1/6th A-6 Intruder Scratch Build
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RE: 1/6th A-6 Intruder Scratch Build
Great suggestions guys. Dan I sent you a PM. I have tons of safety wire so I could give that a shot and see how it goes. Good idea on the formers John, I think I will end up using that one, makes good sense. I am hoping to be slicing some foam tonight, cant wait!!
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RE: 1/6th A-6 Intruder Scratch Build
Hi Ian,
Just sent you a PM.
The wire is on it's way via priority mail. I have tried every type of wire there is and nothing performs like the Inconel. At .020 it cuts so clean and doesn't stretch like other wire. Most of the cutting wire sold by companies is not good as it heats, it stretches causing dips in the cuts; especially over long distances. If you use a Variac for the power supply, the results are hard to beat!
Oliver,
Just sent you a PM as well.
BRG,
Dan
Just sent you a PM.
The wire is on it's way via priority mail. I have tried every type of wire there is and nothing performs like the Inconel. At .020 it cuts so clean and doesn't stretch like other wire. Most of the cutting wire sold by companies is not good as it heats, it stretches causing dips in the cuts; especially over long distances. If you use a Variac for the power supply, the results are hard to beat!
Oliver,
Just sent you a PM as well.
BRG,
Dan
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RE: 1/6th A-6 Intruder Scratch Build
Awesome Dan, cant wait to try it out. I am going to be testing a couple different power supplies, as budget permits, and I know the Variacs are very nice, just a little steep for me right now. If I can't find something else suitable then I will most likely go with on of them though.
Actually I just found some Variacs on eBay for cheap!!! hmmmmmmmm
Actually I just found some Variacs on eBay for cheap!!! hmmmmmmmm
#79
RE: 1/6th A-6 Intruder Scratch Build
Be VERY, VERY careful using Variacs. Some are VERY dangerous. Some, not all, reduce the voltage between the output terminals but the voltage at these terminals is the SUPPLY voltage to earth & you are at earth potential.
What I use is a 240 volt (Oz mains voltage) to 32 volt transformer of a suitable current rating, about 5 amps for Oz, perhaps a bit more in 110 volt land. I drive the input with a normal domestic light dimmer (the type suitable for transformer powered downlights.)
Do you have any truck driving friends? If they have a 24 volt battery charger that will also work fine. - John.
What I use is a 240 volt (Oz mains voltage) to 32 volt transformer of a suitable current rating, about 5 amps for Oz, perhaps a bit more in 110 volt land. I drive the input with a normal domestic light dimmer (the type suitable for transformer powered downlights.)
Do you have any truck driving friends? If they have a 24 volt battery charger that will also work fine. - John.
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RE: 1/6th A-6 Intruder Scratch Build
Ok, last night I got a little ambitious and decided to build my own power supply for my foam cutter and low and behold it worked baby!! Works awesome, after about $30 worth of parts from Radio Shack I was rockin and rollin. When I get home tonight I will post some pictures. It works great and puts out plenty of power to slice through just about any foam so I should be good to go.
One thing I am contemplating is how to secure the foam to the structure, any suggestions? I was thinking hot glue but was wondering if it will hold up to all the sanding and shaping when ready. So feel free to throw out ideas.
One thing I am contemplating is how to secure the foam to the structure, any suggestions? I was thinking hot glue but was wondering if it will hold up to all the sanding and shaping when ready. So feel free to throw out ideas.
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RE: 1/6th A-6 Intruder Scratch Build
I was thinking about using that too Zagzoo since that is what I am using to laminate the foam together to build up the thickness. So maybe what I will do is hot glue the foam to the aluminum tube and 3M the foam to the bulkheads.
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RE: 1/6th A-6 Intruder Scratch Build
That's a good option too Thomas, maybe I will us that around the ali tubes and the centers and that will hold it solid. The only problem I am anticipating if I use the #M stuff is sliding the foam into place maybe tough with the glue applied. The 3M stuff you are supposed to spray both pieces and let them set then stick them together. Well these foam pieces are going to be a nice snug fit, just worried about the glue sticking before I get the piece all the way in there you know.
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RE: 1/6th A-6 Intruder Scratch Build
ORIGINAL: ianober
That's a good option too Thomas, maybe I will us that around the ali tubes and the centers and that will hold it solid. The only problem I am anticipating if I use the #M stuff is sliding the foam into place maybe tough with the glue applied. The 3M stuff you are supposed to spray both pieces and let them set then stick them together. Well these foam pieces are going to be a nice snug fit, just worried about the glue sticking before I get the piece all the way in there you know.
That's a good option too Thomas, maybe I will us that around the ali tubes and the centers and that will hold it solid. The only problem I am anticipating if I use the #M stuff is sliding the foam into place maybe tough with the glue applied. The 3M stuff you are supposed to spray both pieces and let them set then stick them together. Well these foam pieces are going to be a nice snug fit, just worried about the glue sticking before I get the piece all the way in there you know.
yea thats the problem i see.. I think drilling a few holes into the bulkheads and the foam then sliding the foam between 2 bulkheads, put some glue in the foam... As the glue expands, it should form a key to lock the foam to the bulkheads.
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RE: 1/6th A-6 Intruder Scratch Build
Good idea but the spacing between some of the bulkheads is as small as 1 1/4". Too tight for a drill. I may still do the 3M method but just spray and slide it in right away and not let the glue tack up first. That might help me a bit, otherwise I am thinking of hot glue or foam safe cyano.
