Engine Doctor

Hi Spikey . I have seen this before but was in rolls being sold cheap at a show,almost like sand in the colour/adhesive. Contact Solar film direct , If they don't know about it they can't do anything about it. You may even get something in way of compensation although they may just say you should have checked before fitting the stuff. Hope you get a favourable response and let us know how it goes. Re the HK or polyester type covering . yes it will do what solar film will do but needs higher temp to stretch around compound curves. You have to leave enough overlap at wing tips to get a good grip then using a hot air gun (modelling type)  heat the area as you pull it around the tip. It wont hole or tear like like solar film as its much tougher even with very hot covering iron it won't melt like polyethylene that solarfilm is made from. Edited By Engine Doctor on 16/06/2015 09:38:04

Posted by Vince East on 14/06/2015 21:35:35: Another thing, has any one else ever seen this triangle 3 point engine mount set up before? It has left me puzzled. Yes that type of engine mounting was very popular a few years ago , well actually quite a few years ago! An ali plate was fixed to the engine with the back plate screws then fixed to the rubber mounts . Very popular on fun fly models in the eighties . The idea was to reduce vibration in the air-frame and save some weight . You should be able to make a balsa cowling as its not a very complex shape . Have a look here then apply it to your model . Its is for a smaller cowling but will give you the idea . Once built remove any un-needed thick wood inside the cowling with a dremel or similar then harden the wood with thin cyano . Let us know how you get on   Edited By Engine Doctor on 15/06/2015 19:14:48 Edited By Engine Doctor on 15/06/2015 19:21:55

Posted by gareth Oosthuizen on 13/06/2015 22:19:34: Back again guys just ordered the bixler looking forward to it hope it's not a long walk of shame. I'm going to buy a kit to build to been looking at the boomerang or sky 40 witch one the best or would you go for something else ? Both ideal trainers. The Sky 40 has to be proper built and covered unlike the Boomerang which is almost ready to fly (ARTF) built and covered and just needs assembly and a cheaper way to get flying . Only draw back with the Boomerang is you don't get to build. Good luck .

Hi Gareth. While your learning with the bixler you could be building a model as well. Have a look at the SLEC trainer called the Sky 40. It's an excellent kit fly's brilliantly with no vices . It can be built for I/C or electric power. It's dearer than buying a artf but is a much better model and you also learn the basics of building. Good luck.

Hi.Welcome to RC flying. Whatever you do don't go to halfords , they only sell car chargers and they are totally unsuitable. Find your local model shop or better still visit your nearest club for a chat before you go any further.Its the best way to avoid disappointment and get flying quickly , safely and without breaking too many models.

Kyosho Majestic , they would be perfect together. Second choice would be the Acro-wot .

Hi Cymaz . You shouldn't have a pressure feed from the exhaust on a petrol engine ! That's asking for a blaze . But why does it not have a pumped carb .Has it been turned back to a glowengine or was it supplied like that ? It should have a pumped carb as per this Pic . Yes it sounds rich but sort the carb before it goes up on its own

Hello Ian . The varnish you mention will not adhere to the covering so will not help the seal. Order some Clearcoat as this works with the coverings adhesive and effectively stops any fuel that get under the edge from soaking into the balsa especially around the firewall or wing seats . It also really holds down the edges so that film lifting in the first place is very unlikely . With overlaps , give them a wipe over with thinners or something to remove any grease before applying the next sheet. Even finger print/grease can effect the adhesion of the overlap. . Just keep it clean and use plenty of heat on the overlapped section. Good luck and hope you get it sorted.

Posted by Paul Jefferies on 08/06/2015 22:49:53: "PVA or Balsaloc. Some people say they are one and the same.".......... I wondered about this so I did a test using "Litespan" on balsa. On one piece of balsa I used PVA and Balsaloc on the other. It was definitely harder to pull the litespan off the piece that used Balsaloc, ie., Balsaloc gave better adhesion. The test was prior to my first go at covering a model with Litespan and suffice it to say that I wouldn't use it again. As a finish I guess it depends on what you are trying to achieve but I was hoping it would look more like tissue and it looked nothing like I wanted. However my main gripe with it is that it has no adhesive properties of it's own and you have to paint the edges with balsaloc before overlapping with the next piece and inevitably some of the balsaloc shows. Also, heat shrinkage is pretty limited........ Paul Hi I use light span on all my smaller or diesel powered models . I would not use balsaloc though as it just doesn't do the job very well. I use Solarlac Clear coat as an adhesive. It really holds the covering down well even on overlaps .It also enables you to get the lightspan tight without wrinkles before shrinking and gives a brilliant tissue effect if put on with the matt side facing out. It also takes on compound curves well if stretched using a hot air gun (modeling type) . It even fooled our clubs tissue officionardos on more than one occasion. Give it a try . Yes you do have to apply it to the frame but it does help keep the weight down. What problems did you have that caused it not to look like tissue ? If your interested pm me and I will Gladys go over my method of applying it . E.D. Edited By Engine Doctor on 09/06/2015 09:48:33

Posted by cymaz on 06/06/2015 08:19:05: Putting the decals onto the model was easy. I applied some masking tape to the front of the decals and GENTLY pulled them off the backing paper. Then it's simply pressing the decals onto the plane and then GENTLY peeling away the masking tape. A soft rub with a cloth seals the decals home. Ask a local sign maker for a length of transfer paper. Its like masking tape but about 2 feet wide, has a adhesive that holds the vinyl in place well and doesn't stick too hard to what your putting the decal on . I managed to get a long length to £2 . Its also very handy for making masks for spraying / airbrushing .

