Honker1

My Feedback: (4)

Hello all,

I have built numerous planes over that last 35 years but never a biplane. I have finished building a Phaeton II .40 Bi-plane (great build by the way) and am having a really hard time getting the rigging right. I really need some help, I can get things right on the board but when I try to solder the fittings in place I really have a hard time getting it right. I have tried CA to hold them in place but when I go to solder everything moves and my solder joints are bad. I am an aircraft mechanic (have build 2 experimetal planes) but have trouble with this solder thing, any suggetions?

Anyone???

Thanks,

Pat

3136

Hi there Honker, I'm not sure what is envolved with that kit, but when I did my busa sopwith pup rigging, it called for some joints to be wrapped with wire. Basically wind heavy hard drawn wire around the joint. I always use surgical gloves when soldering, you need to keep every part free of any contamination whatsoever. Use some very fine sandpaper clean all surfaces, use flux paste and solder together. Heat the part and apply the solder to the part, not the iron, the solder will flow to where ever the flux is applied. The interplane n struts on the pup didn't need to be wrapped but you could crimp the parts to the wire so they stayed in place while you are working on them. You will need a 100 watt iron or larger.

smithcreek

My Feedback: (25)

I have a Phaeton 90, so not sure if they are the same. The Phaeton 90 has small tabs at the end of the cabane and N-struts that need to be soldered in place and must be at the right angle to support the wing and line up with the hole for the screw. The best way to solder them is while they are screwed to the wing, before covering. Use a gun not a torch and do your best not to scorch the wood. I have had a couple come loose and with fabric and paint on the wing I had to solder them off the plane. It's a real pain to solder them in the right place without them moving.

optech

My Feedback: (9)

Use an IRON.... NOT a gun. Most guns will not retain enough heat once you touch it to the metal and if you do get the solder to flow you will most likely have a cold solder joint that will come loose like a poster above is experiencing. Make your self a simple plywood jig you don't mind burning if you need to keep tabs and the like in place. For wire to wire joints you must wrap with copper wire.

You'll need at least a 60watt Iron with big wide blade and silver solder. You can use plumbers solder but electronics solder should be avoided.

However... the FIRST thing you must have is clean pieces. Using CA to hold the wire together is just contaminating the joint rendering the piece worthless. Sand the wire with 400 grit and denatured alcohol until its got a roughly sorta shiney finish. Wipe down again with a clean rag and more alcohol. Tightly wrap the joint with the wire. Wipe down again with the alcohol then smear the assembly with solder flux paste. Get the paste in there good. Now make sure the Iron is hot and properly tinned. Google tinning a soldering Iron if you don't know what that is. Touch the Iron to one side of the piece and your solder to the other. Once the piece is hot enough, the solder will flow and wick itself into the joint. The flux will bubble and smoke off but that is good. Keep touching the solder all over the joint until everything is coated. Practice will get you a feel for it so you just have to do it.

Once the solder has cooled, take a wire brush and more denatured alcohol and scrub the piece of ALL the flux residue you can. The piece should be somewhat shiney and your done. Eyelets and brackets are basically the same. CLEAN pieces, flux, hot iron, make sure the solder flows into the joint, not on it....

Hope some of this helps.

Mike

Rodney

Yes, those cabane struts can be a bear to solder. I always make a jig out of scrap wood to hold the items in place while soldering them. As said above, clean, clean and the clean some more and keep your oily fingers off the cleaned parts. I wrap the joints with soft copper wire (clean that wire first also to make sure there is no coating or oxidation on it) then flux and solder. I find at least a 100 watt iron is about the right size. I have also used what I call "picture wire", that wire you buy to hang picture frames on the wall with. It is not copper but if cleaned good to remove all oil and corrosion works well. On all my Phaetons (I've built several-both 40 size and the larger ones) and found they all flew best if you made sure that the upper wing was set at about 1.5 degrees LESS angle of attack than the lower one. All required about 2 to 3 degrees right thrust and about 5 degrees down thrust.

smithcreek

My Feedback: (25)

So a gun like the 300 watt Weller won't heat up as much as an iron? All I know is I never like using anything but a flame, probably for that reason.

Rodney

While an iron is better than a gun in most cases, I admit I often use the gun (250 watt or higher) but I've had quite a bit of experience and practice on how to do it. It works, just takes a bit more care than a big mass iron.

Honker1

My Feedback: (4)

Guys thanks, that was the trick, clean clean clean and no ca to hold the joint. A simple jig did the trick. Just fitted the cowl, need to paint it (cowl) and it is ready to fly. Will let you know how it goes.

Pat