First kit...Supplies needed
 

Morning. My 4 * 40 kit will be here Wednesday and I am wondering what kind of supplies I'll need. I have push pins and will be getting wax paper. I also have a hobby knife with a bunch of blades, CA and epoxy. I have been flying for4 a while, but never built a kit. I have a covering iron, but no heat gun. Are they needed?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated....

RE: First kit...Supplies needed
 

I have never used a heat gun. A square and a yard stick are a necessity. sounds like you have your basics covered though. I am old school, and a lot of the new kits don't have/need to have the center section of the wing glassed but I always do it anyway just to make sure the wing does not come apart in flight but it is really up to you. Just build as light as possible and straight and you won't have any problems. I have heard some great things about the 4*40 and think you will enjoy that plane. Make sure to post lots of pictures and ask all questions BEFORE gluing.
dan

RE: First kit...Supplies needed
 

Thanks Dan. What do you mean by glassing the wing? I always epoxy the 1/2s together on my arfs.

RE: First kit...Supplies needed
 

I would suggest a good sanding bar and 180 and 220 paper.
You can get a 12", 24" and 30" sanding bar from Great Planes as well as the self adhesive paper strips. These work great for keeping everything straight and flat while sanding. I use the large bar for sanding large wing panels and trueing up the edges on sheeting before bonding together. These are not a necessity but sure go a long ways at helping to produce great results. You cannot get as nice of a sanding job without them.
Anthony

RE: First kit...Supplies needed
 

One thing i didnt see on your list was sand paper. I use several different coarses attached to a flat block of wood or something similar. I build primarily with CA & use accellerator to help out. Epoxy for wing center joints and firewalls. I like to use a small square to keep things verticle and square. Looks like you on the right path. If you do use a heat gun to cover, you'll probably start out sealing your covering down with the iron first. You can get into trouble with the heat gun fast. Good luck on your build. Start out with a FLAT building surface. I use a piece of drywall over my building bench. That way i can stick pins in it, cut on it & throw it away after several models for cheap!. Also you can tape your wax paper to it over your plans. If your table isnt flat, you'll build in warps or twists in the wing. Put the drywall down and then put a straight edge from corner to corner on edge( like an "X")& look to see if you can see light under it anywhere. If you can, put sheets of paper under the drywall in that area untill the light dissapears. Cant say enough about a FLAT building table. You'll do fine. Anything will fly, but the straighter you build the better it will fly....Gene;)

RE: First kit...Supplies needed
 

Attached are a few pictures of a glass job... I usually use kevlar cloth instead of fiberglass just because i have easy access to it and it works just the same. I start out with 30minute epoxy and smear it all over the area that i will glass. Then lay the cloth over the epoxy and pull it tight and squish the epoxy through the cloth and smooth everything out with a old credit card or something similar and let it dry. Once it is dry, sand the cloth and blend it to the rest of the wing and usually you cannot even see it under the moneycote.
dan

RE: First kit...Supplies needed
 

What types of CAdo you have? Theres thin, medium, and thick ca. Thin is perfect for gluing tight joints, because its like water and will seep into the join, Thick CAtakes a little bit longer to dry, but stronger. You will need the heat gun to shrink the covering. Glassing the middle of the wing will prevent this: This would be bad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP7nDcg7BuY[

RE: First kit...Supplies needed
 

On the video, they said they thought it was the wing bolt, but not having it glass would be the same effect as that.

RE: First kit...Supplies needed
 

You don't have to do the glass... but from the video, you can see that the plane was not being stressed any farther than a trainer should be. In my opinion, a trainer should be built so tough that it can handle almost any aerobatic maneuver and not come apart. I also used to use rubber bands to hold the wing on, and if you don't glass the center section, the rubber bands will damage the center area of the wing because of the force needed to keep the wing on.

RE: First kit...Supplies needed
 

Thanks for the replies. I bought medium CA. Seems I may need thin as well. And I have 6 minute and 15 minute epoxy.
Would gluing the wing halves work as well as glassing?

RE: First kit...Supplies needed
 

You glue them together with 30 minute epoxy first, let it cure for 24 hours, then add the fiberglass cloth if desired.

RE: First kit...Supplies needed
 

Mint. Thank you. Looks like I have a few things to get.
Wax paper
180 and 220 sand paper (use wood blocks)
CA Accelerator
thin ca
square
yard stick
30 minute epoxy

Already have
6 and 15 minute epoxy
medium ca

Have to figure out a color scheme and get monokote at some point, but I don't think I'll need that for a while...

RE: First kit...Supplies needed
 

Don't forget a razor saw. Very handy for cutting across the grain.

Tom

RE: First kit...Supplies needed
 

I hate asking these ignorant questions, but what is a razor saw?
Also,
I have a kids train Thomas the train table that if I flip over it is the perfect size for the plans, but I am unable to stick pins in it. Is that a huge deal? Would tape work? Saves me from trying to get a 4x8 sheet of rock.

