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Joined: 11/20/2002 From: Evansville,
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Well, I am slowly making progress on the plug for my fuselage mold. The plug is open framework construction that will be covered with Coverite and doped. I am doing it this way so the molded fuselages will have a fabric over stringer appearance. I should have some pictures up by the weekend. Basic info is:
Description: Shoulder wing, sorta scale like Cassut racer with plug in wing panels (carbon fiber arrow shaft wing spar) Selig S8036 airfoil 6" chord, 36" span, 216 sq. in. wing area vacuum bagged carbon fiber fuselage. (Single layer 5.5 oz carbon) Norvel AME .061 Three channel - aileron, elevator and throttle Hand launch, no landing gear Unpainted carbon fiber fuselage Silk covered built up wing with molded carbon fiber leading edge
Since I don't have any pictures yet, here is what I was going to enter last year but ran out of time. This model has a Speed 400 motor rather than the Norvel I was going to use for the contest. It also has the same Selig airfoil I am using on this years entry and flies reasonably well.
< Message edited by newtech -- 1/21/2004 7:29:51 PM >
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Joined: 11/22/2003 From: arlington,
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HI NEWTECH! That's gorgeous! I've never heard of using a flyable framework with covering as a plug! Is it a scary process to seperate? I guess you don't care that much about the plug if you know you've got a good mold out of it? Keep up the great work!
Posts: 147
Joined: 11/20/2002 From: Evansville,
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Thought I would let everyone know what the project is looking like so far. THis is a "sorta kinda lookd like" Cassutt Racer. THis is just the plug and will be covered with sailplane weight Ceconite and doped. THe final finish for the plug will be PPG Concept Urethane auto paint.
Posts: 147
Joined: 11/20/2002 From: Evansville,
IN, USA Status: offline
Thanks AJC. Coming from you I take it as a huge compliment. Some planes just look right. I took the basic Cassutt design and sanded off everything that I didn't think looked like airplane :-) Actually, I wanted to smooth most of the intersections and curves so it would be easy to mold in carbon fiber. It will be molded in two halves split along the horizontal thrust line, i.e. top and bottom.
I have been checking the forum almost hourly to see if you have posted any new updates. I can't wait to see what you have done since your last update. The Senica is one of those plane on my "it just looks right" list. Hope you are having as much fun on this as I am. A little good spirited competition sure gets the juices flowing :-)
Keep up the good work AJC
Will be cutting wing cores to make a plug for the leading edge mold tomorrow. Still thik I will be molding a carbon fiber leading edge with the rest built up construction.
Posts: 147
Joined: 11/20/2002 From: Evansville,
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Well, I haven't gotten very much done on my model. Did sand the top of the fuselage off and rebuild it. I kept sanding through corners and gave up and rebuilt it the way it should have been in the first place
I did buy one of the Walley Mart digital postal scales for $17 last night. I have an unfinished carbon fiber fuselage and an extra fuselage skin for my RV-7 design and used the new scale to check the weights. The fuselage that has a coat of primer and white paint on it weighs 4.5 ounces.
The separate fuselage side has a white epoxy primer finish, that was sprayed into the mold before laying up and vacuum bagging the carbon fiber, weighs 1.5 ounces. Since this is a somewhat larger part than my Sky Terrier contest entry is going to be I think the actual fuselage halves will be about 1.2 ounces each. That should give me about a 3 ounce fuselage. All up weight of 16 ounces should be doable.
Will be making molds later in the week and will document the process here.
Posts: 147
Joined: 11/20/2002 From: Evansville,
IN, USA Status: offline
quote:
ORIGINAL: combatpigg
HI NEWTECH! That's gorgeous! I've never heard of using a flyable framework with covering as a plug! Is it a scary process to seperate? I guess you don't care that much about the plug if you know you've got a good mold out of it? Keep up the great work!
Hi C/P, that is always the moment of truth :-) Will probably wax the plug with eight or ten coats of wax where I normally use five coats.
Haven't made as much progress as I would like to have but here is a picture of the covered fuselage plug. It is covered with full scale sailplane weight Ceconite using Poly Fiber's Poly-Tack adhesive. Will get two coats of Nitrate dope today and then I switch from full scale aircraft covering methods to automotive body shop finishing methods.
When you mentioned sailplane weight Ceconite, I'm assuming that is the Ceconite 102. Have you used the uncertified Ceconite Light? How difficult is it to control shrinkage to keep from bowing your structures. I'm always looking for new covering approaches, but weight remains a real factor. GoodWinds Kites has 3/4 oz. coated ripstop -- I think I could soak the coating off with denatured alcohol, but I don't know if I could get a good covering without wrinkles and if nitrate dope would stick to it.
Your plug looks super -- please keep the pictures coming.
Regards,
the "other" Andrew
_____________________________
the "other" andrew I'm not older than dirt, but I can remember when it was patent pending
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All Forums >> RC Airplanes >> "1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes >> Contest entry for Newtech 
Contest entry for Newtech - 
Take lotsa pictures of the process and share them pleeze!
Looks sleek & f-a-s-t! You must have a lot of will power. I'd have that puppy MonoKoted and flying, quick-like!
