Precedent Stampe 1/4 Scale

[Stuphedd]

The best TEX in my experience was Polytex ! The advert for it was that "they" covered a golf ball to prove it went round corners.A lot easier to work with than Solartex . .

I was lead to believe that Polytex was bought out by a rival company that closed it down !??

cheers

[Edgeflyer]

I tried my cheap polyester covering with dope on a test piece (old vintage plane rudder). Applied dry using dope just on the edges. When dry, low heat at 100 deg C pulled out any wrinkles, as the polyester heat shrinks like Solartex. Then dope was used to fill the weave. I also tried first covering with lightweight laminating film, followed by doping on the polyester. This was very easy and airtight after 1 coat. 2 coats got the traditional translucent look.

Compared with silk or Flair nylon covering, this polyester is cheaper, easier and better in my opinion.

My next test will be to use Cover Grip (Balsa Loc) with dry polyester and used as an iron on covering. I think it will be feasible to make airtight using dope or latex paint, or possibly Solarlac. Before doping the open structure.

[john s]

Posted by Phil B on 15/11/2019 16:07:48:

Also as an aside, I do lots of glass fibre covering, but I have found nylon and dope to be probably better for covering sheet surfaces, especially on this type of model.

The polyester comes from eBay if you search

Plain Habotai Silk Lining Fabric 100% Polyester Material Dress Lining

You will find it. £1.80 per metre 158cm wide, approx 50g per sq m.

I will update tomorrow after some trials.

Hi,

following this with interest as I'm getting near the covering stage on my Tapsfield Spacewalker and was thinking of using polyester.

Had a look on Ebay can only find 40g sq m, is that OK or do I need to look harder.

John

[Edgeflyer]

HI John,

It obviously depends on the plane size. I think 40 g is pretty good. I have some that's about 35 g and some that's 60 g and even the latter feels pretty light compared to Solartex. We have to remember that dope and paint (and fuel proofer?) will probably be more than the polyester.

I am just doing a test, stripping Solartex from the tail of a Junior 60 and replacing with polyester, so I can see what weight difference there is. Solartex is about 90 g per sq m, so I think your 40g poly is likely to come out lighter. Solar film polyester is 60g including the adhesive so is probably lighter but a lot dearer.

[john s]

Thanks Phil,

I'll try a couple of meters to experiment with, the Spacewalker is 91" span with a light but quite strong structure so not looking for much strength in the covering.

Interesting thread hope its OK to butt in.

John

[Nick Somerville]

sorted out the challenging part of mounting the engine so it pokes through the cowl just right. Can’t say I got it right first time but it’s there now. Planning to model scale details on D-EBSH hence the louvres on this side of the cowling. I rather like them.

In a recent post by Jon, I noted his Laser 180 was mounted on a circular radial mount. I understand why now as after modifying my front end for the same engine I discovered that the mounting holes on the mount lined up perfectly with the sides if the front crutch 😩. Thank goodness I had recently acquired a Dremel on ebay and was able to use a tool to mine out pockets for the captive nuts behind the firewall.

[Nick Somerville]

A bit tooth paste like but simple enough with only the top wings painted with the sunburst.

[cymaz]

Sunburst is a great scheme...ask me how I know!

[Edgeflyer]

Yep that's a nice plane. I like the louvres too.

[Nick Somerville]

Just thinking ahead to radio/battery installation.... how have most builds worked our re the c of g? Nose heavy or tail heavy. I know it’s a bit relative but I am generally a light builder, but have a fairly hefty Laser 180 up front. I know I added lead to one end of my first Stampe but can’t recall which end. Painted that one with a red sunburst top and bottom wings and with G-JOEL as a registration. Sold it to a couple of rogues from South Wales 😥

[bert baker]

Awww shucks,,,

Go on then Cymaz

How do you know

[Martin McIntosh]

Mine turned out spot on 1" forward of the top wing TE with a 155. Changing to a 180 made no real difference in this respect. I just put the servos wherever they fitted best and the battery in front of the bottom wing, modern gear being light enough to make little difference. Covering is Solartex.

[cymaz]

Posted by bert baker on 17/11/2019 16:10:13:

Awww shucks,,,

Go on then Cymaz

How do you know

As you asked so nicely Bert.... I found the CG was far too reward. I’m sure Bert will remind me which thread page it’s on as it was talked about in some detail.

over to you Bert

[bert baker]

It was a dark and stormy night.

