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1/3 Scale ME-109E Project

Old 06-14-2012, 06:59 PM
  #201  
butlern
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Default RE: 1/3 Scale ME-109E Project

Ahhh.. I looked closer at picture number 4... looks like a 32x12. Seems too small for 222cc of 2-stroke power!

Man, you have out-done yourself this time!

Noah
Old 06-14-2012, 07:05 PM
  #202  
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Default RE: 1/3 Scale ME-109E Project

Thanks noah, Looks are deceving but it is only a 32" break in prop.
I am planning on doing some testing and final assembly over the weekend and if things go well try to get it in the air next week.
It may seem a little small for this engine but a thrust calculator says it will have 100 pounds of thrust. Should be enough for a 60 something pound plane!
looking forward to seeing you again next week.

mike
Old 06-15-2012, 05:11 AM
  #203  
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Default RE: 1/3 Scale ME-109E Project

Awesome! Glad to hear the start up went well Mike. Looking forward to seeing it with the paint on this time!
Old 06-15-2012, 08:28 AM
  #204  
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Default RE: 1/3 Scale ME-109E Project

Your 109 looks great Mike. Hope you get it done in time for the Scale meet. I'm hoping to make it down if the wind finally dies down a bit and gives us a decent flying day.
Old 06-15-2012, 08:33 AM
  #205  
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Default RE: 1/3 Scale ME-109E Project

pictures guys please!

for us "less fortunates"

thanks

Casey
Old 06-17-2012, 04:46 PM
  #206  
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Default RE: 1/3 Scale ME-109E Project

Mike,
You are doing an awesome job on your 109. Can you tell me how you weld aluminum? I am considering buying an aluminum Mig welder but i don't know the first thing about them. I taut myself to weld regular steel with a Mig. Seems i always need some aluminum welding done. Any advice?
Old 06-17-2012, 08:03 PM
  #207  
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Default RE: 1/3 Scale ME-109E Project

I have to agree with you about the wind todd. It seems lately there has been 1 good day for flying out of 7.

I have been welding my aluminum with a inverter based a/c- d/c TIG welder. You need a/c current to weld aluminum and d/c is used to weld steel. A/c is used to tig weld aluminum because one direction of the polarity blasts electrons on the aluminum and cleans the oxydation and contamination away and the other direction is what actualy melts the aluminum. While the aluminum is molten it has to be protected by a shielding gas "Argon".

Now if i understand your question correctly you would like to weld aluminum with a MIG welder. This can be done but it is much more difficult. Just like the tig welder the mig needs a argon shielding gas for welding.
I have welded aluminum with a mig welder before i bought a tig welder. The biggest problem with welding with a mig welder is that aluminum just sucks the heat out of the molten puddle until the base aluminum you are welding starts to heat up. So basically the mig wire does not have much penetration and just balls up on the surface until the base metal you are welding heats up hundreds of degrees. I have had my best success by preheating the base metal with a propane torch then start my mig welding.

I spent a good portion of my day yesterday finishing the backplate for the spinner. The 2 blade prop is held onto the engine by 6 cap screws. I did not want to run a 4-5 inch screw through the prop and spinner into the engine so i countersunk 6 screws into the spinner backplate going into the engine then between these 6 holes i drilled and tapped 6 holes that will hold the screws going through the prop. This setup will help making the change between the 2 blade prop and the 3 blade solo prop easier.
What took more of my time than i would have liked was manually cutting the lightening/cooling holes from the backplate on the rotary table.

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Old 06-18-2012, 12:17 AM
  #208  
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Default RE: 1/3 Scale ME-109E Project

ZIP THIS IS AWESOME ARE YOU GOING TO BRING IT WARBIRDS OVER THE ROCKIES IN SEPTEMBER?

lIKE YOU SAID PRE HEAT IS EVERYTHING A SPOOL GUN MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE TO LESS WIRE JAMS.
TIGHE
Old 06-18-2012, 08:25 AM
  #209  
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Default RE: 1/3 Scale ME-109E Project

I am limited with my vacation time this year and am planning to attend the Owatonna and the Fond du Lac show in august . In the future, shows that are on my wish list are the rockies, delaware and monster planes show.

You are right about the spool gun. I do not have one and have had to clear many aluminum wire bird nests out of my welder. The tig welder is really the way to go when welding aluminum, its all about heat control.

mike
Old 06-18-2012, 03:09 PM
  #210  
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Default RE: 1/3 Scale ME-109E Project

Zip what kind of tug did u by ..Lincoln.....miller....harbor freight ...funny I seen some fantastic welding with a hf tig .... Do you have a water cooled torch. I have been wanting my own for years but just never bit the bullet but I am getting closer.
Old 06-18-2012, 07:17 PM
  #211  
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Default RE: 1/3 Scale ME-109E Project

Mike, your work is fantastic. If you can get her to Owatonna, I should have a nice 1/3 scale Spitfire to put beside it. I am balancing now. Keep up the terrific work.

