First Kit 4*40
03-25-2009, 08:49 PM
#27
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RE: First Kit 4*40
At Hobby Lobby (the arts and crafts stores that are in many cities) I got a container of 144 paint brushes for less than 5 dollars. They were in the childrens section, not the area where artist supplies are located. They make great glue brushes and they are dirt cheap (3 cents each) compared to the epoxy brushes sold at hobby shops and hardware stores (23 cents each).
Even if you buy the GP Bulk Pack http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXK362&P=9 they are 14 cents each.
Hobby Lobby inventory changes every day, so you may or may not find the cheap brushes.
Even if you buy the GP Bulk Pack http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXK362&P=9 they are 14 cents each.
Hobby Lobby inventory changes every day, so you may or may not find the cheap brushes.
03-26-2009, 09:04 AM
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RE: First Kit 4*40
My wife is going to give me some old makeup brushes so I'm going to see what those look like and if I can use those or not. I'm eager to get back to working on it but work/life keeps getting in the way! 
03-30-2009, 06:39 PM
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RE: First Kit 4*40
Well I had time today to finish up the right wing. I was a little worried about all the sheeting and sanding of the leading edge but really didn't have a problem with it. Here are some pics of the finished product (minus servo hole).
04-15-2009, 07:54 PM
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RE: First Kit 4*40
I've got the left wing done (yes, it is a left wing, not another right 
) My question is that when I put the wings together they don't align perfectly in the center. One seems a little longer (front to back) and the other is a little fatter (bottom of wing to top). I'm assuming this can be sanded out after the two halves have been epoxied together, is that right? There is also a gap at the front of the halves as you can see in the picture. Any ideas?
) My question is that when I put the wings together they don't align perfectly in the center. One seems a little longer (front to back) and the other is a little fatter (bottom of wing to top). I'm assuming this can be sanded out after the two halves have been epoxied together, is that right? There is also a gap at the front of the halves as you can see in the picture. Any ideas?
04-15-2009, 07:59 PM
#33
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RE: First Kit 4*40
You should try to sand the mating surfaces until they are as flat as possible. You really want a nice, tight joint. Make sure that the spars line up when you glue the halves together, and then you can sand the leading and trailing edges to match each other.
Looking good.
Looking good.
04-16-2009, 11:55 AM
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RE: First Kit 4*40
Be CAREFULL on sanding the mating surfaces, a little to much off one wing and you mess up the dihedral angles and end up with a crooked wing. You should now have learned on the next one you build how critical it is to align those ribs, dbl and triple checking your work. No big deal from what i can see of your work. Lite sand on each half, glue up and sand the LE & TE later. Don't forget fiberglass tape around the joint of the two halves.
04-28-2009, 03:24 PM
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RE: First Kit 4*40
Well I got a day off from the flooding here this morning so I got some time to work on the plane. Here are some pics of the fuselage so far. I finished the wing joining but haven't "finished" it yet. You can see from the pic that the fuselage is about 3/4" off alignment at the tailend. Should I be concerned about this? I tried a few ways to get it to stay straight but just couldn't get it to hold.
04-28-2009, 03:42 PM
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RE: First Kit 4*40
Yes i would be concerned, if it is not glued keep working at it. This needs to be straight. A straight fuse will make everything else be straight including how your plane will fly-KEEP WORKING AT IT.
04-28-2009, 04:15 PM
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RE: First Kit 4*40
The glue was mostly dry already so I have it on it's side with a light weight on the tail, hoping this will straighten it out a bit.
04-28-2009, 04:31 PM
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RE: First Kit 4*40
As I look at the pictures of an earlier post... The ones of the fuselage.. It looks like the right side didn't bend as much between F3 and F4.
You posted that you have it laying on its side with weight on the tail??? I presume it's laying on the left side? And the right side is up? Try applying heat (via covering iron) to the area of the fuse between F3 and F4. (This is where the fuse starts tapering in.) The heat should relaxe the wood, and allow it to bend.
The problem I see, since you put the bottom of the fuse on, it's going to prevent most movement/shifting.
Good luck..
You posted that you have it laying on its side with weight on the tail??? I presume it's laying on the left side? And the right side is up? Try applying heat (via covering iron) to the area of the fuse between F3 and F4. (This is where the fuse starts tapering in.) The heat should relaxe the wood, and allow it to bend.
The problem I see, since you put the bottom of the fuse on, it's going to prevent most movement/shifting.
Good luck..
04-28-2009, 04:40 PM
#39
RE: First Kit 4*40
At this time in the assembly you should have been paying REAL CLOSE attention to the alignments and moved in smaller steps. May have caught it during dry-fit period. Don't ya love hind sight?
04-28-2009, 06:26 PM
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RE: First Kit 4*40
I had it laying on the left side with weight (glue bottle) on the end of the right side. I left it there and checked periodically and it seems to have fixed it. It was hot and humid in the garage so maybe that helped relax the wood enough. Lines up great now.
