dirk tinck Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 Hi Chris ,i'm following this step ! I use peelply (to peel it back off) in places where i need a rough surface , like inside a fuselage where the formers need to come. Are you also going to peel it off ?or is it supposed to stay on ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Barlow Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 The way I understand it, which may not be completely correct, is the peel ply is polyester to which the epoxy resin does not stick to very well, at least not as well as the glass cloth. when the glass cloth is wetted out with resin the peel ply is laid over it and squeegeed down. Any excess resin is wicked into the peel ply weave leaving the bare minimum which is trapped like the inside of a mold to fill the weave of the glass cloth. When cured the peel ply is "peeled" off the glass cloth, which is possible due to the epoxy not sticking to polyester very well, leaving the glass cloth adequately "filled" requiring only primer and sanding before paint. There are a few good videos on youtube showing the process including some by Danny Fenton. The goal is to achieve a better and lighter finish than a 2 coat resin technique with less effort. Win/Win (if it works) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Barlow Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 Impatience got the better of me and I couldn't wait a full 24 hours for the resin to cure so after approximately 20 hours cure time I have removed the peel ply. It came off relatively easily, pulling the ply at 180 degrees to the surface with a consistent, moderate force. Fortunately it didn't peel the wing skins off at the same time! The finish is very flat and has filled in the cloth weave nicely. There is a slight texture left by the peel ply which does give it a slightly rough feel but I expect this will sand off very easily. Overall I'm very impressed with the finish and will definately be using peel ply again on the JP, U-2 and Meteor wings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McG 6969 Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 Well done to you, Chris. I guess I couldn't wait for the full 24 hours either... Cheers Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Barlow Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 Thanks Chris. I managed to stop myself from unwrapping it earlier by chopping down the neighbors conifer trees which have started to rub against the shed roof. He's in for such a surprise when he comes home! I also had a bit of an epiphany regarding mixing ratios. I usually use Zpoxy which is a 1:1 mix ratio but have now changed to Easy Composites laminating resin which is 100:30 resin to hardener. The voices in my head were arguing how to calculate the required amounts to mix 20g of resin when a quiet, rational voice from somewhere behind my forehead explained for 20g resin divide by the sum of the ratio, multiplied by the resin amount. The balance up to 20g is hardner! so, 20g mix / (100 resin + 30 hardener) = 0.1538 0.1538 *100 resin = 15.38g resin balance to 20g = 4.62g hardener To be certain I tracked down an epoxy resin calculator online and checked the amounts for a 100:30 ratio. I don't know why this has confused me before as it seems so simple now! Edited By Chris Barlow on 01/02/2020 19:36:22 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robk Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 Brilliant solution for the rudder control Chris. I hummed and hahhed over whether or not to have a rudder as I didn't like the external snake. Left it out in the end - I might have kept it if I had seen you solution earlier. Im sure mine will still fly without one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Meade Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 NO RUDDER?!! Fetch the pitch forks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Barlow Posted February 10, 2020 Author Share Posted February 10, 2020 Hi Rob. Yes the rudder actuation is a tough one if you want to keep the hinge lines and don't want external snakes or pulls. You could always "adjust" the hinge line 1/4" forward and/or offset the elevator bell crank to one side as I've seen on a couple of blogs. Depends who notices! Andy is already scouring the blogs looking for sinners and heathens! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Barlow Posted March 15, 2020 Author Share Posted March 15, 2020 Hmmm, I was going to start with "not much progress over the last few weeks" but looking at the last photos I realise there's quite a bit of work been done, just doesn't seem like it! All the parts have been sanded, glassed and sanded again. I spent quite a few hours attempting to design my own pilot seat in Fusion 360, which required not only studying photographs of the seat but also learning how to draw! I think I'm happy with the end result though and have also discovered that drawing is one thing but drawing so that the model can be 3D printed takes a little more thought! Pilot was a free model from Thingiverse. A slightly gentler learning curve has been a move from my usual paints to a 2 pack paint, something I've never used before. Although not much more expensive than cellulose paints this lot cost nearly £140, but th primer will do all the models I'll build this year and the 3 colours are enough for 2 of my current builds. What did surprise me though was the cost and availability of filters for my respirator. I usually treat myself to the filters through work but my usual sources were out of stock and worryingly the message on the Screwfix pages limited supply of respirators and filters to 5 per order! Further online searches finally revealed a supplier near London with 1 pair left in stock so that was ordered. There were others available on ebay but the usual price of around £30 had increased to £45 with one seller advertising the filters at a whopping £99! So with new filters fitted and between gaps in the rain the glassed parts were primed, sanded and primed again. A few extra parts there for a JP too! I also printed off a few painters pyramids to help in drying the parts. The wing has also been primed but I ran out of space to photograph it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Cooke Posted March 15, 2020 Share Posted March 15, 2020 Fantastic Chris!! Congrats on your ejection seat - if you've just learnt a CAD system and got that as the resulting product then thats a great bit of work! I do like those painters pyramids too - excellent! