How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

I’m deciding to build something, gather most of the required items such as motor, servos, accessories, covering, etc’
Building some big portion of the airplane and then it gets stuck.

You can call it many things such as other things in life, busy, tired, no flight season, laziness, building mistakes and so on but the basic result is that the airplane is standing half built.
And its not that its hidden from the eye oh no I see it half built and it disturbs me yet I don’t want to get into finishing it.

I really admire people who can build airplanes from start to finish in about two to three weeks.

Alex

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

The best advice I have come across was in one of the British mags, and put simply is "each day glue at least one piece of balsa" or in other words, it doesn't matter how little the job is, tightening one bolt, cutting one piece, anything, just do ONE A DAY and it will be built before you know it.
Works for me.

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

Jim Beam and blues music..

Bill

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

Word! The Aussie has got it!

Bill

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

It's not a race. Work on your model when the mood strikes. Building is supposed to be fun, not work.

Forcing yourself to complete it will result in inferior craftsmanship.

In the mean time, I like Ram Jet's advice, but I prefer Jack Daniels. LOL

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

I find that a Margarita and a little music keeps me working at the building table:):) On a serious note, building an airplane is like some other projects. The last 10% of the build takes 90% of the time. My last build, a restored Taurus built from three planes(http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_82...tm.htm#8323460), seemed to take more tequilla than normal(just kidding). That old saying of one step forward and two steps back did not come close. I was making three to four steps back for every step forward. But I said to myself that I would not let all the frustrations beat me. And they did not, she is now flying again.

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

Building a plane is like making fine wine, the longer it takes the better the wine. The longer it takes to build, the better it is when it is finished. Good Luck, Dave

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

I build in fits and starts, mostly around my family and work schedule. Sometimes you cannot just go to the work shop for hours each day to build, at least you cannot do it with out having a negative effect on your work, or relationships.

Do what you can, relax, have fun and take the time it takes to get the job done.

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

When I got "slowed down" a bit on a large project I started a small side build. As an example: I'm plan/scratch building an Astro-Hog as a taildragger and adding some gussets and beefing up the landing gear block area and..... and... Well, I found myself just looking at the build one day and not getting much done. So I looked around the shop and saw a small plan for the old JETCO R.O.G. rubber band powered plane from "way-back". Got out my small balsa building board and started to frame up the JETCO pieces (with AMBROID glue :D) right along side the Astro-Hog. Next thing I knew..when something on one build was drying or whatever I'd switch over to the other build and have at it. Now I've got the Hog going again AND am applying the orange tissue to the R.O.G. (my wife thinks the R.O.G. is cute!). I'll have TWO planes finished before I know it. It's a fun way to build and I believe I'll be using this technique again. Gets your mind and eyes off the BIG build just long enough to make it more interesting when you get back to it.

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

When I build,( usually kits), on purpose, I don't round up all the parts needed. While building, when I come to a spot that needs a part, extra pc of balsa, a roll of covering,etc. that I don't have. The trip to the LHS, or wating for the UPS guy, gives me the break that I need, so that I don't get "obsessed" with it. Sometimes I get on a roll & can't stop working on it. I have to make myself walk away. I hate it when I get in that "mode" cause it takes all the fun out of it for me. Oh,yeah, my wife don't like it either. Gotta keep the little lady happy !!!

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

Great advice mboland .

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

Sometimes all I'll get done on any particular day is that I'll lay out what I need so that the next day I can just start right in. Even on days that I get a lot done, I'll always try to end by doing the first step on whatever is going to come next. That can be as simple as unscrewing something that needs to be removed or finding the piece of wood I'll need to be cutting up tomorrow.

At the moment, I'm sort of in that "in between projects" mode (though technically I have several projects in the pipeline). But I don't think a day goes by that I don't do something related to modeling. Sometimes it'll be nothing more than a small materials test. Other times it's just a bit of research.

Also pausing now and then during a build allows you to come back to it fresh and look at what you've done with a bit more perspective.

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

I buy ARF Planes. It is not that I don't like to build but my apartment is to small to layout plans for any length of time. I use to build with a drink on the table and when I saw three of each I would quit for the night. I don't build that way today. To many short cuts that did not work.[:o]

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

Yeah, booze and balsa don't mix well.[sm=spinnyeyes.gif]

Bill

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

The best thing is a buddy that builds, go over and see what he is doing, watch old airplane movies !! Keep some pictures of planes you like around, Watch any old footage you might have video'd ..but all in all we do need time away from it.. Its best to build when you find it enjoyable. I always have a hard time if I am covering a plane with a plastic covering...I hate taking the time to do it right, I hate it afterwards if I don't.

