Sig Kadet MkII build
08-14-2016, 04:50 PM
#227
Thanks Mike (FlyerInOKC) and Jim (buzzardbait),
Truth be told it's not as good as the photos make it out to be, but from 5 feet away it's decent enough! :-). Yeah, I'm glad the toughest part is over. Once I get the wing done I can focus on something other than painting at least :-)
cheers,
Ken
Truth be told it's not as good as the photos make it out to be, but from 5 feet away it's decent enough! :-). Yeah, I'm glad the toughest part is over. Once I get the wing done I can focus on something other than painting at least :-)
cheers,
Ken
09-26-2016, 09:02 PM
#229
Geez man, I'm going to let you paint my planes from now on. That bird looks GOOD!!!
09-27-2016, 04:51 AM
#230
I agree, you've made a beauty of her!
Just to recap the method, you painted Nelson paint over Solartex using a bristle brush, right? I know it was a lot of work, but compared to what I've been doing, spraying dope, it seems so much better. I was constantly trying to save on solvent, but then having to use a lot to clean every nook and cranny in the spray gun, getting on my hands, breathing it, paying for it. Your method sounds so much better, and now we know it can look terrific too! Thanks for these posts; keep up the great work!
Jim
Just to recap the method, you painted Nelson paint over Solartex using a bristle brush, right? I know it was a lot of work, but compared to what I've been doing, spraying dope, it seems so much better. I was constantly trying to save on solvent, but then having to use a lot to clean every nook and cranny in the spray gun, getting on my hands, breathing it, paying for it. Your method sounds so much better, and now we know it can look terrific too! Thanks for these posts; keep up the great work!
Jim
09-27-2016, 06:43 AM
#232
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Thanks Dave, Jim!
Jim, yeah, it was brushed on System 3 paint from Nelson's, but I did use a foam brush for the wing just because I didn't have a good width bristle brush to use for that large surface, but I got better using the foam brush with practice. I do like the non-toxic aspect of this paint...
I'm afraid I didn't weigh the airframe prior to painting so I'm not sure how much was added, but I'll get a ready to fly weight when she's done...
cheers!
Ken
Jim, yeah, it was brushed on System 3 paint from Nelson's, but I did use a foam brush for the wing just because I didn't have a good width bristle brush to use for that large surface, but I got better using the foam brush with practice. I do like the non-toxic aspect of this paint...
I'm afraid I didn't weigh the airframe prior to painting so I'm not sure how much was added, but I'll get a ready to fly weight when she's done...
cheers!
Ken
09-29-2016, 09:13 AM
#236
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Guess what got painted? These sudden bouts of productivity are hilarious...
P.S. I wet sanded the ABS cowl with 320 sandpaper, which was perfect to remove the gloss and create a suitable surface for the paint.
P.S. I wet sanded the ABS cowl with 320 sandpaper, which was perfect to remove the gloss and create a suitable surface for the paint.
Last edited by KenChoo; 09-29-2016 at 09:22 AM.
10-06-2016, 10:21 AM
#240
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Hi guys,
I got quite a bit done this week. The plane is pretty much ready except for the placement of the RX, battery, and switch! I did weigh it all though, just excluding the RX, and it turned out to be 1oz shy of 5lbs (i.e. 4lbs, 15oz). So with a couple of ounces for the RX it'll just be about 5lbs. I'm frankly amazed! Using the Solartex and painting over it didn't add all that much weight it seems (either that or it was a fairly light airframe before covering). So that's all good.
Enjoy the pics...just gotta install the receiver, battery and switch, then balance, and finally run in the engine. I didn't expect the build to take quite this long (about a year since starting) but it was a wonderful experience all-in-all. Thanks everyone for following along and the tips and encouragement along the way!
Cheers,
Ken
I got quite a bit done this week. The plane is pretty much ready except for the placement of the RX, battery, and switch! I did weigh it all though, just excluding the RX, and it turned out to be 1oz shy of 5lbs (i.e. 4lbs, 15oz). So with a couple of ounces for the RX it'll just be about 5lbs. I'm frankly amazed! Using the Solartex and painting over it didn't add all that much weight it seems (either that or it was a fairly light airframe before covering). So that's all good.
Enjoy the pics...just gotta install the receiver, battery and switch, then balance, and finally run in the engine. I didn't expect the build to take quite this long (about a year since starting) but it was a wonderful experience all-in-all. Thanks everyone for following along and the tips and encouragement along the way!
Cheers,
Ken
10-06-2016, 04:10 PM
#242
Yup! Well done, indeed!!! Looking forward to flight reports and pics.
10-06-2016, 09:13 PM
#243
That's really nice work Ken. I've been building models for a long time and that Kadet of yours is well built and finished. Congratulations to you. Very nice job.
10-11-2016, 07:39 PM
#244
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Thanks all for the kind comments...
I found that to balance in the middle of the CG range indicated, the RX battery has to go just under the fuel tank, and the RX itself and switch can be right in the middle of the radio compartment. I haven't installed the switch yet but I wanted to show how I mounted the RX.
Continuing in the spirit of trying new things (to me) in this build, I recalled a method I saw on Jim John's old pattern website from the late 1990's - I'd never mounted a receiver this way before but somehow remembered the concept and gave it a go...it works great! I fashioned two "H" brackets using scrap from the kit box, and with 4 rubber bands mounted as shown in the picture below. It's very lightweight, secure, offers excellent vibration damping, and is very easy to access the RX.
Cheers,
Ken
I found that to balance in the middle of the CG range indicated, the RX battery has to go just under the fuel tank, and the RX itself and switch can be right in the middle of the radio compartment. I haven't installed the switch yet but I wanted to show how I mounted the RX.
Continuing in the spirit of trying new things (to me) in this build, I recalled a method I saw on Jim John's old pattern website from the late 1990's - I'd never mounted a receiver this way before but somehow remembered the concept and gave it a go...it works great! I fashioned two "H" brackets using scrap from the kit box, and with 4 rubber bands mounted as shown in the picture below. It's very lightweight, secure, offers excellent vibration damping, and is very easy to access the RX.
Cheers,
Ken
Last edited by KenChoo; 10-11-2016 at 07:43 PM.
10-12-2016, 01:43 PM
#246
Yes, that looks like a good method. My one question is, won't it work its way forward on each landing, and what happens in a crash?
A friend tried a gyro on a four stroke powered plane and the gyro failed due to vibration. Maybe this method would prevent that.
Jim
A friend tried a gyro on a four stroke powered plane and the gyro failed due to vibration. Maybe this method would prevent that.
Jim
10-12-2016, 02:05 PM
#248
If this system will hold the RX in extreme manuvers I don't see why it wouldn't hold in a crash provided there was no structural damage in the area of the "H" brackets. Then again if the structure was damaged that far back it wouldn't matter how you mounted it. It seems to me if the Gyro was held at the correct level it should work.
Last edited by FlyerInOKC; 10-12-2016 at 02:15 PM.