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Balsa USA Fokker DRI 1/4 scale

Old 12-07-2011, 02:21 PM
  #26  
WacoNut
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Default RE: Balsa USA Fokker DR1 1/4 scale

VJ,
This build is going to require alot of pinning down parts so i am building on drywall. I still have the glass top and may use it some later in the build.

Christmas came early.......... I feel like Steve Martin in the movie The Jerk: The New Phone Book is Here, The New Phone Book is Here

The kit is well packed and everything looks to be in good shape. They put the wheels and the gun kits into the kit box for shipping. The directions say to start with the wings so I will. The build will start tonight.

My thoughts on Solartex. I used it on one build. My 33% Cub. It went on easier than fabric but it was too trans parent for my taste. I wound up putting several coats of paint over the Solartex to get satisfactory results. I do not intend to use Solartex on this build. Also the Solartex will start to go slack in some areas over time. I have never had this happen with Koverall. Just my experience and opinion.

Here are a few pics of how the kit looks in the box. Not bad ordered on Sunday and received on Wed.
Later!!
Anthony
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Old 12-07-2011, 03:06 PM
  #27  
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Default RE: Balsa USA Fokker DR1 1/4 scale

Look's good Anthony. And I agree with you on the covering. Have you ever considered giving stits fabric a go. Much tighter weave than Koverall. I like both but prefer stits. And thank's for starting this build. Have thought about one for awhile.  Watching you build one will probably, you know.
Old 12-07-2011, 03:25 PM
  #28  
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Default RE: Balsa USA Fokker DR1 1/4 scale

Robert,
I am looking at buying my fabric from Aircraft Spruce, I belive it is Stits-Lite. Much cheaper buying from them. You need to get that Cub done and get a DR1 so you can build along.


I just went thru the box and it is a bit intimidating as there is ALOT of wood. All the wood appears to be of very good quality. You have to study the manual closely and make sure you use the right piece of wood in the right place or you will come up short. I think about as far as I will get tonight is getting all the sheeting and spars spliced for building the bottom wing then start assmbly of the wing tomorrow evening. All the wings are one piece and no dihedral so the build is pretty straight forward.
This is going to be fun!!!
Anthony
Old 12-07-2011, 03:36 PM
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Default RE: Balsa USA Fokker DR1 1/4 scale

Give us a shot of all the wood. And would love to build along but gotta finish the Cub then a Coursair, another Waco then a B25. But who knows.
And I will check out Aircraft Spruce for the polyester. Thank's
Old 12-07-2011, 03:57 PM
  #30  
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Default RE: Balsa USA Fokker DR1 1/4 scale

OK you asked,
The wood layed out on the table along the 4ft T-square is all the sheeting and spar material for the wings. All the fuse ply parts are in the box at the other end of the table. The box top has all the wing ribs and stick stock as well as the remaining sheeting.

I am going to eat dinner then make all of the required splices for the bottom wing and let them dry. I will start framing the wing tomorrow evening after work.

Work all day in an aerospace shop and come home and build planes. Kind of messed up isn't it
Anthony
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Old 12-07-2011, 04:13 PM
  #31  
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Default RE: Balsa USA Fokker DR1 1/4 scale

Side Note:
I was considering making a copy of the plans and making templates of all the parts for later use if I wanted to build another one. I don't think this would be worth the effort with this kit. With the amount of wood that is contained in the kit it would not be economical to try and reproduce this kit. By the time you rounded up all the required wood and the necessary hardware you could have purchased the kit. With this kit you definetly are getting your $$$ worth IMO.
Later!!
Anthony
Old 12-07-2011, 06:12 PM
  #32  
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Default RE: Balsa USA Fokker DR1 1/4 scale

Holy Cow that's a lot of wood!
Old 12-07-2011, 06:18 PM
  #33  
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Default RE: Balsa USA Fokker DR1 1/4 scale

Yes it is,
I have the spars and sheeting spliced for the bottom wing. The bottom wing has 20 ribs. I removed the 20 die cut ribs from the sheets and was pleasantly surprised at how easily and cleanly they came out of the sheets. No trimming or sanding required for the ribs before assembly. It has been a long time since I have built a die cut kit and my last experience wasn't a good one but it looks like there are no issues with the die cutting of this kit.
I will take some pics of the wing being framed up tomorrow.
Anthony
Old 12-08-2011, 06:44 PM
  #34  
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Default RE: Balsa USA Fokker DR1 1/4 scale

