The dreaded step!
06-01-2011, 01:59 PM
#51
RE: The dreaded step!
ORIGINAL: Mustangman40
Bout the only thing I hate is when i drop that little screw in the tightest place and sit there shaking the plane like a mad man trying to get it out, only to have it come out and go flying across the room, never to be found again...[img][/img]
I am different i guess, I like sanding, especially the final sand.. I usally take the plane outside and sit in my lawn chair with a cold drink and the radio on and sand away. I have the air hose by my side and that really helps to be able to blow it off to check progress and the natural light really lets you see what you are doing.. If you never sanded outside on a sunny day, give it a try, you just might like sanding...[img][/img]
Ok, Setting up a motor and getting the thrust lines just how you want them can be a PITA. and finishing up a radio install just to here a servo buzzing because something is binding, well i hate that crap too!!![img][/img]
Bout the only thing I hate is when i drop that little screw in the tightest place and sit there shaking the plane like a mad man trying to get it out, only to have it come out and go flying across the room, never to be found again...[img][/img]
I am different i guess, I like sanding, especially the final sand.. I usally take the plane outside and sit in my lawn chair with a cold drink and the radio on and sand away. I have the air hose by my side and that really helps to be able to blow it off to check progress and the natural light really lets you see what you are doing.. If you never sanded outside on a sunny day, give it a try, you just might like sanding...[img][/img]
Ok, Setting up a motor and getting the thrust lines just how you want them can be a PITA. and finishing up a radio install just to here a servo buzzing because something is binding, well i hate that crap too!!![img][/img]
Big thumbs up for outside sanding!
06-01-2011, 02:42 PM
#52
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RE: The dreaded step!
after all these years the most dreaded step is covering the plane and installing the gear.I go pretty fast with frameing but as soon as I have to cover it I start and the moment I get a crappy look I put it down and wish for a covering fairy ..ugh..
06-01-2011, 02:56 PM
#53
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RE: The dreaded step!
ORIGINAL: outdoorhunting
BALANCING followed by my second most hated part of building- BALANCING !!!!!!!!!!!!!
BALANCING followed by my second most hated part of building- BALANCING !!!!!!!!!!!!!
You hit the nail right on the head for me too. I recently attempted to balance my Ultrastick 120 Lite. I have a RCS 1.4 gas motor on the nose for power and I put the elevator and rudder servo in the tail to offset the motor weight. I also installed a 12 oz gas tank and moved it back to the CG and put the ignition module where the tank is supposed to go. I was at this point where I made my first attempt to balance it. I have a 1500 mah 4.8 volt pack for the ignition module and a 1500 mah 6.0 volt pack for the receiver both wrapped in foam. I put the plane on the balancer without the batteries and a bubble level on the horizontal stab, and as I expected, the tail dropped. So I put both batteries on the hatch cover I cut out above the fuel tank area with the lid. With this arrangement, the plane balanced perfectly at 4 1/8" behind the leading edge which is where the book recommends. Being pleased with the results, I cut two 1/4" sq basswood rails and a 1/16" lite ply tray to attach the batteries to above the ignition module. I then glued the rails to the inside of the gas tank compartment. After which I used four zip ties to attach both batteries to the tray and then screwed the tray to the rails and put the lid back on top. When I put the plane back on the balancer (in the same place as I previously had it) The tail of the plane proceeded to drop..........[X(]
[:@]Now before you guys think I'm crazy, I had a friend and experienced kit builder assist me with this exercise and we were both left scratching our heads trying to figure out what the heck just happened. We never could figure anything out..........[X(][X(][>:]
06-01-2011, 02:59 PM
#54
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RE: The dreaded step!
drilling holes. I've got a drill press, drill vice, and center finder and other gadgets. I've tried powder in the holes, paint in the holes, little bit of CA on the holes and just about every other way to mark and drill the hole and I still get 1 out of 4 off center. Hoping that when I get a lathe, boring the holes will work better than using these damn wandering twist drills.
06-01-2011, 03:21 PM
#55
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RE: The dreaded step!
ORIGINAL: tryingagain
While the Slot Machine and CA hinges have made life easier I still hate installing hinges.
A close second would be bending piano wire!
Cheers
Gord
While the Slot Machine and CA hinges have made life easier I still hate installing hinges.
A close second would be bending piano wire!
Cheers
Gord
Ditto on this.... I hate hinging.
I also grow weary of the finishing process for glass fuse and other glass parts..... filling, wet sanding, pin hole filling, priming, wet sanding.... on and on and on. And I always seem to miss a pin hole or two. Painting application is only about 10% of the finishing process. Preparation is 90%!!!
06-01-2011, 03:30 PM
#56
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RE: The dreaded step!
Oh forgot about this one. I haven't built a plane from a kit "That I didn't bash into something unrecognizable" in a long time but when your kit building and on a step then they tell you to do something that should have been mentioned three steps before.
