The Dauntless build

[Grahamd]

Thanks for the nice comments and welcome to my Dauntless build.

I've now fuel proofed the engine bay and areas around it, as well as painting the inner exhaust areas matt black. Now I've sheeted the front side around the working exhaust ports.

Couldnt resist just checking the cowl aligns with the guns ok.

[Grahamd]

Finished the sheeting of the exhaust ports today

And made/carved the rear wheel housing

[Grahamd]

I can't believe it took me on and off most of the day, well a few hours at least, to carve then hollow out the tail cone section from solid 2" block balsa.

I've also started painting some of the inside.

[Grahamd]

As the firewall is just barely thick enough, I've added an extra 5mm just for safety sakes.

And have now installed the ZG45 so I can work out the plumbing and the throttle links (Eagle eyed viewers will notice the throttle arm has been changed to a more convenient arm).

[Grahamd]

I didn't want to trust my new baby to a damn slide switch, even if its claimed to be "heavy duty", so I'm going to use a nice toggle switch (with locking arm) rated at 6Amps.

I got mine from SM Services, but you can also get them from RS Components. To switch it on/off you have to lift the lever over a gate, so its 100% positive, and can't be accidentally switched on/off.

I also got some 6Amp multi-stranded wires in JR colours as I use JR radio, except I couldn't find brown, so black will have to do. After cutting and stripping off 5mm of the pvc covering, the strands are twisted to form a neat bunch. The wire was then "tinned" (applied solder).

The wire is then cut and trimmed to fit into the copper recess in the switch (I'm using both Black & Red on the switch, so I'm switching both positive and negative), and soldered together.

The center two terminals of the switch (+ & -) go to the battery, and the other two go to the receiver and the other two to the charger socket.

Slide some heat shrink tubing over the wires and Voila

[Grahamd]

I was amused to see the plan makes reference of a "FGlass" cover over the front top guns, yet no one offers one as a part So being rather a complex shape, I elected to use strips and plank the top instead.

[arthur bishop]

Graham...Sheesh et Voila!!  she builds Mon Ami.... Beautifully of course!

[Alistair Taylor]

Graham

 Fantastic build sequence and pictures!

So many build reports come with blurred, darl images that could be a plane or a boat or shelves.

Very impressed. Keep up the good work. A plane that well built just has to fly brilliantly.

 AlistairT

[Grahamd]

Thanks guys, I hope this thread is all about sharing tips and info, I'm just your average joe builder, I just happen to love building.

I've had a play with the wings today, well the centre section, and the first thing I needed to do as its all ply and cyparis was add some hard balsa 1/4" x 1/4" blocks using CA (I can knock/cut these off latter), so I can pin the assembly down.

I also drilled some extra holes in the center ribs for servo wires etc

And using some more McDonalds plastic drinking staws threaded through the drilled holes, I have somewhere neat to slide my servo cables.

By the way I just sussed out I need 10 servos in the wings alone !!!! Guess I'm deffo going to be going with a 6volt battery and at least 3000mha capacity.

[Flanker .]

What beautiful work. I built a Puppeteer once and it took two years and nearly killed me.

I have nothing but admiration for your patience, well done. I'll follow this one to the end.

I do have a worry though. The solder joints on that switch look like prime targets for vibration induced failure. I read in our hallowed mag within the last year that full size avionics builders never or rarely solder for this reason. Instead they crimp.  ( when I had a motorbike all the joints we crimped and they went wrong all the time! )

I bet you've done it like that for ever with no problems, but your  work looks So wonderful it would be awful to lose it to a switch. It scares me to think of how our models are so dependent on an electricity supply. Wicked thread mate, keep it up!

[Doug Ireland]

I've enjoyed watching a craftsman at work and I've learned a couple of new things along the way! What an excellent idea of using small balsa blocks to help pin an assembly down. I'm an aircraft sparky by trade and nothing is worse than looking at scruffy wiring, using straws as conduits for the servo wires was another good idea. Looking forward to seeing how the radio installation goes.

[Falcon1]

Theres a bit of pride and skill going in to this one.

Very nice.

It's refreshing to see the inside of an aeroplane under construction for a change rather than a shiny ARTF looking like an advertisment (even if the reviewer has had problems during the "assembly" but no pictures of the offending part) that appear in the model press these days. (Hint hint David!)

I've had a Brian Taylor Bf 109E on the go for about 2 years but it's getting there!

Although I fly a lot of ARTF's now the pride isn't there, I've spent the last 40 years building from kits and plans so I envy you in my time poor world (I mourned the day when it changed from the SMAE to the BMFA. Flying your creation was the iceing on the cake in those days)

I still love to build from a pile of flat sticks when I get the chance! (Chris Golds drives me mad!!) Roll on retirement thats what I say!

