Blue Jay Dirty Birdy 60 Build.
04-13-2009, 02:19 PM
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RE: Blue Jay Dirty Birdy 60 Build.
Beautiful Blue Heads! Mine is very used, and I haven't cleaned it up yet. I also have an X25 NIB but not the BH. I'm wanting to be able to compete in SPA, so no REs on this DB.
If we're talking engines or airplanes, then I'm happy.
Thanks
Larsen
If we're talking engines or airplanes, then I'm happy.
Thanks
Larsen
04-13-2009, 06:33 PM
#27
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RE: Blue Jay Dirty Birdy 60 Build.
ORIGINAL: LaCerne
Thanks to Dave Bacque who emailed me his notes on the DB60. He's well ahead of me and has some great tips and suggestions.
I printed out his instructions, to use side by side with the Bridi instructions. Dave even numbered his notes to correspond to the Bridi instructions, making life easier for me!
Dave feel free to join in this thread with your tips along the way, the more the merrier!
Thanks to Dave Bacque who emailed me his notes on the DB60. He's well ahead of me and has some great tips and suggestions.
I printed out his instructions, to use side by side with the Bridi instructions. Dave even numbered his notes to correspond to the Bridi instructions, making life easier for me!
Dave feel free to join in this thread with your tips along the way, the more the merrier!
Glad to hear you're finding the notes helpful.
Just a note to everybody else, I am working up a set of updated instructions for this kit, the old instructions are a little unclear in places. When I get them finished I'll post them here for all to enjoy or jeer at. If anybody else starts a DB before I get the notes completed and posted, drop me a note and I'll send you what I've got so far like I did for Larsen.
Dave
04-14-2009, 06:57 AM
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RE: Blue Jay Dirty Birdy 60 Build.
Dbacque,
Thanks for the offer...
I have a Bluejay DB60 kit as well that I want to build and I find the instructions a little vague as well. I'm not ready to start building it yet so I will patiently wait for you to finish your new instructions.
LaCerne,
Keep up the great work on your DB. I'm just sitting back enjoying your thread....
Doxilla,
I don't know about Supertiger RE engines, but the Rossi 61 RE in my Dalotel as well as the NIB one I have use a spring and retainer ring to hold the header on. I was even given an extra spring and ring with my NIB one. BTW my two engines are of different vintages so Rossi probably used this method for a while.
Thanks for the offer...
I have a Bluejay DB60 kit as well that I want to build and I find the instructions a little vague as well. I'm not ready to start building it yet so I will patiently wait for you to finish your new instructions.LaCerne,
Keep up the great work on your DB. I'm just sitting back enjoying your thread....
Doxilla,
I don't know about Supertiger RE engines, but the Rossi 61 RE in my Dalotel as well as the NIB one I have use a spring and retainer ring to hold the header on. I was even given an extra spring and ring with my NIB one. BTW my two engines are of different vintages so Rossi probably used this method for a while.
04-27-2009, 01:11 PM
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RE: Blue Jay Dirty Birdy 60 Build.
Well,I hesitated to start this build thread for fear of long pauses such as this. I've put the DB on hold for a while. This warm weather has made me want to play outside. I also decided to rebuild my Aerosport 60 (stick type plane) to fly some of those 60s I tested on the bench. Hopefully I'll get back to the DB in a few months. Sorry for stretching it out, but that's just me!
Larsen
Larsen
04-27-2009, 02:41 PM
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RE: Blue Jay Dirty Birdy 60 Build.
No worries Larsen. So it goes. I have a Tipo 20 thread in "suspension" due to other projects interfering with the build. Interestingly, I have been having discussions on glass Dirty Birdies lately. I may find myself building an old vintage kit next winter - we'll see.
Dave, any notes that may enlighten this build would be most welcome!
David.
Dave, any notes that may enlighten this build would be most welcome!
David.
04-27-2009, 06:52 PM
#31
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RE: Blue Jay Dirty Birdy 60 Build.
ORIGINAL: doxilia
Dave, any notes that may enlighten this build would be most welcome!
David.
Dave, any notes that may enlighten this build would be most welcome!
David.
I've got lots of notes on Dirty Birdy construction. I just joined my wing a couple of nights ago so I've got them written up through that point.
