I just spent a good part of my building schedule for the day un-doing what I did yesterday! By the time I fix everything, the build-mood is long gone. What do you do after discovery of a mistake? Quit, tempor tantrum, start smoking again, buy an ARF? Be honest and let the world know.[X(]

Cuss n swear a lot.

I have done that before.

Done that too.

I already smoke. I just smoke MORE when I discover a goof-up.

It's happened. [sm=lol.gif]

Heck, That happens to all of us, and more often than most will admit. A year or so ago there was a whole thread on our worst screw ups over in the clubhouse. We all goof up, the trick is to work out a way to fix the mistake. Just this week I sheeted the bottom of a fuselage and then discoverd that I had to have the forward bay open to install the nose gear block. I will have to remove the planking and install the gear block. OOPS! It does no good to have a tantrum, balsa will forgive a lot, but being smashed to bits is not one of them. One thing I do is try to find out if it was my mistake or the designers. Most often I must take the blame. While I have never built two right wings or two left fuselage sides I have made my share of mistakes. After a while you get pretty good at fixing them. Or at least hiding them.

Stop.
Step back and evaluate.
Rebuild or repair.
File it for experience.

Read three times, measure twice, cut once, rebuild never.

Improvise, adapt, overcome.

Dr.1

If it's a small one, stop and think for a minute then fix. If it's a big one and you feel ready to come loose on an inanimate object that YOU screwed up, then walk away. Go have a beer or a cigar, or a beer and a cigar. It will always look better after some cooling off time. It's hard to do, but you are way better off in the long run...

It's all supposed to be FUN, right?


Mark

Been there, done that, got the T-shirt

Current model has different sized upper and lower spars. I sorted out all my stock in neat rows and piles . . . and I still used two identical spars in my first panel instead of one wide & one narrower. Had to snap out all the ribs, repair and build again. Only ended up replacing one. Luckily CA is easier to snap vs. Titebond II. Part of why I don't quite trust it.

In the past I've installed bulkheads upside down. Trimmed spars to the wrong mark on the plans (at the edge of the sheeted section instead of the center). Dyed a canopy Easter egg purple when I was trying for dark gray. Dropped an 18" metal ruler through a just covered wing and had it bounce BACK UP THROUGH THE NEXT PANEL OVER! AAAARRRHH. My right eye is twitching again.

I usually walk away and apply Jim Beam to my tonsils and lick my wounds until the next day.

When I discover that I made a mistake, there are two things I do:

A: If the glue hasn't cured yet, I work as fast as I can to undo what ever just happend, fix and re-aply

B: if it's too late for that, I'll sit back, scratch my head in disbelief, think about what i did wrong, then clean up my workspace and come back the next day. If I make a mistake that cost me more than 10 minutes, I get too frustrated to continue building. I'm pretty good about not getting too down on myself/throwing tantrums/cussing/using retail therapy etc...which i guess is a good thing!

I think that all of the above are basically saying the same thing - it's not the end of the world or really anything of any importance that will be remembered - except perhaps with a smile - down the road. If you have a 'building schedule' then - in my opinion - you have already violated one of the major reasons for a hobby: to not have to be on a schedule. Have fun, learn from everything you do and move on down the road.
I've always had a leaning towards Jack Daniel's as a gargle. It also is soothing to open wounds.

Now... you know why so many of us have multiple models under construction...

Something else to help the mood: go down to Sears or the LHS and buy another tool, gadget, or whatever. A new cool toy is always a good thing!

Gary

dave,
Done it all from the smallest glued-it-on-the-wrong-side mistake to building 2 left wings. If you do it, go calm down, then fix it and get on with the project. That's all you can do.
The best way to make sure mistakes don't happen is to be proactive. Cliches like "measure twice, cut once" and "check the fit dry before glueing" may sound corny to some, but it's a way of life on my bench. Read the instructions, make sure you're familiar with the step you're on and how it relates to the steps before and after. If you don't understand or need it, get help. Ask a pal or call a manufacturer's support number.
One more thing. If it's been a bad day, if you're angry or upset, tired or anything like that, DON'T work on your model. I've made myself a new rule that I don't work on a model when I'm working midnight shifts - too many mistakes (Chernobyl, Bhopal and the Exxon Valdez ALL happened on the midnight shift).
Don't rush a good thing. Enjoy yourself while you're building. It pays off in a better flying model.

