danj31

My Feedback: (6)

It has been over 6 months since work has been done of the YF-22. Since then I have moved, made a new workshop, started a new job, and now it is time to build. The same fuse mold is being used but the layup is different. The internal layout is also different, the biggest change is the fans are more forward. The plugs for the tail and wings are ready to be molded. Now the biggest problem is my shop is in the back of the garage and the temperature is not regulated, epoxy doesnt like that. Here are some pics to look at.

danj31

My Feedback: (6)

Thanks, just wait until the new version is out. Tonight I shaped one of the inlet plugs and trial fitted it in the fuse. I also started making the parting boards for the tail mold out of MFD. On the rear parting board I cut a small slot to lay the trailing edge of the vertical fin. I sealed the tiny gap with a little caulk and then wiped it smooth with a wet cloth. Tommorow I will shim the leading edge parting board to the front of the fin. The top of the fin is going to be tough to figure out how to make the parting board, but that is for another day.

danj31

My Feedback: (6)

A little progress tonight. I finished shaping the right intake plug, all that is needed now is a finish sanding. The front parting board was attached to the vertical stab. I used caulk again and got rid of the excess with a damp cloth, it worked well. Now all that is needed is to fill in the top of the fin.

danj31

My Feedback: (6)

Tonight I finished the parting boards, gave everything a coat of PVA, and then glassed her. The first layer is tooling gel from ACP(its the best I have found), 1oz cloth, and then 10 oz cloth. In the leading and trailing edges of the mold I embeded a dowel rod to make it very stiff. On the base of the fin the mold comes around the corner with tooling gel and then epoxy mixed with chopped fibers and coloidial silca to make it stay. I then installed the main former and gear mounts to the fuse. Everything was reinforced with glass and carbon tow.

danj31

My Feedback: (6)

This morning I pulled of the parting boards and seperated the mold. It turned out perfect. Now it is cleaned up with a coat of Partall, ready for the other side to be molded.

danj31

My Feedback: (6)

The parting boards have been added again. Everything has recieved a coat of PVA and when it dries it will be ready to mold.

danj31

My Feedback: (6)

This is after a layer of tooling gel and a bunch of fiberglass.

danj31

My Feedback: (6)

The two vertical tail molds are done, on with the horizontal tails. I have made the parting boards out of MDF and everything has one coat of PVA. As soon as it dries I will start the layup.

danj31

My Feedback: (6)

The horizontal tail has a coat of tooling gel and many layers of glass. I just started making the parting board for the wing. I is a little more difficult and I am using caulk to connect the board to the wing.

danj31

My Feedback: (6)

I pulled the horizontal stab from the half mold that cured last night. Everything went well except for a big dent when it came apart. I had to fill that with Bondo and sand it down. O-well, one coat of PVA, some fiberglass, some time, and that mold will be done. Now it is time to finish the parting board for the wing.

danj31

My Feedback: (6)

Last night I made the fuse formers and joined the two shells together. This morning everything came apart just fine. Their is a little filling and sanding left and a final coat of paint, that can come after the test flight (I love electrics for that reason).

danj31

My Feedback: (6)

I finished the mold for each half a wing and one turned out perfect and the other had the paint from the plug stick. Does anyone know of a stripper that will remove the enamel without harming the epoxy gelcoat?

danj31

My Feedback: (6)

I just got it to come off with paint thinner. The first time I tried it with paint thinner I thought it was eating the epoxy because it made the surface a little sticky. It turns out that it was the PVA being sticky and after that was gone the epoxy was fine. Now after about a half gallon of paint thinner and a nice buzz the mold is done and ready to have another half made.

danj31

My Feedback: (6)

It is time to mold the other side of each wing but I had to do a little touch up first. When I released the plug from the mold it pulled off a little paint in the area that still needed to be molded. After this shot I sprayed them with black and tommorow they will be polished and waxed.

camarocab

My Feedback: (8)

Hi,

I am working in the fiberglass industrie. Nice job [sm=thumbup.gif]

danj31

My Feedback: (6)

Now the boring part of waxing and waiting. 5 coats later and it will be ready to go.

danj31

My Feedback: (6)

Time to cut thin sheets of foam to laminate with glass for the wings and tail. I shimmed up the wire on my foam cutter and then used a weight to pull the foam through it. It took a few tries to get everything to work right but now I have loads of foam sheets. I made different thickness sheets at 1/8, 3/16, and 1/4 inch. One $10 piece of foam from Home Depot will make enough sheets to last the year. I also need to make a new foamy to fly in my front yard after I sent it through the power lines, oops. I never saw the lines and I couldn't figure out why my plane just came apart in air!

danj31

My Feedback: (6)

This is the vertical tail after it was taken out of the mold. They are clamped together now with a carbon tow connecting the two sides.

flo

Hi ,
very nice job.
Just found this treat.
will be following along. keep posting.
I am at the beginning of a mouldie so i need all info i can get.

greetings

flo

flo

Btw.
how many layers of glass did u use for your mould ? And how thick your moulds got (in mm altogheter)?


flo

danj31

My Feedback: (6)

The vertical tails are done and attached with a thin ply spar and a carbon tow on each side to form an I-beam. Now the horizontal tails are in the bag and should be done tonight. The molds were made with one layer of 3 oz cloth over the tooling gel and then 5 layers of 10 oz cloth. In the corners there are dowel rods to keep everything straight. The thickness of the mold in the middle should be around 5mm thick, just a guess.

flo

Hi
thanks for ansering. But : would you happen to know how much that would be in gramms/sqmeters ?
I have tried my xonversion progs but couldn`t figure.

greetings

flo

danj31

My Feedback: (6)

The nosewheel stearing and retract valve servos have been installed. I am keeping all the servos near the aft end of the jet where the receiver will go. Nothing will need any servo extensions. All of the powerplant should be up front hopefully reducing the interference. I also just pulled the horizontal tails out of the bag. Now I am just waiting on the 1/4 inch carbon rods from UPS to mount inside the tails.

I dont know what the metric conversion for the fabric weight would be. The 3oz cloth is a very lightweight cloth and the 10oz cloth is one of the thickest you can get, it is for adding strength.

danj31

My Feedback: (6)

More progress. The tails came out of the mold and I put them on for a photo shot. They came out super light and rigid. I decided to cheat a little and put the control horn on the bottum of the stab and have a short linkage. You cannot beat this for lightweight and strength but it does look ugly to have a servo arm sticking out of the fuse. The intake plugs were coated with wax and PVA and then painted. Tommorrow the wing mold will be painted.

danj31

My Feedback: (6)

One of the wing layups is in the bag for the night. I first put one layer of 3oz in the mold, the foam, and then a layer of 1oz glass. Carbon tow goes around the perimeter of everything to make a hard edge.