rrTV-PHOTO   New HD TV
HOME   rrTV-PHOTO   GALLERIES   MY GALLERY   HELP-FAQ
myHOME PM pmRR MEMBERS 424 ONLINE 21 EVENTS SEARCH REGISTER  START HERE
 
20 pages [ <<    <     2      3     ( 4 )     5      6     NEXT    >> ]32963 viewsPOST REPLY
XHELI.COM . Autography FlightPower . Advantage Hobby

.
.
Scale Model RC Helicopters > Scratch building a 1/4 scale Jetranger and Longranger
 
 
Rotor George
Senior Heliman
Location: Tampa, Fl

A little progress is better then none

I've progressed a bit with the fabrication and test fit (not welded yet) of the landing gear, high skid version. Fabrication of the landing gear was necessary at this stage in order to cut out the channel in the fuselage to receive the rear cross tube, adjust the stance and set the tail boom height.



Until next time............
George
07-03-2008 07:13 PM
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
artimus
Veteran
Location: Puyallup WA

Wow.... that jack stand give its true size and scale. It's huge!

AMA #890376..... Flying Helis is like sex ...you dont have to be good at it to enjoy it....
07-03-2008 08:03 PM
 
 
Rotor George
Senior Heliman
Location: Tampa, Fl

Scale

Yup it's big, and not completely assembled yet either.

The skids are made with 3/4" diameter tubing!

I'm anxious to get the 206L and 407 further along...they'll be even bigger.

Just not enough time in the day.
George
07-04-2008 01:14 AM
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
CitationX
Senior Heliman
Location: Danville, IN

Coming along quite nicely George! Really looking forward to the 407 progress. What is it you are using to smooth out the imperfections in the foam? I like the concept of taping the door, window, and cargo compartment door. The scale fits perfectly.
07-04-2008 02:30 AM
 
 
MattJen
Elite Veteran
Location: uk

THIS HAS BEEN A REALLY INTRESTED THREAD.

I have no experience of scratch building,

What i wanted to ask, and excuse if this is a long winded question.

You have now constructed a foam model, what is the next step in making it ready for mechanics..

I heard someone talking about this is a plug ? what is a plug ? apart from what goes on an electrical appliance,

How do you take this foam model and then cast a fuse that can have mechanics fitted into it ?

Does this become a mould ? if so, how do you create a fuse from it ?

Matt

"Say it with flowers. Buy her a triffid"
07-04-2008 07:58 AM
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Raptor3DPilot
Key Veteran
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada

I believe he is creating a mold and will then fiberglass over it in two or more pieces and install the mechanics into the fiberglass shell.

Incredible work!

Airplanes are for guys with one dumb thumb...
07-04-2008 08:12 AM
 
 
artimus
Veteran
Location: Puyallup WA

I believe that is the plug he is working on and will make a mold from it once all the inperfections are all work out. I may be wrong.

AMA #890376..... Flying Helis is like sex ...you dont have to be good at it to enjoy it....
07-04-2008 08:53 AM
 
 
Rotor George
Senior Heliman
Location: Tampa, Fl

Plugs and molds

Hi Guys,


MattJen,

(The Plug)
I'm working on the "plug" which is a "positive" impression. It will be coated with fiberglass, finished to perfection, then detailed with panel lines and rivets. It will look like a finished fuselage in all it's detail.

(The Mold)
From this positive impression, or plug, fiberglass will then be applied over it to create the mold or "negative" impression. The plug gets removed when the fiberglass cures.

(Finished Fuselage)
The next step is to lay fiberglass into the mold to create the finished hollow fuselage we are all familiar with.

So we go from positive (The Plug) to negative (The Mold) then finally back to a positive finished product.

Hope this answered your question.


Regards,
George
07-04-2008 01:00 PM
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
artimus
Veteran
Location: Puyallup WA

Will you gel coat the plug then lay up the finish matt or will you use raw fiberglass? I use to work for Clark Boat Co. and was the lead man on the deck crew....I would pop the deck out of the mold and prep it for joining to the hull.
I don't know how you find the time to do this fantastic project and have time to answer all the questions....you certainly have piqued a lot of interest . And possibaly started off a few new projects around the world.

AMA #890376..... Flying Helis is like sex ...you dont have to be good at it to enjoy it....
07-04-2008 05:27 PM
 
 
Heli143
Veteran
Location: Phenix City, AL

DAMN THAT LOOKS GOOD!!

great thread making for very enjoyable learning.

Thanks!!