papermache

None of the above PapaDave,
I've been at this hobby for almost 40 years now and I've made a BUNCH of mistakes. I find that my mistakes come when I've been at the building table too long. I now know to back away after the 7th or 8th beer. If I continue, I'll hurt myself or make two of something when only one is needed. [:@] When this does happen, I stop immendiately and make my trips to the refrigerator from another part of the house. (ususlly from afront of the TV) The following morning, err - afternoon, the damage can be tackled with a positive outlook that will get me through another 7 or 8 beers. [8D] Oh yeh, the problem is usually fix with less effort and stress as one might imagine.
Bottom line = don't get too discouraged. Take a break and get basck to the task at hand.

I have built many planes over the years and I think I have a mistake or two on every one. It's part of the hobby. Remember the only way to ensure not making mistakes is not to do anything. And that's unacceptable. Take a breather, correct the mistake and keep building.

DaveB

I start with applying Canadian Club and ice. The ratio depends.

I too have done all the same things, this week I had all the formers collapse while wetting and forming a turtledeck [:@].

My take on it is, I was totally happy to build it the first time building another one should be just as much fun and now I know what not to do.
Edison had a similar view on how not to make lightbulbs.

Amen. This last spar incedent was because I was hurrying to get something together for a mall show our club is having this weekend. I got so miffed at myself for allowing it to pressure me that I didn't work on the wing at all last night. So I'm just taking the fuselage and it will have to do.

When it ain't fun, it's work.

I got the T-shirt, the sweat shirt (Hooded and plain) a giant stuffed animal, and a kwupie doll

This is one reason I CAN'T quit smoking!

I say more, but right now my head is glued to the table and it's hard to type like this.

I have never screwed up in building an airplane. You folks who do, just make me so angry. I don't suppose you believe what I just said? Sometimes we try so hard to make things right and when we make mistakes it is annoying, that is how we learn. Just set it aside and come back to it when you are in a better mood.[sm=thumbup.gif][sm=thumbup.gif][sm=thumbup.gif][sm=thumbup.gif]

Hey, Papadave! I am in the same boat as you are! I have covered the wing on my new four * forty twice, and it STILL looks like crap! There are some wrinkles that I just can't get out and so I am going to order some ultra kote and maybe by the time it comes in, I'll be back in the mood to finish the plane. I just hope the ultra kote will adhere to the balsa with the monokote adhesive still on it. Does anybody know out there? Will acetone or alcohol remove the monokote adhesive?
Right now, I think the darned thing just needs a good stompin'!!! (But I keep telling myself that I've outgrown that sort of thing.)

I build A lot from plans and make A lot of changes, sometimes they don't work, it happens! I usually catch it and make the fix but if I don't then I just try to work around the problem, most the time I can do that. I was always taught it was my plane and I could do what I wanted, sometimes it even works. When I really mess up I take A break and just think about it and come up with A fix or resign myself to removing the problem and starting over from the mistake. Temper gets me nothing but yes, my wife leaves the shop at these times so I can fill the room with blue language.

Well, I fugured out where I went wrong. I followed the instructions! After reading the step by step and checking with the plans, noticed that the plans have something, an important step, that are not mentioned in the instructions. Grrr! No wonder things just didn't look right.

Will file under experience for the future. Papadave[sm=thumbup.gif]

Arent mistakes the reason they invented the Dremmel tool?

If I am smart (usually not) I will let my brother look at it before I do anything, he is really good at being able to see the easiest way to fix something.
The last time I screwed up I ordered a replacement kit because I had screwed up the wing in a big way. He took one look at it and said "Its symetrical, right ?" I said yeah, he said "Flip it over, glue a stick to the root rib and run it through the table saw to set the angle".
Too bad I didn't wait since his suggestion worked great, of course "someday" I will build the second kit of that same plane :-)~