Well I didn't get as far as I wanted tonight, been fighting a sinus headache all day.
I did get the parts I spliced yesterday sanded and the bottom L/E sheeting is pinned down with the bottom spar glued in place. The T/E is pinned in place and all the ribs are dry fitted. I will start gluing them in tomorrow when my head stops hurting. C/A fumes do not sound like a good idea right now. I should be able to make some progress in a few days.
Later!!
Anthony
Old 12-09-2011, 06:50 PM
  #35  
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Default RE: Balsa USA Fokker DR1 1/4 scale

The bottom wing is all framed up. I still need to add the cap strips and the tips and leading edge cap and sand.
When I unpinned the wing from the table it remained nice and flat, so far so good. I will complete this wing tomorrow and start on the middle wing.
I generally like to use as much wood glue as possible in place of CA but this design lends itself well to using thin CA to wick into the joints of the ribs and sheeting. If anyone wants so more indepth pictures of the wing building process just let me know and I will take more pics while building the other 2 wings.
Later!!
Anthony
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Old 12-09-2011, 06:53 PM
  #36  
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Default RE: Balsa USA Fokker DR1 1/4 scale

Do you really have to ask? Of course we would like more pics.
And I checked out thatAircraft Spruce site, which bring's up a question. What do you think of the Dacron?
Old 12-09-2011, 07:36 PM
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Default RE: Balsa USA Fokker DR1 1/4 scale

Hey Anthony,

Looks like you're off to a running start. Get r done and join the Dawn Patrol circut this coming year.
Some of the guys have started doing an occasional camp and fly weekend.
Can't help but have fun.

Del
Old 12-10-2011, 01:43 AM
  #38  
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Default RE: Balsa USA Fokker DR1 1/4 scale

Waco,You'll find this is a very easy kit to build.Box fuse.flat bottom wing that can be built in one piece,and stick const. tail feathers.Very well designed kit.-Jeffo
Old 12-10-2011, 03:54 AM
  #39  
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Default RE: Balsa USA Fokker DR1 1/4 scale

Hi Del,
I will definetly have it ready by spring. Now that I have one wing framed I am sure the other 2 will go a little faster. I was supposed to be off work between the Holidays and I was going to try and frame the whole plane up by Jan 1st but it looks like I will have to work[:@].
If all goes well you will be seeing me and my plane this year.
I am getting ready to head into work for a 1/2 day then get back on the DR1.

Later!!
Anthony
Old 12-10-2011, 07:15 AM
  #40  
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Default RE: Balsa USA Fokker DR1 1/4 scale

Anthony, I am subscribed. Make it through that 3rd wing and the Fuse is alot of fun to build on this.
Ron
Old 12-10-2011, 03:47 PM
  #41  
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Default RE: Balsa USA Fokker DR1 1/4 scale

I finished up the bottom wing and I am very happy with it.

Took me a few attempt to get the hang of sanding and shaping the scallops where they meet the ribs. The wing is rough sanded and I am on to the middle wing.

Here are a few pics of the bottom wing.
Anthony
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Old 12-10-2011, 03:51 PM
  #42  
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Default RE: Balsa USA Fokker DR1 1/4 scale

Here are a few pics of the start of the middle wing.

The sheeting, spars and L/E have to be spliced. Once you get the splices completed and sanded then you pin the bottom L/E sheeting down over the plans and glue the spar to the sheeting. The bottom sheeting is then added as well as the trailing edges. The wing is now ready to add the ribs.

I am taking the rest of the evening off from the build to spend some time with my better half, as we all know if she isn't happy nobody is happy.
Later!!
Anthony
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Old 12-11-2011, 07:29 AM
  #43  
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Default RE: Balsa USA Fokker DR1 1/4 scale

Middle wing progress,
The ribs have been glued in as well as the inner leading edge and the top spar. The cabane mount is also glued in place. I added some 1/4sq stock along the glue joints for the cabane block for some extra gluing surface. It just didn't look very strong to me.

