Bird of Time Balsa Kit Build Thread

[TexMechsRobot]

Got it. I have one of these but I never use it. I ran into two problems with it.

1. The gaps in the box that created the vertical slits were too large for the blade. There was more slop than I wanted and so it didn't give me the results I wanted. The angles were still a little off and required some sanding for fine adjustment.

2. The box was made of a light aluminum and the blade was very good. Over time, the blade cut into the sides of the slits and widened them exacerbating the issue above.

Let me know if you have better results with yours. I bought mine 13 or so years ago so things have probably changed since then!

 

[nhk750]

Ya, I saw people had those issues, but for light duty small cuts it is ok, when I get a scroll saw that will take care of the bigger stuff. I just got the miter for cutting small sticks at the bench, I will have the scroll saw out in the garage.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005UKGL58/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

[TexMechsRobot]

I got the wings completely finished. The dihedral is a little lower than what they spec but I don't think it'll matter too much. It'll just require a little more stick control. I didn't take any pictures because it's so hard to see the differences between the ones I already have and the finished product. I basically sanded the leading edge, wing tips, and root ribs on each wing. There is so much sanding required on this bird it's amazing. Many of the instructions say "glue this block of balsa here and sand it to shape."

I also started on the stabilator. I have both halves built up and only need to sheet the inboard section and sand the airfoil. Then it's onto the fin, rudder, and fuselage!

I can see myself being ready for covering in less than a month at this pace.

 

[Joker 53150]

Are you sanding the parts, or do you use a plane to carve it to shape somewhat before sanding? Doing some preliminary carving/planing saves a LOT of time and keeps a lot of extra balsa dust from being created.

 

[TexMechsRobot]

Well, I started with sanding it all since I don't own a plane. Then I started using my exacto blade to plane of some of the excess before sanding. With less control than a plane, I don't get too close to the curve I'm looking to achieve but it has helped a ton.

 

[Joker 53150]

Once you have a plane to whittle away the wood evenly you'll kick yourself for not getting one earlier!

 

[RCMAN]

That is one sweet plane. Nice job!

 

[TexMechsRobot]

I made some more progress on the BoT. Pics are following.

Has anyone built the balsa kit before? I ran into a bit of a snag that I don't fully understand how it happened. Easy fix but I want to know where I went wrong.

 

[nhk750]

What went wrong? Looks good to me. I was wondering what kind of CA you prefer and how you are applying it? I got some pipets for applying when I do lots of glueing, but havnt gotten that far yet to try out that idea.

 

[TexMechsRobot]

The issue is with the fuselage. I have a 1/16" gap on both sides on the bottom but I can't figure out where I deviated from the directions. Or if the directions and plans are wrong.

 

[TexMechsRobot]

So, it turns out that the gaps are a known issue in the plans/instructions. Searching around I found many others who had run into the same issue when building theirs and they just found a way to make it work. I slid a couple of 1/16" stock strips in each side and pretended nothing was amiss. Once I got that sorted out, I started working on the linkage to the stabilator. I used a piece from RCAirMods.com again to avoid using the bell crank mechanism. It took some fidgeting, a little sanding, and a little bit of epoxy but I think I got it working nicely.

Once it was in place and ready for action, I installed the fin to the fuselage and sealed it all away with the 1/16" skin. I must have done something right along the way because everything was at perfect right angles with no adjustments required.

Once this was all clamped up, I started testing the placement of the electronics. I'm going to have enough space for everything but I am uncertain about where the weight needs to be to balance it all out. I think I'm going to build and cover the plane and then do a weight and balance with the loose electronics to figure out where they need to be.

 

[Joker 53150]

That's really looking good! Makes me anxious to eventually take delivery on the BoT ARF I bought.

 

[TexMechsRobot]

Thanks! I love building so it's hard for me to go slowly. I tend to speed through it and then immediately start looking for something else to build. I can't wait to get this thing in the air. I'm just hoping I'm building it light enough.

 

[Joker 53150]

Kits often aren't too bad, especially when you get an instruction book. It really gets fun when you build from plans with no pre-cut pieces, no manual, and little help from others. Then I consider it like playing chess, where you have to think ahead 3-4 moves to make sure you don't create more work for yourself in the future.

 

[TexMechsRobot]

True. I like a good set of instructions and plans for now while I'm still learning some of the basics. I'll venture into your territory in a few years maybe.

 

[willsonman]

Jeff, she is doing just fine waiting for you.

 

[earthsciteach]

Jeff, she is doing just fine waiting for you.

Josh, if the BoT is taking up too much space, I'd be happy to give it a foster home.

 

[Joker 53150]

Jeff, she is doing just fine waiting for you.

. No worries, the 1/4 scale Citabria is keeping me busy for now. Plus the 1/4 scale Cub still needs a bit of work, and the ongoing Kadet Senior project... Plus my neighbor dropped off a couple large gassers for me to get running for him, so I'm actually running short on space even with 5 planes in the garage! And I really want to start digging into the 1/3 scale Sopwith Pup, so the BoT is not critical. Yet.

 

[TexMechsRobot]

Covering Choices

Ok. I'm starting to think about covering this bird and I'm not 100% sure about what I want to do. Colors and schemes set aside for now. I'm mostly concerned with materials and durability.

The nose is going to have an aluminum spinner that I'll probably leave alone. The fuse will have a ton of compound curves but will mostly run with lines parallel to the fuselage. The wings and tail surfaces are pretty standard.

I'm thinking Econokote for the fuselage and tail (for easy of curves and keeping the tail light) and Monokote for the wings. I had also considered Econokote for the wings but I'm not sure they'll have enough strength.

I've also considered just painting the fuse but I'm not sure what I'd need to do to seal the balsa or whether or not this is a good idea for flying in wet grass.

I'm not completely sold on the brands above but they are readily accessible and my LHS so that's part of why I'm leaning toward them.

 

[Joker 53150]

I'd go with covering and NOT painting. All of my gliders are belly-landers and none show any wear from the ground (yet) - the BoT is such a floater I think you'll be just fine that way.