(called "MOD-PODGE" believe it or not,, thinned 50-50) for covering, this doesn't present an issue as covering takes place as normal. I have always "wet-covered" and achieved good results. Painting the aircraft most definitely DOES present significant issues. When I have tried to paint (with Tamiya Lacquer) the fabric/new paint dries sagged and un-taught, ruining a nice covering job. This is my first issue.

From some of the pictures i have seen on this, and the Guillow's site, there are many of you who have already figured this one out. Respect to all folks, some of these are trulybeautiful works of high quality passion. Is there a sealer or a dope like paint i can use after having sealed the aircraft with this water soluble stuff that wont ruin my covering efforts??? Or, is there an alternative to "Mod-Podge that I can use to seal the skin of the aircraft?

Also, on the topic of appearances, Guillow's decals are consistently giving me a hard time. They fall off, peel off, wont stick to cowlings, rip,and are generally impractical. Is there a solution to this problem? The sheet directions have been followed religiously.

Next, if the is aircraft covered, and I want to paint the model,is there a practical method of masking for straight lines for the length of the fuselage, or the span of the wings, without tearing the covering? Up to this point I've been using the tissue from Guillows in the plastic bag (not the kit supplied stuff). I don't want to try free hand and waste the covering labour, and I'm afraid of tape tearing the paper. This is, of course, assuming there is a way to seal the covering, so it doesn't sag like a full babies' diaper when I try to apply paint.

Having finished the Piper Cherokee-301, and the 305 laser cut DHC-2 Beaver and float combination, I'm ready to try another , possibly the Cessna 150 Commuter. All of these are intended to fly, and as soon as the weather improves to show some grass, the test gliding process will start. Until then, I am content with the "Flying Machine and Strato-Streak", plus gliders to keep the flying bug at bay. A previous incarnation of the Piper-Cub (16" wing), achieved about 30 seconds with kit rubber, in winter. ( it had really cool custom skiis). I know there is plenty to learn, and any suggestions would be very gratefully received. From what I've seen, and read, many of you are very much more experienced and have a great way of putting suggestions out there.

Does anyone know of a model club/free flight rubber group in the Belleville, Ontario area?
Last question (for now)- how does one put up pictures on this site?
Thanks in advance for your experience and consideration. It will be a pleasure working with you.
Balsa Pilot
 
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Re: "New" Old builder

Postby Billy Mc » Wed Mar 25, 2015 7:19 pm

Welcome, I have a 301 in the closet, but haven't been able to start it.
Billy
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Re: "New" Old builder

Postby Coloradoken » Wed Mar 25, 2015 8:14 pm

Uploading a digital picture is done by clicking on the "upload attachment" tap at the bottom left, click on "choose file",select the pix (there are size limits), and then click the (add file) tab. You may have to play with it a bit as to cropping, file size, etc. Don't forget to hit the "submit" tab when you are ready to drop it in the electronic mailbox.
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Re: "New" Old builder

Postby Balsa Pilot » Thu Mar 26, 2015 9:26 am

thanks guys -
BillyMc- its nice to be here

Coloradken: the info is appreciated, and with a little luck there will be some pix to show

I'm still looking for a safe way to mask wings and fuselage for painting that won't tear the paper. Any suggestions?
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Re: "New" Old builder

Postby John G Jedinak » Thu Mar 26, 2015 11:57 am

Go to big box store and buy blue painters tape. Be sure to triple check adhesion factor. You do not want a "strong" adhesion factor.
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Re: "New" Old builder

Postby Balsa Pilot » Fri Mar 27, 2015 1:47 pm

Thanks to : J Jedinak, appreciated. I'll check that tomorrow as well. Someone else responded by saying to try removeable tape by Scotch and of all things "Post it Notes". I checked and these come in sizes up to 15" square, which will do just fine, as my max wingspan for free flight rubber is 30".

Have a great day all, Regards H
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Re: "New" Old builder

Postby John G Jedinak » Fri Mar 27, 2015 5:52 pm

Balsa Pilot: I might add, use your finger nail or something to burnish/smooth down the tape edge. Also always AVOID, as much as possible, stroking paint into the tape seam. As much as possible, flow light strokes of paint parallel into the tape seam. FWTW!!!!
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Re: "New" Old builder

Postby David Lewis » Sat Mar 28, 2015 10:40 am

Some people brush a thin coat of clear paint over the edge of the tape to seal it and prevent paint from seeping underneath. Good building surfaces are a birch drafting board, a hollow core door with cosmetic damage, or butcher block style laminated wood shelving from the hardware store. None of these surfaces easily accept pins so they're better suited for building with magnets.
Last edited by David Lewis on Sun Apr 12, 2015 12:13 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: "New" Old builder

Postby Balsa Pilot » Sun Mar 29, 2015 10:33 am

Good morning to all!!

Being retired and of a mature(lol) 58 yrs this all seems to be a pretty steep learning curve. I'm reading Jim Ross' book "Rubber Powered Model Airplanes". After the first construction he states: " a building board is now a requirement". Is the Guillow's building board a good one or are there better alternatives? Their little pamphlet states they have two sizes available. Is one better than the other? Why?

JJ thanks for the tip but FWTW ? Whats that?

DL thanks also for the tip I'll try it!

Mitch : If you don't mind a question or two? I was going through a couple of your old posts, and in some of the shots of your working on an FW-190, it seemed you were lightening the tail surfaces, and also of note were the hollowed out wing ribs. What is the tool you use to hollow out frames for weight savings? Also the apparent consistency of the work suggests a jig to hold the tool, and or the work, or is your work free-hand? Or, do you have a recommendation(s) to look at? It seems time to ramp up the build quality/weight savings and your work is a good example.The quality of your workmanship in the photos is a level to aspire to. Nicely done.

Thanks again to all for your comments and patience-
Have a great day. Keep the blue side up!
Henry
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Re: "New" Old builder

Postby John G Jedinak » Sun Mar 29, 2015 10:55 am

BP....First of all your "maturity" pales compared to my 82!!!!! FWTW = "For What it is worth". For a building board I went to a big box store and bought a ceiling tile with a smooth surface. Works like a charm for me...... :-)
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Re: "New" Old builder

Postby prototypesplus » Sun Apr 05, 2015 11:22 am

Hi Balsa Pilot,
Congratulations on being able to retire at 58...I wish when the time comes.
I have the large Guillow building board, 48 inch long. It comes in great for larger models. It is all balsa and easy to pin to. I have actually covered one side with a sheet of clear lucite for when I need a moveable hard surface to work on. I like it a lot. The only difference I believe between the two is the size.
Regarding painting. I use 50-50 elmers and water to secure the silkspan to the framing. I then use this same mixture to paint all the surfaces about three times with a light sanding as needed in between. There is a little sagging when this is done, but will tighten up when it dries. This should give it a good base for when you paint. I use enamel paints and have never had an issue with 'paint sag' and this method. My models have been all display, so if you are flying these and the weight is an issue you may experiment with just one coat and see what happens. Also check out Virtual Aerodrome ( http://virtualaerodrome.com/?p_menu=1 ) for build photos and lots of good techniques and advice.
Regards, PTPlus
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