I will be turning the wing around and pinning it back down and adding the top L/E sheeting. I found a nice little method of putting the sheeting on which makes the job alot easier and assures in goes down smooth. I have always hated adding the L/E sheeting but this takes all the hastle out of the task. I will post pics of how I put the L/E sheeting on shortly.
Later!!
Anthony
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Old 12-11-2011, 07:54 AM
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Default RE: Balsa USA Fokker DR1 1/4 scale

Why do I have a feeling that is going to have something to do with wood glue and heat.
Looking good!
Old 12-11-2011, 08:25 AM
  #45  
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Default RE: Balsa USA Fokker DR1 1/4 scale

ORIGINAL: acerc

Why do I have a feeling that is going to have something to do with wood glue and heat.
Looking good!
Nope

I started by gluing the sheeting to the top spar and added some clamps. To make it even tougher one of the sheets was a really hard piece of balse that did not want to bend over the ribs. I sprayed down the sheets with a little windex and rubbed that into the grain of the wood. Once I was satisfied the wood would bend over the ribs without splitting I put medium CA on the top of the ribs and the inner L/E. I used a 1-1/8" dia metal pipe(must be perfectly straight) and rolled the L/E sheeting down towards the L/E and stopped when I had the pipe directly over the L/E and held it there for approx 2 minutes. For a lille extra measure I lightly sprayed joint along the top of the L/E with CA accelerator.
Since I had to spray the sheeting with windex I will leave it pinned to the board while the windex dries. Using the pipe for rolling the sheeting down really makes the job easier, which I would have thought of that about a dozen builds ago.
Here are a few pics.
Later!!
Anthony
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Old 12-11-2011, 08:51 AM
  #46  
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Default RE: Balsa USA Fokker DR1 1/4 scale

I did find a small issue with my kit.

The inner leading edge is 3/4x1/4 balsa stock with a bevel on one edge. the instructions call for splicing a 24" piece to a 36" piece. The longest pieces in my kit are 30". This will not allow it to span the wing so I made some 36" long inner leading edges on my saw from 1/4 sheet stock I had on hand. I did send en e-mail off to Balsa USA so they can check the kits they have in-stock to look for the same problem. No big deal as It didn't take me long to make the parts but I would have been really miffed if I didn't have the material on hand and had to wait for replacement parts to arrive. Hopefully by letting them know this will save someone else the same issue.
Anthony
Old 12-11-2011, 10:21 AM
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Default RE: Balsa USA Fokker DR1 1/4 scale

Middle Wing progress:
I trimmed the L/E sheeting and rough sanded. Installed the top center section sheeting as well as closed in the trailing edge of the center section with 3/32 sheeting.

You will see by the attached picure of the L/E how tight and clean the joint is where the sheeting meets the inner L/E. I will give the center section sheeting a rough sanding then start adding the cap strips.
Later!!
Anthony
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Old 12-11-2011, 10:23 AM
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Default RE: Balsa USA Fokker DR1 1/4 scale

Looking good.. You are a fast builder! I am finally done with the one set of wings for my project... Only took a couple months.. Yours seems to take days.
I like the pipe idea, but I am not so sure about the windex / water. It makes me nervous using water anywhere near the sheeting for fear I would build in a bow / warp once the water evaporates and the wood shrinks.
Your thoughts / experiences?
SunDevilPilot
Old 12-11-2011, 10:34 AM
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Default RE: Balsa USA Fokker DR1 1/4 scale

SDP,
I have used windex alot for softening sheeting to make it more flexible, it will keep it from cracking too easy. You want to spray the windex on the outside of the area you want to curve. I spray just a light coat that will only soak about 1/2 way thru the sheet. Once the sheet is glued in place and it dries you will not see any ill effects from the windex. The sheet will start to curl slightly as soon as you spray it with the windex. From my experience this will put less stress on the wing than forceing a stiff sheet to conform to the shape dry. It will want to spring back to the flat surface and can cause warping. The sheet sprayed with windex will dry to the shape it was glued and will put less stress on the wing once dry.

For the pipe you need a fairly thick walled pipe and of course it must be straight. The one I am using is 65" long and is pretty stout. The longer the pipe the thicker the wall needs to be to prevent flexing.
Later!!
Anthony
Old 12-11-2011, 12:18 PM
  #50  
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Default RE: Balsa USA Fokker DR1 1/4 scale

Windex- is there anything it can't do?

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