I've started working on a Goldberg Super Chipmunk kit that I bought on e-bay.
Problem is my workshop is in the basement and it's been very damp this summer. I started putting things together last night but the CA wasn't working well at all. Is this due to the dampness?
I'm worried that this will effect the integrety of the bonds. Anyone have any experience/advice?

Thanks in advance.

Water will accelerate the curing of CA.

What do you mean by "not working well"?

How old is the CA?

The thin CA I was using (Great Planes brand) was not working at all!
The bottle is about a year old. The cap was also not on very tight. It says on the bottle it must be capped tight - this could be my problem. I'll start again with some new CA.

But it's okay to work with the slightly damp wood? (not wet, just basement damp)

RWH and DBCherry,
I just noticed both of you are from Mass! Small world in the big "universe".
You guys know what I'm talking about when I say a damp basement.

rwh - I used to go watch the planes fly in Wakefield, at the old Treasure Island site. I now fly with the Burlington RC fliers.

Damp should just accelerate the curing, so you may not get quite a good bond, but should still stick. England is usually damp and we get by ok.

Probably the CA gone off.

Suggest you gently rub down the bits to be re glued, CA doesnt seem to bond too well with wood that has allready been exposed to CA.

The Chipmunk is a great plane. Suggest you watch the weight though during building, mine came out at 8 1/2 lb. Still flys great, but would be even better if lighter.

Sprink,
I've been looking forward to building this plane for some time now. I've read about some great improvement tips such as servos for each aileron and beefing up the landing gear mounts, but not to sure how to cut down on the weight.
It would be nice to keep it light.
I plan on a 90fs for power.

Skybench at http://www.skybench.com/ has some good info on using ca glue. Click onto 'Assembly Tips'. scroll to 'Helpful Hints for Using CA Adhesives'. They address humidity and basements.
Jim

Catdog - I'm sure you mean Pleasure Island, but that whole thing was before my time. I didn't move to this part of Massachusetts unitl '75, and I didn't start R/C until 1997.

I joined the Burlington Club last year, but the long haul from the road put me off. Is it still like that?

Catdog, I installed two aileron servos, it was quite easy. If you haven't done them before, my top tip is to feed the servo extension wire through before you cover, as it is a nightmare after.

IMHO there is no need to beef up the undercarriage mounts. I built mine stock, and no problems in the three years it has been flying. The wire legs themselves have both snapped, now replade by 8guage wire instead of 6, as it is easier to bend and more springy.

As for saving weight, depends on how much work you want to do. From memory the ribs are solid, so you could put lightening holes in them. Check the quality and weight of the wood throughout.

Also watch out for the balance, mine came out quite nose heavy, though the FX is heavy with the standard silencer. I installed flaps, looks cool but doesn't make that much difference.

rwh- you're right, it was "pleasure Island". A bunch of guys used to fly at the old parking lots there, don't know if it was a club or not.
And yes, you still have to haul all your gear across the field at Burlington. I took an old golf cart and rigged it to carry my field box and a plane, but it's still a pain in the behind. But we mow the runways every week which keeps it nice, and it's pretty laid back. Wish it were a bit more convenient. Between driving there and getting out to the pits and back, you need to block out a good chunk of the day.
Do you fly at Revere?

And Sprink - thanks for the suggestions. I plan on building with flaps. I hear you can really bring it in at a crawl if you set up some mixing with the elevator/flaps.
I purchased some new ZAP CA and seems to work fine. Could be my old bottle had "gone off".