Soz I must have slept to long this afternoon

was the paint for the Sunburst lead paint

been so many comments about the same stuff so many times it’s probably page 150 is but  I’m not looking

 

 

Hat and coat at the ready

Edited By bert baker on 17/11/2019 18:01:22

[Nick Somerville]

Progress continues and today completed both centre sections and have made a start on the wings themselves.

So John Hill got me thinking with his nifty use of flat carbon strips to strengthen his trailing edges. Well it's a bit of a trek to find something similar but from my scale glider building days I had a spool of carbon fibre tows. You can set them off with epoxy resin for best strength but they also go rock hard with thin cyano.

Excuse the couple of pictures that I have not found a way to rotate within my album but hopefully you can see the steps.

1. tape the two trailing edge strips together on the TE with masking tape.

2. Stretch the carbon tow taught with the help of some pins etc. and then position in the inside of the two TE strips.

3. use pins to set the angle to match the rib section and then run a thin bead of low viscosity cyano.

4. 30 secs later peel off the tape and voila, a very stiff and straight TE with very little added weight that can be sanded as thin as you wish.

I also have several lengths of pre epoxied woven carbon fibre shear web material. I plan to use these to add additional strength on the transition between the centre section and out along the wings for a distance to address the weak point that has been mentioned by several others in this thread. Pics to follow when adding them in.

[bert baker]

Good idea Nick I’ve seen the LMA boys do it with piano wire.

but can’t say ive ever had any issues.

My next one I will be looking to make it as light as I can.

I really would like to get one under 7kg

That will be a challenge for me as I don’t build light

[cymaz]

Posted by bert baker on 23/11/2019 18:49:53:

Good idea Nick I’ve seen the LMA boys do it with piano wire.

but can’t say ive ever had any issues.

My next one I will be looking to make it as light as I can.

I really would like to get one under 7kg

That will be a challenge for me as I don’t build light

If mine came out at just over 8 kg, ( and always build heavy...I don’t know how), then I’m sure you’ll make 7kg or under.

[bert baker]

I am now thinking what is the lightest tex type covering,

standard tex ,, poss dope and some form of tex

[cymaz]

Nylon and dope?

[bert baker]

I’ve been offered some stuff a bit like Diatex 1000

[Nick Somerville]

Been trying To find the enthusiasm to cut and bend up all the various cabane cross parts as I am a bit ham fisted with soldering/ metal work. I liked the ‘hold it all together’ with small cable ties shown on here before so popped down to the local diy for some cable ties, but bought these instead. Seems like I should be able to hold it all together and solder at the same time.

[Martyn K]

Posted by Phil B on 16/11/2019 20:16:55:

I am just doing a test, stripping Solartex from the tail of a Junior 60 and replacing with polyester, so I can see what weight difference there is. Solartex is about 90 g per sq m, so I think your 40g poly is likely to come out lighter. Solar film polyester is 60g including the adhesive so is probably lighter but a lot dearer.

Hi Phil

Any more thoughts on the Polyester? Is the process

1. stick it down at the edges,

2, heat shrink then

3. dope to finish?

How fine grained is it and how much dope did you need? I may try some of the silver for my Hawker Fury..

Thanks

Martyn

[Adrian Hazeldine]

Hi,

Hope it's ok to jump on here to ask a couple of Stampe questions...

I've picked up an old 1/4 Stampe to refurbish - it's originally been done in the Rothman's scheme but it's tired and in need of recovering etc. I'd assumed it was a Precedent Stampe but then someone mentioned there is a Svenson Stampe too - (hope I've got that right)

I need to try and get some info - but first need to check which model it is; are there any obvious differences between the 2 kits?

Also - I'm looking at a 30cc 4 stroke petrol for this - Saito FG30 perhaps; does that sound in the right ballpark?

thanks!

Edited By Adrian Hazeldine on 11/12/2019 17:30:32

[cymaz]

I had both. The only difference is that my Svenson , you had to join the wings, plug together . The fuselage was 2” shorter. I glued my Svenson Wings together.

Weigh the model. Both of mine are 8kg, both had 33cc two strokes. Ample power for general flying with a bit spare for landing or to get you out of trouble.

[bert baker]

Hi Adrian,

The Svenson Stampe has a one piece bottom wing, the top wing has a centre section fixed to the cabaines and has two wing panels that plug in to it. And it ushally has a enclosed canopy that spreads across both front and rear cockpits

The Precedent Stampe has one piece wings top and bottom and can be in single or double open cockpits

Im not that familiar with the power output of the Satio, but It will prop be ok as the Stampe’s seem quite happy on a broad range of engine choice