Originally Posted by Bazr

can I ask how you got rid of the bump where the shorter glass layer is?

my building is very newbie at this stage and all hints are appreciated.
I went with the balsa glassed as per instructions but don't want to add too much extra weight to the tail.

very professional build, congratulations.

Barry

Hi Barry, i'm not sure I know what you are referring to. Are you talking about the wing tips?

I think he's talking about joining the center section.

R,
Target

Oh, if it's the tip panel to center section joint, there is a bump. I Did not sand it out because I used carbon and it looks fine as is.

On the the V tail joint I used glass and sanded it down, at the edge where it meets the carbon it's feathered down so it makes a good blend.

At this point all the major construction is done. I got a pretty nice joint on the tails with the glass and carbon powder, lots of sanding and it's pretty darn smooth.

I'm trying to figure out the linkage on the tails. There is zero room back there. I would really like to use ball joints since the tail comes on and off. Lot's of fiddling to do in order to make something work.

sorry, on reading my post it really is not too clear eh?

referring to the tail assy after you joined the centre block and glassed, I ended up with a step where the shorter piece of glass ended, your pic shows no step evident.

instructs suggested glassing the tail after joining by one layer covering all and a shorter layer ending couple of inches up from centre both sides.

hope that makes sense.

Barry

ps. just posted...now see you have answered query..thanks

Originally Posted by Bazr

sorry, on reading my post it really is not too clear eh?

referring to the tail assy after you joined the centre block and glassed, I ended up with a step where the shorter piece of glass ended, your pic shows no step evident.

instructs suggested glassing the tail after joining by one layer covering all and a shorter layer ending couple of inches up from centre both sides.

hope that makes sense.

Barry

ps. just posted...now see you have answered query..thanks

I think I get it now Barry. I'm not really going by the instructions at all. On my bagged tail I used one layer of 6oz glass first and the 2 layers of 1.4 oz glass on top of that. You will notice I put down masking tape before I put the glass down. The tape gives me something to sand to so I don't get into the tail.

If you went by the instructions I would sand the glass down all over to smooth it out but don't focus on the edges. Next put some tape down like I did maybe 1/8 inch away from the edge of your glass. Then focus on just sanding 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch of the edge of your glass until you get a nice feathered edge. use something like 100 grit once you are pretty close but not totally feathered switch to 220 and finish it off with that. Then it's up to you how smooth you want to get it all.

Hope that helps. I'm not sure what kind of tail you have? Glassed balsa? Plain balsa that you will cover?

Ali

glassed balsa.

thanks again Ali...apologies for breaking into your build.

Barry

Originally Posted by Bazr

glassed balsa.

thanks again Ali...apologies for breaking into your build.

Barry

No worries, did you already glass it? I guess if I was going to do glassed balsa tails, I would have shaped the tails, glued them to the ply joiner and glassed everything in one shot.

Looks like plenty of room for ball joints, from what I can see.

I have some small ones that fit on 1/16" music wire, I think.
Another option is simple L bends in conventional horns, sprung out from the inside. Easy to remove the tail that way, without tools too.
You are using 2 snakes in the fuse, right??

R,
Target

Originally Posted by target

Looks like plenty of room for ball joints, from what I can see.

I have some small ones that fit on 1/16" music wire, I think.
Another option is simple L bends in conventional horns, sprung out from the inside. Easy to remove the tail that way, without tools too.
You are using 2 snakes in the fuse, right??

R,
Target

Ya, 2 pushrods. I have some small mp jet ball joint's im going to try and make work. Here is what I have come up with so far.

Some steel wire, brass sleeves and the ball joints. All held together with our friend JB.

Yes it's Saturday night, but hey I'm sick as a dog, so why not stay in and build something?

Originally Posted by ak79

No worries, did you already glass it? I guess if I was going to do glassed balsa tails, I would have shaped the tails, glued the to the ply joiner and glassed everything in one shot.

that is exactly what I did.

Barry

Originally Posted by Bazr

that is exactly what I did.

Barry

Cool! Feel free to show us some shot's of your build Barry. The more the merrier.

Your balls look perfect, Ali.

The ones that I have here has a hole in them for the wire to pass through. I prefer the style I have, less to go wrong, IMO, but JB weld is very dependable!
Hope you feel better soon.
Headed out to do some thermaling this morning. I look forward to more progress when I return.

R,
Target

Well I managed to get my balls working, haha

Had to trim the fuse up a bit, but looks ok. I got the servos installed in the fuse, glued in the linkage in the tails. Carbon pushrods are done.

At this point all I have to do is shore up the wing servos, make a harness for the fuse and install the plug on the wing. Wing control horns and linkage, and hinge the flaps and ailerons. Sound's like a lot but should only be another day or two.

I got the Control surfaces on the wing, trimmed and taped on. I hate hinge tape.

She is about 85% done at this stage.