Tim Kearsley Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 Hi all,Disaster has struck! I'm new to this hobby and have had very little experience of assembling an ARTF model. I was working on a Seagull Extra 300 EP this afternoon and was attempting tofix the vertical fin in position on the fuselage. It was too tight - I realise that now - and while I was trying to get it into position, the CA I'd applied to the mating surfaces cured, leaving me with a fin way out of position and solidy locked. Needless to say, despite applying CA debonder it wouldn't budge and snapped while I was trying to loosen it. So I'm stuck with a broken fin and a lump of it firmly stuck in the slot in the fuselage.Does anyone know if spares are available for this model? If not, any ideas how I might proceed, or am I left with 55 quid's worth of junk?!Any thoughts very welcome.Cheers,Tim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mackey Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 Should be fairly easy to rectify..... I would cut the bit that is stuck in the fus down flush to the fus ( assuming it is only a small piece ? ) then cut the "loose fin" nice and straight across the bottom - no you fool not your bottom, IT'S bottomThen offer it up to the place where it should be stuck into the fus slot - does it "look about right " ?? If so, then carefully slice a small slot with a sharp knife ( scalpel is best ) into both the fus and the bottom of the fin, centrally, and using EPOXY stick a thin slice of ply or plastic or similar into the slots, keeping the fin upright as the glue goes off. Carpenters use this method allthe time for nice strong joints, ( called biscuits ). HTH - if unsure what the heck I am on about.... shout out !!It is certainly easily sorted, and you will NO WAY discard the model because of such a minor hitch.....thats the fun of this game....figuring out ways to fix things Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Kearsley Posted September 1, 2007 Author Share Posted September 1, 2007 I see exactly what you're saying Timbo and it makes good sense. The only problem in this case is that the break occurred a bit above the line where the fin joins the fuselage and so cutting the bit that remains in the fuselage flush would shorten the fin somewhat. There's another problem - before posting the question I have already dug out what I can of what remains in the slot in the fuselage, so I've b***ered up any chance of doing what you suggest!!I wondered whether I could buy a little balsa and manufacture another fin or at least manufacture a lower section to slot in the fuse and carry on as you suggest above?Cheers,Tim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mackey Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 I reckon you could yes. As long as the resulting fin is reasonably the same as the original, i envisage no real problem, tailplanes (horizontal stabilisers ) are more crucial in area than vertical stabs. I once had a plane that was supposed to have 3 vertical fins, but it flew fine with only one ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myron Beaumont Posted September 2, 2007 Share Posted September 2, 2007 Blimey How do folks manage (like me ) when you start with a sheet of brown paper And a few ideas .Problems ?! I think not Enjoyment YES !! Grumpy Myron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Kearsley Posted September 2, 2007 Author Share Posted September 2, 2007 I think the difference Myron is that, I presume anyway, you have a lot of experience behind you to draw on, whereas I have very little. You probably have a talent for aeromodelling as well and I certainly don't!Anyway, I think I'm going to purchase some suitable balsa and fabricate a lower section of the existing fin, attach it to the remains of the fin using Timbo's method and see how that goes. At the worst, I should be able to construct a new fin altogether if this doesn't work.Thanks for your advice chaps.Cheers,Tim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Ingrey Posted September 2, 2007 Share Posted September 2, 2007 Hi Tim, What has happened to you has done for all of us at one time or another. My Tucano was very tail heavy as hard balsa had been used and this was only discovered when correcting for the CofG. Result----cut out the entire tailplane elevators fin and rudder and build new parts out of softer balsa. I suggest cutting out the remains with a fine razor saw-try to take out evenly on both sides. glue in two new pieces of balsa sheet using the fin to gauge the correct thickness of the re-made slot. I would use aliphatic glue rather than expoxy but either will suit. Do not use cyano!! Then sand off the suplus when the glue is dry to blend in with the shape of the rear of the fuz. I would personally make a new fin but Timbo's suggestion is equally as good. Don't worry about any small gaps between the original fuz and new inserts.these can be filled and sanded with light filler. There is nothing that can't be repaired by using a bit of the grey matter and this is what modelling is about. To Throw the model away would be sacrilege!! Let us know how you get on,it can be done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erfolg Posted September 2, 2007 Share Posted September 2, 2007 Brian is soooo right.Whilst you continue modeling, it wont be your last cock up. You will also break your models.Just sign up to the Jimbo school of repairs, you will come to see that it makes sence.Regards (must get back to my replacement tailplanes)Erfolg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myron Beaumont Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 Sorry TimI was in a bit of a grumpy mood when I wrote yesterday .I should have said -Welcome to aero-modelling .Once again I apologise Hope the fin is fixed .Grumpy Myron PS I hope you will start building soon & join the clan ! It's the best hobby on earth By the way (off thread) big bang related micro wave discovery a few years back is actually alien aero modellers in a galaxy a few light years away on 40 + GHz Bet Timbo & Jetsome didn't know that ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Kearsley Posted September 3, 2007 Author Share Posted September 3, 2007 Absolutely no need to apologise Myron, the points you made were perfectly valid!I do intend to do some building and I'm accumulating tools, materials slowly to that end.I also agree 100% that this hobby is absolutely fascinating!Hopefully I shall be repairing the broken tail fin this afternoon. All the best,Tim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myron Beaumont Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 Thanks Tim I think you're hooked already .You won't regret your first problem / introduction to the flying game & the satisfaction that comes from it eventually Carry on & let us know how you get on . Join the club Eh !grumpy Myron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Kearsley Posted September 3, 2007 Author Share Posted September 3, 2007 Just thought I'd round this thread off by reporting that this afternoon I fixed the mess I'd made earlier by splicing in a new bottom section of the broken fin. I used Timbo's method and effectively "pegged" the two sections together with several short sections of carbon fibre rod. It all looks (almost) as good as new!Thanks to everyone for their help and advice.Cheers,Tim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mackey Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 Well done Tim, and welcome to the world of aeromodellingNow get that lovely plan pack Spitfire scale model ordered, and sharpen up that scalpel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bustergrunt Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 beware the seagull extra elevator is joined by SOFT BALSA!!! Make sure you insert a proper joiner or you might have a flight like mine where half the elevator and tailplane came down seperately from the rest of the plane!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mackey Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 Or .....if already built, and not easy to replace....try a strip of C/Fibre tow applied along the existing joiner, and run some thin cyano into it, being careful of course not to let it run where it aint wanted !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Kearsley Posted September 10, 2007 Author Share Posted September 10, 2007 Well this is worth knowing before I launch my nice new Extra 300 into the air! And there was me naively thinking that building an ARTF was simply a case of following instructions.....Thanks for the heads-up. I'm hoping that the guy who is teaching me to fly will maiden the new aeroplane tomorrow so I'd better see what I'm going to do about beefing it up.Cheers,Tim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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