Gary Spicer 1 Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 Good build photos Ron, I like the masking tape idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted June 20, 2020 Author Share Posted June 20, 2020 Thanks Gary, the masking tape 'trick' is a really useful one especially when joining wing sheeting together as you can then sand the sheets down before fitting them to the wings which results in even sanding. To be fair to Chris Foss he does suggest doing the fuse sheets this way in his instructions, but I also made sure that I sanded teh sheets before putting the sides together as it's so much easier! Not a lot of progress today as I was doing other things, but any progress is progress! Cockpit floors added, I've gone for the '2 seater' option which gives a longer canopy which I think suits this model, so there are 2 floors to fit. As has been mentioned by others in posts above, there have been some instances of the tail section failing so I took the precaution of adding some thin ply doublers to the rear section of the fuse sides, about on the line of the tailplane LE. I also plan to mount the tail control surface servos in the rear of the fuse so these ply pieces will give them some more support. The cross pieces you see in the following shots are temporary braces I put in there whilst the glue sets (yes I should have stuck the ply in before joining the sides together!) I was able to make a start on the wings by fitting the LE and TE balsa strips, I used Gorilla Glue brown expanding glue for these as they are stuck directly to the foam core of the wings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Spicer 1 Posted June 21, 2020 Share Posted June 21, 2020 Hi Ron, Do you think a Laser 180 would suit the Xtra Wot....I just happen to have 20 year old one, Jon serviced it for my last year. its just sitting in a box Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted June 21, 2020 Author Share Posted June 21, 2020 Hi Gary, from what I've read on various forums, a wide range of different engines have been used including the 180, I would just make sure that the tail mods are done to prevent failure in that area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted June 21, 2020 Author Share Posted June 21, 2020 Didn't get a lot of time on the build today but started with shaping the LE and TE Tools used, razor plane and my long Great Planes sanding bar which makes short work of these tasks. Wing tips added and sanded to blend in to the wing Then it was time to cut out the ailerons, firstly the veneer Then the razor saw was used to cut through the foam The instructions say to sand back the foam to the veneer to give a good surface to stick the false TE and the aileron LE to but I used my soldering iron foam cutter (see my Lavochkin LA-7 build log elsewhere on this forum). Then after the glue had set I shaped the aileron LE to give them about a 30 degree movement up and down. And the balsa end plates were also fitted to the ailerons (above photo) and the wings. As has been mentioned several times now the tail area can be a weak point on these models and I've already added thin ply doublers to the inside of the fuse. Chris Foss issued supplementary notes with the kits advising to strengthen the elevator with carbon so that is what I have done, using an 8mm carbon tube let into the balsa (it's the black line you can see in the following photo) Edited By Ron Gray on 21/06/2020 22:27:58 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Spicer 1 Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 Very good progress Ron, did you cut the veneer with a scalpel and steel rule? Cant find your soldering iron tip for cutting foam, do you have a photo of it. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted June 22, 2020 Author Share Posted June 22, 2020 Hi Gary, scalpel and steel rule then lift teh veneer with a small chisel. Photo of my soldering iron tool taken from the LA-7 thread: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Spicer 1 Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 Thanks, makes sense now I see the photo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave parnham Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 i have an old Xtrawot which i brought from Chris Foss's car boot at Sandown, last one in stock for the saturday of that show. Anyway don't know if its been mentioned, i have a laser 150 in mine and it had to be laterally balanced with a couple of oz of lead on one wing tip Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted June 22, 2020 Author Share Posted June 22, 2020 Thanks Dave the more information the better IMO! Quite a variety of IC engines have been used in it and I think that CF himself flew it with a Laser 150. The interesting thing for me is the electric route, a guy on RC Groups is using the same setup that I’m planning on using albeit he is running it on 12s but with 3700mAh batteries he’s getting 25min flights! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted June 22, 2020 Author Share Posted June 22, 2020 Not many photos from today but quite a bit of progress. I capped off the CF tube reinforcing let into the tailplane using a piece of veneer cut out from the wing and glued on the tailplane end pieces. These were originally designed to be fitted to the elevator to act as control balancers but there were instances where they could get caught up in grass and tear the tail off so Chris Foss now advises to stick them to the tailplane instead. Whilst the glue was drying I decided to open up the wing servo pockets and glue in the ply bearers and line the pockets with balsa Then it was time to join the wings together using Gorilla Glue (brown), the instructions give the size of packing piece needed under the TE to make sure that the wings are being joined level. The servos are only in place to hold the servo pocket balsa liners in place whilst the glue dries. Lots of razor planing and sanding to get the tailplane and elevators to profile, a good job the weather was nice and I could have the garage doors open to blow the sawdust away! Back to the main wing and time for the 3 layers of glass cloth, 25mm, 100mm and then 175mm wide strips. Slots were cut in the fuse for the fin, tailplane and the rear mounted servos, remembering to stagger their location as the fuse isn't wide enough for them to sit back to back. The final job for today was to glue the fin support blocks in place using the fin sitting on the tailplane to act as the guide for positioning them, but removing the fin before the glue had totally set. So I think that I'm back on schedule but will only be able to work on it in the evenings this week as I'm working now for the rest of the week. Target is to get it ready for covering this weekend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Spicer 1 Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 Lots done today, good photos again. Did you use gorilla glue on the bandage as well as gluing the wings together with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted June 23, 2020 Author Share Posted June 23, 2020 Not for the bandage, for that I used laminating resin, Aeropoxy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Spicer 1 Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 Thanks, I used that on my CF WOT 4 build as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Spicer 1 Posted June 25, 2020 Share Posted June 25, 2020 My kit is on its way from Leeds, Im not allowed it until my birthday early July so you are going to be finished before I start! