Byron (Iron Bay) Gee Bee R2
06-04-2016, 03:05 PM
#77
Work continues.... LOTS of filling and sanding.. then more filling and more sanding..
The Dummy engine is done.
The wheel pants have lots of flaws - here I am building up the rear 'lip' of one of the pants.. it never made it out of the mold, intact.
The other pant is rough and will require plenty of filling and sanding. SEE the pix I added of all the voids and pin holes in the fiberglass.. and this was AFTER an initial filling with microballoons and resin!!
The top mold seam of the fuselage cannot be sanded out as its level is actually below the adjacent sides. What a pain
Will require that I add filler all along the top seam.. feather... sand..
Bottom line? This WAS the "gold standard" back in the day and requires a 'builder' to resolve. These flaws were not considered to be that much of a problem until we were inundated with high quality ARFs with perfectly finished fiberglass pieces, with which to compare...
UNTIL you have finished fiberglass like this, you will never appreciate the work that goes into those dazzling finished fiberglass parts that are routinely part of every ARF these daze
The Dummy engine is done.
The wheel pants have lots of flaws - here I am building up the rear 'lip' of one of the pants.. it never made it out of the mold, intact.
The other pant is rough and will require plenty of filling and sanding. SEE the pix I added of all the voids and pin holes in the fiberglass.. and this was AFTER an initial filling with microballoons and resin!!
The top mold seam of the fuselage cannot be sanded out as its level is actually below the adjacent sides. What a pain
Will require that I add filler all along the top seam.. feather... sand..
Bottom line? This WAS the "gold standard" back in the day and requires a 'builder' to resolve. These flaws were not considered to be that much of a problem until we were inundated with high quality ARFs with perfectly finished fiberglass pieces, with which to compare...
UNTIL you have finished fiberglass like this, you will never appreciate the work that goes into those dazzling finished fiberglass parts that are routinely part of every ARF these daze
Last edited by RichardGee; 06-06-2016 at 05:27 AM.
06-11-2016, 08:08 AM
#79
Sanding, filling, priming continues... typical of most fiberglass parts of 10+ years ago...
The FIRST part to be "finished" is the tailwheel pant. Excess light isn't showing true red color.
Main wheelpants, upper strut covers and cowl need just a light coat of white primer, a quick 400 grit wet sand and are ready for paint.
The FIRST part to be "finished" is the tailwheel pant. Excess light isn't showing true red color.
Main wheelpants, upper strut covers and cowl need just a light coat of white primer, a quick 400 grit wet sand and are ready for paint.
06-19-2016, 09:17 AM
#81
The finishing process goes on.. and on...
When it comes to fiberglassing, priming, and general filling... it's NOT how much you apply.. it's HOW MUCH YOU REMOVE that counts!
No matter how carefully I sand, prep, and apply glass cloth, I am always amazed at how uneven the finished surface is. Primer reveals ALL!
Auto spot putty is indispensable, but it too comes with drawbacks. When applied more than paper-thin, sanding away will reveal bubbles and voids that again must be filled.
And if you have NEVER tried WET SANDING, I cannot recommend it highly enough! There is simply NO COMPARISON to dry sanding. Wet sanding is messy and requires the special black "wet/dry" sand paper, but the results are simply superior to dry sanding. You can use much finer grit paper, yet it cuts through better and does not clog up. The finish is much smoother.
The challenge is to keep water OUT of the unfinished (bare wood) structure.
Wing half in foreground has had two coats primer with spot putty and sanding in between. It isn't finished yet... more primer will reveal more imperfections. Final primer coat will be WHITE.
Wing half in back ground was rough sanded then a heavy coat of grey primer. It too will require spot putty, sanding, another coat of primer, then sanding to the finish of the front wing half, then white primer and a final 400 grit wet sand before painting.
When it comes to fiberglassing, priming, and general filling... it's NOT how much you apply.. it's HOW MUCH YOU REMOVE that counts!
No matter how carefully I sand, prep, and apply glass cloth, I am always amazed at how uneven the finished surface is. Primer reveals ALL!
Auto spot putty is indispensable, but it too comes with drawbacks. When applied more than paper-thin, sanding away will reveal bubbles and voids that again must be filled.
And if you have NEVER tried WET SANDING, I cannot recommend it highly enough!
There is simply NO COMPARISON to dry sanding. Wet sanding is messy and requires the special black "wet/dry" sand paper, but the results are simply superior to dry sanding. You can use much finer grit paper, yet it cuts through better and does not clog up. The finish is much smoother.The challenge is to keep water OUT of the unfinished (bare wood) structure.