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Meade Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 Looking good Mr B. One note though - Meteors are NOT building boards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Barlow Posted March 16, 2020 Author Share Posted March 16, 2020 Thanks Phil. I have used 2D cad programs for Architectural plans for work but that was Autocad R14 from the 1990's! Once I stopped trying to use Fusion 360 like Autocad I started to make some decent headway! Always up for learning new skills whilst I'm still young! Andy, Sorry! Busted! Edited By Chris Barlow on 16/03/2020 15:24:26 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McG 6969 Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 Hi Chris, I really should stop looking at your build thread before I get totally demotivated... Superb work, once more. Cheers Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john stones 1 - Moderator Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 Usual standards Chris and colour matched pyramids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Barlow Posted April 4, 2021 Author Share Posted April 4, 2021 It's been a while since I've been in here! Managed to figure out the messed up login but still can't find my old photo albums, and I'm not sure how to add a new photo to this post! Still, onwards! Managed to get a bit more done on the Sabre. Cockpit has been fitted out & painted, canopy stuck over it & blended in to the fuselage, plenty of sanding & filling too! Finally got to the stage where it was ready for some shiny paint, along with the Meteor. I started by spraying the underside which was left to harder over 24 hours. This was then masked off & a coat of grey applied to the upper surfaces which was left for another 24 hours. The masking for the camouflage took nearly 2 hours, which was quite long considering the much larger Meteor only took 3 hours. Finally the green was sprayed over the grey. Next step will be to add those small details that take forever and some airbrushed insignia and markings. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Cooke Posted April 6, 2021 Share Posted April 6, 2021 That does look really great in the gloss camo Chris - reminds me of the one hanging in the roof at Cosford! How will you be applying all the panel lines on the gloss surface? More airbrush magic like the Hurricane and the A-10?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Garsden Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 Yes indeed that looks brilliant Chris. Well done. Good luck with the panel lines! As for the new site. It did take me ages to get my head round it but having done so it is indeed better than the old one. To answer your questions:- Old Albums have not been carried across from the old site. You can create new Albums as I have done but you don't need to do so. I take photos on my mobile then upload them to an Album online. I then update using the computer with a proper keyboard. If however you are doing everything from your mobile phone you just need to insert "Other Media" using the button on the bottom right Unless you are referencing an image from another site you choose existing attachment whereupon you see the most recent images you have uploaded into an Album or those you have already uploaded using the Gallery Menu. If you are wanting to upload an image from your phone go to Forums/Content I have started or Gallery/Insert Image, or Create New Content Sorry if this is even more confusing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Barlow Posted April 28, 2021 Author Share Posted April 28, 2021 On 06/04/2021 at 21:44, Phil Cooke said: That does look really great in the gloss camo Chris - reminds me of the one hanging in the roof at Cosford! How will you be applying all the panel lines on the gloss surface? More airbrush magic like the Hurricane and the A-10?? Strange coincidence? It is in fact modeled on the one hanging from the ceiling at Cosford Museum except in a former life with 112Sqn, mid 1950's. Not quite at the panel lines stage but they'll be airbrushed on over tape. So far I've been working on the markings and roundels. The surface has been flattened down first with 1000grit then 1500grit which helps to get rid of the raised masking lines. I cut vinyl masks with my Silhouette Portrait and laid the outer mask in position, masking the surrounding area. I then airbrushed inside the mask with clear coat to seal the edges of the mask to prevent paint bleed. When dry I airbrushed a light "mist coat" of white to aid adhesion to the clear coat. This was then over covered with a heavier coat of white. you can see why I flattened down the camo lines so they don't show through the decals. When dry I applied the two outer circles of the mask. Masked off the joining lines of the circles and applied another coat of clear coat to seal the inner circle of the mask. Again, when dry I sprayed the inner circle with red, let it dry then removed the masking tape from the joint lines in the mask, taped over the fresh red and removed the outer "blue" paint mask. More clear coat to prevent bleed and a blast of blue. Finally, when really dry I removed all the masking, cutting the circles so that I can peel the masks off perpendicular to the paint edge so it doesn't pull the paint up! This is where you find out of it worked OK, or not! This was done for all the roundels and fin flashes at the same time to save time on paint mixing, layers and drying times. P.S Thanks Pete. After reading your instructions and a bit of head scratching I have managed to figure out how to insert the photos within the text! ?? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Barlow Posted April 28, 2021 Author Share Posted April 28, 2021 I should also add, keep the paint products separate! Twice I thinned the coloured base with clear coat not thinners and I nearly wiped the prepared area down with thinners instead of degreaser! ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Barlow Posted April 28, 2021 Author Share Posted April 28, 2021 A similar masking principle was used for the sharks mouth on the underside of the nose. The outside area was masked with tape and then the mouth was drawn onto the masking and cut with a sharp scalpel. This was sealed with clear coat and, when dry, sprayed white with a mist coat first followed by a heavier gloss coat. When dry I covered the entire mouth with vinyl masking and drew the gums and teeth. When happy with the layout I carefully cut through only the masking and removed everything that wasn't going to be white. The unmasked area was the airbushed with clearcoat (again!) and then red. Vinyl masking was also used for the ID letter and fin flashes. The gun ports were painted from a built up mask drawn and cut on the Portrait cutter. This was to ensure accurate spacing and positioning. The masks were applied to the nose and again the surrounding area masked off. A sealing coat of clear coat then black shading half on the mask and half on the Sabre, heavier across the rear and top edge of the port graduated to lighter, almost non existent towards the bottom and front. I still have to colour in the eye! Next is panel lines, shading, jet intake and serial numbers. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Meade Posted April 29, 2021 Share Posted April 29, 2021 Very fancy gun port spraying Chris - neat and ingenious - bravo! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Cooke Posted April 29, 2021 Share Posted April 29, 2021 proper job with the paint masks Chris, well impressive! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Garsden Posted May 1, 2021 Share Posted May 1, 2021 Excellent work Chris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Jennings 1 Posted July 2, 2021 Share Posted July 2, 2021 Just had a look through the entire blog. Some brilliant solutions, tips and advice. A cracking build and I'm really looking forward to seeing this in the flesh. Well done. It's inspiring. I'll be trying the peel-ply on the 'rod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Turner 12 Posted July 2, 2021 Share Posted July 2, 2021 I know im going back a few posts, but what power is your laser and how deep does it cut in each pass? Thanks Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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