Jon H
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Posts posted by Jon H
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On 24/04/2025 at 09:13, leccyflyer said:
What I do find offensive is the feller in the video in the OP - can't stand his videos.
I have to agree. He's a bloke who runs around deliberately doing things to rub people the wrong way and then gets upset when they come down on him like a ton of bricks. He advocates safe this and that, then whips an fpv drone around tree's bushes with no idea if anyone is behind it and about to cop said drone in the face. Apparently its all above board as hes flown for X years and never had an accident. Many of his videos also feature friends/clubmates flying models that are clearly not airworthy and the video is shot with the purpose of watching the resulting accident. Not an impressive way of portraying the hobby in my view.
In regard to the OP...eh, nothing to see here. Youtube is not going to want anything on their platform which upsets their gravy train. Advertisers will not want their product connected to a video with a swastika irrespective of circumstance. its going to get caught by the ai tech and pulled as google want to make sure that keep those sweet sweet ad dollars rolling in. I seriously doubt any real people had any interaction with the case at all and it was very likely all automated or ai driven.
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3 hours ago, bert baker said:
there’s gonna be a few that disagree,
yea there is because its just a really stupid thing to do. The engine was designed the way it was as it offered the best performance. Modifying it will just make it worse. It also astonishes me how much effort people will make to not lower a tank. Its quite the paradox as they dont lower it through sheer laziness, and yet think making an entire new carb and elbow is less work? It boggles my mind. In the case of the stampe, its one 3mm piece of liteply that is between you and fuel tank nirvana. One whole piece...of 3mm liteply...
Tocano's and PC9's are an issue for inverted, so mount it on its side. job done, next.
In any case, conversion is not recommended as its been tried, performance is inferior, handling and response negatively impacted, reliability reduced and its simply not required in the first place.
27 minutes ago, Ron Gray said:and have just about finished the easy task of lowering the fuel tank
Clearly you are a liar. There's 3mm of liteply in the way and im told there is simply no way to deal with that.
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9 hours ago, Engine Doctor said:
You can make a head shim from annealed Litho plate
i have used that ali foil tape with great success. Stick a layer to the top of the liner, cut out the hole in the middle and trim the edges. Repeat as needed. 2 layers should do the trick.
52 minutes ago, Adsjking said:Different threads though, I tried one off my tt 46 pro and the thread is a different pitch
I think ASP nipples are M3 threaded. I will need to double check but if so replacements are easy enough to find.
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1 hour ago, stu knowles said:
t has had a small number of flights with a saito 40cc petrol but the power is marginal and rate of climb abysmal.
how? that makes no sense at all. We had customers fly them on 180's with ease and even 150's were used from time to time. Laser 180s will out perform the NGH 38 in my experience.
How heavy is the model? also what prop, rpm etc are you seeing
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43 minutes ago, Edgeflyer said:
from a 75 or maybe a 70
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14 hours ago, Edgeflyer said:
tight fit needing a drift?
If its been in there a while it might need some encouragement.
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it looks good. i would be inclined to put it back together and fire it up provided the bearings feel smooth. For cleaning i dont bother with oil staining and only remove loose dirt as this risks being ingested by the engine.
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7 minutes ago, RottenRow said:
hese are advertised as fuel proof but aren’t 100%, particularly the matt colours.
absolutely. Matt colours last about a month in my experience, gloss maybe a season. nitro and methanol are nasty and really dont do paint any favours
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5 hours ago, Adsjking said:
I will check out the 2k lacquer. Spraying would be much easier i think on that open section fuselage.
2k lacquer spray cans are one use only and about 15 quid each. Once you pop the capsule and mix the catalyst you have only a short time to use the whole tin before it sets. For the scaffolding on the back of the ender i would paint the epoxy on with a brush and call it a day as you will use barely any paint and it will be a waste of a tin. You could also stain it a fancy brown colour if you wanted before giving it the epoxy coat.
One final thing with the 2k, it might eat whatever paint is under it. So far i have tested it on enamels and to my astonishment it didnt eat them. However, caution is recommended.
Give ccr custom paints a call and see if you can order up a small sample pot of 2k clear for testing. I did this before i committed to the job.
Oh and i nearly forgot. The 2k activator part has a short shelf life as it absorbs water from the air. Generally its an order, spray, bin the left over sort of situation unless you have really good storage conditions.
