Little Vagabond

[bolmas]

i am about to start building a little vagabond powered by an ohlsson 19. does anyone want the occaisional progress report?i will post a few photos if anyone wants them.i will have to modify the nose slightly as it is rear induction and also make a hatch underneath to get at battery, coil,timer etc.

[tim hooper]

bolmas,

It's about time we had a build thread here in Vintage! :)

tim

[Gonnacrash]

Bolmas !
Let'er rip !!!!!!! We're ready to watch and listen.
Don-Basehor, Ks

[bolmas]

In Preparation For Building The Little Vagabond I Have Test Run The Engine. Never Ever Put An Untried Engine In A Model, Because As Soon As You Come To Fly It Then It Wont Start!!

I Ran 3 Tanks Of Fuel Through It And It Starts Easily, Hot And Cold.

I Have Used A 47 Engine Because I Have 2x 19,s So In Case Of Problems I Can Swap Engines. Also I Have A 23 As Well So If We Are Short Of Power I Can Use That. 1947 Engines Are Unique As They Have No Mounting Lugs And Were Designed For Radial Mounting. This Was Not Very Popular So They Went Back To Beam Mount The Year After.you Can Only Swap A 47 For A 47, I Have A 38 And That Is Different

The Engine Was Test Run Using A Power Box That Just Wires Up Using Crocodile Clips So Can Be Connected In Seconds Ready To Go.it Houses All The Electrics And A Charging Socket For The Battery.

[bolmas]

whilst the glue dries i thought you might like to see the ohlsson 60 i have just overhauled.it was a pig to start but hopefully it will get better after a few runs.it was gummed up an incomplete when i got it.

[bolmas]

here we are, 2 fuselage sides straight off the board and the tailplane and fin are done. next step is to sand everything and then join the fuselage sides.

[bolmas]

i have had a re-think. the fuselage was a bit weak in the area under the wing so i have now added some sheet to the fuselage sides. as you can see i have put the basic fuselage together and will fill in all the cross pieces as far forward as the wing seat. i am off to the local scrap yard tommorrow to get some aluminium sheet for the engine mounting. i get all my metal offcuts from there as its a heck of a lot cheaper than the model engineering suppliers.i have run a lot of brass through the lathe recently so i need a load of brass as well.

[bolmas]

anybody got any comments?

[tim hooper]

anybody got any comments?

Nice tidy build! If only my own bench was that tidy..........
:rolleyes:

tim

[Gerald]

I've got an Ohlsson .19 just like yours. And a .60 too! When you overhauled the engines I suppose you made sure to clean the thrust ball bearing thoroughly? They get gummed up pretty stiff.

I haven't flown my .19 yet but I bench ran it recently on 3 parts gasoline and 1 part castor with a 8.5x6 wood prop. It ran very well and starts easily. But the fuel in the tank tends to foam quite a lot from the vibration.

I was planning on putting it into a 50" span Airtrails Sportster which I've got the fuselage completed for. What size is your Vagabond?

[bolmas]

the complete ohlsson 60 was thoroughly cleaned out with meths and allowed to dry overnight before re-assembly

the little vagabond is 45 inch span

i have now made the engine mounting plate and also added most of the cross members in the fuselage,an enjoyable couple of hours in the workshop.

[realglow]

How do you get the gum out of old engines? I have some that spent a lot of years in a hot attic in Texas and need to be cleaned up to run again.

[bolmas]

what type of engines are they, diesel, glow or spark?

[vintage1]

By the look, sparkers. Sideport induction 2 strokes?

Contact breakers on the front shaft.

[bolmas]

sorry vintage 1, didnt see the pics. where are they?

[bolmas]

managed to get a bit more done this week. most of the time has been taken up waiting for varnish to dry in the engine bays.most of the fuselage is done, ready for first part of the covering process.

[Ian Easton]

That looks great Bolmas. My style of vintage model. It makes me want to get started on my 1936 Air Chief.

Anybody know a good place to buy spark ignition motors? I was at a SAM event a couple of weeks ago and watching those huge FF models with big sparkies up front was terrific - food for the soul I tell you!

Ian

[bolmas]

i have 2 spark motors on english/usa e-bay at the moment.auction finishes tommorrow night. one ohlsson 29 and a brand new remco 29

[Gerald]

That looks great Bolmas. My style of vintage model. It makes me want to get started on my 1936 Air Chief.

Anybody know a good place to buy spark ignition motors? I was at a SAM event a couple of weeks ago and watching those huge FF models with big sparkies up front was terrific - food for the soul I tell you!
IanI think ebay is a pretty good place to pick up the old sparkers as long as you know what you're buying and what the going rate it.

The varieties of Ohlsson .23 and .60 are quite common so it's fairly easy to get a decent deal on one.

[Gerald]

How do you get the gum out of old engines? I have some that spent a lot of years in a hot attic in Texas and need to be cleaned up to run again.I disassemble the engine and soak all metal parts in a solvent for a few minutes then use a small stiff bristle paint brush to scrub away any residue.

If you can't disassemble it due to it being gummed to hard then it usually works to put a little methanol or WD40 in, heat it with a hot-air gun and gently work it until it frees up.

For a nice finish cleaning of the casings that won't abrade the metal I use the white paste type toothpaste with an electric toothbrush and water. Then rinse & dry, oil and reassemble.

