Anyone used this for models?

[steven patey]

http://www.diy.com/departments/diall-5mm-laminate-solid-wood-flooring-xps-foam-underlay-5m/1570772_BQ.prd?icamp=recs&rrec=true

Its a 5mm thick xps foam. costs 2.80 per square metre.

think I'll get some when I come back home in a fortnight.

looks like a good depron alternative perhaps.

[Simon Chaddock]

Steven

It is not really a direct Depron substitute as it is significantly softer and more flexible but can certainly be used if you take this into account.

This wing is made entirely of the 5 mm underlay with no spar or ribs relying entirely on its thick skin for strength.

.

Thin balsa leading and trailing edges are used to give a bit of 'ding' resistance.

Built up into a 40" (1016 mm) wing it is strong enough to support an 18 oz (510 g) center load (two blocks of steel) when supported just by its wing tips.

The painted up wing mounted on my hack Wing Dragon for test.

A bit heavier than a similar wing built using 3mm Depron with ribs but still pretty light and very cheap to make!

[Denis Watkins]

And bouncy, maybe useful for indoor models

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Piers Bowlan]

+1 for carbon flat strips. Used it on my Durably Vampire tail booms as well as stiffening my Radian XL tail where there there is excess flex near the tailplane and rudder. Also used it on polystyrene wings.

[John Robertson 3]

I've used this 5mm Vitrex (see David Mellor above):

https://www.homebase.co.uk/vitrex-5-star-sound-reduction-underlay-9-76-sq-m_p100707

to build this:

"The Fish" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kobJpBQO3hs

[John Robertson 3]

The material is a bit fragile and doesn't take bad landings well, but greasers? No problem. It glues well with Gorilla Glue (polyurethane) and I plan to build a few more "interesting" models in the future.

The 'plane? A Jedelski-ish wing which holds up well, but flutters VERY interestingly if a bit of speed builds up. As pictured, it was rebuilt after a low-level loss of attention resulted in a power-on nose-dive into the magnetic ditch. The wings were almost perfect, but the fuselage was in 3 large bits and many small bits. Lollipop sticks were simply glued on to join up the 3 big bits and I just left the "open areas" where the many-small-bits had been as they were. A 3mm carbon tube joins the bottom of the fuselage together again to give it some integrity, so all that was left to do was re-maiden it following the photographs.

A successful flying session followed, revealing a need for a hefty dose of downthrust to be added (4 off 3mm washers is my high-tech solution). It even survived a landing exactly on top of the fence wire attached to the post of the photo. Bang-on the wire, longitudinally, one mark from the barbs, and it fell off sideways, when stopped. Picked it up, quick check, then off up into the sky again. Touch and Go? No undercarriage. No problem.

This 'plane looks absolutely ridiculous on both the ground and in the air, but it cost very little and, so long as the motor & radio gear survive crashes, it owes me nothing. I cut out 3 sets of blanks when I first built it (it seemed rude NOT to), so a re-build is probably quicker than a repair session, but I DO like the "steam-punk" nature of the beast. I laugh every time I fly it. What more could you ask for?

[Stuphedd]

This is a photo from my album dated 2008

Its a mig,

29 built from B&Q bluey/green under floor stuff , used it for years and still do Look up Floormaster thread !

[Stuphedd]

http://www.modelflying.co.uk/forums/postings.asp?th=14635

[Martin_H]

Would make great ducts for EDF's

[gangster]

Not used as a building material I am a stuck in the mud balsa badger. However I use sheets of it as a cushion on the work top. A friend did observe this and declare it was depron and ideal for some models. Seems awful brittle and can give a scary crack if you break a corner off or poke something through it. The one I have is the Wicks stuff which is different to the green material on that fine looking model on the earlier post

[John Robertson 3]

Aye. She's a fine-looking beast indeed, especially when doing a prop-hang. You KNOW it's not right, but enjoy it anyway!

[Old Geezer]

Well John - you've stretched that old saying: "If it looks right - - - - it'll fly right" to the bloomin' limit! Well done that man - if there is ever a prize for the Ugliest Aerodyne she's got to be in the running. ( I initially considered Ugliest Flying Object, but UFO's been taken. )

Sorry if the above sounds a bit harsh, but in the circles I fly such abuse would be regarded as a compliment.

[John Robertson 3]

Yes - thank you. I have indeed stre--e-e-e-tched it.

I flew again this morning, having adjusted the downthrust, and am delighted that it's still useable. There is bags of power from a 140W nominal motor (I haven't bothered to measure it yet, but now I think about it, it's on the list for a rainy tomorrow) and it will stand on it's tail without problems. It's rather difficult to fly smoothly, but that's good from my point of view (a returnee and retired) as I have to be delicate with the sticks and throttle to make progress. As I have not set the brake on the motor the windmilling of the prop acts as an airbrake and a very steep angle of descent is possible - I can drop it from almost directly above me into a landing if there is any sort of a breeze. Touch-and-goes are fun, as is a powered dive. As soon as any speed is obtained the middle sections of the wing start fluttering violently and very noisily. It's intrigueing to watch! I fancy glueing a couple of carbon fibre rods across the chord (leading to trailing edges) to see what effect this might have e.g. transferring the flutter out to the tip sections. Fun! It's easily recoverable - just kill the power and let the prop arrest it almost instantaneously.

It was so quick to build the original that I may well test this one to destruction then use the spare parts in the shed - I cut out 3 complete sets in the one operation - to explore the concept further. After all, when one burst out laughing at least once in every session there MUST be something worthwhile going on!