I'll post my instruction revisions when I get them completed and have a chance to edit them. Or if anybody would like them sooner they can drop me a note and I'll forward what I've got so far. I'm not trying to hold out, I just want them done right.
Dave
05-14-2009, 03:32 PM
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RE: Blue Jay Dirty Birdy 60 Build.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredi..._gE&feat=email
Help! I need to paint and Glass my DB fuselage. I am monocoting the Wings.
Help! I need to paint and Glass my DB fuselage. I am monocoting the Wings.
05-14-2009, 08:26 PM
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RE: Blue Jay Dirty Birdy 60 Build.
Hi Darryl,
I'm not sure if you meant to send me a PM but I received one from you. I took a look at your DB. Did you acquire it already built? I'll make a couple of comments hoping they'll be of some use:
The engine bay seems like it was burned either by heat or otherwise soaked with fuel. Whatever the reason, it would be a good idea to have a bay (cowl) built with fresh wood that is fuel proofed with epoxy or resin prior to painting. You can skip the epoxy step if you plan to do a really good paint job inside the bay with fuel proof paint.
Your DB seems to be missing its canopy. For proper flight and model rendition, I'd recommend that you either build one or acquire one in fiberglass. I believe Blue Jay models may have glass canopies but one can be carved from a hollowed balsa block or from white foam.
Prior to glassing a model (the fuse and fin in this case) you want to make sure it is sanded smooth down to 400 or 600 grit. Any rough spots that you see on the fuse now will look 10 times worse once painted. Besides, a pattern ship should be sleek and smooth. If you build the canopy from balsa or foam you can glass this separately from the fuse and then fair it into the fuse, once glued, with epoxy & micro balloons. You should do this on the fuse/stab and fuse/fin junction too if you haven't already.
I would also recommend that you paint the wing center section about 1/4" beyond the glassed portion. Ideally this would coincide with the sides of the fuse. Paint on the stab should also cover the fillet area and extend a little on to the stab wood area (1/8 to 1/4 inch). You then Monokote the wings and stabs to the fuse line overlapping the paint by 1/8 to 1/4". Your wing seams ideally are concealed by the fuse on the top. All covering should be done after you've completed all the paint work.
There are many techniques for glassing a model but the simplest and most traditional would be to use 1/2-3/4 oz glass cloth and resin. You can use either epoxy resin or polyurethane. I prefer epoxy but this is a personal choice. Polyurethane sands a little more easily while epoxy has a much more pleasant smell (this matters to me). The idea is to attach the glass cloth to the wood with as little resin as possible and keep the cloth seams smooth. Typically, once the model is glassed, you would then want to fill the weave of the cloth with a mix of microballons and thinned out resin. There are many ways to do this and other materials beside microballoons and resin can be used. In some cases, you can work the microballoons into the resin by hand in other cases you can paint the mix on. Again, the goal is to use the least amount of everything and sand everything smooth. You should have a glassy like surface once finished that is hard and smooth but has a little bit of fine texture for the primer to bond to.
Once that is done, the next step is to prime the fuse/fin (I'm assuming you will MK all control surfaces). Of course, you'll want to make sure the stab is masked almost to the root where the fillet begins. If you don't have spray gun equipment, one solution is to use Lustrekote (LK) paint which matches (roughly) Monokote (MK) colours. In order to get a proper match, you should use the LK white primer but before applying this you should use a high build gray primer. The latter is easier to sand than the LK primer. Those gray primer coats should leave you with a smooth & flowing fuse appearance. Much sanding between coats is required and auto body filler is typically also used to fill any imperfections. Once everything is to your satisfaction, you apply the last coat of gray primer and sand it in preparation for the white LK primer. You can think of the LK primer like a coat of paint. The entire fuse should be covered with it and smooth. If you've done the work with the gray primer properly, the LK primer should only take a couple of coats - one misted and one flowed. At that point you can then apply colours of your choice. Of course, the art lies in the masking in order to get proper lines between colours. You apply light colours first and move toward the darker ones. One can then optionally sand the finished paint after a few days of curing with wet 400-600 grit to blend the paint lines together. The last coat typically consists of gloss clear to give you a gleaming model.
Roughly this can take you between 2-3 times the time required for applying film to a model. It is work but the results speak for themselves.
I hope this is of some help.
David.