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11 minutes ago, Adsjking said:
Do you need to fuel proof an already painted surface?
if the paint itself is not fuel proof then yes.
The topic of fuel proofer has been done to death but the short version is that no single part paint is fuel proof and you need either 2pak/epoxy/2k type paints with a base and catalyst for a true fuel proof job. I wish i knew what YT used on their models as the paint on my 14 year old La7 is still untouched. That said, it was probably so toxic it wouldnt be allowed for sale here.
In any case, i have started using 2k lacquer intended for motorbikes and so far the results are good on my test model. Its half the price of the modelling equivalent epoxy based system and easy to get hold of. They even do spray cans. The downside is its potentially very toxic so a decent mask and basic protective equipment are very important.
For bare wood/firewalls/fuel tank bays i thin some epoxy finishing resin and paint it on either with a brush or using an old airbrush to get it into a tank bay. This works well for protecting from fuel leaks and it also soaks into all the not very well glued ARTF glue joints. Again though, epoxy vapor from an airbrush is very bad for you so dont breath it in. Once its all on i give a light waft with a heat gun to flash off the thinner and leave it to dry. Works well and it saved my acrowot xl recently when the tang bung gave up the ghost
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2 hours ago, Mark Hewett said:
Do you worry about using bearings with C3 clearance Jon?
no i just use standard ones.
2 hours ago, Mark Hewett said:I believe they're recommended for model engines
by who? Not see that myself. I cant recall coming across any when rebuilding other brands of engine, and we never used them at laser
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8 hours ago, Adsjking said:
I did think about covering the rear fuselage but im going to keep it open as per plans. It's the character to the plane.
Paint the wood with a thinned epoxy to fuel proof it.
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11 hours ago, Adsjking said:
Thanks @Cuban8 the skf ones for the sc 52 fs are very reasonable. Struggling to find a set for my tt 46 pro though, can only seem to find the budget ones. I think they are r6z and 6902. Very hard to make on the old original worn bearings.
The codes you have are right for an OS 46 if my memory is right, so you are certainly in the ballpark.
I always use simplybearings.co.uk and use their budget range without hesitation. I have used them for years and rebuilt an OSFF240 flat 4 using their budget bearings back in 2018 and they are still fine. Using the cheap ones you can get both for under a tenner.
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The old laser engines used soft valves and they would eventually wear until either they no longer seat, or they mushroom so you cant get them out. This was a reason we stopped servicing them as the later valves didnt fit and it was not cost effective to make more.
As for the collets. Ring spanner and block of wood. I did a video showing how to do it, i just cant find it as i do not have the laser youtube channel password to go and get the link.
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On 13/04/2025 at 21:49, J D 8 - Moderator said:
You do not lean over the prop with the starter. You go around behind the wing and engage from behind the prop.
im not totally dense you know 😛 but leaning over half the model from behind is still more than a little precarious in my estimation and i do not see it enhancing safety as i have to lean even further over the model. if i learnt anything from a friends efforts with an rcv some years ago its that the starter stick rarely stays where its supposed to it tends to mess up cowls when it leaps out of the crank bolt and dances around. This lead to me nearly flattening said model by falling on it while trying to start it.
While i am enjoying the engine i do still think it is a solution looking for a problem and certainly the behind prop starting is in that category as well.
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Yep, always investigate dodgy sounding bearings. Still, very strange failure as the bearings look in good condition.
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45 minutes ago, J D 8 - Moderator said:
gosh you start it like a helicopter
i just crank the prop over. I dont have the doohickey for my starter and it seems like a more dangerous method anyway as i have to lean over the model in a precarious way. It starts fine cranking the prop so ill keep doing it.
5 minutes ago, Frank Skilbeck said:One more flying session and video, please.
i will see if i can employ a passer by to film
1 hour ago, Paul De Tourtoulon said:Funny, so did the one that we had down the field Early January.
yea i might fit another plug washer to slightly reduce the compression. Mine has stonking compression with my home made ring and its got better with more flying time. Still, once unloaded in the air it sounds sweet so i might just leave it alone.
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15x6 for the 80.