Wing half in foreground has had two coats primer with spot putty and sanding in between. It isn't finished yet... more primer will reveal more imperfections. Final primer coat will be WHITE.
Wing half in back ground was rough sanded then a heavy coat of grey primer. It too will require spot putty, sanding, another coat of primer, then sanding to the finish of the front wing half, then white primer and a final 400 grit wet sand before painting.
Last edited by RichardGee; 06-19-2016 at 09:19 AM.
07-11-2016, 06:52 AM
#86
While I wet sand, prime, glaze, sand some more, spay more primer and wait for it to dry, it was time to fit, mask, and paint the canopy...
My attachment method will be FAR more tedious to install and remove than the Byron, but I couldn't see four large nylon bolts holding the canopy on
.
Tip: I find that tin snips work quite well in trimming this type of plastic
My attachment method will be FAR more tedious to install and remove than the Byron, but I couldn't see four large nylon bolts holding the canopy on
.Tip: I find that tin snips work quite well in trimming this type of plastic
07-11-2016, 11:25 AM
#87
While I wet sand, prime, glaze, sand some more, spay more primer and wait for it to dry, it was time to fit, mask, and paint the canopy...
My attachment method will be FAR more tedious to install and remove than the Byron, but I couldn't see four large nylon bolts holding the canopy on.
Tip: I find that tin snips work quite well in trimming this type of plastic
My attachment method will be FAR more tedious to install and remove than the Byron, but I couldn't see four large nylon bolts holding the canopy on
.Tip: I find that tin snips work quite well in trimming this type of plastic
07-14-2016, 08:16 PM
#89
Everything except the fuselage is now painted. All white parts must set up for a week before masking and applying the red scallops.
Fuselage gets its coat of white tomorrow and then while everything sets up for a week, I will be working on another golden age plane...
Came up with a simple way to attach the flying wires to the wheel pants... made from carbon fiber strip and hardwood. The pictures explain it...
Fuselage gets its coat of white tomorrow and then while everything sets up for a week, I will be working on another golden age plane...
Came up with a simple way to attach the flying wires to the wheel pants... made from carbon fiber strip and hardwood. The pictures explain it...
07-15-2016, 06:32 AM
#92
....As far as golden age racers, I would like to eventually build a Gee Bee Z at 33%. I already did a 25% from Haffke plans, which turned out great, but I sold it before I ever flew it! (an offer too good to refuse)
In reality, next I want to get a 30% Xtreme Decathlon in the air. From Hostetler plans, I already have the wings built and a beautiful 3W 112 flat four. That plane will be my first attempt at covering with STITS.
I also have all the pieces and parts for a Jerry Bates 20% F4F Wildcat (my favorite warbird), but that project will be VERY long in the making as I want to totally scale it out for competition.
The Gee Bee racers will always be at the top of list... there is simply nothing else that ever flew, that stirs my soul more
07-15-2016, 07:49 AM
#93
Sounds like a good choice! I have several different builds going myself, in a somewhat broad spectrum. Starting with a VK Fokker DR.1 to a TF Cessna 182 and several Golden Era in between. I recently did the first major clean up in the garage in 10 years and discovered a Dornier-Zeppelin D.1 project I had started an lost some time back. I had planned to power it with a new old stock Enya .46 4C Mark II, as luck would have I still have the engine in the box.
07-17-2016, 12:58 PM
#98
Masking and painting the red on wheelpants and head rest.
It's starting to look like a Gee Bee
Ailerons are hinged and counterweights glued in, ready for attachment to wings.
Tank mount with engine kill is ready to install.
It's starting to look like a Gee Bee
Ailerons are hinged and counterweights glued in, ready for attachment to wings.
Tank mount with engine kill is ready to install.
Last edited by RichardGee; 07-17-2016 at 05:01 PM.
07-18-2016, 07:16 AM
#100
Control surface counterweights are common in full scale aircraft... not so much with models. I am sure Byron used them back in the day when digital servos with 300 oz. torque were a pipe dream!
I've no doubt that with powerful servos and excellent slop-free linkages, they are NOT necessary today, but I went ahead and added them per Byron instructions as they seem like a neat idea. There's certainly nothing wrong with reducing the forces necessary to deflect control surfaces.
My aileron servos are 80 ounce and so the counterweights may actually be a really good thing.
The proof will be in the flying
I've no doubt that with powerful servos and excellent slop-free linkages, they are NOT necessary today, but I went ahead and added them per Byron instructions as they seem like a neat idea. There's certainly nothing wrong with reducing the forces necessary to deflect control surfaces.
My aileron servos are 80 ounce and so the counterweights may actually be a really good thing.
The proof will be in the flying