2019 Build Along: Just another Stick? No, a really BIG Stick. AKA: the GIANT STICK.

[willsonman]

Jeff, you are really banging out this project! Keep up the great work!

 

[Joker 53150]

Jeff, you are really banging out this project! Keep up the great work!

Thanks. That's a nice thing about the Stick design, it builds quickly! The details I'm planning will add time, but it'll be worth it.

 

[PsyBorg]

I gotta stop reading these balsa build threads. I used to love doing the Revel plastic model kits back in the day and working with wood is just very relaxing to me.

STOP TAUNTING ME LIKE THIS!!!!
That means you too Joshua, j
Jonathan, and Joe.

Must be something with guys whose name starts with J.

 

[Joker 53150]

I gotta stop reading these balsa build threads. I used to love doing the Revel plastic model kits back in the day and working with wood is just very relaxing to me.

STOP TAUNTING ME LIKE THIS!!!!
That means you too Joshua, j
Jonathan, and Joe.

Must be something with guys whose name starts with J.

Let the arm-twisting continue!

 

[Joker 53150]

Rough construction continues and the tail fabrication is almost done. It still needs final shaping, hinges, pushrods, control horns, etc, etc, etc. Parts are being mocked up now to prep for more work to come tomorrow. I was hoping I had long enough threaded rods for the tail braces, but will have to order them. Top sheeting of the tail is done, and the tail will be done after the internal parts are completed. A quick note on the sheeting applied to the vertical stab and rudder - the left side is applied horizontally and the right side is vertical sheeting. In theory this should help avoid warping.

A quick size comparison with my Mountain Models Lucky ACE.

 

[Joker 53150]

Still skipping over finishing the wings for now, and focusing on the fuselage. The plans next call for finishing the access hatch area on top just behind the engine. The bay the hatch covers is HUGE, and could easily hold enough batteries to make this an electric plane. Depending on what size fuel tank I use I can probably fit the throttle servo, ignition-kill servo, and batteries inside here if needed. First step is lining the bay opening with ply. It'll all then get capped around the perimeter with 3/16" sticks to form a nice recess for the 3/16" sheet hatch. For the hatch I've got an idea or two related to the final design/finish - we'll see how that goes...!

Here's where I really love having a bandsaw and a power sanding disc. These ply pieces could be cut by hand and sanded with a sanding bar, but power tools REALLY make the job so much easier, quicker, and more accurate. When this is all done I'll coat the inside with thinned epoxy to fuel-proof it.

 

[Joker 53150]

Time to make the access hatch for the gas tank. Since WWI planes used fabric, metal, and wood for their finished surfaces I wanted to try and incorporate a bit of each on this build. The instructions for the hatch show to simply make it from 3/16" sheet, which would be quick & easy. Instead, I picked up my 3D printed balsa stripper (which I like MUCH more than the commercially available one) and ripped the sheets into planks. I also grabbed a couple sheets of 3/16" I had on-hand which had a different grain or slightly different color to add a little more flavor to the design. Here is the rough design before squaring up the edges on the sanding disc. There will be a lot of scrap generated, but I'd rather have too much than have the design be too small.

With the ends squared up I used a framing square to make sure I was weaving the parts together in a 90* pattern. When the glue dries it'll get sanded flat and trimmed to fit the hatch opening. This will also get covered with fiberglass and finishing epoxy to show off the grain. Details are still being ironed out, but the Vickers machine gun I 3D printed might be mounted to this hatch, assuming I decide to include it in the build.

 

[TooJung2Die]

That will be interesting looking. Reminds me of a coffee table I made. Can you stain balsa to make the grain more pronounced? It probably splotches because it is so porous.

 

[Joker 53150]

I’m guessing staining it wouldn’t be too hard, or I could tint the finishing epoxy as I tested on a previous plane. Once the epoxy soaks in it will darken slightly, which is about as dark as I’m shooting for. The different sheets and grains should be fairly pronounced with this procedure.

 

[Joker 53150]

Here is the rough cut. Some extra sanding is required to get the gap even all the way around and to make room for the eventual fiberglass.

