splinterz25

Where I'm working is very hard to get to sand even the Fast N Final is hard to remove these aren't spots that will get heavy wear n tear so the poly w/ Rustoulem primer & paint should be tough enough
.
Anyway I sanded and the tail section came out very nice using the Fast N Final the second coat has been applied on the pylon and I should be able to get a coat of poly/glass on tomorrow in between the work on the BV-138 and my new TV should be coming


Anyway check the progress photos,

splinterz25

Okay here's where I'm at today w/ this build to make it easier I inverted the whole fuse and sanded the entire bottom; then touched up the Fast N Final and carved the bump that sticks out from the pontoon and glued it on.

Drying once again; This is one reason I don't like this material lots of waiting.

Bruce

splinterz25

Well I had to add some more Fast N Final to the LE of the pontoon where I added the piece of foam to blend it in well.

Then I went to the aft end and started glassing w/ Water Base poly this compound set of curves proved to be a challenge; but with a few pieces (3) and carefully placed cuts I was able to cover the foam and half of the pontoons side.

Now it's drying time once again

I'll come back to it this afternoon and glass the front and give the aft section coat two of poly.

Bruce

splinterz25

Okay I now have the glass on the front of the pontoon and it's drying.

Bruce

splinterz25

Alright I have about 5 coats of poly on the pylon and have moved on to the cockpit and turret / nose section.

And I'm felling like I made some good progress today; when the cockpit's drawing was placed on the fuse it lines up perfectly I was amazed.

Have a look and see for your self,

Bruce

splinterz25

Okay the morning was spent reinforcing the bow turret area; I'm going to make the turret movable w/ a servo.
This design was not set up for this so it will take some extra work like it doesn't already.

So I traced the canopy / turret section to get my layout I'll make the canopy frame out of fiberglass cutting out each window and back glazing them I'll do the same for the turret.

All three parts canopy, turret and nose will be made the lost foam method.

I also made a battery box for the nose this morning I have no way of knowing if this will need weight up here but I have a feeling it will; I'll try and make the nose removable as well so I can add even more weight if needed.

So next I'll glue in the bat. box and sheet the bottom I'll treat the bottom inside sheeting w/ Balsarite before gluing it in place it would be very hard to do so afterward.

Check out the progress photos they show more than I can tell,

Bruce

splinterz25

Okay this afternoon I started to prep. the bottom for sheeting the whole inside of the fuse had to get a coat of Balsarite.
Then there was a curve in the front on one side that needed to be fix so I did that.
Then the battery box had to be sealed w/ Balsarite as well and glued in place after fitting the foam inside to hold the battery from moving; I went ahead and put the waterproofed battery in and a male plug will be solder on at a later time, when I know where the RX will be located.
So after all that I started to sheet the very front and realized I hadn't made or installed a keel so I quickly cut one out of 1/8" 5 ply w/ the grain running the short way to make it stronger; and installed it.
AND THEN SAID IT'S DINNER TIME

Bruce

splinterz25

Started to skin the bottom after doing the nose the first large piece went down great.

But unlike some other threads where they just show you there finished products looking perfect; (they never tell you how many went into the bin)

I show when things go bad and then show how to make a come back if you can.

So that's what happened this time I tried to use some hard balsa for the bottom and I wet it w/ alcohol and was working fine but as she dried while I was pushing it into place it split! OH !! most of it was already glued down

So what I did was finish gluing it and then made a splice to fill the split I also backed it up w/ a piece on the inside.

Check the photos they show better than I can tell it.

Bruce

splinterz25

the hull is finished now and I cut and glued up the pink foam for the nose I'll start carving it in the morning.

Bruce

splinterz25

I was up early and started to carve / sand the nose plug.
I rough shape w/ a hacksaw blade a 40 grit belt sanding belt on on a sanding block
80 grit sanding paper on a tube & a 1/4" thick piece of leather.

NOW HER'S THE THING I know I said I was going to make the turret spin and still may but if I make the nose the same way I just did the curves on the pylon I would save a bunch of weight?

I'm not sure witch way to go because also If I make the nose removable it will have to be sealed w/ silicone because the water will get in the nose's seams for sure so really it won't be removable and the servo that spinns the turret will be sealed in for good.

Check the progress while I have a few more cups of coffee and then get back to finishing the sanding the nose section.

Bruce

glazier808

My Feedback: (1)

Although it would definitely have the cool factor with the rotating turret, due to the water issues, I would opt against it I think.

Casey

splinterz25

I think I'll go w/ fiber glass as it will be tougher and as a follower on another thread said just seal in the servo if it stops working the plane will still work; I'll use one of the waterproofed servos anyway. speaking of witch I had forgotten about my test servo and went to have a look well almost all of the water evaporated off but THE SERVO STILL WORKED I put it in water back at the beginning of April.

