macro-RCU

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Bryant330L, thank's for wishes.... I hope it fly as well as it looks too....

RTK, I want fabricate my radio and engine too but I can't, not enough money for now, and yes, I'l take video and pic's too...

This is my hobby, and I love it, so all work is for all my friends and me; if some bad day I think to commercial, then I'd must to get another hobby and I don't like it....


Well, here are the weight list, all was taked with commercial weight scale 1 gram average:

Next weight are in gram and all pieces are finished minus final fine buff

scratch seal glass wave fill Primer color clearcoat
LStab 72 72 82 86 88 94 95
REstab 77 77 86 92 94 100 102
Lelev 59 59 73 78 83 91 95
Relev 63 63 76 80 84 91 97
Rudder 89 90 109 121 131 141 148
LWing 485 490 548 584 604 660 670
Rwing 518 523 568 596 620 674 684
Laileron 80 82 100 110 123 140 146
Raileron 95 96 113 123 137 150 156
Chin cowl 60 0 0 0 62 67 69
Canopy 85 0 0 0 88 96 100
Fuse 1024 0 0 0 1416 1522 1527

TOTAL 2707 1552 1755 1870 3530 3826 3889

TOTAL KILOS 3.89
TOTAL POUNDS 8.57
TOTAL PAINT OUNCES 27.87

Sorry about list, I'd try 3 times to align but.....

macro-RCU

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At this point, I get all pieces and start to ensamble the totally plane....

all was like ready to fly minus receiver, battery pack, throtle servo and fuel......

Localice the CG at both half wings and put plane at CG machine......

OOOOPPPPSSSS.........

REALLY TAIL HEAVY!!!!!!!!!!!

battery pack, receiver and servo over spinner and tail heavy yet.....

Oh my.......

what happend?

what is wrong?

OK, I must admite, many of you guys must see my error since many posts a go, but this was my first time....

After verify my check list and all the way to stay at this point, discover the mistake.....

You must remember prototype flew very well...

I'd made it better 3D capable so increase wing area, stab area and rudder area at this composite #1.... and that is.... I don't move CG at new place for balance....

That change moments, so I must to calculate where are the CG now.... but one more thing, I want to put a DA50 (some day) so I must to keep it in mind when calculate... one more, if I only want it for IMAC and a light engine is used....

OK, now I'm calculating all this, and yes my friends, you guess, the carbon socket I'd made 2 days a go was for it....

I'll take pic's about the wing relocation work, it will start tomorrow, so keep in channel....

OK, now I want to know how about total weight and take the plane ready to fly minus fuel and weight it with commercial gravity scale.... first test scale with some 1Kg weight, calibrate and done....

Total weight minus fuel was 8.00 Kg, that is 17.63 Lb....

G-62 engine total weight with B&B cup mount and muffler was 2254 Gr, that is 4.97 Lb... heavy...

So 17.63 Lb - 4.97 Lb = 12.66 Lb.... almost the prototype weight and with biger areas... construcion process looks fine and I think I can make it lighter...

DA 50 web page say it weights with stabdoffs 1420 Gr, that is 3.13 Lb... light... without muffler

Wingloading with G-62 at TrustHP is 32.42 oz/sqft

Wingloading with DA50 at TrustHP is 29.00 oz/sqft + muffler weight (They don't say muffler's weight)

It looks better..... but..... I only have a G-62 for now.... and a Super Tiger 4500...

And if I can paint better and lighter, must use a full color paint and then clearcoat; remember I used concept PPG for color, and this is half pigment and half clear per volume unit... may be I must use deltron because it is only pigment paint, cover better and with less volume and weight, then clear.... but I'd read here at RCU deltron isn't totally fuel proof, then my clearcoat work must be better....

Clear coat is lighter than color, so that is OK....

OK, I'd tell you it will be really and at the time, so now you know this big mistake..... not all is well but this is the best part of make any thing.... you are so perfect and for that you can perfectly make mistakes.... he he he he... more learn for me...

OK, time for work and learn more.

macro-RCU

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Here is a new building process, and this time I can take pic's of all process, well my girlfriend can....

Two days a go I'd start a new fuse...

I want make it lighter, and the only way is to try make it better, and since it is a project I must test some improvements and changes when composite #1 fly....

I want to test some, so this time I don't spray primer to molds, this time I'd white pigment resin....

I like too much those composite planes white gelcoated..... and save paint weight too....

Well, I tint resin with white pigment and start a new fuse, here are all:

wax and buff mold 2 times, 2 PVA layers and 24 hours dry...

Materials:

- Epoxy resin for lay up
- White pigment
- 5oz glass cloth
- 5 oz carbon cloth
- carbon tow 12k

and equipment:

- scale
- mold
- scizors
- rubber gloves
- cup for resin
- wood sticks
- Xacto or razor blade


First step is cut glass cloth for 2 halves, then weight and prepare same resin weight....

Next step is to reinforce corners, so use some carbon tow 12k x 4 (48k) and white tinted resin... wet perfectly tow on a plastic film so any filament is weted and then squeeze most resin you can

macro-RCU

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Next step, wet the corners with resin where tow will be and place carbon tows, make a good alignment and don't let tow to run other place...

macro-RCU

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Now, one light resin coat to all mold surface, don't worry about weight, that resin is only for better wet glass cloth and excess resin will be out later....

macro-RCU

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Now place glass cloth.... start at one point and make cloth be at any corner and wet it... use a brush (I forgot to mention on list)

attack any air bubble you see... all must be totaly wetted and in place....