I'm not sure if you meant to send me a PM but I received one from you. I took a look at your DB. Did you acquire it already built? I'll make a couple of comments hoping they'll be of some use:
The engine bay seems like it was burned either by heat or otherwise soaked with fuel. Whatever the reason, it would be a good idea to have a bay (cowl) built with fresh wood that is fuel proofed with epoxy or resin prior to painting. You can skip the epoxy step if you plan to do a really good paint job inside the bay with fuel proof paint.
Your DB seems to be missing its canopy. For proper flight and model rendition, I'd recommend that you either build one or acquire one in fiberglass. I believe Blue Jay models may have glass canopies but one can be carved from a hollowed balsa block or from white foam.
Prior to glassing a model (the fuse and fin in this case) you want to make sure it is sanded smooth down to 400 or 600 grit. Any rough spots that you see on the fuse now will look 10 times worse once painted. Besides, a pattern ship should be sleek and smooth. If you build the canopy from balsa or foam you can glass this separately from the fuse and then fair it into the fuse, once glued, with epoxy & micro balloons. You should do this on the fuse/stab and fuse/fin junction too if you haven't already.
I would also recommend that you paint the wing center section about 1/4" beyond the glassed portion. Ideally this would coincide with the sides of the fuse. Paint on the stab should also cover the fillet area and extend a little on to the stab wood area (1/8 to 1/4 inch). You then Monokote the wings and stabs to the fuse line overlapping the paint by 1/8 to 1/4". Your wing seams ideally are concealed by the fuse on the top. All covering should be done after you've completed all the paint work.
There are many techniques for glassing a model but the simplest and most traditional would be to use 1/2-3/4 oz glass cloth and resin. You can use either epoxy resin or polyurethane. I prefer epoxy but this is a personal choice. Polyurethane sands a little more easily while epoxy has a much more pleasant smell (this matters to me). The idea is to attach the glass cloth to the wood with as little resin as possible and keep the cloth seams smooth. Typically, once the model is glassed, you would then want to fill the weave of the cloth with a mix of microballons and thinned out resin. There are many ways to do this and other materials beside microballoons and resin can be used. In some cases, you can work the microballoons into the resin by hand in other cases you can paint the mix on. Again, the goal is to use the least amount of everything and sand everything smooth. You should have a glassy like surface once finished that is hard and smooth but has a little bit of fine texture for the primer to bond to.
Once that is done, the next step is to prime the fuse/fin (I'm assuming you will MK all control surfaces). Of course, you'll want to make sure the stab is masked almost to the root where the fillet begins. If you don't have spray gun equipment, one solution is to use Lustrekote (LK) paint which matches (roughly) Monokote (MK) colours. In order to get a proper match, you should use the LK white primer but before applying this you should use a high build gray primer. The latter is easier to sand than the LK primer. Those gray primer coats should leave you with a smooth & flowing fuse appearance. Much sanding between coats is required and auto body filler is typically also used to fill any imperfections. Once everything is to your satisfaction, you apply the last coat of gray primer and sand it in preparation for the white LK primer. You can think of the LK primer like a coat of paint. The entire fuse should be covered with it and smooth. If you've done the work with the gray primer properly, the LK primer should only take a couple of coats - one misted and one flowed. At that point you can then apply colours of your choice. Of course, the art lies in the masking in order to get proper lines between colours. You apply light colours first and move toward the darker ones. One can then optionally sand the finished paint after a few days of curing with wet 400-600 grit to blend the paint lines together. The last coat typically consists of gloss clear to give you a gleaming model.
Roughly this can take you between 2-3 times the time required for applying film to a model. It is work but the results speak for themselves.
I hope this is of some help.
David.
11-10-2009, 12:27 AM
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RE: Blue Jay Dirty Birdy 60 Build.
Thanks for your help. I have been looking for paint and trying to make a good decision. The wing is warped and I am going to try and fix that before I cover it. The right wing looks as if it has a quarter in of wash out in it. I got the plane as you see it from someone who had it in the attic for a few years. I had to do alot of patching. I have a strong old super tigre 61 that I am currently flying in a supersporster 60.
11-12-2009, 10:54 AM
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RE: Blue Jay Dirty Birdy 60 Build.
I'll be back soon. Just got side-trascked along the way. Need some cold ugly winter weather to get me going...
Larsen
Larsen