I did get a bit ahead of myself in the assembly as I got it together, then realized I didn't have the rear bottom in, then realized I didn't have the cockpit bottom on (this was very unclear in the instructions so I blame them). All is well now so disaster averted and lesson learned.
I did get a bit ahead of myself in the assembly as I got it together, then realized I didn't have the rear bottom in, then realized I didn't have the cockpit bottom on (this was very unclear in the instructions so I blame them). All is well now so disaster averted and lesson learned.
04-28-2009, 08:43 PM
#41
RE: First Kit 4*40
Some times the cutting on kits is just a little off, and if you do not check it before gluing, it can give you bananna shaped components - not good! If it does not come out straight, see if you can cut & pop your glue joints loose without too much damage, sand and re-fit the joints until it is straight before re-gluing. A warped plane will require more trim to fly straight, and may be unpredictable depending on how bad the warp is. I read in beginning of your post you are worried about covering. TF makes a good video on how to apply shrink covering, worth the money especially for a first timer. I second the suggestion for small glue bottles for better control. I took a small Elmer's bottle, emptied the white glue, and fill it with carpenter's glue for kit building.
04-29-2009, 01:18 PM
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RE: First Kit 4*40
One thing you can do on future kits-take the two sides of the fuse and lay them on top of each other, match them up by sanding, they should be almost perfect to start, so a little sanding will get them perfect. if you have a mismatched fuse panel, cut a new one or order it. when you assemble the body-TACK everthing first and then check seven way to heaven. Time needs to be spent in this area. Sometimes it pays to walk away for an hour and check again-you may find something not right you didn't notice the first time. Final glueing you HAVE TO know everything is right. Good luck, report on it's first flight.
05-08-2009, 11:52 AM
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RE: First Kit 4*40
I'm at a point in the build where I'm losing motivation... is this common? Almost done with the fuse and ready to start installing servos and need to finish the wing....
05-08-2009, 12:01 PM
#44
RE: First Kit 4*40
It's not uncommon to lose motivation at this phase. All of a sudden there is less "visual" progress so one tends to get frustrated at times. Thinking out the installation instead of simply slapping things together. Like building a house, it's great when you see walls and roof going up but when it gets down to all the nit-picking trim work - progress is slower and less visible. You just need to press on and look forward to flying it.
05-08-2009, 01:15 PM
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RE: First Kit 4*40
Just another to say..
Yup. it's at this point. And for exactly the same reason already stated.
The good news. The next step, covering, is very rewarding.
A possible alternative. Finish your hardware installation in the wing, then cover the wing. Then go to the fuse and do the hardware install there, then cover. Seeing a completed wing, ready to go, will help motivation.
Yup. it's at this point. And for exactly the same reason already stated.
The good news. The next step, covering, is very rewarding.
A possible alternative. Finish your hardware installation in the wing, then cover the wing. Then go to the fuse and do the hardware install there, then cover. Seeing a completed wing, ready to go, will help motivation.
05-26-2009, 10:07 AM
#46
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RE: First Kit 4*40
Well I got some good work done on the plane this weekend, wing sanded and mounted. Have to go get a threader for the nylon bolts before that is completely compete. I'll post some pics when I get a chance. I'm to the point where I need to mount the servos and noticed that neither the kit nor the flight pack from Futaba contains a servo tray. Any ideas on how to build and mount one? I have searched RCU but haven't found much in the way of an explaination on the creation of one.
Thanks!
05-26-2009, 10:23 AM
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RE: First Kit 4*40
The simplest (which is usually the best) solution is a couple of 1/2" square balsa pieces glued cross-wise on the fuse. A little reinforcement on each end, and you're good to go.
I'm betting Mike (Minnflyer) if frantically creating a graphic as we speak.
The pieces are far enough apart for the servos to sit in. Drill 1/16" pilot holes for the screws, and harden with thin CA. I've seen where three servos will sit side-by-side-by-side. Throttle on one side (depending which side your motor needs it to be), and the rudder and elevator in the other slots. I've seen where the location of control arm will be varied so that they don't interfere with each other. Meaning, the outside servos have there arm towards the front of the plane, and the center will be torwards the rear.
Pretty simple really.. If no-one posts pictures, I'll try to add one later tonight.
05-26-2009, 10:44 AM
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RE: First Kit 4*40
Here is the servo tray I made for my four star 40 out of 1/8" ply mounted on spruce tri stock down each side. I have subsequently replaced the Sullivan rods with 4/40 steel rods due to loss of trim with change in temperature.
05-26-2009, 04:06 PM
#50
RE: First Kit 4*40
A #11 xacto does it pretty easy but takes a few strokes. Do it outside the plane of course and then install. Can also be done with various Dremel tools or saws.