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Construction Ideas, Hints and Tips For all the builders out there. Ask questions, make suggestions, trade tips. |
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02-20-2005, 12:55 PM | #1 |
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Building Tips
What do you guys use to lay on your workbench when putting together your kits for the T-pins to stick in??? I use styrofoam...lol.
Do you put your kits together directly on the plans or try without doing that??? I put it together on my plans...lol again... Thanks. |
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02-20-2005, 02:53 PM | #2 | |
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Re: Building Tips
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First of all you have to make sure that you have a perfectly flat and strong building surface, like your work bench. Then what I do is go down to the lumber store and buy a 2' X 4' ceiling tile. NOT the foam ones, but one of the tiles that looks like compressed paper. Lay it flat on your workbench. Next I lay my plans out on the ceiling tile exposing the area of the plane that you want to work on, such as the right wing, for example! Then I cover that section of the plans with waxed paper, overlapping the seams. You can buy this from any grocery store. Now you are ready to start building. The ceiling tile holds the pins perfectly and snuggly. Now, when you pin and start glueing parts together, the glue will not get on the plans and the finished wing is easily removed from the waxed paper. Your plans stay looking like new, exceipt for the tiny holes from the pins, but thats not a problem. Throw the used waxed paper away and start again on the next section you want to build, repeating the above procedure! The ceiling tile is fairily cheep to purchase, will last indefinitely and makes a great surface to pin to! NOTE: If the ceiling tile is warped a bit, you may have to leave it laying on the bench for a day or two to flaten out.
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02-20-2005, 04:37 PM | #4 |
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I use the wax paper idea but never tried a door or a ceiling tile. I have easy access to ceiling tiles to, what a coinsidence, I work doing construction and get free tiles and other stuff all the time if I want it. Thanks for the tips. Any other suggestions from anyone out there??? What type of glue do you guys use??? Do you use your sanding block a lot??? Just a few more questions to see if what I am doing is right...lol. Thanks guys.
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02-20-2005, 07:39 PM | #5 | |
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Re: Building Tips
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Where did you go to get one ceiling tile? I tried both Home Depot and Rona a couple of weeks ago and they both would only sell them in bundles of 5 and 10. I also use wax paper as I find the CA doesn't stick to it as well.
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02-20-2005, 07:53 PM | #6 |
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I use the kitchen table and 1/2 inch drywall. I do not like the soft springy feeling of the ceiling tiles
The drywall holds the pins very well and when its time to eat I can set it up against the wall it's also great for writing on, noting changes etc. You can also cut the drywall to proper lengths etc. I think ceiling tiles are a max 48inches or something ? Lots of guys doing both! |
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02-20-2005, 09:34 PM | #7 |
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I do not like the soft springy feeling of the ceiling tiles
Thats why I said to use the compressed fiber tiles and not the foam (spungy) ones. They do take a bit of pressure to push in the pins but they hold very well and strongly! Jim: I know what you mean. It seems more difficult all the time to find a store that will open a package and sell you one tile. Most small town stores will still accomodate you with just one tile. I guess you just have to shop around or buy a whole bundle and sell the remander to your friends... by the way, I'll take a couple from you Jim.. Jason, what I like to do is to set up the parts on the waxed paper and give then a shot of thin C/A and a spritz of kicker to hold them. Sort of like tacking the parts together. When everything is in place and secure, I take the part off the bench, remove the waxed paper, which should come off quite easily as the C/A doesn't stick to it too badly. Then I again go over the joints with medium C/A for a permanent strong bond. I personally think one of the most important things you can do is to sand the parts thouroughly. I have seen some guys who hardly sand at all because they feel that once it's covered, whos going to see if its sanded or not but believe me, the covering will show any tiny little bumps, dents and scratches. The better the structure is sanded the better the covering will stick and will look. Believe it or not, I do about 4 complete sandings of each part of the structure before I will add the covering. First with 100 - 120 grit paper. Then 220 grit, then 320 grit and then a final with 400 grit and even a quick going over with 600 grit paper. A lot of work yes but the finish will be well worth the extra effort, believe me! When the final sanding is done and I have gone over all the surfaces that will have covering stuck to them with a tack cloth to remove any dust particles, the wood does not feel like wood anymore, It feels almost like glass, its so smooth. If you get the foundation smooth, then the covering will look smooth, its that simple! Any dings or scratches that are too deep to sand out, fill them with a light filling compound. At the hobby store its sold under the brand name Model Magic and is about $12 for a small container. You can purchase the same material at any building supply store in a much larger tin for less than 1/3 the price at the LHS. I do not use C/A on any plywood that is to be joined in the airframe like the firewall, and the landing gear plate to mention a couple. I only use 12 minute epoxy or greater cure time epoxy. Remember the longer the cure time, the stronger the bond, as the glue has time to soak into the wood. 5 minute is ok for some things like quick repairs at the field but for structure strength I use min. of 12 minute and 30 minute epoxies! When the model is complete and ready to cover, I use 30 minute or 45 minute epoxy thinned ever so slightly with alcohol and I paint it on the firewall and inside the fuel tank compartment of a glow engine plane. I then use a heat gun to go over the painted on glue to spread it and smooth it out and it cures looking like glass! Caution: do not use too much heat or you will burn the glue, use just enough to see it thin and smooth out! Just a few more ideas of how I personally do some of the building and finishing of the planes that I build! Hope you find this info helpful!
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02-21-2005, 12:30 AM | #8 |
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Good tips Gary.
I do the thined epoxy thing but never thought about using a heatgun to get it to flow out. I guess it helps it to cure a bit faster as well.
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02-21-2005, 12:51 AM | #9 |
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Yes Jim exactly!
You have to thin it to get it to paint on nice but the heat thins it also to smooth out the bumps and it cures really fast once it cools....the finish is really just like glass and there is no way any engine oil is going to go through that into the wood. Nothing beats building your own plane from a kit. I do like that aspect of the hobby. Just wish I had more time to do it! Right now I have three planes in kit form and I have the plans and materials for two scratch builds. Two planes in ARF form, One built and ready for installations and three in various stages of completion! AND only one ready to fly!!
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02-21-2005, 02:22 AM | #10 |
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You'll find that most Home Hardware stores will sell 1 or 2 ceiling tiles, no problem. Just make sure you ask for plain smooth ones. The textured/fissured type don't hold pins as well because they are full of small openings that always seem to be right where you need to stick your pin! The compressed fibre tiles are very tough, solid and durable, also much lighter than drywall. They last longer too. (IMHO)
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