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

I used to build a lot for both myself and other people and I built about 6 or 8 planes a year. After I moved here I started slowing down a lot. I work on other peoples planes still but don't build as many as I once did. I now tend to stall when it's one of my own. Right now I have one that should have been finished in a couple of months but I'm not in a hurry, I have several to work on and fly so I go out to the shop and work on it when the mood strikes me or I have nothing else to do. It will get finished and be in the air sometime this sumer, I don't worry about it too much, it will be done when it's done. My friends are the ones that really want me to get it finished and see it fly though, I just shine them on.

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

We are like two peas in a pod. If you are Japanese I'm surprised that you aren't more methodical. I thought Americans were the scattered, helter skelter peoples of the world.[sm=spinnyeyes.gif] It's nice to know I have company in the land of the rising sun.

Regards,
Bill

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

Hi, don't worry. Your just normal. I build and sometimes I go in spurts. Work like a fool 8,10,12 hours a day. Then Bam!!! I just walk away for what ever amount of time. I built a 33% Waco a couple of years back...over 1700 parts in all. It took about 6 months to complete. Then a Balsa USA Stearman was next..almost the same amount of parts.........about a year on that one.
I find if you run into a problem while building it is best to just walk away for however long it takes to feel better about the problem. And then you usually find a cure for that issue and back on track. If you (I) try to push a project along it will always result in you ( me) making mistakes that I have to re-do or re-build the part. o the end result is about the same in time to complete.
Just take it easy...this is a hobby....... no one enjoys your build more than you so do it at your pace..and enjoy!!!!

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

Hey , dont worry about it , the most of the guys ( me included ) builds slow and probably I'am the slowest :) but I prefer do it once but well , enjoy it and learning during the process this is other side of the hobbie I think .

I know just one man that is a "freak builder" he is able to build a kit ( GP Patriot ) from scratch in just 2 weeks without seeing the plans or the booklet and with the most perfect finished on it , he has constructed more than 1200 kits easy and is "probably" the best builder in all Mexico . People says he born to building airplanes but that is a skill that is not much common to see . ;)

Enjoy .

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

All this fuss about casually paced building. Enjoy, it's a hobby. Remember the old joke about the old bull and the young bull. I can't tell it here the censors will hang me out to dry.

Bill

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

Interesting. I'm painting two bathrooms and a bedroom and patching drywall and I hate every minute of it. I have to drag myself to the task kicking and screaming. I am very good at it though. My girlfriend says I'm too fussy. I hear my old man in the back of my head saying "Any job worth doing is worth doing right." I always aim high doing anything and am never satified when I'm done. I'm very self-critical. I fugure that the higher I aim the better the result and the lower I aim the poorer. As a kid I was corrected by my dad when I would say "Is that good enough?" His response was usually "Well, is it?" A break in building is refreshing and often I come up with better solutions to building impasses after a "breather".

Bill

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

As evidenced by the results a worthwhile effort.

Bill

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

Jack Daniels and ME109s eh?

Bill

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

hmmm alcohol and balsa i didnt try yet...

mods getting me stuck, not mistakes, mistakes i'm fixing right away.

yes i know what you are saying about perfectionism, i'm getting out of it saying to myself "even with my mistakes its better then any ARF so let it go other wise its endless" or "I'm the worst critic of myself".

but yes gluing at least one piece of wood a day will get my airplane built at the end.

Thanks for the ideas
im on my way to build
Alex

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

I build in spurts too. I usually go like nuts during the framing stage of the build. Then I slow down for detailing, covering and finishing the actual airframe. When it comes time to mount servos and rig linkages, I go into high speed again.

Need I say more? :) Black-n-tans made with Guinness and Bodingtons pub ale are the absolute BEST.

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

Ends in "them all" Right:D

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

never heard this joke until now :D

the thing is that the flying season is usually coming sooner then my airplanes are ready for it.

on the other hand i didnt plan anything to build after the US60.... well not in the apartment i live now for sure (five airplanes).

ah darn it i need a basement...

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

Ya, but not at the same time !!! LOL

I've been a good friend of Jack's for along time, but my Luftwaffe birds don't care for him. Thusly, I keep them apart.

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

people,

I like the idea of doing one small task every day, but that doesn't always work. In my case, shiftwork enters into the picture. I've placed myself into a self-imposed exile from building when I'm on midnights. I find there are too many mistakes made during this period. Before or after 4-12 shifts can be ok, but I usually try to do small jobs during this time and stop to let the glue dry. So when I'm on shift, I usually work on building after day shifts. Unfortunately, home and honey-do projects also come up during this time, but I've learned to balance those out with building time.

