Zor

Congratulations ALO 111 on a well deserved reward.

Looking forward to the video.

Zor

KDBrown

My Feedback: (1)

I agree on the choke, and Idid exactly what you described(ran the choke to the cockpit via a well supported golden rod). Attached a threaded knob to the end for a good grip. This keeps the system simple, light, reliable, vibration-free, and puts the control in the cockpit and out of site along with my switches.

vertical grimmace

My Feedback: (1)

On these WW1 models, it is nice to put all of the controls in the cockpit. (switches, choke etc.) I guess where they belong really. On my WW2 models, I do the same thing but hide them behind a hinged door panel on the side of the fuse. That is a great place for the choke cable to exit.

sprgfvr02

My Feedback: (1)

I am just about to the point of soldering cabane struts etc. As I work on the fuse I've been trying to visualize throttle linkage. servo placement, and choke. I like the idea of the cockpit area. I've spent some time going over this forum on the soldering topics. This part scares the daylights out of me. Should be interesting ;>)

Wes

KDBrown

My Feedback: (1)

Use the trick of tacking the struts and gear with CA. Works great and holds everything in place while you solder, and simply burns off cleanly. That REALLYhelped. Ialso used the copper wire out of standard thermostat wire.

3136

Hey Wes, I was concerned too, the best advice I could give is sand the parts shiny, clean with meths and use surgical gloves so your skin doesn't grease up the parts,
Put the gloves on and wipe them down with a rag soaked in meths before use.
Use a bloody big soldering iron, you'll need to put a lot of heat into those parts.
I personally didn't like the CA positioning method, I used clamps and tightly wrapped the parts with copper wire till it sat right before soldering.
Use plenty of flux, remember when heated it will flow a bit, the solder will flow to wherever the flux is.
Heat the part, not the solder, keep the iron on the part till the solder goes shiny.
A couple of times I didn't like the way it looked so I cleaned it up with a stainless wire brush, re fluxed and added more solder.

After I was done, I actually thought "why was I worried" as it was actually fairly strait forward, result is rock solid.

Regards Mark

3136

Congrats on the win Barry, can't wait to see the video.

KDBrown

My Feedback: (1)

Refer to page 6 for a long discussion on the soldering process. A lot of good information that has already been discussed at length.

Zor

It would be preferable to show the post number.
Not everyone has the same number of posts per page.
I spent the last half hour searching for this soldering information and could not find it.

Thanks,

Zor

KDBrown

My Feedback: (1)

LOL!!! Start at post #126 !!

Zor

KDBrown,

Thanks. Post #126 in my case is the first post on page 6 as I am using 25 posts per page.
Others may be different but post numbers follow each other no matter how many posts per page.

I have posted pictures of my soldering facilities a long time ago but that may not be easy to find.
I will gladly post them again in this thread if anyone wishes ___just ask.

Some good advice is already in this thread and good soldering is not a big problem.
Following a good procedure however is essential for good success.

Zor

sprgfvr02

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks for the advice. Page six is where I found the series of posts related to soldering. I also have been reviewing an article by the late Mike Buzzeo on soldering. Nothing like too much information...

sprgfvr02

My Feedback: (1)

I must be a complete dummy regarding soldering. I was able to solder the landing gear and the cabane struts fairly well. However, the clips that get soldered to the cabane ends are a different matter altogether. I'm using silver solder and flux. My solder gun is 120 v and ancient. I had the gun on the strut end of the clip for over five minutes and the solder did nothing. I applied the gun to the outside of the clip as suggested in the instructions, with the solder on the inside. Nothin'.

Zor

sprgfvr02,

You are not a dummy at all. You are just in the learning process concerning joining things together.

In the case of metal to metal joints there is three processes ___

Soldering ... done wth a soldering iron and using solder that melts below 800 degrees F.

Braising ... done with a torch using things like silver solder that melts above 800 degees F.

Welding ... done with a torch or electric arc that melts both materials and use filler of the same material.

In your case you were apparently successful in soldering but the silver alloy you are using probably need a higher temperature than your iron is supplying. You can try a small propane torch being carefull to not overheat your materials.

Good luck first doing some practice not part of your project.

Zor

sprgfvr02

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks for the input Zor. I've been doing some research into soldering guns, and now think my gun needs a new tip. The problem is, my gun was purchased several decades ago at Montomery Wards. This tip looks like it's been through a war. The solder is new; the flux is new, and the guy using these isn't.

I'm now looking for a new gun at all the local hardware locations.

Wes

Zor

Wes,

Perhaps you are not interpreting my previous post properly.
I am trying to tell you that a soldering iron and even less a soldering gun does not have enough temperatue to use silver solder.

A new iron or a new tip on your soldering gun might not solve your problem.

Zor

sprgfvr02

My Feedback: (1)

You're right, I didn't catch that.

Wes

CanDo

Wes, I soldered my Pup's gear and braces with a Weller solder gun with very good results. If you have a new tip, clean surfaces, the correct flux and practice a bit, you CanDo it! Let me know if you need a hand. The Stay Brite silver solder has very little silver in it, you don't need a blow torch!
-Les-

Chevelle

My Feedback: (2)

Everyone has their own preferences but for landing gear such as with the Pup, I have found that a torch works much better.  It is much easier to apply even heat to the larger areas needed when doing this sort of job.  The torches are inexpensive.  I do a LOT of R/C soldering work because of the sorts of planes I am into (pre-WWI).  I very rarely use a soldering iron and very much dislike soldering guns.

Just my two cents.

sprgfvr02

My Feedback: (1)

Les, I threw away my old soldering gun and bought the Weller from Home Depot over the weekend. It worked well. Now on to the next step.

I may actually finish this plane sometime this year ;>)

Wes

KDBrown

My Feedback: (1)

Wes, I did the same. Bought the Weller from Home Depot, and it works just fine with silver solder. It also doesn't "overheat" the gear which is also important. However, I did have to return the first purchase as it "failed". Not sure of the Weller quality. Second one seems fine. Good luck!!

CanDo

Yep, everyone has their own way of doing things; I just found the solder gun easier to control the temperature for me. Nice work, gentlemen! Wes, it doesn't matter how long it takes as long as you enjoy the build. You will have a plane to be proud of!

sprgfvr02

My Feedback: (1)

Well, I had to see what this bird was going to look like, so I slid the wheels and the cowl on after attaching the wings. Still a lot of work to do, but we're gettin' there.

KDBrown

My Feedback: (1)

Ialso noticed that during my build. I forced in epoxy around each mount as best that Icould, just to help keep it solid. Ihave found my mounts since to be very firm and solid.

Chevelle

My Feedback: (2)

No, you don't glue the struts to the fuse. Once the landing gear wire is all soldered up and installed on the plane, I test fit the struts and shape them so that they look like they are attached to the fuse. Then I use epoxy to glue them onto the wire. After they are sanded and stained, I then wrap them with carpet thread.

I went a little nuts with the Pup and DR1 undercarriage but even if you don't go with a suspension setup, the above technique should work well for you.