Hi Stevo . If your really stuck try wrapping some cling film around the ali wing tube them wrap some pre- weted/epoxied glass cloth . A lot cheaper and will last as long as the model . Don't wrap to tightly or it wont come off when cured.

Ask 100 modellers and you'll get 100 different versions of the pros and cons of Ep versus IC . Visit local clubs have a good look and a chat before jumping off the fence ,one side or the other. You will probably end up like many of us with both types of power . Good luck and enjoy.

Hello scruffmiester. Re the fraying of the glass cloth. A way to stop or reduce the fraying is to spray the cloth with hair spray/lacquer  first. Allow to dry before cutting . The dried spray soon dissolves when the epoxy is stippled into the cloth and it doesn't appear to effect the setting , strength or other properties of the epoxy. Not very good on chopped glass matting but excellent on woven cloth . If using ordinary epoxy adhesive then the 30 main variety will give you a bit more time to get it applied. As said it can / should be thinned  10% max to help it soak into the cloth. I generally use some methanol or methylated spirit but cheap grade cellulose  thinner works fine as it contains a lot of methanol these days. Don't over thin it or it will weaken the resin and affect the setting time Edited By Engine Doctor on 05/06/2015 08:31:01

My best guestimate would be about 5 mtrs but buy 6 to allow for trimming and overlaps etc Might be cheaper of the 10 mtr roll if you can find a shop that keeps it other wise it will have to be 3 x 2mtrs packs . SMC sell it for £14-50 a pack unless you want silver that costs £17-99 . Hope this helps .

Hi . If its a Mk 1 and has a 1/4 28 UNF thread as fitted to the 40, 46 and 61 then the stud should I believe unscrew from the shaft and can easily be replaced with a High tensile bolt suitably shortened. If its a Mk2 then the shaft is a one piece but has quite a long shaft and should fit through most props .

Hello Stevo . Cellulose thinner will work fine but dont be afraid to soak the affected area . It wont damage the film . I regularly use it on covering films to de-grease prior to fitting new decals . Its fine on all glossy covering films except the cheap printed chinese stuff. It doesn't acually damage the film but you will end up with a plain white model. Its also ok on Lie span.

Hello Simon your battery looks like it doesn't have a protection board so should charge ok on your Elisium charger set to 3s Li-ion You could always use the old Dremel charger case for a charging dock and run a lead out to plug into the Elisium . I would try test a charge while stripped down as in picks to see if it accepts charge ok.. Or you could rewire the battery as per this diagram with a seperate charge and balance lead and just plug it into your charger

Hi You may find that your batteries have protection board built in . if that's the case then a standard charger will be able to charge it with the protection board switching off the charge as a lipo charger does.Just make sure you have the correct polarity and voltage selected. Our lipo chargers will not work if a protection board is fitted as it cannot get any feed back from the cells . Does the Dremel just stop working when its flat or does it slowly die ? If it suddenly stops then it wil more than likely have a protection board fitted.Can you undo the battery case to check ? The bord is a small PCB fitted in the case and takes care of over discharging/charging and balancing cells .

What's changed of late ? I regularly read in other parts of this and other forums discussion that degenerate into proper arguments . I wonder sometimes how the moderators put up with it without just shutting down the thread. If we don't agree with another's opinion then just leave it as as a disagreement . No need to threaten or become abusive . We have all heard of road rage should we now have a new term for the forums? Perhaps "forum fights" or" key boards at dawn" . Its very easy to get carried away but please , to those concerned , keep it light and friendly.

Posted by Justin K. on 28/05/2015 08:56:02: **LINK**Is it litespan Definitely not lite span as that looks like a tissue covering. It might be solarfilm Solite transparent covering. Great covering but beware it shrink is very very powerful an can distort light frames. Have a look on www.solarfilm.co.uk  PS colours look much deeper on the roll .  If you contact solar film they could probably send a sample or if your lucky your LMS might have some in stock to compare. Edited By Engine Doctor on 28/05/2015 09:-32:08 Edited By Engine Doctor on 28/05/2015 09:35:46

Sounds like you pulled it off the ground before it was at flying speed causing the tip stall. What power train are you using ? Is there enough power ? Try changing the three bladed prop for a two blade as they are more efficient . Edited By Engine Doctor on 26/05/2015 22:00:07

Posted by Doug Ireland on 24/05/2015 22:22:24: Frank, it's a 12yr old X-Type and as far as I know it has its original battery. This is the first time I've had trouble with it but saying that I haven't driven it much since winter. You really have had value for money from that battery ! Don't waste time charging fit a new one.

Hi you could spray it with Ronseal water based varnish. It comes in so called gloss which turns out a satin finish ,satin a bit duller than the gloss or matt. I sprayed my kyosho T33 with it a few years ago and it still looks good. It is very safe on foam . Only downsiide is it gets very slightly tacky in damp conditions but soon dries out again. I sprayed straight from the tin at about 40 psi in a small gravity fed touch in gun. Any paint wich is solvent based can affect the foam. The oil based varnish would also be OK but does discolour slightly and browns with age ,its also very heavy so beware of excess weight.

Re the DLE carbs . A mate has just bought a DLE 20 and that has a walbro type carb that's probably a Chinese copy with DLE cast into the cover. Quality looks very good as Chinese goods are generally getting much better but prices are rising so home sold stuff are more tempting in case of problems.

We recently had to dispose of some used syringes after an operation. We eventually found that the local council offices will take them provided they are in a proper sharps container as obviously having been used for human use they are considered a bio hazard. I dispose of my old scalpel blades as most of us do , in a jam jar with a slot in the lid and a piece of tape over the slot; if they were in a sharps box they would probably be refused by the refuse collectors . Jam jars it is an in the bin .