Mustangman40

My Feedback: (1)

I do my final sanding by hand but with a twist.. I take foam, like the stuff Dubro sells for wrapping your receiver or putting under the tank.. I cut that into 4"x4" pad and use double face tape to secure my sandpaper. It gives you something to hold on to and doesn't allow the paper to get any bends. The bends are what will gouge the balsa and the foam allows it to go around curves real well.. A bar sander for final will give you flat spots real easy.. There are many ways to do your final, this is just how I do mine.. Love to here how others do it... One thing though, i don't do my final till I am ready to glass or cover.. Just working on it in the shop you get more dings... Man I wish I was ready for final sanding...

Jimbo

Zor

Cuttng a strip lengthwise about 2 inches wide from a standard size sheet of sandpaper and using a back and forth motion works nicely. You can apply as much or as little pressure as you feel does the job.

The results have no flats.

Zor

redbiscuits

My Feedback: (6)

Andy, I can't offer any advise on the razor back as I built the bubble top. As far as just general sanding goes I use a sanding block for most things. I only use my hands if it's something tedious and hard to get to.

Boy, after work what a great day at the field, winds lite and pretty much straight down the runway, 73 degrees, and a sky so blue it almost hurt your eyes.[8D]

TonyBuilder

My Feedback: (11)

A worne out foam sanding block works great too. Home Depot has all kinds, shapes and grit. Yes today was epic, flew from 8:00 til 12:00 first two hours the filed was all mine, light to now wind.

Gary, did you weight the individual components as you where building? I put my completed stab and elevator all hinged and ready to finish on the scale and she came in at 10-3/4 oz. Just curious to what others are coming in at.

TB

oldtyme

Thanks to those that replied!! Jimbo, I'm not final sanding.......just trying to the the razorback clost so I can start fitting the canopy and work out the rails for making it slide. I decided to put it up for a couple of days.......It's just stressing me out........this is supposed to be fun......I have looked forward to this build for almost 10 years now......now that' I'm retired I thought I'd better get it built before I run out of life.......
Andy

TonyBuilder

My Feedback: (11)

Andy, I hear you on the stress! My Dyslexia is a real pain in the ass. Even after checking twice I made two left ruder panels so I glued up a new skin and walked away.

TB

cubfloater

My Feedback: (5)

Hey guys I'm wonder what companies made a 60 size P-47 razorback kit. I have one and want to find out what I have. I would have thought it was a top flight but mine has a 67" span and the TF has a 63" I think. Thanks for any info you can offer. Having to redo most of it and wanted to know recommended motor, cg, control throws, etc. Had this thing a year and is about time I got it into the air.

Thanks,
Jim

Mustangman40

My Feedback: (1)

Got ya Andy..
Don't sweat the stress, it happens to us all during a build.. The best fix is to put it down and walk away, like you decided... I can't tell you how many times I got pissed about how I wanted to do something and it just wasnt working out.. I would walk away and figure it all out in my head and when i came back to it, it all would fall into place..
I won't be down in the shop till next weekend and if you still don't have it figured out, I will be fitting my canopy and will snap some pics of howI do mine..........

Jimbo

Mustangman40

My Feedback: (1)

Hey Jim,
Snap some pics if you can, we might be able to help you figure it out... Does it look like newer type construction, or old school?

Jimbo

redbiscuits

My Feedback: (6)

Jim,
Do you think it could be one of the old Model Tech ARF's?
http://media.globalhobby.com/manual/123745.PDF

Mustangman40

My Feedback: (1)

Any of you guys having a Flu outbreak in your area? It's bad up here, had my daughter at the ER yesterday, she has it... I feltcrappy this morning as well so I took the day off, gonna go have a visit with the 47 today..

When we went out of town for the funeral, everyone we talked to said they were sickI didn't kiss anyone, but my kids played with all the other kids and they are all sick now... The doctor at the ER said he has 50 cases coming in a day, he has never seen it this bad in all his years... Hope y'all don't get it just from reading this...lol

Andy,
gonna go work on my razor this morning, I will take pics for you buddy and help any way I can.. Mine is just roughed in right now.. Let me ask, is yours still laid over the plans with nothing done on the bottom? If so, I wouldn't even try and shape it yet.. When I am doing stuff like this, the fuse is either in a cradle so I can turn it. Or better yet, in my lap... Post up some pics if you can, they help a ton....

Mustangman40

My Feedback: (1)

Andy and who ever else it helps reading this..

This will be in a couple post as I took lots of pics, some of them aren't super clear but it gives you the idea, should have had my glasses on..lol This is by no way the only way to do stuff like this, it's just how I go about it and it's worked well for me.. I was lucky to have some great teachers over the years that took the time to teach me back before we had Internet, then toss in some of your own ways and you come up with a method that works for you.. So please don't take me as a know it all, or a it's my wayor the highway type.. I learn new things all the time from people andenjoy paying it forward with what Ihave learned..

OK, if you don't do it this way your model will suck........