Jeff
Old 06-18-2012, 08:20 PM
  #212  
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Default RE: 1/3 Scale ME-109E Project

I did a lot of research before i bought a tig. There are basically 2 big differences between most tigs. most of the older welders are transformer based and that means that they weigh up to 500 pounds and will be staitionary. The newer generation are inverter based "power transister solid state" and most weigh between 50-100 pounds and at that weight on a cart they can be mobile.

You have to be careful with the cheaper tigs, most are DC current only and will only weld steel alloys. As i posted earlier you need AC current to weld aluminum. I looked at the harbor freight tigs on their web site and they are DC only so they will only weld steel.

I really wanted to buy a miller dynasty tig but i just could not justify spending $3500-4000 just for the basic machine with no accesories.

I ended up buying a tig from Everlast welders. I actually bought one of their multi purpose tigs with a plasma cutter (power pro 256). It is a 250 amp inverter tig. It has a water cooled torch and i bought the optional water cooler.

This tig has some desirable features such as the AC frequency is adjustable from 20- 250 hz so at 20 it sounds like a machine gun and at 250 it buzzes like a bee.
Another feature i like is an adjustable pulse feature. With this feature you can fine tune the heat when you are welding very thin sheet aluminum, this helps to avoid burning holes.
There are many other features but i pretty much leave everything else alone after i get the settings where i like them.

The cheapest ac/dc machine that everlast has is $850 and is a basic unit but it will weld aluminum. you have to step up to a $1100 200 amp unit to get some of the fancy features.
http://www.everlastgenerators.com/Po...DX-351-pd.html
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Old 06-18-2012, 08:49 PM
  #213  
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Default RE: 1/3 Scale ME-109E Project

Thanks jeff, Is your spitfire initially balancing out tail heavy as most warbirds do?

I have one of those sucky jobs that i have to pick my vacation for the year in the winter to choose a summer vacation. I ended up choosing the week between owatonna and fond du lac, so i should be able to hit both. Looking forward to seeing everyone in your area again.

I pretty much have the 109 ready for flight if the weather would cooperate. The winds today were very strong and the prediction for tomorrow is the same, so i will have to wait for the right moment.

mike
Old 06-18-2012, 09:03 PM
  #214  
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Default RE: 1/3 Scale ME-109E Project

Thanks zip I will look in to them. I learned an old transformer type l could weld aluminum,copper and stainless pretty well. I was building fixtures for telescopes however that machine was anything but portable you could hardly move the thing to get something that fell behind it.

Any was Jeff is bringing his 1/3 spit
Brian OMeara us bringing his 1/3 p-47 ...... I an currently finishing the molds (actually to p arts now) . For the flat center drop tank and 1000lb bombs for the wings. Would be great to see you guys Chase eachother around with those birds.
Great work I ll keep watching with great interest
Tighe O'Meara
Old 06-18-2012, 09:49 PM
  #215  
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Default RE: 1/3 Scale ME-109E Project

I have seen pics of the previous rockies show and it looks like one of the must attend shows. Im going to have to consider that show in the future.
Old 06-19-2012, 07:38 PM
  #216  
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Default RE: 1/3 Scale ME-109E Project

One of the problems i had last fall was trying to figure out a way to balance a big model like this. I ended up coming up with something simple and it worked so well i used this technique again to balance the 109 with the new engine and paint.

What i did was to take a 1" wooden dowl rod that i had laying around and cut it lengthwise down the middle. I marked the balance point with a strip of masking tape on the wing and lifted the model onto my paint stand. Because of the problem with the location of the gear and radiators under the wing i had to adjust the stand narrower than i would have prefered. I put the cut dowl rods between the stand and the wing with the flat part facing the wing on the location of the masking tape. Now when the plane is properly balanced it will balance with the stab level without the model wanting to rock forward or rearward.

When i first started to balance the 109 it was nose heavy. I took the 2 reciever life batteries and the air tank and relocated them behind the inspection hatch at the rear of the fuse to try to balance out some of the weight in the nose. With these mods and laying 4 ounces of lead shot in a plastic baggie on the stab balanced out the 109. I think with my future reworking of the tail wheel assembly i should not need any extra weight in the tail.

I weighed the plane on a scale today and was pleased that the total weight came out at 65 pounds, not bad for a 130" warbird.

