The Dawn Flyer's Club House

[Dylan Reynolds LaserCraft Services]

I know I keep harping on about the 200% version, so this time I'm going to be different and go in the complete opposite direction, does this model not lend itself to a depron build that can be used for indoor?

[AJ]

Putting the finishing touches on my DF now and it occurred to me that a pair of dummy exhaust manifolds stuck on the sides might add a bit of character. Any suggestions for how to make these please, probably 4 or 6 ports per side perhaps? It might not be genuine ic but at least it can look like it is.

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

Carved from balsa would probably be the simplest way Andrew.

BEB

[WOETC (Rob)]

I made mine from appropriately sized PVC tubing. Bit busy at the moment but give me an hour and I'll post some photos and explain how I did it. Cheers, Rob

[WOETC (Rob)]

OK Andrew, I used PVC tubing of about 4.5mm dia on my original DF and 6mm on the larger 1.5 scale one. this type of tubing should by available from your LHS (at least it is here in Oz).

Some time ago I also picked up a set of K&S bending springs (these are from the people that do all the brass and ali tubing in the hobby stores).

Select the one that best fits inside your PVC tubing

Gently heat the area you want to bend (careful, it doesn't take much). While still warm, quickly bend a smooth right angle and hold until it cools. It takes a bit of practice to avoid distorting around the bend but whilst still soft (or heat lightly again if necessary) you can normally roll any rough spots out between your fore-finger and thumb (gloves needed maybe)? In any case, bent pipes aren't always perfectly formed in the real world).

Cut another piece long enough for the 2nd cylinder and using a round file profile the end so as it will butt up against the main pipe.

Select another piece of tube (or dowel, brass, ali or whatever) that is a close internal fit and cut off a small length. This will provide a stud to strengthen the joint between the short section and the main pipe. Drill a pilot into the main pipe and then open it out to the diameter of the joining stud.

A dab of epoxy and voila. repeat for as many cylinders as you require. A lick of paint - I used a mix of Humbrol gunmetal and copper and didn't stir them too much.

My 1) original and 2) scaled up models.

Still have some details to complete on the larger one - a hinge along the top of the litho-plate cowl, cut the axle stubs off, apply some colour to the prop (I use a broad brown permanent marker and find that drawing long strokes from hub to tip does a good rendition of woodgrain - see the 2nd to last photo).

Hope this helps. Cheers, Rob

[AJ]

Thanks Rob, that looks exactly like what I was thinking of. Will give it a go tonight.

On another matter, how did you get the grill in behind the prop? I have been trying to figure this one for a while, seems to me it needs to be fitted before the motor, but then of course you can't get the motor in or get at any of the fixings.

Andrew

[Lindsay Todd]

Excellent woetc - time to scale up the original and thoughts for the next. Linds

[WOETC (Rob)]

Thanks Lindsay - I maidened the large one last Sunday by the way. Plenty of power in the E-Flite Power 46 - able to cruise around nicely on about 1/3 throttle. Needed to add a heap of right aileron trim so I only flew it once. Tracked the problem down to 2deg of unintended wash in (I presume that's the opposite to wash out) on the right wing. I'd say I caused this when I was tightening up the SolarTex. Managed to twist it out so hope to give it a good wring out this weekend.

Andrew - I definitely wanted to put a grill in but how to do so puzzled me for a long time until one day out of the blue I had an epiphany. It's all very simple and photos will reveal all. But for now its very late here in Sydney so will have to wait till the morning, wherupon I will reveal all. Just a clue, if you haven't already glued the nose block to FC, don't. Cheers, Rob

[David Tweddle]

I will place order for wood packs next week.

Start date 01/10/2014 (If I can see/cut straight)...

woetc I love the exhaust, I was thinking; Brake Pipe Bundy tube...

David

[AJ]

Well I now have a suitable exhaust pipe. I don't have any bending springs like yours Rob, my smallest spring is 15mm, used for bending copper pipes when plumbing!

A bit of old snake outer did the trick and I used a short length of 1mm insulated copper wire inside it instead of a spring. The wire od is fairly close to the id of the snake outer. First one got too hot and melted but second go worked fine. Once bent I have left the wire in place to use as a fixing peg.

Now to have another look at that front grill. Unfortunately I have already fitted the front nose block. I have managed to shape the hole so I can just fiddle the motor in and out so I can remove it if needed. Perhaps I should have made the whole nose piece removable?

Thanks,

Andrew

[WOETC (Rob)]

Andrew, sorry about the mystery but it was quite late here and I'd locked up the workshop/hangar for the night when I read your post. As you've probably gathered, I made my nose detachable. It's held in place with small (6mm dia x 1mm thick) rare earth magnets (such as those specified by Lindsay to hold the bottom hatch in place).. These are available very cheaply on eBay (I think I paid about AU$7 for 100).

• Firstly, I made the nose/grill frame from 6mm balsa - slightly oversize. I then glued a number of the magnets to each corner and top centre of FC.

• Once dry, I pressed the balsa frame hard against the magnets in order to create impressions in the balsa at each magnet location.
• I then used a sharpened 6mm brass tube to cut blind holes just over 2mm deep (put a piece of masking tape on the tube at the correct depth). In most cases the core of balsa came out with the tube but you may have to dig them out a bit with a modelling knife.

• A second magnet is then glued into the holes (I generally wipe a face of the magnet on a piece of sandpaper and use medium CA glue and have never had one come off of any hatches I've made). Make sure you get the magnet polarity correct!!!!!!!!
• The magnets glued to FC act as dowels to key the nose ring exactly. Magnets are so strong that you need to prize the nose of carefully so as not to snap the balsa.

