bigox 25

I bought a Sig Somthin' Extra in january and it hasnt been touched. I opened it and got intimidated. but i decided that someone has to build it and it might as well be me. I am going to use wood glue and thin ca glue to tack it in place as the wood glue dries.
wish me luck and give me all the tips you can.

i was thinking of elongating the rudder or modifying it somehow. any tips?

Dr1Driver

If you use thin CA to "tack" the pieces together, the wood glue won't penetrate the CA and make a solid joint. I'd use thin and thick CA exclusively. If you make good joints, and use the CA properly, it will be much stronger (and quicker-building) than wood glue.

Dr.1

yel914

You might try just starting slowly, building the rudder and elevator first. These parts are small and easy. Building these parts first should build your confidence and get you familiar with the glue and the building process. Good luck

bigox 25

so no wood glue then i heard it was better than ca glue. i didnt know. well i dont have any thick ca glue just the thin and a 30 min. epoxy.

1080tommy

I started my sometin extra two days ago and am done with both wings, rudder, elevator, and these are all hinged as well. This kit goes together really nice and the instructions are above average. The only thing so far that you will need wood glue for is the fuselage doublers. CA will bond too fast and you need to position the fuse doubler so other parts will match up to it. Also use thick CA because thin will set way too fast and when you are gluing the ribs you need them to move a little so they can be squared so the wing is true. Then get a bottle of accelerator, once the part is in place and you are confident spray with the accelerator and it dries the CA instantly. Hope this helps.

Tom

parrthd

first off, let me welcome you to kit building.....it's a very rewarding part of out addiction...er i mean hobby that more and more people are missing out on due to ARF's (for various reasons, i.e. no time, don't have the knowledge, not willing to invest to buy to tools to get started, etc.)
kit building is relatively simple but can get complex. follow the instructions to the "T" . i read each step around 4 to 5 times just to make sure i understand what they're talking about. after i complete a step the number is highlighted to let me know it's been done. sig manf. makes great kits, i built a 4*60 last year as my first kit and while it was intimidating at first i quickly found that there was nothing to it. i've heard the SSE and 4* series build about the same. i learned a lot on this first kit and still build now. other than following the instructions closely i also reccomend doing "something" to the kit everyday. that way you always see a little bit of progress and don't get discouraged. since this is your first kit, don't get in a hurry, instead of speed building make sure you've got everything in a step completed before you proceed to the next step. keep us informed of how you're coming along. and most importantly, don't be afraid to ask questions. i've found that rc universe is one of the greastest expanses there is for r/c information and rc universe also has some of the greatest people that are more than willing to help.

now.......good luck and get to building.

Newc

Couple of comments...I think that when 'thick' CA is being mentioned the posters are actually meaning 'medium'. There's very little need for the true thick CA, in my opinion. I use Pacer (Zap) thin and medium (zap-a-gap) exclusively, and 30 minute epoxy or Gorilla Glue where that's the right thing to do.

A trick for making doublers easily and accurately is to lay them down exactly as you want them, then push three or four T-pins through both pieces. Then separate the two pieces that form the doubler - leaving the pins going through both of them - spread your medium CA on one piece and push the two pieces back together with the pins being alignment tools. They will quickly become one correctly assembled piece.

Good luck. It's great to see another builder joining the ranks.

bigox 25

I just read in another forum that using only ca glue can make the joints brittle and the person claimed to have folded the wings of several models within the first hours of flight. Is this true or is he full of -blam!-?

Dr1Driver

He's completely full of "blam". Sounds like he's blaming the failures on the glue instead of poor construction techniques. NO glue will hold if there's a 1/16" gap between the pieces, or if there are no joint reinforcers, like dihedral braces.

Here's another good tip for doublers. Lay the doubler in place. Make pin holes through one side of the fuselage or the doubler about 1" apart. Place one drop of thin CA in each hole. It'll wick in between the pieces and be solid.

Dr.1

weathervane

This may sound a little strange, But here it goes.

How many bottles of CA do you need to build a kit. (40 size). Or how many kits can you build with one.

