I'm just about to start building my first model from plans. What is the best
way to transfer what is on the plan onto your piece of balsa, or can anyone
point me in the correct direction to find out...

TIA

Thomas

If you use a laser printer or copier to make a copy of the part to be
transferred, you can use an iron to deposit the toner onto your balsa.
If you wish to use an inkjet copy, your best bet is to use some of the
semi-sticky spray adhesive to attach the pattern. After cutting, you
just peel it away.

For the cheap stick models I built as a kid, I'd just pin a cutout from
the plan onto a sheet and use a very sharp razor blade to make a
pattern on stiff paperboard. The pattern was pinned to the balsa, and
parts cut with an Xacto knife.

Jim - AMA 501383 (remove NOSPAM to reply)

freeda wrote:
> I'm just about to start building my first model from plans. What is the best
> way to transfer what is on the plan onto your piece of balsa, or can anyone
> point me in the correct direction to find out...
>
> TIA
>
> Thomas
>
>

>I'm just about to start building my first model from plans.

Not a kit, huh? Just plans...ok. First, get a couple of extra plan sets made.
If you're only going to build one of this plane, use one set as templates for
the shaped balsa parts. Use one set to build on, and one set to pin up and
view as you build. Keep this last set for future reference (in case of a crash
or another of this model) when you're done.

Use a light spray of contact cement like 3M77 Repositionable to lay the
templates on the basa, then cut around them. Decide before you start whether
you'll cut on the outside, inside, or midde of the lines.

If you're gona make several of this plane, then it will be a good thing to get
some SeeTemp and make plastic part templates from one set.

Good luck!
Dr.1 Driver
"There's a Hun in the sun!"

The EASIEST way is to send the plans to Laserlizard and he will laser cut
them for you. Depending on the quality of the plans, they will fit
perfectly.

http://www.laserlizard.com

Their work is first rate.

--
Paul McIntosh
http://www.rc-bearings.com
"freeda" <ted_maul_is_god@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:c3q0bk$2b15ms$1@ID-197497.news.uni-berlin.de...
> I'm just about to start building my first model from plans. What is the
best
> way to transfer what is on the plan onto your piece of balsa, or can
anyone
> point me in the correct direction to find out...
>
> TIA
>
> Thomas
>
>

That did work fairly well, but oftimes it was hard to see the lines, because
of all the blood...

Bill

"James D Jones" <texasrcflyerNOSPAM@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:Kf08c.53743$aT1.6600@newsread1.news.pas.earth link.net...
> For the cheap stick models I built as a kid, I'd just pin a cutout from
> the plan onto a sheet and use a very sharp razor blade to make a
> pattern on stiff paperboard. The pattern was pinned to the balsa, and
> parts cut with an Xacto knife.
>
> Jim - AMA 501383 (remove NOSPAM to reply)

freeda wrote:
>
> I'm just about to start building my first model from plans. What is the best
> way to transfer what is on the plan onto your piece of balsa, or can anyone
> point me in the correct direction to find out...
>
> TIA
>
> Thomas

Forget all that photocopy, spray glue and iron transfer stuff. Just get
a sheet of paper and trace the part with a pencil or pen. Cut your
tracing out with scissors. Then place it on the balsa, draw around it
with a ball point pen and cut the part. Put the part on the plan and if
anything sticks out over the line, sand it off with a sanding block. It
helps to sand just a little and compare it to the plan, then sand a
little more, then a little more, etc.

Try this method a few times and you will be able to cut out parts really
fast.

A lot of guys like to pay extra money to copy the plans, or cut their
plans to pieces, etc. I just keep a box of old continuous-feed
perforated edge computer paper next to my table and work off a single
set of plans. It's easy enough to trace parts, and I don't ever have to
go out to the copy store.

Try using single-edge blades :-)

Jim

Bill Fulmer wrote:
> That did work fairly well, but oftimes it was hard to see the lines, because
> of all the blood...
>
> Bill
>
> "James D Jones" <texasrcflyerNOSPAM@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:Kf08c.53743$aT1.6600@newsread1.news.pas.earth link.net...
> > For the cheap stick models I built as a kid, I'd just pin a cutout from
>
>>the plan onto a sheet and use a very sharp razor blade to make a
>>pattern on stiff paperboard. The pattern was pinned to the balsa, and
>>parts cut with an Xacto knife.
>>
>>Jim - AMA 501383 (remove NOSPAM to reply)
>