I've stopped using the Titebond. I've gone over to Elmer's Glue All. There was a lot of feed back to me on adhesives and I will listen to someone who has been there. I like the fact that it dries clear. I will take some straight edges and my eyeballs and check most of the fuse to make sure I'm as close to straight and right angles as I can. And if anyone wants to know how much I'm into 24's, just look at my license plate.

Tally Ho

is it two halves fuse construction or only one main spar which the formers of both sides glued to the same spar?

titebond or elmar's they loose about 55% of their initial volume/weight after they cured, they shrink.

check post #33 in this thread http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_81..._2/key_/tm.htm

and thats only 33" long wing half, thats the arc I'm talking about, I used aliphatic glue there.

Here's how it started. They call them, "crutches" on the plans. Start with main spars, top and bottom on the assembly board. Then the left half formers onto the spars. Then the 1/4 inch hardwood stringers. Everything seems to be lining up OK.

Sorry for my miss understanding then.

Hi!
Nice build! But there is a lot of material in those formers that could be removed.

Probably. But this is my first large scale build. There is another B-24 build on this site made by the fellow calling himself Memphis Belle. I've been taking his pictures and logging them into a binder and will try to be following his lead and seeing what he does and try to do the same. My satisfaction here is the build, not so much the flying. I'm thinking of donating the plane to a museum when I'm done.

Tally Ho

This is for Alex7403. Thanks. When I got your thread about glues that cure into curves in long ones, I went back to mine and did some checking. Yes there was some curvature that I didn't like. So out came the straight edges, clamps, machinists' squares and bars. I took off the right half formers and clamped everything to straight edges and right angle forms and put it on the assembly table against a straight line. Now I'm doing 1 to 3 formers at a time all clamped up and no glue until I check everything for straight. Once all the formers are glued then I'll take the 1/4 inch stringers and starting in the middle, glue out to the ends, all the while checking for square.

Tally Ho<br type="_moz" />

Aliphatic Resin note - I have sandwiched doubled fuses sides between two pieces of glass. This leaves the edges exposed to air allowing evaporation. In my case (Bridi Killer Chaos 60) I was able to leave the pieces between the glass for several days as I was covering another plane. The result was dead on straight fuse sides (both sides were glued up at the same time).

Seamus G. Thanks for the tip. If you look at my last thread, click on some of the formers. I had the right idea but not the right execution. If some of the formers were a little warped, I would dry fit them with small lengths of 3/4 inch oak clamped to them. Then I had a hand pump sprayer bottle with water in it and would spray the former, clamp them top and bottom and clamp another long couple of pieces of oak slats in the middle. Then use the Elmers to glue them. It seemed to help but I like your idea better. I will use this method from now on. I have one 18 inch by 18 inch piece of machinists' granite certified flat. I will use this and another piece of glass.

Tally Ho<br type="_moz" />

Again to Seamus. Last night I sandwiched some fuse formers that were warped between the glass like you described. WOW. Does that work great. Thanks for the tip. Still a bit damp for gluing so I'll wait a few more days. Thanks.

Tally Ho<br type="_moz" />

Wonderful progress and great photos...you're on your way!!

Soft landings.

Joe

Friday, Oct. 2/09 update. I feel that the fuse should be finished basically this week end. Only the front 4 formers left. This is where the hardwood 1/4 inch stringers do a big bend. I want to get this right and straight. I'm hoping to have the wood tension equalized so there won't be any fuse bending. I made some clamps that I've never seen on this website. I've seen it done elsewhere in woodworking but not here. Woodworkers call it "drilling a square hole". You do it by using a tool called a mortiser. I've got a set up in my woodworking drill press. The drill is mated to the inside of a square chisel. The drill takes out most of the wood and the chisel "chiseles" out the square sides. Had some over size hardwood square rods. Drill a 1/4 inch square hole at one end and glue some small squares at the other end. Slip a 1/4 inch hardwood piece into two and depending on how long the "arms" are, you can control the tension. As you squeeze the arms together, you can "lightly" clamp something together. Looks crude, but hey, they work!!