"Quickly reads directions before building, 1... 2... 3 cut out hatch,4 glue in rails,5 install servo,6 put on control horn, 7 put cover back on. Got it"
Step 3 Cut out hatch cover
Step 4 Glue in servo rails.
Step 5 Install servo
Step 6 Align servo horn with push rod then screw in place
Step 7 Install hatch cover. Screw hatch cover into blind nuts mounted on back of servo rails.
What!? I glued in those rails in step 4 and now in step 7 you tell me I needed to install blind nuts in the back side of those rails!
"Quickly reads directions before building, 1... 2... 3 cut out hatch,4 glue in rails,5 install servo,6 put on control horn, 7 put cover back on. Got it"
Step 3 Cut out hatch cover
Step 4 Glue in servo rails.
Step 5 Install servo
Step 6 Align servo horn with push rod then screw in place
Step 7 Install hatch cover. Screw hatch cover into blind nuts mounted on back of servo rails.
What!? I glued in those rails in step 4 and now in step 7 you tell me I needed to install blind nuts in the back side of those rails!
06-01-2011, 03:38 PM
#57
RE: The dreaded step!
Not too much I dread, but gluing in hinge-points would probably be up there. Getting just the right amount of epoxy in the holes seems to be the key but I always worry the hinge will get stuck in one position.
06-01-2011, 04:50 PM
#61
RE: The dreaded step!
ORIGINAL: thailazer
Wood glue doesn't stick very well to the plastic. Flakes off fairly easily from the pin.
Wood glue doesn't stick very well to the plastic. Flakes off fairly easily from the pin.
Can I encourage you to test this method? I put a several hingepoints into a piece of TE stock with wood glue. I let it dry over night and tried to pull them out by hand. No go. I grabbed a pair of plyers and it tore the heck out of the wood and completely split the wood before it went anywhere. It never let go of the wood. Robart reccommends this process as well. I glue all my hinge points this way now. Years later, they hold just as well as the first try.
It works and never glues the hinge even if the glue gets into it. It breaks away in the hinge, but works well with the wood joint.
Everyone is making this into a great thread!
Brian
06-01-2011, 04:58 PM
#62
RE: The dreaded step!
To move my builds along i cover the first possible part immideately so I see progress. Mostly its the main wing as I then have the servos already in place, that is a big part of a plane so when covered that is 40% of the surfaces, yepee
06-01-2011, 05:32 PM
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RE: The dreaded step!
for me it has to be installing radio gear, fuel tanks ect. i dont mind the sanding much (master auto body tech by trade) i usually sand as i go or at least rough it out with some 80 grit. building wings has to be second or third on the list but i usually build bipes. go figure?
06-01-2011, 05:46 PM
#67
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RE: The dreaded step!
The last step - its maiden flight, particulary if its the planes last flight and all that time building takes less than 5 mins to re-kit!!
Thankfully its not happened that often, but as I'm about to finish covering my Balsa USA neiuport 17, applying full power down the runway is what fills me with dread, until I know it flys straight.
Don't mind all the other parts of the build. When I used to build jets, I hated sanding glassed surfaces, but now I've discovered Poly-C, its a peice of cake - I just hated sanding expoxy based glass resin, which seems to take FOREVER to get smooth enough to paint.
Thankfully its not happened that often, but as I'm about to finish covering my Balsa USA neiuport 17, applying full power down the runway is what fills me with dread, until I know it flys straight.
Don't mind all the other parts of the build. When I used to build jets, I hated sanding glassed surfaces, but now I've discovered Poly-C, its a peice of cake - I just hated sanding expoxy based glass resin, which seems to take FOREVER to get smooth enough to paint.
06-01-2011, 05:48 PM
#68
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RE: The dreaded step!
oh, forgot to add : cleaning up, especially me. I've runied so many t-shirts which have been stained by CA glues or epoxy, normally when i just pop into the shop to do a quick bit. I also seem to get more CA on my fingers these days than on the kit!
06-01-2011, 07:57 PM
#70
RE: The dreaded step!
ORIGINAL: ackroyd
oh, forgot to add : cleaning up, especially me. I've runied so many t-shirts which have been stained by CA glues or epoxy, normally when i just pop into the shop to do a quick bit. I also seem to get more CA on my fingers these days than on the kit!
oh, forgot to add : cleaning up, especially me. I've runied so many t-shirts which have been stained by CA glues or epoxy, normally when i just pop into the shop to do a quick bit. I also seem to get more CA on my fingers these days than on the kit!
you need a "builders clothes" i have a couple of sets...they are full of epoxy, gorilla glue, ca, silicone...etc
06-01-2011, 09:00 PM
#73
RE: The dreaded step!
unrolling the plans and not sure where to start first or modify this or that... i like modifying the tail surfaces to have bigger throw surfaces and counter balances
