Beeza

My Feedback: (1)

I'm building a Schoolmaster from original plans. This plane is completely sheeted with 1/16' balsa, fuselage and wings. When I built one 30+ years ago, I just doped it and added a little color trim. The balsa looks great and I'd really like it to show if I can.

What do you guys out there recommend? Doping again like before? Is dope still around?
I'm just interested in fuel-proofing the plane.

I'd also like to build it pretty light. I plan on using a Black Widow. I have a couple old Ace throttle sleeves so that ought to work. I do have a light radio set. A friend recommended using a built-up stab like on the plans, but not sheeting it. Also a Cox Texaco and a 7x3 prop. I'd welcome all other ideas out there.

Beeza

Fravits

Hi Beeza!

Some thirty-five years ago there was a free flighter who called himself Conway the One-armed Guy, who flew out at the Sepulveda Basin in Los Angeles. His disability (one and a half fingers missing on the other arm, too) wasn't an issue, because he could weild an X-Acto knife better than most of us with two hands. He had a Schoolmaster finished in clear dope with orange stripes down the sides and orange tips on the flying surfaces. A lot of sanding and rubbing went into that plane and you could see yourself in the reflection off the wing. All that dope gave the plane a nice, warm, honey-like glow. It was one of the best sport FF ships out there.

If your LHS doesn't carry dope (what is the world coming to?), any good aircraft supply house should carry it, maybe in larger quantities than you might want, but it does store well and is a better bargan than those little bottles of AeroGloss. You might want to add a few drops of pastisizer into the mix. Butyrate tends to warp thin sheeting over the long run.

I built my Schoolmaster about the same time, but added a few twists. I cut out most of the sheeting on the wings, stab and fuse, capping ribs with 1/16 stips as needed. Moved the gear around for a tailwheel configuration and stuck the stab up on top a redesigned rudder for a nifty-looking T tail. Up front, a Babe Bee was used for motivation, twisting a Topflite 6x3 wood prop. The engine was mounted inverted and was fully cowled. The plane was finished in transparent orange Monokote and it really lit up the sky when the sun hit it. Can't remember the weight, but she was fairly light and had a great glide. I still have a lot of the parts and might have her back in the air this summer. Hope you have as much fun with yours as I did with mine.

Post pics.

Reid

BobHH

My Feedback: (18)

Beeza, dope is still available throught Sig and Brodak. All of my Ken Willard designed models are finished out in clear dope and color trim. Unfortunatelly it is not fuel proof up to the 35% fuel we use for the 1/2A engines. What I have used in the past is finish the model in dope and add a clear coat of Lustracoat over everything. Many of the models below have this method and have been flying for years. I plan to finish my School Master prototype the same way!!

Bob Harris

Beeza

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks guys. It would have been great to talk with Conway and hear more of his methods.
I flew free flight when I was in HS and there was that or control line. I spent a lot of time chasing planes too---I chased almost as many with Ace single channel r/c! I think it's cool that old time free flight now carries r/c. At least you're not going to loose your investment.

One of THE BEST F/Fs I saw was a 25 cent kite with a long tail and a reed .049 with downthrust. One launch and we never saw it again. All the time we spent building models and the kite went o.o.sight the first time out.

Beeza

buzzard bait

Bob, that's a very interesting finishing method. I assume you are using nitrate dope, and then the Lustercoat on top of that, right? Is that to avoid the everlasting shrinkage of butyrate?

I had a wonderful time with the two Schoolmasters I built, the first from a kit and the second from scratch (with conventional built up wing covered with Micafilm). Yes, the glide was just a delight! The swiveling, banded on gear was very forgiving when I was learning to fly. Jeez, all this talk is making me want another one!

Jim

BobHH

My Feedback: (18)

Yes, Jim I use nitrate over the wood to keep from warping the surfaces. I have used Butyrate but again you must paint the same amount on both side or it will warp. My only attempt with a School Master was years ago when I was 10 or 11 years old. Built it up and put a singel channel escapement in it. Destroyed it on the first flight attempt! The prototype will have 3 channel for testing but I still have a single channel escapement waiting for the next one. Just have to conquer that ghost!! I have been able to pickup a NIB kit so the re-design has not been to hard.

Bob Harris

50+AirYears

I've used the throttle sleeves on a couple Cox 049s, and it seems the plane better be very light. One was the old Ace sleeve, and one was on the Cox Dragonfly engine. They definetly restrict the engine top end. They do provide a significant speed reduction at idle, though.

digital_trucker

I always liked Pactra Aerogloss..that was nitrate, I believe.

50+AirYears

Aero Gloss actually was a Butyrate, I believe. Nitrate dopes are not fuel-proof. Of course, I remember trying Testors dope on a couple occassions, which was also supposed to be a fuel-proof butyrate, and having it wash off in one or two engine runs, even after drying for a week.

Fravits

I'll second that, 50+. Aerogloss is butyrate and fuel proof. I haven't used or even seen Testor's dope for years, but I did try it once after a Testors rep handed me a pint of metalic purple to try out (wonder why?). I did up the fuse and tail of a Jim Walker Firebird ukie with it and it seemed to stand up well to Cox Blue Can. Of course, that was just one instance and, as they say, results may vary!

Reid

digital_trucker

I stand corrected. I'm looking real hard at trying out Nelson paint instead of messing with dope these days.

50+AirYears

Up until sometime in the 70s, I had excellent results with Aerogloss. Then EPA stepped in on a lot of the manufacturers, and AG seemed to loose it's gloss, and I started noticing that some of the colors, white especially, would develop surface cracks after about 6 months. I have still have good results from Randolph's, Perfect, Sig, Lustre Coat, and Rustoleum. I did try AG's Formula U, and Coverite's Red Baron, and have thrown both of the assortments I bought out without using up what was left.

mylamo

My Feedback: (1)

I liked the old Aero Gloss until they made the
Pactra logo more prominent on the cans, don't
remember when that was but it seemed that
they quit using plastisizer and it didn't fill as well.
How would Varathane gloss work as a clear
coat on Solar Tex? Is it fuel proof?
Ralph