If you lay a straight edge down on the side view of the plans, you will see that the curve of the spine starts at former 6 and goes forward to CBX (cock pit). This is where you glue in the block that needs to be shaped, I made a mark on the fuse where this is in pic 1.. You can see with a straight edge on the spine, without any work the spine already has a curve, but it's not enough.. In the next pic I butted the canopy to the block and traced the shape, I made it a little big as I will do the final with the canopy.. Now that I have those marks and the one where former 6 is, I took tape and made the curve (pic3)
Then sanded with a bar sander to the tape pic 4, sorry the pics aren't clear but you get the idea.. pic5 shows the sanding pad I have on this, it's very course and I have had it for years. It's made out of metal and doesn't wear out and does it take down balsa like butter.. Not sure where I got it I have had it so long, but I love it.

More to follow.

Jimbo

Mustangman40

My Feedback: (1)

As you can see in the next pic, your left with the curve and a big flat spot on top and that is ok, we get that out in the next steps..

Take a ruler or straight edge and connect the two points where your curve starts at CBX back to 6X pic 2. I then trim some of the wood away with a knife and then sand with my aggressive bar sander to the basic shape... Pic3 shows the sanding pad I make, it has 150 grit on one side and 220 on the other, notice how well it bends around all the shapes you have going on.. I make the same pads with finner grits for final sanding and they work great..

Important!!!!! And I should havesaid this in the beginning.
DON'T MISTAKE THE CROSS SECTION ON THE PLANS THAT SHOWS 6X, THIS IS IN MY OPINION PRETTY USLESS, INLESS YOU CUT A HUNK OUT OF YOUR MODEL...lol CBX is a lot wider and it to match the canopy... pic 4 shows this cross section.

In the next two pics you can see how much more it curves, first pic 5 is before we did anything and pic 6 is the finished result..
Then it's just a matter of sanding in with my pad, I use the 150 first and then flip over and go with the 220 pic7. Then I repeat the other side and there you have it pic8..


For the life of me I cannot find my canopy scissors, kids are great...lol so i can cut the canopy out all the way. I will do the final shaping with the canopy and my backrest or my cockpit, but it's pretty dang close right now...

Well i hope this helps someone reading..

Jimbo

redbiscuits

My Feedback: (6)

Well done Jimbo, Thanks for posting!

Mustangman40

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks Gary,
I hope it helps out Andy, sounds like it is getting a little stressed.. We all know what one of these dang planes can do to you when things aren't going how you want them to...

Edwin

My Feedback: (2)

If you have kids, you cant help but get sick. Its the law. I'm fortunate enough to work from home and have 20 years of flue shots in me. My son deals with the screamin me me's now.
Edwin

oldtyme

Thanks Jimbo for the verbage and the pics. I've put mine up for a couple of days to regroup. I did not take the sheeting all the way to the top of the block so I had to add some and then sand. I think it will be close to what you have when I am done. I definitely will make one of those sanding foam things you show yourself using. That is what I thought might be needed but I am hesitant to hand-sand because I have a tendency to sand too much and then get the balsa too thin. I will be glassing this plane though so that should help in places I got too aggressive. Your plane is looking very nice and I appreciate you sharing with us. Oh, no I don't have the bottom started yet just the top half of the fuse. I wanted to get things done up there before I started the bottom. It is up off the building board. I cut out and installed the cockpit area (not the actual cockpit but roughed in all balsa) and then discovered that the install of the air tank would be difficult. I did manage to get the tank in and out so it's not a problem........just have to be sure to position it before I start the bottom construction.

cheers,
Andy

EJWash1

My Feedback: (3)

"More"? Did you mean "less"?

redbiscuits

My Feedback: (6)

Well, I'm slowly priming myself up to get some paint flying this weekend, that is if the weather holds up.

I experimented on the lid of some hand cleaner for the best way to do the checkerboard on the cowling. Months ago after lots of research, I bought some Bob Dively Models Liquid Mask. I was reading that this is the best way to lay them out.

I'm thinking the best way to skin this cat is...
#1 Paint the cowl white
#2 Brush at least two coats of Liquid Mask over it.
#3 Lay out the checkers and remove the areas that are to be black.
#4 Paint the cowl white again to seal the edges and keep the black from creeping under the masked areas.
#5 Hit it with black and then remove the masked off white areas.


Now, this all sounds easy, but so did the rivets in the beginning!

WacoNut

Looks like your test lid came out great

Later!!
Anthony

TonyBuilder

My Feedback: (11)

cubfloater

My Feedback: (5)

Well Gary nailed it. It's a ModelTech so I have my specs I need now and just have to finish her up. Have to rework most of the innards and install the motor. Have a 91 Saito which is the max that they recommend. Oh, and need to get some better retracts as what's in it seem a little flimsy. I don't really want to mess with air so will try mechanical retracts if I can find some. Looked at Dave Brown and then Robart but haven't decided on which ones yet. I'm too busy while they are open to find out what will work so I have to jump on that now. Thanks Gary and the other responses.

Jim

TonyBuilder

My Feedback: (11)

kwblake

Tony. Could you please repost 1 or 2 of the pictures of the bracket. Only the first one enlarges, and you cannot see the bracket in that one.

Thanks very much

TonyBuilder

My Feedback: (11)

Yes I will. The bracket is some drum hardware Tama cymble clamp.