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted June 25, 2020 Author Share Posted June 25, 2020 It is a really good kit, possibly over engineered in some areas but should last a lifetime of abuse, unlike an ARTF. A bit like Richard Wills warbirds, built to last although is are not over engineered, they tend to be spot on. Next thing for you to build Gary! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted June 26, 2020 Author Share Posted June 26, 2020 Not a lot of progress as work has got in the way this week (yes I am supposed to be semi retired but it doesn't feel like it at the moment!) Little bits have been done but some of these have taken a bit of time for one reason or another! Turtle deck faced with 3mm balsa and fitted to fuse. I hadn't noticed, until too late, that it is a little oversized and sanding down to fit may sand through the veneer. I'll take it easy and see how it goes. If I had noticed it before I fitted it then I would have made some saw cuts in the foam which would have allowed me to draw the sides in, hey ho! Tail blocks nearly sanded to shape, another 5 minutes will see them finished. The instructions say to glue triangular hardwood pieces to the 3 sides between the wing LE and engine bulkhead, I decided to edge all 4 sides. The UC plate had the T nuts fitted and then was glued to the fuse using Gorilla Glue. The instructions say use epoxy and normally I would do that but I like GG and have been impressed with how strong a joint it forms so this is a bit of a test for it as the UC plate is a highly stressed part of the construction. I may live to regret my choice! The supplied tail skid plate was undersized so I cut a new one from the ply sheet that the supplied one was in, not a real problem. I had thought about changing the tail skid for a wheel as I don't like the scraping sound on a tarmac / concrete runway but then thought of a novel idea for this, more later. Wing location dowels were fitted. I positioned the wing on the fuse and clamped it at the TE. Then I marked the position of the dowels using the pre formed holes in the former, removed the wing, drilled the holes slightly undersized then clamped the wing back in position and did the final hope forming by hand using a drill bit through the former (hope that makes sense!). I then stuck the dowels in place using GG and let it set with the wing in position on the fuse, with masking tape on the former to prevent the whole lot getting permanently joined together. Not a 5 minute job this one and has to be correct for obvious reasons. Next on the list is the under fuse sheeting then making and assembling the fin / rudder. Hopefully get these bits done tonight and if so I can then concentrate on mounting the motor. Once that is done then it's final sanding and then covering which I've planned for Sunday. Edited By Ron Gray on 26/06/2020 09:01:07 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Cotsford Posted June 26, 2020 Share Posted June 26, 2020 Will you be glass clothing the U/C plate and tank bay Ron? If I haven't done it during the build every time I end up doing it as a repair. ps - last of the masking tape came of the La7 this morning, now if only I had a tack cloth left! Amazon to the rescue methinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted June 26, 2020 Author Share Posted June 26, 2020 Not going to glass it Bob and may regret it but will see. Looking forward to seeing the LA-7! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted June 26, 2020 Author Share Posted June 26, 2020 This may be tempting fate but on my other CF designs, Wot Wot XL and Wot 4 the UC has remained firm, just got to make sure that landings are of the 'grease' variety but luckily I fly off tarmac most of the time. Edited By Ron Gray on 26/06/2020 13:53:51 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex nicol Posted June 26, 2020 Share Posted June 26, 2020 With regards to the u/c mounting plate, I'd recommend giving some consideration to using nylon bolts to attach undercarriage. depending on the size used you can deliberately create a weak point by putting a partial cut through the bolts. If you're unfortunate enough to have a heavy landing or dead stick into long grass the bolts will snap and the u/c will come off without pulling the mounting plate out. Enjoying the build pics Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Cotsford Posted June 26, 2020 Share Posted June 26, 2020 Bit different to some of the (almost!) ploughed fields I've used over the years. At one farm site the sheep footprints were bad enough but then Mrs Farmer started putting her horses in 'our' field. I dream of tarmac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted June 26, 2020 Author Share Posted June 26, 2020 @Alex - Have used nylon bolts on U/C on some of my 'planes so may well do that on the XW. @Bob - I know what you mean and I must admit that having a hard, smooth surface to fly off is great, plus its only 10 minutes from where I live. Anyway, a bit more progress this evening. Rear fuse sheeting stuck and sanded. Rudder pieces all stuck together, sanding tomorrow first thing. But, I noticed that in the hot weather the wing has developed some cracks in the veneer which is a shame but I'll run some super aliphatic into the cracks tomorrow and hopefully that will sort it. Apart from this little set back I think that I'm still on target for covering on Sunday, finishing on Tuesday (I'm working, again!, on Monday) then it's on to the BF110 build which I'm really looking forward to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Spicer 1 Posted June 27, 2020 Share Posted June 27, 2020 All looking very good Ron excellent photos. Strange why the cracks have happened, I sure once covered it will be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted June 27, 2020 Author Share Posted June 27, 2020 I think you’re right Gary but a drop of super aliphatic won’t do any harm! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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