Transfer plan to wood

[r6dan]

How do I transfer the plan parts to the balsa?

[David Davis]

There are various methods.

 

1. I use carbon paper to transfer the shape of formers or wing ribs to balsa or ply.

 

2. Some make a photocopy of the plan and use the photocopy as templates.

 

3. Others prick through the paper into the wood beneath to transfer the shape.

[kc]

There are many other ways too.

I like to use tracing paper or a photocopy and trim it slightly oversize with scissors then stick it onto the wood with a few small bits of double sided tape.  Then I cut right through the paper into the wood with a scalpel using a ruler for straight lines.  On thicker ply just score the surface and run a pencil around the groove for clarity. 

The latest type of printer/ scanner/ copier can copy into the middle of a plan if the top cover is unclipped.  Then weight the plan down with a few magazines.  Ensure the copier does not distort in either direction.  The Kodak ESP3 does not distort and the lid can be unclipped too.   If necessary use several photocopies taped together for long parts like fuselage sides.  Mark a straight line down the centre of the plan and at right angles where you expect to join, to help alignment.

Edited By kc on 28/11/2010 17:22:25

[Chris Bott - Moderator]

r6 have a read of:-

This thread or This thread 

 

Seems this question comes up a lot. Which is a good thing 'cos it must mean that more people are thinking of building from plans.

 

Maybe time for a sticky ? Mods? 

[r6dan]

Will do Chris. I just tried copying the wing ribs abd they have come out the same as the plans,Just gonna  print `em all out and stick `em to the wood and hey presto!!! cheers guys!

[Big Bandit]

Dan,

 

My favorite method is to get a spare copy of the plan and use the iron on method as described earlier. Or alternatively put the plan face down with the parts over the wood and rub acetone or cellulose thinners through the back of the plan, instant transfer and less fiddly than carbon paper but more smelly.

 

Chris.

[r6dan]

Well I have just copied all the parts,wing ribs frames etc with the scanner and they have come out 100% perfect so will use those,will try ironing through them to transfer if that doesn`t work I will just pritstick them to the wood and cut through both paper and wood

[Doug Ireland]

I make photo-copies then cut out the various shapes and stick them to the wood with a spray adhesive. Sticking the shapes down really helps when making wing ribs out of say 1/16th balsa; stops the wood from splitting! When you finish cutting out the shapes, a quick waft with hot air gun over the paper bit and it peels off clean.

Edited By Doug Ireland on 28/11/2010 19:28:57

[Tim Mackey]

Posted by Chris Bott on 28/11/2010 17:29:11:

r6 have a read of:-

This thread or This thread 

 

Seems this question comes up a lot. Which is a good thing 'cos it must mean that more people are thinking of building from plans.

 

Maybe time for a sticky ? Mods? 

 done.

[David Davis]

Just a quick thought about plan building.

 

Some plans only show one half of the wing to save space and costs. The traditional way of building the other half of the wing is to turn the plan over and to coat the underside with white spirit, turps or paraffin. In that way a reverse image appears on the plan.

 

These days, I suppose you could get a photocopier to produce a mirror image of the original to get the same result.

[andy watson]

I hate only getting one wing.  I got myhobbystore to print out a second wing sheet for the stuka as a mirror image (easy on a computer based printer).  They were kind enough to do it FOC, although I was happy to pay.

[r6dan]

On Tims pix-e you get 2 wings 

[Danny Fenton]

The new Nijhuis Spitfire plans from myhobbystore came with only the Port wing, I coated the plan in parrafin to make it transparent. Howvere and this has caught me out, after two days the parrafin had evaporated and the plan was no longer transparent  fortunately I hadn't started, otherwise I would have had a half built wing pinned over it.

Back to tracing I guess......

[David Davis]

Posted by r6Dan on 29/11/2010 08:13:50:
On Tims pix-e you get 2 wings 

 

Yeah but it's a very small model!

 

[Big Bandit]

All,

 

Most plan copiers will do a reversed image for the same cost as a normal copy. I've just had 3 copies of a plan done on A1 at £1-10p each and their spot on. I know there are traditional ways of doing things as you've described but at the end of the day is it worth the effort for a bit over a quid. I still use a sheet of carbon paper from time to time, but the extra cost of a spare plan to cut up and iron patterns onto the wood or rub thinners through the back of the patterns to transfer the image directly onto the wood, saves a lot of time and effort.

 

Chris.

[Viking42]

Hi,

With all this good advice in mind, I just wonder why RMC&E delivers "double-side printed" drawings, making all methods described fairly complicated. Thus I have to yse carbon paper or experiment with the printer, in order not to have the "backside" shining trough.

 

Peter G

[David Tweddle]

>

I photo copy the parts I require (on my psc), then cut them (scroll saw) out and stick (pva) to 4mm ply that gives me hard wearing templates of the parts I need to replicate, simple...>>

>

>>

[LHR Dave]

Above is a sequence of transfering an image from a plan to balsa.

The kit is cut by photocopying the plan using a toner type copier (like the big ones they have in offices and the small printer shops you see in the high street).

Once copied the part is roughly cut out

Then it is turned print side down on to the balsa or ply etc. then using a cloth, apply a small amount of paint thinners(other substances could be used its just a matter of experimenting).rubbing down over all the part detail.

then remove the soaked through paper to reveal the part nicely printed on the wood

Notice that it is printed mirror image on the wood ,this is not a problem and part numbers etc can be re written on part in pen.You could always select print in mirror image on the printer then it would transfer correctly onto the wood.

The part is the carefully cut out from the wood one you have done all the components you have yourself a kit of parts for less than half the price of a laser cut kit.

I use the mirror image function on the printer for printing the opposite wing panels on models then build over the top of the photocopy its a good way of making sure you have a left and right half of a wing.