For the saito to shake its mounts loose in minutes something has to be wrong. I still think the issue is probably with the low end tuning, but even so that is the most extreme case i have heard of. Are the mounts of decent quality? Many artf's come with very flexible mounts which is not ideal. Also how is the engine installed? bolts with nylocs?
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RCV update on the RCV thread
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Its been a very long time but i finally got around to fitting the rcv into a model. The old Laser test bench wot4xl was dusted off (apart from the dust) and the 120 attached. After more than a year dormant the engine fired up with little fuss and after some tuning off it went....And frankly, that is all there is to say. It just went off without any real bother, pulled the model around and didnt stop. The 5/15 fuel caused no problems, fuel consumption was good, exhaust was very clean with only crankcase oil on the model, it didnt get very hot even without a cowl/baffles, the 20x16 ran at 4000 to begin with but came up to 4200 (8400rpm at the crank) by the 3rd flight. Generally the engine handled well and it was getting better with each flight as my home made piston ring ran in a bit.
The engine has a slight crackle on the ground and sounds over compressed, but in the air this fades away.
My original plan was to fly it for a day and then whip it back off the model so i could test another engine. I think however i am going to leave it on there for at least another flying session just to give it a bit more run time.
All in all i am quite pleased with the results so far and its a far cry from the negative experience i have heard so much about.
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Saito are known to vibrate a bit but i am surprised to hear its a bad as you describe. A very lumpy tickover is symptomatic of the bottom end mixture being out (too rich) and in need of adjustment so this would be my first port of call for investigation should you put it back in the model.
IF you do, grab a video of the problem as its far easier to diagnose when we can see the issue
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Busy day in the workshop leaves me with one finished guitar, one in primer, another sanded ready for paint, and a wot4xl now sporting a new engine in the form of an RCV120 that i am keen to test fly. Once that is done the wot is going to help me make an awful sticky mess by flight testing a PAW60 diesel. Both are engines i have had for ages and have been meaning to air test to get a feel for them. Its likely both will only see one day of flying but that will be enough to give me the information i want.
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I agree with the other comments. The TT46 is a good engine, i had one for a number of years and flew sport models with it on an 11x6. For something slow like this i echo the other comments but would go bigger and look at 13x5 as it will not matter at all if you loose a few % of peak power due to a slight over propping of the engine.
IF you did want to go 4 stroke then a 50 class engine would be more than enough and again 13x5 would be my choice of prop.
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Hi Artto
No im afraid all of my model building projects went on hold for several reasons. One was a degree of disinterest in the hobby caused in no small part to working at laser. Dealing with engines and model related problems all day just left me with no enthusiasm for my own projects. I had other problems with nightmare neighbours who would kick off if i so much as breathed, so moving house became a priority, which meant getting a new job, then laser was closing anyway....
long story short 2024 was very much dedicated to getting life back on track after...4 years of difficult times. I have mostly achieved that and i am slowly ticking off my model related repairs and getting back into it all. I have repaired and test flown most models now, with the P39 and Sea Fury awaiting test flights (tomorrow if the weather holds), My small Hurricane needing inspection/service, my Stampe needing repairs and maybe an engine swap..and i think thats it for simple stuff. My DB Hurricane needs extensive repairs due to veneer delamination from the foam wings and my poor Airsail Tomahawk is currently broken into 4 pieces so needs some love to try and rescue it. Once the airworthy fleet is back in shape (long term repairs may be put off until winter) i will be getting back on to my various spitfire projects. I currently have 4 on the go, but that will drop to 2, with a 3rd to follow as i have changed around my plans for the various airframes.
I also have some other projects to focus on with a flair pup i want to restore, a wot4xl i want to use for some engine testing, and non model related projects with 4 guitars i am in the process of building, modifying or refinishing. So yea, i best get off of here and make some headway down in the garage/workshop.
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Precedent Stampe 1/4 Scale
in Build Blogs and Kit Reviews
Posted
No its not. Performance across the board is worse, its a simple fact and i confirmed it with my own testing. The argument about the performance being good enough is different and i am well aware that most do not have the knowledge or understanding to recognise that they are falling well short of the maximum potential of the engine. I do however and consequently see it as a bad idea.
Its a toy aeroplane. And if the Laser is unsuitable due to constraints then fit another engine instead of cutting the corners off a square peg. Just use the right thing for the right job.
I know you think think this castor thing is funny but realistically you just make yourself look stupid.