Levanter Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 This is the start of my Ballerina build blog. I am going to try out a few new things: First model with a four stroke engine First model with wing mounted undercarriage First model using Solartex and finally - First model I will finish in the same year I started. This blog will of course be about the model itself but also on techniques, mistakes, successes and my journey back into modelling after a seriously long break. Probably most of us are newbies in some way or another. Meanwhile Peter Miller, probably the most prolific model aeroplane designer (and builder!) alive and kicking, has been very busy. Along with the Ballerina I plan to complete my Oodallaly and build a Bootlace, Grumpy Tiger Cub, Columban Luciole and a Velie Monocoupe Type 70. The plan is an ambition, not a promise. I am sure there will be many other PM builds in progress this year aside from the Mass Build. I hope so Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Interesting plans Lavanter. Sounds good. I too plan to use Solartex on the Ballerina. I know it can be a bit heavy but I don't think the model will struggle with it. I really like Solartex as its an absolute pleasure to use - so easy to apply, always looks good and provides a really durable finish. BEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyD Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 i agree its more pleasurable to use and will be useing it as well,in yellow because ive got lts of it,and maybe paint the trim as peters(lovely scheme) in red or black or what comes to hand during the build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levanter Posted January 1, 2016 Author Share Posted January 1, 2016 My first plan build was Jemima by Jim (still waiting for floats) Newberry and totally influenced by a chance purchase of a copy of the RCME. This rekindled my interest in model aircraft after an all too common very long break. It has taken me roughly two years to create my little workshop and build up a stock of modelling essentials. During this time my introduction and rapid addiction to eBay provided some spectacular failures, almost always my fault, but with enough successes to justify the expense, depending on who you ask! Like the schoolboy at heart (albeit weeks away from sixty) there will always be another "must have" but I have been lucky enough to surround myself with kits, plans, engines, some electric motor, tools, millions of spare servo horns / discs and an impressive amount of dust. Some of the best buys have been job lots of fittings amongst which are some things that I have no idea what they are but I enjoy having them anyway. The best bit of all was finding this forum. Happy New Year everyone. Jemima was built using very simple tools but even then I had to buy some basic items. About the only thing in my meagre toolbox that was of any potential value was a Stanley knife and I didn't use it anyway. As I progress with Ballerina I will introduce the later developments but for now, here is a basic building kit and one that I take with me if I am working away from home for any length of time. There you are, I did mention addiction! The knife is like an old friend. Always have spare blades to hand to avoid the temptation to do just one more cut. The one that will bite you! The small rule is Imperial on the reverse side, American origin and a delight in the hand with a satin finish and wonderfully clear markings. The cutting mat is vital in order to avoid unexplained marks on any furniture, expensive or cheap. These are my homemade sanding blocks, some made over two years ago and all on their original sandpaper. The pine blocks come from planed timber and were carefully trued up to be flat and square in all planes. This is really worth the effort for a variety of uses to follow. The paper is glued on with contact adhesive and trimmed exactly along the edges to be able to use right into corners. The small blocks have been used over and over again in awkward corners. Here's a handy use for the blocks. Balsa held on one held flat and the other used on edge to ensure sanding the material nice and square with any rounding over. The sandpaper helps to grip on the mat and the work-piece. These balsa blocks were cut from 20mm square material. Again the blocks are accurately squared and identical in length. I have found loads of uses for these (note the paint overspray). See the photo below for a very useful application. Here, a balsa blocks is used to locate and support a wing rib. It is easily pinned to the building board and easily moved to wherever you like. I have loads of these now. By the way, you can see I am not fussy about pinning through the wood. For me the most important thing is to locate the work securely and the pins are very fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levanter Posted January 1, 2016 Author Share Posted January 1, 2016 I am fussy about my gluing and for most applications glue that is outside the joint is a waste of good glue. It is a good discipline for making neat joints and that comes, no surprise, with practice. If you have ever done this "accidental experiment " you will know that even the tiniest amount of glue will stick like there is no tomorrow and often involves destructions of one part or another to separate including skin. I have tried this experiment with all glues known to man and you can trust me - promise! Anyway more glue is not the road to more strength. I use mainly aliphatic like many. I use cyano for special reasons but generally not if speed is not so important. For me epoxy use is quite limited. One of the two small jars contains neat glue and the other is slightly diluted. It only ever goes on using a cheap brush with fairly stiff bristles. I try very hard to put it on only where it is needed and mop up any excess with a damp cotton bud, or the corner of my shirt. Early indulgencies were a plane, razor saw, engineers square and a set of files. The soft brush comes into its own for dusting off nooks and crannies of which there will be many. I don't use a vacuum because that would be a very quick way of gobbling up critical pieces whose natural home is on the floor. Other near essential tools for me The soft brushes gets the dust out of the nooks and crannies of which there are countless in any model. I don't like the vacuum cleaner. Actually to be more truthful it doesn't like me because it is prone to gobble up critical parts whose natural home is on the floor. Also it belts out such a blast at the other end it is an efficient dust re-distributor. Occasionally I have to capitulate. My public position on the vacuum cleaner is that I don't know how to use one! Now just about ready to begin the Pas de Deux. