Beveling foam

Carbon

Elemental Madness
I am making my first scratch build the Funbat. I have the body together, but i'm having trouble with the elevator and ailerons. I don't get how to hinge them! I know you are suppose to bevel them, but when I try to it just tears the foam. Also, how do I secure the piece to the wing/body.
oh, and one more thing. What kind of motor/battery/esc/ect. do you guys suggest?

Sorry, lots of questions, but if it wasn't for flitetest I wouldn't even be making this!
Thanks guys,
Carbon
 

earthsciteach

Moderator
Moderator
I can at least speak to the beveling of foam. You need a sharp knife. Don't try to make your cuts in one pass. Take your time and make several passes to make the bevel. If you have a REALLY sharp knife, you can lop it off in one stroke.
 

colorex

Rotor Riot!
Mentor
Here's how it should look from the side. Use a new razor blade, and run the blade at a very shallow angle. The bevel angle should still be 45 degrees.

foam.jpg


Further info:

 

Carbon

Elemental Madness
Thank you!
That clears it up. I think my blade was way too dull. I'll get an exacto knife today.
 

Tony A.

Team Deadstick
I like to sand the bevel on hinges with a sanding sponge. It takes a little longer but I think it is a little easier to get a good hinge line.
 

teflyer

Full Circle
same here for me. I like using a sanding sponge. For some reason my cut bevels never turn out right even with a sharp blade. But try it with an exacto knife first.
 

Tony A.

Team Deadstick
Also, I will usually bevel both sides of the hinge. It's not completely necessary but I like the little extra range of movement. Better to have the surface be able to move more than needed than to put undue pressure on a servo IMO.
 
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colorex

Rotor Riot!
Mentor
Also, I will usually bevel both sides of the hinge. It's not completely necessary I like the little extra range of movement. Better to have the surface be able to move more than needed than to put undue pressure on a servo IMO.

Yeah, that's true. A servo will draw more current if it can't travel all the way easily. More current will quickly heat up the ESC. It's just an extra minute to prevent the problem.
 

jetpackninja

More combat please...
Mentor
Next time I do a Pelican I'll do a quick tip on cutting a hinge. I do one cut, flip it over, then hinge it. Give a nice bevel on both surfaces with only one cut. Also was a real doubting Thomas on the goop hinge, but now that I've done a few I'm a believer.
 

jetpackninja

More combat please...
Mentor
Me neither - JPN, do you think it would work with UHU Por?

I would think so Andre- I don't know for sure because I haven't ever seen UHU Por around here.
If I ever get a hold of some I'll give it a go. From what I understand UHU Por is very similar to the Goop stuff.
What makes it work is that it remains flexible, you spead a thin layer over the hinge.

Nice Avatar- Is that a photo, screencapture, or a drawing of your plane?
 

colorex

Rotor Riot!
Mentor
From what I understand UHU Por is very similar to the Goop stuff.

UHU Por is normally used like contact glue, you put it on both surfaces, let it dry a few minutes, and put it together. Making a hinge should work - it will just take lot's of time to dry. Do you cut the hinge loose completely, or is the goop just to reinforce it?

Nice Avatar- Is that a photo, screencapture, or a drawing of your plane?

A photo taken by a friend. It has been edited in Photoshop, mostly increased contrast and saturation to make it more eye-catching, as it looked dull because of the small size.

Here is a bigger version. On this one I only applied a blue filter to make it more vibrant.

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i472/colorex/air.jpg
 

jetpackninja

More combat please...
Mentor
yeah- cut the hinge completely free. pin it or tape it to a surface so it doesn't shift.
let it cure completely- I usually do overnight.

Looks like you've got the idea.
 

jetpackninja

More combat please...
Mentor
OK- love the bigger pic! Should go ahead and cross post it to the official Bixler thread and to the artistic images of your planes thread. Just plane gorgeous!
 

colorex

Rotor Riot!
Mentor
OK- love the bigger pic! Should go ahead and cross post it to the official Bixler thread and to the artistic images of your planes thread. Just plane gorgeous!

I'll get the original fullsize image soon and plaster it everywhere! Well, not everywhere. In due places.