Anyway I have another thing come up while carving I took to much away from one of the profiles most people would throw it away and start over; BUT because it's in a basic cone shape you can just add to the larger side in this case I'm adding 1/2" to be sure there's enough material.

I know a bunch of guys would FAST N FINAL it back to shape but that takes way to long to dry for thick areas. I'll only use that for small spots; check the photos and you can see mt profile cards showing where I took off to much.

Other wise it shaping up right well by the time I post the gorilla glue will have set and I will be able to go back to work and finish the shaping.

DO NOT worry about the turret it will be cut off this mold and a new turret mold will be made after this nose is cast. you will see what I'm talking about in awhile.

Bruce

splinterz25

Okay here's where I'm at today started shaping the foam once again and it's going well but I realized there was something wrong.

The very tip of the plane has apiece of 1/2" balsa I glued it behind the first former I remember when I did it thinking it had to go that way so it would be flat out in front of the windshield.

Well I was WRONG I need that 1/2" ; what happens is where the windshield meets the fuse it's carved down to a an ellipse shape and tapers out to the square looking nose.

So I had to fix this, I've also cut in for the rotating turret I'm going for it; here's what I've done so far the photos show much better.

splinterz25

I'm back to shaping the front end this morning

Bruce

splinterz25

Okay the correction was made to the balsa nose and I've sanded it to a rough shape.

I also cut the canopy's plug and fitted it in.

Then I put the foam nose back on and cut off the turret so I'll be able to make the base / well recess for the rotating turret.

And then I made a cardboard template and transfer the bow hatch and curves to the plug.

This plug is a very complex shape and has to be the hardest one I've done to date.

Next is to make the turret plug to get a better view of the whole bow.

Progress is slow but steady,

Bruce

splinterz25

Well I kept on going this is what I came up w/ so far lots of small details and a bunch of work yet on the canopy.

Bruce

splinterz25

Okay ....Bluefinger has been asking me for the weight of my fiberglass floats & leg here's a couple of photos of the whole unit and just the fiberglass float detached.

This is in oz's

I hope this helps ?

Bruce

splinterz25

The weather is warming and should be able to start casting my fiberglass parts once again,
and covering w/ silk & dope just a week or two away now.

Bruce

splinterz25

Okay for those of you that have been waiting on me to get back on this build I went to my LHS the other day and he had DOPE in stock

This was my third trip down there I don't use them much anymore because it's 20 min. ride each way
I know I'm spoiled there was one only two mins away they went out of buiss.

Anyway it's warming up and I'll get some poly / glass on the foam molds I've carved
and start to get them ready to cast.

I think I've figuerd out what the problem was when I was casting before
I made the plaster very thin w/ a lot of water and didn't wait long enough for it to dry all the way; so this time I put the molds in the oven on low heat for several hrs.
and them leave them for a day or so.

We'll see if this works better there's still lots to do on this whole build and I now have the BV-138 well on it's way so I'll be jumping back and forth on these two all summer long.

splinterz25

If you want captions for the photos go here.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...845035&page=62



Well here's a step by step covering the pink foam plugs w/ 3/4 oz glass cloth and water base poly.

I'm trying to show the relieve cuts to get the whole thing covered w/ one piece of glass cloth.

splinterz25

Well I put about 5 coats of poly on so far, there's a few puckers in the glass.

So to get rid of these I slice into them then poly again and as it dries press it down until it sticks to the foam.

I got the form box ready covered in duct tape and nut can to cast the plugs in, I like using these because they just peal away once the plaster is hard.

I also started to clean the mess in the build room getting ready for the switch of the planes the PBY will go down stairs and the BV-138 wing will move up staris in a few weeks.

Check it,

Bruce

splinterz25

A little more sanding then one more coat of poly then I start waxing.
I have things to do this morning but maybe this afternoon I'll get the plaster mixed and cast.

Bruce

splinterz25

I've posted this on my other threads and there seems to be a quite a few guys interested
if your new or are just looking for ways to do most everything in this hobby I recommend
this guys books he has a few but this one covers most everything.

There are NO SECRETS"by Harry Higley; it's not fancy but there's a great deal of tips and methods in there like paint,adhesives,tools,planking-sheeting,fillets & canopies,paint problems and much more.

I think I payed $6-$10 for the book on line from Amazon.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXL792

I hope this helps some of you guys out there start building,

I didn't do anything but rest today,

Bruce

splinterz25

I know you guys were wondering where I went

I'm still working on my yard/ garden/ fencing projects hang in there I'll be back soon.

Bruce

splinterz25

I've now finished my spring yard work and should be back on the build very soon,
after some cleaning up of my shop

Bruce