 Anyway that enough of me moaning!

I do tend to agree with Doug on the switch soldering. It  would be much better to switch the red (or the black) only, and use both poles of the switch. that way you build in some redundency.

It's also sometimes better to use clear heatshrink so you can inspect the soldered joint from time to time. (It will always break at the end of the solder thats wicked up the copper wire.

 PS you wouldn't need to worry about the aerial wire if you were on 2.4Ghz! 

[Grahamd]

Thanks for the kind thoughts, the suggestions on the switch & wires have been digested, thanks.

 Picked up my supply of wood yesterday at the nats, so I could get the wing put down.

I also made up a servo holder for the main center flap

I not only epoxied the servo blocks I also screwed them for extra measure

[Grahamd]

I've now got the first servo for the center flap installed and working, the ball-link operates the rod via the trailing edge of the wing, so no links are visable.

[Doug Ireland]

I think the Atom Smasher might have misread my last comment. I have nothing against soldered joints... as long as you 50/50 solder and flux. Using acid-cored solder can lead to deterioration and failure of a joint under vibration. With regard to the power switch, I use one that has three positions. The "On" position has to be lifted above a detent whereby it is locked in position. The other two positions are "Off" and "Charge"; wired accordingly. I "acquired" a few of these while I was fixing Phantoms for a living!

[Grahamd]

The other factor in the equation of wires and breaking is the composition of the wire, but lets not go there, thats a whole thread on its own.

 Rather than have multiple servo plugs and extensions, I'm going to run all the cables & wires through to one "D" type connector located in the front top of the wing.

[Flanker .]

And anyway it was my comment not Doug's... Go well all. F

[Erfolg]

I am curious, is there such a thing as "active/acid" cored solder.

If there is, who is the target group? 

It just seems an atractive proposition to me. From time to time an active solder would be useful, soldering steel, tin plate. I have used Frys flux, but you need to clean realy well, be quick with the flux ( to prevent oxidation) and if you put to much heat into the peices the flux burns, runs (less effective) etc.

Yet liquid active flux is a bind to store, when you use it a little as I do.

With interest

Erfolg 

[Falcon1]

Sorry Flanker, it had been a long day!

 A good supply of real imperial wood is Balsa cabin in Maldon Essex.

Real 1/16 not the metric equlivent (1.5 mm which is thinner) and they'll select and grade it for you as well if you ask them.

 Not to detract from Grahams build, it's nice to see a decent bit of workmanship.....But.

Major manufacturers all solder their switches, but they support them somewhere down the wire away from the solder joint to prevent flexing of the joint.

I always crimp my servo connectors that I make up, but solder the switch's together ( what else but Multicore solder!)

Used to mend Buccaneers myself (Fly Navy!) now I mend Boeings.

 Remember: It's not a big job........ just a thousand small ones!

[Falcon1]

Erfolg.

Go down to your local plumbers store and get some flux used for drinking water pipes.

(Copper ones obviously!!)

It stores for ages and works a treat. (But remember to wash it off afterwards!)

Cheers

[Grahamd]

Now you see it, and some time tonight you wont!!!, Hopefully

Just spent a good hour selecting, cutting and joining the 4" sheets together (but joined with pva), just got to wait till they dry

[Grahamd]

Bummer, glues still wet, never mind time to move on with installing the servo wires.

[Doug Ireland]

Erfolg,

"Multicore" solder has a resin flux inside but can be corrosive over time that was the reason we wern't allowed to use it in the air force. A good active flux (if you can still get it) is "Bakers Fluid", came in a screw-top tin and was the veritable dogs dodads for cleaning tin-plate for making fuel tanks.

Getting back to the main topic, the big build is fairly racing along!

[Erfolg]

Doug

I agree that "Bakers Fluid" is a very good active flux. I just do not find it convienant for the amount of steel, tin plate soldering I do.

I have a good few Kgs of cored solder, from the electrics/electronics industry. I just felt that  an active cored solder would sometimes be better. Although you ususlly coat the surfaces to be joined with flux (as I know you know), so I am not sure how an active cored solder would work, ie the surface potentially would oxidate before flux would run.

I always assumed that cored solder used on "end feed fittings" was just the same stuff we used in the electrical industry, but with a precoatings of a Frys type flux on the copper, to prevent oxidation before the resin and solder melted. Is it different?

Regards

Erfolf 

[Grahamd]

Gt the top sheeting on (now the glues dry), just need to give it a light sand, and on with the wireing.