Just thinking about supplys before my first build.

parrthd

it depends on your construction skills and techniques.....i would say at the least 1 (2oz bottle) of each thick, thin, and medium. you'll find yourself using more of the thin and medium. but the thick is nice to have around for times you need extended cure times, for positioning parts, etc.

Kelsey_B

I have built many kits, and the only problem I have with CA is chewing it off my finger tips at night. I'm sure the experts don't get glue on their hands. I'm not there yet.

I use a combination of medium and thin CA, wood glue, and epoxy. Wood glue sands easier so I tend to use when glueing wing skins together. It's also cheaper than CA, so if I'm glueing larger pcs together that I can get a clamp on, I prefer to use it. I don't get in a hurry, so I don't mind stopping to let things dry.

I also store my CA in the fridge. It keeps my medium CA from turning into super thick.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

<Cough> No, never <Chuckle>

(Although I did glue my sock to the floor and my foot to the sock last week)

Wufnu

My Feedback: (2)

I've heard all CA is a good way to make a heavy model, while wood glue loses most of its mass weight as it cures. This probably isn't as important in these large glow models, but every oz saved helps.

I like wood glue for things I can clamp and let sit while I go make a sandwich. I made almost the entire wing (especially when gluing the ribs to the spars) with CA. I've only used my Epoxy once or twice, no point really. Thin CA has the benefit of super wicking action, particularly useful when wishing you had a third set of hands.

I've used so far about 1/4 of a bottle of wood glue, 1 full 10g bottle of CA and I'm working on a 5g bottle. This isn't a small kit, either (used half of the 10g bottle on the right wing half). Only half of the wing to go and the gluing will be finished.

I really like wood glue Go down to the basement, dry fit five or so pieces together, apply some woodglue to the mating pieces, clamp or sit something heavy on them, go watch tv for 30 minutes. A couple day passes and half the kit is together "How did that happen?!" o.O Sands better than the rest, too. It also gives me a sense of security I just don't get with CA. Reminds me of when my grandpa would build furniture (which is still together and fine, btw, after many decades of abuse... go wood glue!).

buzzard bait

I really like wood glue and use it for almost all my construction--I use Weldbond, which sands better than most. I even use it for making doublers--supposedly a big no-no because water based glues can cause warping. I just make sure it's thoroughly clamped. With wood glue you've got time to schmush things around if you need to, and no fumes. If you get it on your hands you just rub it off. Of course, like everyone else on this forum, I never do that.

Not as strong as CA? Well, how much stronger does it have to be than the wood it is joining? In crashes none of the joints have broken, only the wood. Of course, I never crash either.

Jim

buzzingb

My Feedback: (2)

One thing about the thing CA is it will soak into the wood fibers deep and then set making the light weight balsa stronger at the joint. I always use the thin first and follow up with a little medium and don't use accelerator unless necessary. Accelerator weakens the glue, just watch it after you spray it and you will see. I do use yellow wood glue some if like someone mentioned I can clamp it. Yellow wood glue will warp the wood if not clamped, even plywood. The polyurethane glue seems great fore some applications where you can clamp also. CA goes a long way if you use a small telflon tube to help apply the glue. So price shouldn't come up unless you are a penny pincher. If you are using a lot of $ of CA then you are using too much. Just enough is enough and any more is too much.

parrthd

i use to have a problem with this, i even went as far as starting to build wearing latex gloves, until another builder and i got to talking at the field one day. he said all he ever does is take a piece of fine (ie 220 or 400) grit sandpaper and knock the dried ca off his fingertips, or anywhere else that it might get he doesn't want. he said as long as you don't keep on sanding all you really take off is the ca and a bit of the calluses (dead skin that builds up) on your fingertips

DaveB

CA is a fine glue until such time as you become allergic to the stuff. Nowadays If I use the CA I develop all the symptoms of asthma. It has become bad stuff for me and I will now use "Titebond" whenever I can. I still will use a little CA for hinges and other applications, but only with a lot of ventilation and then only when absolutely necessary.

CA for some people can be very bad stuff. Be careful.

DaveB