Lucas Hofman Posted April 11, 2020 Author Share Posted April 11, 2020 How does one feel after one has glued the bottom without having mounted the pushrods first? Exactly. Happily the glue had not set yet.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Hofman Posted April 11, 2020 Author Share Posted April 11, 2020 And now in the correct order: Cheers, Lucas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Ballinger Posted April 12, 2020 Share Posted April 12, 2020 We all have those moments ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Hofman Posted April 12, 2020 Author Share Posted April 12, 2020 I like this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Hofman Posted April 14, 2020 Author Share Posted April 14, 2020 Serious shaping... Any language this sounds better? And the result. I did use templates to check how far to plane and sand. I used a plane first on 45 degrees. Thereafter 120 grit paper on a block, 180 grit on a block and 180 on a sanding swamp and finished with 240 loose in the hand. Very smooth now. Regards, Lucas Edited By Lucas Hofman on 14/04/2020 21:27:16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Nash 1 Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 I don't think I've ever used my balsa plane so much before. I've built the Provost, now halfway through the Gnat. Got the fuselage all planed / sanded, fitted intakes and planed / sanded. Just planed the wings to profile ready for sanding. It's looking great now it is starting to take shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dickw Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 That pile of wood shavings looks familiar - and the sanding is another legitimate use for face masks! Dick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Hofman Posted April 17, 2020 Author Share Posted April 17, 2020 When a kit has so few parts one has to build slow to make the fun last: Here the rib jigs from SLEC came in handy. Lucas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Hofman Posted April 17, 2020 Author Share Posted April 17, 2020 Not everyone builds as slow as I do: However, he has not sanded the fuselage yet and I think he is going to regret glueing the air intakes to the fuselage before sanding. Lucas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Hofman Posted April 20, 2020 Author Share Posted April 20, 2020 A few little steps further: By the way, has anybody made the fan removal hatch? I was thinking it may better be postponed until the fan actually needs removal. Cheers, Lucas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Roberts 9 Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 Hi Lucas, I am enjoying your build blog, thanks for taking the time to post it My Gnat is a few steps behind yours. Next step is to attach the nose block and start sanding. Keep up the good work! John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Ballinger Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 Lucas, I never bothered with a fan hatch. If surgery is required so be it, I have a saw and a knife! Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Hofman Posted April 22, 2020 Author Share Posted April 22, 2020 Top and bottom sheeting on the intakes in place: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Hofman Posted April 23, 2020 Author Share Posted April 23, 2020 It is starting to look like a jet fuselage: Note tape used to prevent the sanding block making scratches in the already sanded parts of the fuselage. Cheers, Lucas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan h Posted April 23, 2020 Share Posted April 23, 2020 Looking very good lucas. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Hofman Posted April 24, 2020 Author Share Posted April 24, 2020 Trial fitting of the tail, including "tape hinges": Now the wing has to be fitted. Did you glue the winghalfs together before mounting in the fuselage or did you put each half in seperatly and glued "in place"? Regards, Lucas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dickw Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 I glued the joiner into one half of the wing then installed the two halves separately and glued them together "in place". Worked OK for me. Dick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Ballinger Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 Lucas, Provided the dry run on the bench and a trial fit is good the gluing in place is easy. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Hofman Posted April 26, 2020 Author Share Posted April 26, 2020 Best to finish all work on the fuselage first before fitting the wings. To take a hacksaw and point it at a nicely sanded fuselage it not my cup ot tea. But it ended well: A latch at the back does not look good to me: the "bridge" of balse between the hatch and the cheat hole has the fibres the wrong way to take any force outwards, which the latch will do. So it will be magnets at the aft corners for me. Tomorow fitting of the wings! Cheers, Lucas Edited By Lucas Hofman on 26/04/2020 17:14:05 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Hofman Posted April 27, 2020 Author Share Posted April 27, 2020 Milestone! The wings are in place. Now it starts to look like an airplane! Cheers, Lucas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Ballinger Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 And hooking your finger through the cheat hole to push out the hatch attached with magnets makes life really easy. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Hofman Posted April 30, 2020 Author Share Posted April 30, 2020 This part I always enjoy: i made the rudder horns from 1mm ply. Mostly to save weight, but also because it look better seen from the top (no plastic clumps on the moving parts) Cheers, Lucas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dickw Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 Posted by Lucas Hofman on 30/04/2020 10:11:19: This part I always enjoy: ................. i made the rudder horns from 1mm ply. Mostly to save weight, but also because it look better seen from the top (no plastic clumps on the moving parts) ................... Cheers, Lucas It's looking good now, and yes I did the same with the horns. In my case I had some 1mm glass/epoxy board and it seems quite solid once installed with the bonus of nothing visible seen from the top. Dick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Hofman Posted May 1, 2020 Author Share Posted May 1, 2020 Finished with the bottom, on to the top. All tailsurfaces are in place now. A little tension was needed to have the fin exactly upright: The radius of the turtledeck behind the cockpit is quite small, and I noticed on Tony's foto's a split in the balsa. As a preparation I wetted the balsa with ammoniak and warm water and bended i around a kit cartridge. I will do the same tomorrow with something with a slightly smaller radius so it will glue on the former and tail without too much tension: Cheers, Lucas Edited By Lucas Hofman on 01/05/2020 05:45:40 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan h Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 looking very nice lucas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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