 

[Joker 53150]

Slow progress over the past few days getting stuff sorted and packed away for winter. The recent estate sale I attended found me with a bg box of assorted supplies and about 100 or so lengths of wire for landing gear, pushrods, etc. The wire was somewhat sorted, but every piece was checked with the calipers so it could be fully sorted. I've now got more wire than I may ever need, in sizes up to about 1/4" thick. Anybody going to swap meets or estate sales like this should consider making an offer on all the misc. hardware. You can often get it for pennies on the dollar and it is nice to have all the supplies on hand for just about any future build, and often the seller just wants to get rid of it and avoid throwing it away. Back to the Stick, hopefully over the next few days I can get the landing gear soldered together so the bird can sit on it's own feet for the first time.

 

[Joker 53150]

Looks like I'm jumping all over on my plans for this build. No landing gear work done, but the wing fabrication has been moving forward slowly. The inner ribs are made from two layers of ply epoxied together, and each set at about 2 degrees to provide just a bit of dihedral in the finished wing. I still need to add a couple dowels and locator holes to keep the wings aligned, and also a couple bolts & wingnuts to hold the wings together. A couple CF tubes will be added parallel to the spars to help tie the structures together a bit more. It may be overkill as the original doesn't appear quite as robust as this will be, but a wing failure would kind of suck for a plane this size. The wing and wing saddle will need a bit of sanding to get the wing sitting properly, which will be done after most of the main fabrication is complete.

 

[Joker 53150]

Turning the topic to covering... Ideally I'd cover this bird with Solartex, but that's no longer manufactured. It will NOT be covered with shiny material as that would be a crime against RC. Balsa USA currently offers another option - essentially it's fabric that gets glued on, shrunk, and then the weave is filled before painting it. It's a lot of work, but the results look great. It's also a ton of odor and they recommend applying the weave filler outdoors, which isn't going to happen in winter in Wisconsin.

However, Balsa USA is hinting that they've got something new coming out and I'm hoping it's a product similar to Solartex. With that said, once fabrication is complete for this plane and it's time to cover it I may put it all on hold until they unveil their new product.

 

[TooJung2Die]

I'm surprised there's nothing available now that would be suitable for a vintage design "Stick".

 

[Joker 53150]

I'm surprised there's nothing available now that would be suitable for a vintage design "Stick".

...Or any vintage design for that matter. Cubs, Citabrias, or any full scale plane that was fabric-covered. Hopefully Balsa USA has their new product available soon, and fingers are crossed it's similar to Solartex where you could get it in different colors (or paint it).

 

[Joker 53150]

And just like that, she's standing on her own feet! It was really a trick getting these massive wires soldered. For other builds I simply use a big soldering iron to heat the wires enough to flow the solder, but these wires are quite thick, plus there are three of 'em wrapped with copper wire on each side. To help get things heated up enough I used a new toy I got from an estate sale, a "reflow gun", which is simply an air pump & heater. It heats up the air enough to melt solder and is often used for circuit boards. In my application I just used it to lightly blow super hot air over the wires to get them up to temp. When the soldering was done I went over the joints with the hot air again, but this time to smooth it out a bit.

The plane doesn't look that big, but for size reference the wheels on it (temporarily) are for a 1/4 scale Cub. I think the wheels really need to be at least 1-2 inches taller to fit the scale of the plane.

 

[heli-pilot]

So I know solartex isn’t readily available but you can order solartex from solarfilm.uk they have most colors, the downside is shipping is quite expensive, but if you order in a large enough quantity it might offset the shipping cost enough to make it worth it.

 

[Joker 53150]

Solartex is discontinued - my understanding is that the manufacturer pulled the plug on it without any real notice.

 

[heli-pilot]

Discontinued most likely, however they have differing quantities of most colors and are still selling. They may or may not have it in the colors you want


I was able to purchase blue and yellow here

https://solarfilm.co.uk/products/solartex

 

[rockyboy]

Planetex looks like a good Solartex alternative. I haven't been able to find the reference, but I read this spring it's the same raw material that Solartex uses, just without the paint and adhesive added at the factory.

http://shop.balsausa.com/product_p/568.htm