• I then sanded the nose ring to the correct profile whilst in place, glued some 3mm sq battens to support the grill flush with the rear and glued the grill in place (with a suitable cutout for the prop hub) with dabs of silicone. Sometime ago I spotted the grill material (300mmx300mm sheets perforated aluminium ) in the craft section of our local $2 shop (would that be a "£" shop over there?) so I bouht about a dozen packs.

Hope its all clear. As you can see below, when finished you'd never know it wasn't a permanent fixture.

Cheers, Rob

[GrumpyGnome]

I thought this thread was goingy to be for loonies like me that like to fly early ih the morning. Du-oh!

That sure is a pretty plane WOETC........

GG

[AJ]

Like it.

Well mine is just about ready to roll now but with the storm forcast this weekend I don't think it will get it's maiden for a few days. Hmm.. that razor saw is beckoning... Could there be time?

A.

[WOETC (Rob)]

Well, here they are

Sorry about the shadow

Cheers, Rob

[Dylan Reynolds LaserCraft Services]

Very nice Rob, certainly does lend itself to a larger scale, did you say that one was +50%?

[Vecchio Austriaco]

Started this weekend with some building - and would like to give a quick hint to the people building from the laser cut parts. The former no 4 - which is the last one on the rear end off the fuss - the width is probably 2 to 3 mm too small - not only that there is some bending moment when you glue the fuss together - there is also a follow up problem as the rear part - when built over the plan - will not fit to the fuselage (it is 3 mm too wide).

Also former no 4 needs to be tilted - approximately 30 deg - to allow the wing support to go into its position.

And have a look at the plate which will hold the wing in position - lets call it wing plate - it is the 3mm lightply part with the hole in the middle - the plan doesn't show clearly where it goes - and according to my opinion you have to file down the sideplates of the fuselage to allow the wing plate to be flush with the top edge of the fuselage before you glue in the wing support strips.

Just wanted to send this note if somebody decided not to go to work today because of the weather conditions and starts a build instead... I live and work in Milton Keynes - so no excuse for me

Some pictures showing the problem better than I can describe it verbally will be added in the evening.

VA, finally starting to do something....

Edited By Vecchio Austriaco on 28/10/2013 10:10:32

[John Fontana]

Vecchio,

I have had exactly the same problem. I built the rear fuselage on the plan and found it too wide to fit on the front fuselage. I had to cut out the widest cross piece, shorten it and re-glue. I hope this is not going to make for problems later. I also found the front of the fuselage when glued onto the formers splayed out at the front a little such that former fc was too narrow. I had assumed it was my building skill as a novice. Maybe it is, but I had to shape another former fc to fit.

I'm not sure what you mean about the wing plate so will look forward to seeing the pics. I have just glued in the wing support strips....

[Vecchio Austriaco]

John,

The wing plate has to be glued in below the wing support. Means before you glue in the wing support. It would have been useful to make the necessary cut-out into the laser cut piece. But as it is not clearly shown in the plan the people making the cad drawing for the laser cutter didn't notice it. Also I have glued the wing support strips in - and now I have the funny job to cut out the material below to get the wing plate in....

I hope you have seen that you have to grind the edges of the fuselage side level before glueing in the wing support.

It is not your skill level - the former is too small. By the way - I cured it in the same way as you did. I don't expect any problems from that.

I have to say with several people building and showing their progress as well as sharing the little problems here in the forum we should be able to get the bird flying!

VA, lunch break department

[David Tweddle]

Thanks VA. Now what to order any help please I do have the plan and mag...

David

[Vecchio Austriaco]

By the way - the part I called wing plate is originally called fuselage wing bolt fixing plate. Sorry for that - the Austrians sometimes simplifying things...

Looked into Dylan's thread, he did not glue in the wing plate, he did not glue in the wing support strips, so for him is still time to file the aperture for the wing plate into the right place.

Looked into Lindsays original thread - he did glue in the wing plate in a very late stage - so I suppose also he had some problems with it and had to make some holes after he glued on the wing support. But he has an excuse, as this was the prototype - small improvements of the design during the build are normal and make it easier for the next generations of builders....

David: I was lazy, did buy the laser cut set plus additional wood pack, so far the problems described were the only problem. Didn't' buy the electric set as I have grounded enough models in the past to have a good collection of engines. Found an old Turnigy with 200W (300W peak), which should do the job. This engine is probably on the weak side, but we have here an oldtimer and I don't want even to come into temptation to make a vertical climb...

end of break - more tonight. VA

[John Fontana]

When you have chance, Vecchio, could you post a pic of the wingplate. If this needs to be placed beneath the wing strips, I have some cutting to do as well. In the RCM&E article, Lindsay talks of glueing the strips in level and then packing the gap between the strip and the outer side of the fuselage with scrap balsa.

[David Tweddle]

Ditto that John and Thanks VA , I was thinking the same (laser cut set plus additional wood pack).

Still thinking about the power train pack but could not find it, I will look again when I have the money.

David with one eye on the inbox.

[Plummet]

A question...

I would guess that the laser cut set will be wing ribs, fuselage formers etc.

What is in the additional wood pack? Is it just sheet material that I may already have in stock, or is it perhaps a superbly chosen set of sticks and sheet of exactly the perfect hardness?

Plummet

[John Fontana]

Plummet,

It's dfificult to be sure since my additional wood pack came in the same box as the laser cut set. In addition to the parts you outlined in your post, there is hardwood for the undercarriage, servo platforms, ply bracing triangles, sheeting, lots of lengths of balsa of different thicknesses and width, some wedge shaped balsa and some dowelling. Don't know if this helps?

[Vecchio Austriaco]

Just came home and have not much energy in taking pictures. Means short delay. Add. wood pack: yes, sheeting material, square and rectangular bals stock. Saves me going to Ali and to buy stuff I don't need

Happens sometimes that I leave Al's hobbies with much more than I wanted...

VA, today tired.