[David Smith]

Nice model - does anyone remember the smaller version, the Little Little Vagabond - free plan in Aeromodeller in the early 70s? I built one for a DC Dart and tried to fly it single channel. Must dig out the plan, would make a nice little electric.
Dave S

[bolmas]

thats the plan i am using but scaled back up to 45 inch

[David Smith]

Interesting, I have the smaller version build article here somewhere; I can scan you a copy if you are interested. The fuselage shape brings back a few memories!
Dave S

[bolmas]

yes, i would appreciate that, thanks very much

600bmw@tiscali.co.uk

[David Smith]

Article sent.
Dave S

[bolmas]

here it is with the first stage of the covering on.it all needs a coat 0f 50/50 dope and thinners and be left to dry for 48 hrs

[David Smith]

May I ask what you covered it in before doping?

Dave S

[bolmas]

lightweight peck polymers tissue

[bolmas]

i have now got the airspan on over the tissue, shrunk it down gently and given the whole lot one coat of banana oil. next job is to start putting all the bits and pieces on and wiring it up.

[graham_mca]

Here is my Little Little Vagabond built from the same free Aeromodeller plan.
Power is a 'curry' Mills .75 which flew it beautifully while just popping and with the prop reversed.

Lower photo for scale is the Little Little Vagabond along side my 60" KK Junior 60 from the original 1946 plan via Ben Buckle. Power there varied from a .30 Saito 4 stroke, my first 4 stroke and I never used a glow 2 stroke again... to a PAW 2.5cc as pictured.

Great to see some real aeromodelling going on here....

Graham

[bolmas]

i have now got all the internal wiring done and i am getting a spark at the plug which is encouraging!tommorrow i hope to possibly finish the fuselage and may even get an engine run.

[bolmas]

well, i have now finished the fuselage completely and test run the engine. it runs well and responds to the shut off timer instantly. next job is to build the wings.

[bolmas]

i have now managed to build half the wings and will carry on tommorrow

[bolmas]

The Wings Are Now Covered In L/w Tisue And Watershrunk.

[bolmas]

apart from a small number of bits and pieces its finished.no idea when i can test fly but will report back when its flown.

any questions?

[tim hooper]

Bolmas,

No questions, but just to say that you've built one tidy-looking aeroplane! :cool:

I hope the thread continues with the flight reports......

tim

[gossie]

Hi, Little Vagabond was first power model l built in 1949, had an ED 2cc penny slot engine in it, and guess because of my lack of experience did not fly well. The engine was an easy starter though. Mid 90s l built another with a good lndian Mills 1.3 in it, and it is a great sport flyer. Have a KSB d/t timer on it too, as it would thermal away otherwise. Mine is H/W Modelspan covered, blue fuse, red wings and t/p. Has this one on this 'thread' flown as yet????? The orig. by Gil Harris had a 2cc sparky.

[bolmas]

had one session but the engine was playing up. very weak suction due to the needle valve coming loose. the weather has been poor plus access to church fenton is very restricted so we dont have any flying at the moment.

i have rebuilt 2 more ohlsson 60,s for selling and also a 23 for my own use.

[bolmas]

just got back from a good day out at church fenton, the first one suitable for test flying this year.

i have managed to get a few test flights in but the keys holding the tailplane in place came loose and put an end to the days flying.

i will report back but it does look promising. sorry i have taken so long but i have been laid low after having a major hernia operation and recovery!

[bolmas]

well.i am afraid the little vagabond is no more!i was test flying at barkston heath and trimming was going well. all of a sudden it spiralled in from a height and broke the wing in two and split the fuselage wide open behind the wing.luckily all the engine and gear is o.k so they will be stripped out of the model annd put away safely ready for the next model.

[gossie]

Just a suggestion, if l may----fix it and replace the 19 with a small diesel.

l did not like to say but felt the 19 was too much for it along with the weight of the ignition gear-----a 1 to 1.5cc something or other and it will fly like a bird, mine does on a good lndian Mills 1.3. Go for it----good luck.

[Greenie]

Hello,

I just acquired an Ohlsson 60 and I found you through Google. Before I go on, let me first let you know that I am a complete newbie to the RC hobby and I know next to zero about any of it, so if I come off like an idiot that is why. From the picture you posted, it appears that you have the exact same model of Ohlsson 60 that I do. I have posted pictures here: http://www.spirit28.com/Ohlsson/ . There are other pictures as well that I have copied from the internet to help with identification (one of which is yours). From what I have gathered so far, this model is the "Special" and not the "Custom" model. According to a web site I found that had a picture of a "Custom" (http://tinyurl.com/y2jzd3), Ohlsson&Rice began production of the 60 in 1941 but had to stop because of the U.S. entrance into WWII. This site says quote - "The "Special" actually was announced at the beginning of 1942 but production would have been sharply curtailed as we entered WW2." All of the pictures I have seen of the "Special" (including the cad drawing I found online) have a different looking exhaust port and different looking fins on the bottom of the crank case. The exhaust port on your motor and mine looks different than both the "Custom" and the post 1945 Ohlsson 60's that I see in the pictures. Do we have the short run issue of the "Special" that was produced right before the war? If so, it would seem that this motor would actually be very rare. Do you know where I can get the gas tank assembly so I can restore it? One of the pictures has the serial number of my motor on it, it is 056124 do you know where I can find more information on this engine? Thanks man! I am excited about this new hobby!

[bolmas]

please can you e-mail me at 600bmw@tiscali.co.uk.

also does your engine have a 1/4 plug or a 3/8 plug.

[Applehoney]

Greenie - register (free) at SAMTalk-subscribe@topica.com which is an online mailing list about Oldtime models - and paste/ repeat your message there.

A lot of people using all types and sizes of Ohlssons, also expert repair and service people, pointers to spares, etc. They'll be able to answer all your queries