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john stones 1 - Moderator Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 I get the feeling yours will be a very neat build Levanter John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devcon1 Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 Some very useful tips there. I like the sanding blocks idea so I'll be making some. Regards John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levanter Posted January 3, 2016 Author Share Posted January 3, 2016 Peter suggests making up a kit of parts before getting cracking. Once you have a collection of bits and pieces it is fun going through them and choosing something. Hopefully the right size, ideally in character and of course changing you mind any time you like. I bought the OS FS 40 Surpass from eBay especially for this job and it was a reasonable price because it did not come with an exhaust or silencer. Luckily, a donor engine in bits was able to provide one. The only other thing I will have to buy is a receiver. When starting out however everything has to be bought and although my Spanish is reasonable it would not stop me from making expensive mistakes in the model shop. I quickly got into the habit of taking the plan along with me to help with a translation and most importantly to make sure everything will fit. Fortune has it that I live about 30m away from a hardware shop. A very good one at that but my main acquisitions are the cardboard boxes that they throw out. To keep up the good relations I do buy something from time to time and like all good Spanish hardware shops, they also sell beer! So here's a good specimen saved from being pulped. Here's some stuff from the business end. Here is the collection of servos. The one on the top left is for the throttle. It is a small one and also I don't have a matching pair. The throttle servo doesn't have to be big because there should be no resistance from the throttle lever on the carb, unlike flying surfaces. It does help to be quite precise so if this one is not up to it, it will get relegated. The two servos on the right were set aside for the ailerons but they are probably on the small side and taking heed of advice on another thread that they should be metal gear I am having second thoughts. That's it, decision made, I will use bell cranks following the plan. This will be another "first" for me and like I said - I have just changed my mind. Some of the things in my goodies box have obviously had a hard former life. The wheel on the left is caked with top quality mud (must have been a UK flyer ) traces of grass and a liberal coating of gummy castor oil. The combined odours give it a real authenticity. Quick work with Jif or similar and an old (by that I mean disused) toothbrush meant that I have two new, bright and shiny wheels. I found out quite quickly that for my style of modelling I have to be well organised. The reason, and I know I am not alone with this affliction, is that I always have multiple projects on the go. The first motivation is that with so much on offer and such a long time away from modelling I have this irrational urge to sort of catch up and try everything as I am never going to have a forty year modelling career like many on this forum. The second reason is entirely rational. My models get built fairly slowly but often in short bursts of frenzy. Two or three times now, when I finally get to the covering stage in particular I have forgotten past mistakes (so I repeat them!) or just simply lost the knack. I am now bringing a number (top secret figure) of models to a completion stage so I will soon have one enormous covering festival. So I have been building a number of fuselages. Now I am building some wings and of course enjoying Ballerina. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McG 6969 Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Hi Levanter3, I'll second John with his feeling that is going to be a very neat build... so, subscribing right away! On the other hand I feel quite jealous about all your tools and even more about your sanding blocks... As soon as my glue-testing-phase gets calmed down, I really will have to allow myself an enormous tool budget. On the other hand, I like your army of balsa blocks, but as for squaring things up, I'm already the proud owner of a liberal amount of large Duplo building blocks... Not talking about own experience of course, but I think it would give some extra insurance to have some metal gears for ailerons, specially if you go for bell cranks. I'm really not that far, though. Happy starting Chris Brussels, Belgium Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Wow Lavanter - you are neat aren't you! I wish I was like that - I set out to be, but reality always intervenes and I find myself hunting everywhere for that bit I cut out earlier! BEB PS You see I'd get the box, put a neat label on it. Then I'd put all the bits in to start. But within an hour it would just sit at the back of the workbench empty and I'd reach the end of the build before I even looked at it again! Edited By Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator on 03/01/2016 19:53:02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 If I can find my bench after a couple of days I am not working hard or fast enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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