RE: First kit...Supplies needed
 

Man searching really does work :)
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXKX96&P=ML

RE: First kit...Supplies needed
 

I second the Razor saw, Zona makes a great one and they last forever if you dont cut hard wood or metal with them. I heat gun is nice with an old diaper or microfiber cloth for shrinking and making the monokote in the open areas ahere to the ribs. I like to have an assortment of small to medium size squares for making sure ribs are straight and when gluing the horizontal and vertical in place. As time goes by and you build more, you will decide what is needed for the job at hand but you are well on your way, most of all have fun!!!:D

RE: First kit...Supplies needed
 

Try a 24x48 ceiling tile. They're soft enough for pins. They cost just a few dollars at hardware stores, Lowes, Home Depot.

edit to add
These http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXM406&P=0 are handy for setting wing ribs at a 90 degree angle to the building board. They cost 2 bucks each. I bought several, then realized I only use one or two at a time.

RE: First kit...Supplies needed
 

Here are a few more items. These are definitely optional, but helpful, items.

I won this Zona sanding stick http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXLJ56&P=SM and eatra paper http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXXRP1&P=SM in the door prize drawing at a club meeting. It is a bit of a specialty tool but it works great in certain areas. Emory boards and other sanding sticks also work well.

Clamps. You can never have too many clamps. I found these http://www.nelsonhobby.com/clamps.html and bought some of each type. I use the sliding bar clamps more than the others. To order direct from Nelson, click the "shopping cart" link at the top of the page then find clamps on the left side.

Needle nose spring clamps http://www.amazon.com/20-each-Wolfcr.../dp/B000OMHE4E for extra reach
other small spring clamps http://www.micromark.com/BUCKET-OF-5...AMPS,8292.html

RE: First kit...Supplies needed
 

For what its worth, I have an Avistar trainer That i have been flying for The last 4-5 years ,& that wing has NO glue joining the two halves together. It has a main spar that goes between the two wings and then the two halves of the wing were connected with 2 straps (look like the old landing gear straps.) Of course, the wing is attached to the fuse with rubberbands. I have an OS 55 in it so, it really gets a work out!. I bought the plane second hand from a guy that learned to fly on it when it originally had an os 40 LA . Im not suggesting to not glue & glass the center win section together, just saying that there are otherways to do it.....Gene

RE: First kit...Supplies needed
 

The Avistar you have was designed for that wing joining method. My Uproar uses a wing tube and a couple of nylon screws.
The Four Star kit is not designed for glueless joining. Pages 8 through 10 of the build manual http://www.kavanrc.de/instructions/s...fourstar40.pdf say to glue the wings together and add fiberglass cloth.
Since the thread title is "First Kit," I think trying to re-engineer this critical joint would be a very bad idea.

RE: First kit...Supplies needed
 

What I find extremely useful is the slot machine
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXK263&P=7
Alot quicker and neater than using an xacto knife

Also I find inseparable
Great Planes Dead Center Hole Locator
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXK378&P=ML
Great Planes Groove Tube Grooving Tool
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXK380&P=ML

Table/bench vise
And I never use wax paper for the plans. A clear painter's cloth of about 2ml thick
Lasts longer and better for keeping glue off

You will also need about 100 razorblades, T-pins, masking tape, nice straight building board (ceiling tile is what I use, its great and cheap), a power drill and assorted sizes of bits, files of different assortments, pliers, screwdrivers, allen wrench set, a good wood glue such as Titebond II, wood filler for the dents and such, and I can not cover without a heatgun so I would get one.

RE: First kit...Supplies needed
 

Wood glue? I wouldn't use ca and epoxy for everything?

Thanks again

RE: First kit...Supplies needed
 

CA and wood glue work fine for anything, except wood glue takes alot longer to drie. I use wood glue fr ribs and sheeting, as it gives me working time to make sure everything is straight, not warped, and in the proper place. Remember: CROOKEDWINGSDON'TFLYRIGHT!! So if you have all your ribs in the correct spots, but your main spar is warped or somethin like that, it won't fly as good, so thats why I use wood glue for ribs, it gives me time to make sure everything is perfectly straight, accurate, and where its supposed to be.

RE: First kit...Supplies needed
 

Well now that makes a lot of sense....
Thank you. Adding to the list :)

RE: First kit...Supplies needed
 

I have also used wood glue to coat inside the engine compartment. It flows easily and the slower drying time lets it soak into the wood better thus making the firewall stronger. Epoxy can also be used there too. Just personal preference.

I went into a dollar store a while back and they had a small drafting kit with some small triangles. They work good for making sure things are square and inexpensive.

You will need some string to measure wing and stab squareness.

Depending on how you want to do your controls you may want to buy some Sullivan golden rod for the elevator and rudder control. (an optional way)