Built up J-3 cub build

[Mac82]

Alright back on track
A little work done is better than no work done

A little more detail finished on the wing mount


And here I have the cowell temporarily fitted to the nose


The question is. Should I make the dummy engines? If y'all think I should, what would be the best way to make them?

 

[Mac82]

I finally got my landing gear built.
I used two heavy duty wire hangers.
First I cut them to size then bent them to shape(sorry no pic for that)
The next step was to wrap the ends to gather using 22 awg solid core copper wire (stripped of its silicon insulation)



Then using a hand held propane torch(my soldiering iron wasn't hot enough) I basically welded them to gather with the rozin core silver solder



The pic doesn't show but it's actually very well covered and very a strong bond.
Next to finish the electronics add the tail wheel then cover.
This build is almost done I'll hopefully have a maiden flight soon

 

[willsonman]

I've found that with these joints the resin in the core is just not enough to get the solder to flow uniformly. I use lots of flux for these joints. While the copper wrapping helps a lot, The solder will look much nicer for a cleaner finish with gobs of flux. Cleanup is a snap with ketchup and an old toothbrush. The acid in the ketchup is what cleans it up. Heard that cola (pepsi or coke) will work too but thats too expensive for me. Also, you can pick up copper jewelry wire at a craft store for fairly cheap. It has an epoxy insulation on it but the heat from the solder makes quick work of it when you solder.

 

[Mac82]

Thanks I'll keep that in mind. But this time I didn't have any problem getting the solder to flow as I used a torch to heat up the joint. As for it looking good, it was my first attempt with this technique so it's good enough for me (this time )

 

[Mac82]

Almost done folks



Rudder and elevator servos installed with the coffee straw wire guides


Landing gear installed and steerable tail wheel fabricated


The inside over the cowell reinforced with the extreme packing tape


Last step is to add the Windows and covering

 

[Mac82]

I painted the parts that are going to be difficult or impossible to cover with the monokote



The cowell



The dash and the window struts

I mixed a very close approximation of the cub yellow using acrylic model paint.

 

[Mac82]

The Windows and wind screen using transparency plastic



I have half the wing covered

 

[AkimboGlueGuns]

Looking good. It'll look awesome in the air.

 

[Mac82]

Well covering is finished.!


Just a few more small things to finish, the wing struts decals and most importantly the control horns. Then some fair weather to fly her maiden

 

[Tater76]

Looks awesome! Man I love the Cub design

 

[Mac82]

This is my first build in a couple years. I'm actually very pleased with the way it turned out.
Just a couple more details and she'll be ready to fly

 

[Mac82]

Painting on the traditional lightning bolt


And it just wouldn't look right without the wing struts

 

[AkimboGlueGuns]

Nice! that makes it look really complete.

 

[Mac82]

I just finished up the wing struts, but the weather has been less than cooperative lately. So I will have a maiden flight and video by the end of the week or this weekend.

 

[Mac82]

Alright folks,
First I would like to thank everyone that has been following this build.

I have some final specifications for y'all.

Span. : 41in weight: 27oz (all up )
Length: 28in wing area: 280 sq. in
Height: 9in. wing loading: 13 oz

Power
28/26 1400 kv Turnigy aerodrive
20A hobby king BSC/5A BEC
8x5 master airscrew prop
11.1v 25C 3S


Maiden flight video coming soon!


I'll work on the fine details like the gear suspension and the dummy engines and I may have to rebuild the cowell, but other than that she's ready to fly.