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RE: 1/6th A-6 Intruder Scratch Build
Ian,
The Gorilla glue is the best option I've found for laminating the foam in place. Just be sure to keep the G glue at least 1" from the outer edge of the formers when gluing the foam in place. It expands a whole bunch and it's better not to have it anywhere near the outer edges of the formers after it cures. Wipe any glue the runs out with a disposable rag before it dries. The other issue with Gorilla glue is toxicity. Hot wiring the Gorilla glue can get you really sick from the isocyanate fumes. (cyanide) Very bad for the lungs!. The foam really only has to be stuck in place until you can hot wire the major chunks from the outside anyway, so it doesn't take that much glue. After hot wiring, you can fill the cracks with the Gorilla glue and final sand to shape. Use Fixall for the skim filler before fiberglassing. It dries 10X faster than drywall mud and won't flake off. Just be sure there are no globs or it can be "FUN" to sand off. Otherwise, It sands about the same as the drywall mud. Great looking project. The A-6 is a classic airframe!
BRG,
Dan
The Gorilla glue is the best option I've found for laminating the foam in place. Just be sure to keep the G glue at least 1" from the outer edge of the formers when gluing the foam in place. It expands a whole bunch and it's better not to have it anywhere near the outer edges of the formers after it cures. Wipe any glue the runs out with a disposable rag before it dries. The other issue with Gorilla glue is toxicity. Hot wiring the Gorilla glue can get you really sick from the isocyanate fumes. (cyanide) Very bad for the lungs!. The foam really only has to be stuck in place until you can hot wire the major chunks from the outside anyway, so it doesn't take that much glue. After hot wiring, you can fill the cracks with the Gorilla glue and final sand to shape. Use Fixall for the skim filler before fiberglassing. It dries 10X faster than drywall mud and won't flake off. Just be sure there are no globs or it can be "FUN" to sand off. Otherwise, It sands about the same as the drywall mud. Great looking project. The A-6 is a classic airframe!
BRG,
Dan
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RE: 1/6th A-6 Intruder Scratch Build
Sure John, here you go:
I got the following parts from Radio Shack:
Transformer 273-1512
Neon Indicator Lamp 272-0002
Fuse Holder Forgot
Fuses 250V 3Amp
The power cord is from an old PC and the power receptacle I pulled off an old PC power supply being recycled at work.
The dimmer switch I bought from the hardware store and the banana plug jacks I bought at Fry's electronics.
The project box is also from Radio Shack but it was laying around from sometime ago, forgot what the part number was though.
I got the following parts from Radio Shack:
Transformer 273-1512
Neon Indicator Lamp 272-0002
Fuse Holder Forgot
Fuses 250V 3Amp
The power cord is from an old PC and the power receptacle I pulled off an old PC power supply being recycled at work.
The dimmer switch I bought from the hardware store and the banana plug jacks I bought at Fry's electronics.
The project box is also from Radio Shack but it was laying around from sometime ago, forgot what the part number was though.
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RE: 1/6th A-6 Intruder Scratch Build
Thanks for the tips Dan, I think I am going to go that route on this project. I have a ton of the Evercoat LightWeight filler so I think I will be using that, its just a standard auto body filler. I will test it on the foam and make sure it is compatible, hopefully it is, otherwise I will go the fixall route.
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RE: 1/6th A-6 Intruder Scratch Build
Ok, got a lot done today so here's where I am at so far. I went down to TechShop and cut out a couple of towers to make a foam sheet slicer. I milled out a .25" slot in each tower for a 1/4-20 bolt to slide in. I drilled and tapped the end of the bolts for an 8/32 eye bolt. This is where I am attaching the cutting wire to and on one end I have a spring to keep tension on the wire when it heats up. I use wings nuts on the bolts in order to quickly change the height. I also ran a dowel across the top to give the towers some support when tension is on the wire.
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RE: 1/6th A-6 Intruder Scratch Build
With my foam cutters all finished it was time to start cutting foam and filling in bulkheads. I decided to go the Gorilla Glue route and so far it has been working very well. I could use some more clamps though, you can never have too many clamps! Also you can see in one of the pictures how I held the plug in place on the jig. The towers that held the aluminum tubes were cut through the one inch hole and then turned into clamps. Two screws, one on each end and the skeleton is secured in place.
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RE: 1/6th A-6 Intruder Scratch Build
Thomas, I am using a Ryobi model laser that has a suction motor built in to help it adhere to the wall for leveling pictures and what not. This ones laser gets a little wider as well but we are only talking about going from a 1/64th wide at the front to 1/32 wide in the back, still plenty small enough to align accurately.
Nick, I though about going but had many other things to do not to mention work on the A-6, I wanna fly it sometime soon ;-)
Today I got a good amount done and ran out of Gorilla glue so I guess that is good news, means work is being done. I made a couple of short videos that I will throw in here on how my foam cutting tools are working for me so far. They turned out pretty good so far, enjoy.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2QrhmZJFPw[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=910mYEhNMR4[/youtube]
Nick, I though about going but had many other things to do not to mention work on the A-6, I wanna fly it sometime soon ;-)
Today I got a good amount done and ran out of Gorilla glue so I guess that is good news, means work is being done. I made a couple of short videos that I will throw in here on how my foam cutting tools are working for me so far. They turned out pretty good so far, enjoy.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2QrhmZJFPw[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=910mYEhNMR4[/youtube]
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RE: 1/6th A-6 Intruder Scratch Build
Anytime Alex, hopefully it will set someone with their project. Below is the link to the site that I used for the foam cutting power supply, some people were asking about it so here you go:
[link]http://www.charlesriverrc.org/articles/tools/joedydruliafoamcutterps.htm[/link]
[link]http://www.charlesriverrc.org/articles/tools/joedydruliafoamcutterps.htm[/link]