Tally Ho<br type="_moz" />

Oh, and by the way, the reason for square holes, is so the clamps don't twist on you while clamping. You could also do this with round rods and holes but I like this better.

And you can turn the arms around and use them as a spreader.

Oh man! Now I have to get a drill press and some woodworking bits. Great creativity!

Its a beautiful tool this mortiser, it needs a drill press, I need a drill press.
If I knew about it I wouldn't buy these 22" clamps, not to mention the longer lever arm you can use.
Thanks for showing this David, Keep salting our wounds with these wonderful tools we will get there eventually.

Alex

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, thanks gentlemen. Now I think I've got the fuse straight and true!!!!!

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; ">Another way to apply glues. I haven't tried the syringe and q-tip yet. But I needed a way to dab glue into corners and spots. And I hit on this. I take a 1/4 inch balsa stringer, go over to my garage pencil sharpener and grind a pencil tip to it. Works very easy. Then I take the "square pencil" tip and dab it into my glue, dab it where I want it and smooth it out the way I want it. I like to use about a 12 or 14 inch long stringer as you can get between clamps, rubber bands and what ever else you use to hold parts together with from a pretty good distance away. It works really good in those hard to get at places. I like to use balsa as the tip will soften up a bit as it soaks up the glue and you can almost use it like a paint brush. When the tip gets ratty, just sharpen it up.</span>

OK David - now you're just bein' way to intellectual! Jus' kiddin'! I like the idea.

I like the hobby syringe method, half an inch of glue in a syringe goes a long way when gluing.
when not in use I'm putting a glass of water and dipping the syringe nozzle in it so it wont harden, and when the glue in the syringe is finished I pump into it some water from the glass.
than clean it under the faucet and pumping water through the nozzle, one syringe serving me for a year now.
[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_8104967/anchors_8104967/mpage_1/key_/anchor/tm.htm#8104967]How do you apply Titebond or other Aliphatic glue?[/link]

Alex

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; ">Fuse breaking free from its clamps and bonds. Sunday morning, coffee in hand, early morning and putting all the construction material in their rightful place. Took the fuse off the assembly table and am cleaning up getting ready for the next phase. I ordered some syringes online. I want to test them out. There are a few areas where the glue bonds have broken free. I will readjust these areas and probably glue them with epoxy. But now I will look over the build and get ready for the sanding, adjusting and general purpose stuff to get the fuse finished. And again, if someone sees me going in a direction that might screw me up later in the build, PLEASE, let me know.</span><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; background-position: initial initial; "><div></div><div>Tally Ho</div></div></span>

It's looking like a B-24 great and straight, impressive.
there is one thing very good about these big planes that you work less with tooth pick size pieces.

Seamus or Alex. I'm finishing up with the fuse and making sure all is tight and nothing loose. I was noticing that I was getting more parts loosening up and breaking free from the glue points at the Elmer's glue spots than the Titebond spots. It was about 8 or 10 for the Elmer's for about 1 or 2 for the Titebond. Do you think I'm doing something wrong? The spots where they were breaking free were re-glued with epoxy. The Titebond spots were where I laid the keel and put the left half of the fuse formers and the Elmer's were on the right half after I took up the fuse from the assembly board. Could I have added more stress to the fuse parts as I was gluing up the right half with Elmer's?

Tally Ho<br type="_moz" />

What type of wood is being glued? I ask because I had a similar situation of joints separating when I "upgraded" a SIG kit's wood to a much harder wood. I replaced soft balsa sticks with non-balsa sticks that were much harder. Iused Titebond IIat the time.

You have brought up a question as to the efficiency of a glue across hardness and types of wood. When I tested Titebond &amp; Elmer's in this thread the wood I used was medium balsa (SIG aileron material) . Perhaps Elmer's exceeds the capability of Titebond with medium balsa wood but another glue is more effective as a standard across balsa soft, medium, hard, hardwood, lite ply and standard ply.

Also, what kind of joint is failing? A butt joint (end grain to side grain)? A lateral joint (side grain to side grain)?