I was able to run the engine again today and i was a little disappionted that i was only getting 5000 rpm out of the prop at full throttle. I ended up removing the muffler that i originally made for the dle 111 engine and running the engine with the header open and i gained 700 rpm so it looks like i am creating too much back pressure with the muffler the way it is. I plan on cutting the muffler open removing the baffle and welding in bigger dump tubes.

mike
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Old 06-19-2012, 09:17 PM
  #217  
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Default RE: 1/3 Scale ME-109E Project

Dude, That is one seriously cool Emil. Congrats on a job well done.
E.
Old 06-20-2012, 02:25 AM
  #218  
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Default RE: 1/3 Scale ME-109E Project

MIke, you should try the sling method for balancing the really big stuff. here are some pictures from my Tigercat thread:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10605697

It's super simple and I'd be happy to help explain the method if you have never seen or used this approach.

Alternativey, do it like the real ones (3 scales and alittle bit of math)!
Old 06-20-2012, 03:18 AM
  #219  
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Default RE: 1/3 Scale ME-109E Project

ORIGINAL: zipnz1

Thanks jeff, Is your spitfire initially balancing out tail heavy as most warbirds do?

mike

Yes, but not too bad, 11 pounds in the nose to balance. Much better than the 21 pounds the big Corsair took.

As for balancing, I simply set the plane on two one inch dowel rods screwed to saw horses. Crude, but simple and accurate. Very similar to what you ahve going here Mike.

The Spit is at 87 pounds, 147 inch wingspan and a ZDZ210 inline. We'll see how the test flight goes, now sceduled for 06JUL12.

Jeff
Old 06-20-2012, 03:34 AM
  #220  
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Default RE: 1/3 Scale ME-109E Project

Jeff, weather permitting, are you guys coming down this weekend to check this beast out in person?

Hope to catch up with you again before I depart. If not, I'll be back to Owatonna in 2013, for sure.

Noah
Old 06-20-2012, 04:34 AM
  #221  
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Default RE: 1/3 Scale ME-109E Project

Strong winds again today, still no test flying here... [] Thurdsay is looking better, finally! [8D]
Old 06-20-2012, 09:35 AM
  #222  
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Default RE: 1/3 Scale ME-109E Project

Very nice d-13 evo. I first admired this plane with the pics from wbot. From pics i saw my first impression was that it was a built from a very nice composite kit. It wasnt until i followed the link from your post to your website that i saw that you built it from scratch and was blown away by your craftmanship. It is a very nice plane, i can appreciate all the effort you put into the building and details.

Thanks for the tip noah, The sling looks like it took some effort to get set up to use. I am sure it has its place when needed.

I expect your spitfire will be a great flyier jeff. The weight looks spot on for a plane its size. My 109 came out nose heavy probably because of all the extra hardware on the engine, there is no retractable tailwheel and the small size of the stab and rudder looks like it belongs on a 100" plane.

I have my fingers crossed for favorable weather tommorrow. The winds have been going on for weeks and are starting to get old. If the weather shapes up i should be ready.

mike

Old 06-20-2012, 10:27 AM
  #223  
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Default RE: 1/3 Scale ME-109E Project

Looks like the wind forecast is picking up for Thursday too. Good news though, Friday and Saturday look pretty good.

Jeff, If you come down to the Davenport Scale Fly-in from Minnesota what do you plan on bringing?

I plan on hauling my 86" Ki-61 to the event.
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Old 06-20-2012, 07:23 PM
  #224  
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Default RE: 1/3 Scale ME-109E Project

Holy Cow, Mike!

Great Job!

I hope we get to see it fly at Owatonna.


mt
Old 06-26-2012, 07:47 PM
  #225  
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Default RE: 1/3 Scale ME-109E Project

Thanks mark, looking forward to chatting with again you this summer.

Well i was able to get 2 flights in last week and i would like to say that things went perfect but the truth is i will have a few bugs to work out.
I could not be any happier about how the airframe performed. It tracks straight on take off, flies smooth and the landings grease in.
The first flight was flown without the spinner cap and it was a good flight. For the second flight i installed the spinner cap back on and after a few laps the engine started getting hot so i quickly brought it in.

Now that i have more engine on the 109 i also am producing more heat. The cooling fan appears to be doing its job, but when i installed the spinner back on there is just not enough airflow through the cowl and the hot air is just recirculated through the fan making it hotter and hotter.

I am going to have to cut a bigger hole on the bottom of the cowl to let more fresh air in and probably a bigger problem is that when i look at where i have the hot air exiting most of that area is blocked by the large muffler can.
Its looking like i will have to remove the muffler and just install a dump tube for now to free up some room for the exhausting hot air.
I had a conversation with hot rod todd over the weekend and he suggested that on a smaller 109 he had, he made a tunnel directing the hot air out and it provided a low pressure area to help draw out the hot air.

I just finished performing a modification to my cooling shroud. I thought the scroll cover might be a little tight on the fan so i spun another fan cover, cut a section out and raised the scroll 1 inch to try to provide a area to increase the discharge air coming out of the fan.
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