I am interested in building my first kit, but I really do not want to screw it up. Are there any web sites that offer information on basic kit building, tools required, best practices, etc? I am sure there is a right way and wrong way of building a kit, so I want to make sure I understand the basics before getting into it.

Thanks,
SAFZERO

hi!

razor knife
razor blade
sanding block+ sandpaper
glue (epoxy, CA)
drills
drilling machine (an electrical screwdriver is nice)
a little razor plane is nice to have.
a couple of clamps
a lot of building pins
a little saw
screwdrivers
a steel ruler


i think thats the basics! anyone feel free to fill me in if theres someting i forgot. thanks.

If you download the manual for a Great Planes PT-60 kit you'll find a lot of their recommendations for work area, tools, etc. The link to the manual can be found on www.greatplanes.com

There are many threads on RCU in the "Beginners" and "Kit Building" forums with recommendations. Using the RCU "Search" function will get you dozens of hits.

Additions to list:

Paper Clamps (1/2, 3/4, 1") great cheap clamps (Office Depot, Staples).

Sand Paper (80, 120, 240, 320, 400)

T-Pins

Masking Tape (blue works best) used for forming with Windex (mainly sheeting).

Hand Drill (little hand chuck for 1/16" - 1/8" drill bits) I use mine all of the time.

Debonder (if your using CA, can use acetone -- but you will glue your fingers together or to the plane at least once. I had a CA glue bottle squirt and before I know it, all of my fingers were glued bent to my hand and of course the aircraft).

Fine Applicators (if your using CA these are little pipet devices that allow for very acurate application).

Xacto Handle Small

#11 Xacto blades (buy them by 100 very cheap)

Building board (very important) must be flat!!! Melimine covered particle board shelfs work great. Hollow Doors work well too.

Building board covering material (once you've got a flat board, you need to be able to pin stuff to it) use ceiling panels, cork squares, or sheet rock (dry wall) and attach it to the building board. I personnally use sheet rock as it is cheap, flat, and is easily replaced between builds.

Square mirror tile or mirror for cutting covering (remember, you'll go through lots of #11 when cutting covering -- SAVE them they will work fine for balsa).

Small screw driver set (I use a jewellers set).

Complete Allen wrench set (standard and metric).

Taps ( buy these as needed, they will come in handy -- specially 2-56, 4-40, 6-32, 1/4-20)

Wax Paper and more Wax Paper!

Mixing cups and sticks (I usually use dixie bathroom cups, I steal the mixing sticks from Starbucks, I figure $4 for a Chocolate Mocha should come with about 40 mixing sticks).

Finally, the most important tool, your Brain. Read everything twice, they read it again. Measure twice - cut once. Build flat and fly true.

Oh, and have fun would ya!

Best web site - Bar none
http://www.airfieldmodels.com/

John

That site is incredible! Very comprehensive. Thanks all!

SAF

Yah CafeenMan's site is simply phenomenal. If I could build like him - ah well practice practice practice and maybe I'll come close.
John

I found little set squares from Lee Valley. little 2" set squares. great for rib set-ups!

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...=1,42936,42941

Actually, they have loads of stuff for us modellers! but can be a bit pricey!

The list of tools can go on and on and on. It depends on the type of kit you are building and the type of airplane. When I built my PT-40, I just had wax paper, glues (CA and epoxy), screwdrivers, hobby knife with #11 blades, paper clamps, top flite iron and top flite hot gun. I did not use T-pins because I built over our dinning table. You can imagine my wife. I cut in the patio over our gas grill. I sanded in the patio and every day I passed the vacum cleaner to the dinning room. The tolerances of a trainer are larger than of an aerobatic airplane. Over three years, I have accumulated more sophisticated tools according to the plane I have built. Every time I build a more sophisticated airplane too and I put more accuracy in measurements and finish. But, that was me. I could not afford to buy every kind of tools with my first kit.

Hi,
Check out http://www.rcinfusion.com/Tips_Building.aspx for building basics.

Regards,

Rob

Marc, good idea about those Bucks mixing sticks, I will be there today and plan on leaving with A pocket full. I get all my mixing cups every year when my wife goes through her pudding cup thing, I just wash and save them. We all started with nothing but the basics and what ever we had before we started building. It's A surprise how many tools we have that can do the job. A box of single edge razor blades fills in for A lot of cutting tools. The main thing is A flat building board you can stick pins into. If it isn't flat and straight it doesn't fly as well. A nice flat piece of pine works out well. When you start building go into markets and dollar stores with building on your mind and watch what kinds of neat things you can find.

One trick I found is that CA will not stick the backing film on monokote..
I'd always build on a piece if I thought I might accidently glue something to the table.

I've even built right on the plans using the clear backing to protect it.

You won't have any around on your first build but you'll have a ton after covering a wing.

You can never have enough clamps. Little ones, big ones, bar clamps. spring clamps, C clamps, clothes pins, etc.