Booze and building don't mix at all. My building improved by about 500% when I decided to sober up several years ago. So did my flying, and it was amazing how much extra time I suddenly had as well.

papermache

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

I'm sure the burn marks on the bench had nothing to do with the black-n-tans!:)

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

Builing for me is fun and relaxing. I stopped doing balsa and went to spads. it cuts the build time down to a couple of days. I get to fly more because of our good weather so I dont have build seasons. The Spad build is alot shorter so I dont get that one model burn out. Just build at your pace. and enjoy it

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

I have similar trait as so many I have read here so far, that is we start fast and have several lapses in the middle. The difference with me is I reach a point (several times) where there is a certain phase I dislike doing. I tend to stop and take a break for a while or do something else to avoid the part I dislike. I mean who really likes to do hinges?. This happens a few times during building. I find also that I take much too much time on making everything perfect. If it isn't right I make it right. At least right to my standards. Fo example I have a top flite P-39 that I am finsihing and I opted to put nose wheel gear doors on (it has Robart retracts). I built these scale like doors hinged them with CA hinges. They look great but I have not figured a way to make them operate with the gear. So, I'm in a pause right now until I can figure a way to operate the doors. I can sit there look at it , draw & sketch of ways to open & close the doors but no lightning bolt has struck yet.

I also realize that one should never tell anyone you are finishing a new plane at the flying field. Those guys are relentless : so where's the P-39 ? Still building? It's been a year when are we gonig to see something?
That's the driving force for finishing the plane, you just want to get these guys quiet.

Sledge_78

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

i try to keep at least 2 builds going at the same time, that way a frustrating section on 1 build can be abandoned temporarily. i also try to do at least 1 little item a day regardless. and then as a final kick i will go read someone's world class build thread and it usually inspires me to get back to work.

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

lol just like me i have been avoiding the hinges till today when i had nothing left to do [:@]
as for building i crashed a spad a weeks back and i have all the stuff to fix it but i just dont feel like doing it so....
i built a gp rapture from start to finish in a 6 days, i went building crazy:D:D. i looked like this from all the ca/epoxy/wood glue/ect .[sm=spinnyeyes.gif][sm=spinnyeyes.gif][sm=spinnyeyes.gif][sm=spinnyeyes.gif]

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

for me hinges is easy, especially the CA hinges, after practicing and screwing them up several times on 6 airplanes i got proficient and now i just do it...
well easy to say but i know its a painful step so i do it as fast as possible and not trying to do it better...

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

I commit 15 minutes a day, it always turns in to more than 1 hour, usually two. It keeps My mind active. Planning thinking, figuring out how to do something or what it will look like when I get done. Most of the time it is a adventure that I’m lucky enough to be a part of. Try something different. Challenge Yourself. Do something You can’t do. If that makes any since. Learn! It’s one of the things that makes life worth living.

john

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

My tip is DON'T MOVE!

I was rolling along good on my Citabria build but then we relocated back to Washington..
It's been hanging on the wall here for 8 months now.. New home projects have kept me hopping

The sad part is this plane has been "In progress" for 15 years.. I started it back in the early 90's, then quit flying and hung it in the attic with the rest of the planes. We hauled it out a few years ago and started working on it again.

s for getting to the finish line..
If you can get out to the shop 1-2 hours a week..
Find a way to work inside with the family.. Find small things the kids can help with..
I did this by switching to low odor building products.
I can't wait to see what the kinds think of vacuum bagging.

Keep the work area clean.. I find I waste the most time looking for parts or tools.

That is about it.. I'm not exactly a good example :)

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

I think I've built to many ARFs lately, there is no challenge! Can't finish an ARF Senior Telemaster that only needs the servos connected to the pushrods and I would be done, just don't have the interest. I don't wory about this, If I did, I'd probably think I needed to find another hobby tp perk my interests! So I do other things that I need/have to do and just keep moving. I never do things, if the mood isn't there, as I feel I'm turning it into work then and that's not why I'm into hobbies.

I love to frame, hate to sand, like covering, as you start to see the finished product. Love detailing and finishing.

Yep, It's gotta be the ARFs that are depressing me!

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

I have the opposite problem with building. If I have a plane on the table, I cannot get it off my mind until it is finished. If I am not working on it, I am thinking about the next step, or some future step. I'll do a bit of work on it, and then leave it for the glue to dry, but I can't leave it, so I find another task I can do in the meantime. It is as if I am in a race to finish it, which I know is bad, because when I am done, I wish I was still building.

My next build (Herr Texan) is going to be slow, and I am going to enjoy every step of it. I have plenty of planes to fly, but only one to build right now.

RE: How do you avoid long breaks during the build?
 

This is how I build. And when I am finished, I wish I was still at it.
john