Roy Mayoral
07-07-2008 05:27 PM
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Rotor George
Senior Heliman
Location: Tampa, Fl

The perfect tail boom

Hi guys,

I wasn't happy with the way the tail boom came out on the Jet Ranger. It was simply too difficult to achieve a perfect cylindrical shape by hand sanding. Bad enough sanding one but I have three to make.

I went out and found a used lathe on the weekend and have been successful at shaping perfect tail booms!...this is so much better.





I'll hand shape the tail fairing for each model as all three differ in shape, then I'll attach it afterwards.

Until next time......

George
07-08-2008 03:29 PM
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
marc28
Senior Heliman
Location: new york

george, you continue to impress with your attention to detail. I'm sure the finished fuselages will be great....and I'm first in line for a L R
07-08-2008 03:39 PM
 
 
Rotor George
Senior Heliman
Location: Tampa, Fl

206L update

Hi guys,

I received some long pieces of aluminum tubing today so I decided to take a break from shaping and fabricate the landing gear (dry fit with some tweaking needed). Skids measure in at 35 1/4".




Ignore the top faring section as it is still very early in the shaping stage, sides still need to be added. I wasn't satisfied with the overall shape of the other top fairing so I've started over. I don't mind staring over, even a few times, as long as in the end I get it right.

Until next time....

George
07-09-2008 12:16 AM
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
monkey nuts
Senior Heliman
Location: chester england

george you inspire me.

ive tried to get some blue foam of my own but cant seem to get hold of it in the uk.any uk residents know were sells it? ive tried all the local builders yards and they say they have to order it especially. only a bulk order though.
07-10-2008 09:46 PM
 
 
nige69
Heliman
Location: Adelaide, South Australia - Australia

Monkey nuts... Have you tried surf shops or surf board makers? They may not have the blue foam, but they might be able to let you know where you can get some.

Nigel
Mini Titan E325
Spektrum DX7
07-11-2008 02:08 AM
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
sparkyman
Senior Heliman
Location: uk

I second that as I went to my local board shaper looking for Blue foam - he had odd bits that he kindly gave me, but also gave me a sample of foam that he made himself - far superior to the blue foam, closer celled - he developed it purely for surfboard as it was far more workable than the blue and gave a superior finish. There was also an issue regarding resistance to different solvents (resins), one was better than the other, but I can't remember which ??

One thing that did surprise me was the cost - very expensive ! If I remeber correctly he was quoting £1000's per m3. Made the stuff in his own tanks - a 2 part expanding mix.

If you need contact details for the shaper I spoke to, let me know
07-11-2008 04:35 PM
 
 
Bear808
Heliman
Location: Kailua, Hawai'i

Be careful with surfboard blanks. Clark Foam, the industries largest manufacturer, was shut down a few years ago because of the materials for the foam are incredibly toxic. Since then, other companies have been struggling to keep up with demand and Eco-friendly specs. Prices sky rocketed on boards, and is only now starting to show a slight drop. I don't know the ingredients to blue foam, but its probably a lot easier to work with. Board Blanks make a huge mess! Just my thoughts; could be wrong.

Keep thy head speed up, less the earth come up from below and smite thee.
07-11-2008 05:07 PM
 
 
monkey nuts
Senior Heliman
Location: chester england

ive been on the phone to the blocal builders yards and dont stock it, they wont order in 1 sheet, 8' x 4' x 4". shall see if i can find a local biulder with any over.
07-11-2008 09:13 PM
 
 
AdeH
Senior Heliman
Location: Kent, UK

Try marine chandelers!
Try model railway guys
Try model boat guys!

Worse case....go to Rotor Georges...break in an steal his!!


After scale everything else is a toy!
07-12-2008 09:57 AM
 
 
modtron
Veteran
Location: Oxford. UK

What you are looking for is called "ROHACELL".

One of the UK's suppliers is ........

www.emkayplastics.co.uk/index.htm

modtron
Oxford UK
07-12-2008 10:56 AM
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
20 pages [ <<    <     2      3     ( 4 )     5      6     NEXT    >> ]32963 viewsPOST REPLY
Revolution Models . CarbonXtreme . Midland Helicopters

.
.
Scale Model RC Helicopters > Scratch building a 1/4 scale Jetranger and Longranger
 PRINT TOPIC Advertisers 

Subscribe to This Topic

Friday, December 5 - 12:50 pm - Copyright © 2000 - 2008 runryder.com | email | link to rr | runryder needs cookie