Now take wife's hair gun (forgot at list too) and apply some hot air to cloth... that will do resin flow better and wet the cloth

After that, take paper towels and get excess resin off.... if resin start to incress density, you can always warm it with

Take all resin as you can, cloth must see just wet....

Let it cure 1/3 total resin cure time (8 hours at mine)

macro-RCU

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Now is time for carbon....

I'd take some pieces I have from composite #1 and try to use, placing in place, it's not cheap material...

After all is cover, wet carbon with resin and squeeze excess resin with paper towels all I can...

macro-RCU

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¡¡¡¡¡ HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Shortman

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I for one am amazed, you define SCRATCH BUILDING, simply amazing. Hope everyone works out and the plane flies as good as it looks! Keep at it, and happy new year too

macro-RCU

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I always save carbon little pieces, it is a very usefull material...

Some guys sell it (as chopped carbon)

macro-RCU

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After 8 hours (not totally cure) it's time to cut glass and carbon excess with a razor blade

macro-RCU

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Now close the mold and screw it.....

macro-RCU

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I cute some carbon strip as long as I can and wet it very well with resin.... for softening carbon let it stay for about 15 minutes...

then, apply some resin to place where carbon will be and apply it..... place carbon strip and be sure it is well located and without air bubbles all long...

I'll let it cure for about 3 days...

macro-RCU

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After 3 days curing, it's time to open mold and see....

At this point I hope all wax, PVA and layup is OK....

Get out all that screws....

and start opening helped with some screwdrivers and rubber pads.....

I can hear all kind of horrible noizes and "cracks".....

After 2 minutes halve #1 is out.....

White color looks great, but not so uniform I like.... anyway, it will save some white paint weight...

Believeme, this is the easy part of demolding, hard part is halve #2 because you can't use a screwdriver....

macro-RCU

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After 15 minutes and helped with rubber pads, fuse is out....

Looks well, some imperfections, but since it's the firs mold I make, the thing is acceptable...

The hardest points to demold are rect angles.... this is a hard way to learn but I accept it...

I'll made some changes at next mold for demold parts more easy, trying to minimize rect angles....

macro-RCU

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Pic #1

You can see carbon tow reinforcement and it is really very stiff....



Pic#2

Carbon strip at center....

All that glass excess will be removed; I'd let it at end, because it help when you put your arm inside with carbon strip and all that cured glass and epoxy around the open area try to damage you....

macro-RCU

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Now it's time for weight...

Very good, fuse with all that glass excess weight..... 934 Gr (32.95 oz)

That is 90 Gr less than fuse #1.... (3.17 oz)

I'll cut the excess glass to weight again.....

Fuse needs to be washed and put out all that PVA....

macro-RCU

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While I was calculating (really?) where the CG must be localized for my girlfriend's plane, she abduct the plane and decide to made wing and fuse bags to protect it.... nice idea.....

She will use (hope) all kind of cheap material trying to save some bucks....

She buy some material people normal use is under floor carpet 1/4" thick, some metters cotton soft cloth for the inside and get one of our multiple old quilt for extern view; thank's honey for not use that Lyon King quilt... he he he he....

macro-RCU

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She start with some plastic film to cutting patterns......

You can see the wing tube hole I'd made to start relocation job..... before she abduct the plane

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Then she cut the soft material to pattern shape and start to cover the plane very carefull.....

Here are my girlfriend and "the mummy"

macro-RCU

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Here are the mummy again...

She decide to make the fuse bag 3 pieces for better protection (she said), so we will see results soon....

Next step was cut wing and stab patterns, take all material appart and I can continue with CG job....

Time to rest, I'll upload pic's tomorrow.....

Thank's to all your opinions; feel free to help me with this beautiful project and let your opinion...

macro-RCU

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OK, now I start with CG....

I hold plane RTF minus wing and balance point was at rear end of wing tube; tube OD is 1"

I join the wing halfs with the aluminum tube and join with some masking tape for level; balance point was 2" behind MAC

All that was 2" - 2.5" behind actual CG.

Vertical CG location will be the same, I need just to move CG horizontal...

With pencil, I'd trace horizontal CG location and trace a tube hole at 2.5" to start; since here I'll make all kind of movements for determine best CG for this G-62, and I'll try to set CG with a lighter engine....

macro-RCU

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Mark was over wing adjuster holes....

I take a drill and make a pilot hole for dremel sanding drum...

And here are the twin horrible wing holes....

I don't care about make holes at fuse, because I'll cover later with some CF cloth and paint.... weight will be almost the same...

Most important for me is to determinate where CG will be placed for any engine with battery pack and receiver movements only...

macro-RCU

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Here are the wing tube socket and donuts.... try tube just fit....

macro-RCU

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When wing hole was done, I put wings on it and check balance point.... nose heavy, balance with battery pack at stab....

I enlarge the hole 1/4" close to old socket.... put wing and check.... very little change.....

I need plane balance with battery pack just behind pull pull servo, that way I'll try with ST G-4500 with bison muffler wich weight the same or close to DA 50 and I mind it will balance with battery at wing tube or less.....

For tail heavy side with G-62, I have some more space to move battery rearback....

After enlarge hole 4 times, CG was set to 2" behind old wing socket.... balance is fine.....

I get G-62 out and mount G-4500 with some wire..... balance point is with battery pack just behind wing socket... that is...

At pic's you can see the hole way I must close and the battery pack's place of balance with G-62