First time balsa building

[Crash and Burn RC]

Hi, everyone!
I have been interested in picking up balsa building, and my grandfather bought me a Guillows build by number kit.Here it is:
http://www.guillow.com/pipersupercub95-2.aspx
I was wondering if anyone could give any tips.
I also have these kits waiting to be built.
Guillows P-40 warhawk-http://www.guillow.com/p-40warhawk.aspx
Guillows Spitfire-http://www.guillow.com/supermarinespitfire-2.aspx
Any tips or recommendations are welcome!
Thanks,
Colin

 

[RAM]

Someone else asked this before. Here is the link I sent him. http://www.balsaworkbench.com/?page_id=91#

It's a reference you can use in addition to the help you will get from our balsa experts.

 

[roversgonemad]

I keep hoping that the FT balsa series will show up again. There's a giant FT sportster that looks really cool. There was a cool FT Extra teaser about it.

Those Guillows kits are a great place to start. My first kits were Guillows and Comet rubber band planes. It's too bad the old Carl Goldberg kits aren't around anymore. The Ranger 28 was one sweet flying machine, even when built by a dopey 11 tear old (how old I was when I built my ranger 28)! Just follow the instructions and you'll be fine. It will take more time, but I recommend using either wood glue, or some testors wood cement for glue. CA is great, but it's not very forgiving for new builders. Also, dry fit everything. If it doesn't seem right without glue, extra pressure and cyanoacrylate rarely makes things better.

UHU glue stick is good for putting on the tissue. The purple is best because you can see exactly where you have applied it. I shrink tissue with rubbing alcohol, so it doesn't shrink too fast.

Looking forward to progress reports on your builds.

 

[NCRC]

Hi,
If you do end up using CA glue, try and get a grip on which type (thin, medium and thick) is best for the different parts. There is also peter's tip of using the pipettes and capillary action with thin CA in one of the videos...

 

[Joker 53150]

Welcome to the world of balsa, hopefully it really catches your interest!

Here's where I differ from many others - If you're looking to just build something from balsa and don't plan to fly it, the Guillows kits can be a great introduction. However, if you plan to add the electronics and make it FLY it wouldn't be my first choice. For that, I'd get a very well designed kit that can handle a lot of first-time-builder-mistakes (too much glue, sanding too much, not sanding enough, etc). My personal recommendation has been kits from Mountain Models. Depending on your flying abilities they have options that suit your style, and all of their more recent designs are extremely easy to build compared to other kits. (I say "more recent designs" as they have some older designs which aren't "beginner friendly").

About 10 minutes ago I ordered a Switchback Sport from Mountain Models for my dad. He's built from balsa a few times, but only from scratch. The finished planes look good and are very clean looking, but are extremely heavy and mainly for display. My goal in getting him the Switchback is to hopefully change his style. This plane is designed to be light, but will fly with some extra weight on it. By simply following the plan and not ad-libbing too much he should have a great flyer.

 

[The-One-Who-Never-Crashes]

Here's a FT video with all the basics: http://flitetest.com/articles/balsa-building-basics

And I'm working on an article called "Getting Into Free Flight". Just a teaser. Should be out in a month or so.

A couple of other articles to help you:
http://flitetest.com/articles/f1d-indoor-free-flight
http://flitetest.com/articles/rocket-glider-free-flight.

Some tips from me (I love building with balsa, BTW):

1. Keep it light! Use only a little bit of CA glue A drop is all you need (in most cases);
2. Try to get a laser-cut kit. What you linked to is a die-cut kit. Although they are still OK, in my experience die-cut kits take more time and are less fun and more frustration;
3. Covering material-- use the tissue paper supplied in the kit. To apply it, thin out some wood glue with water (a 70/30 ratio of glue/water works best) and brush the mixture on to the bare frame. After that, lay the paper over the glue and let it sit for a few hours. Then use some alcohol and a hot lamp to shrink the tissue, and then brush it over with some dope. I like to use Eze Dope: http://www.amazon.com/DELUXE-MATERIALS-Eze-Dope-250ml/dp/B004SKODTW;
4. Replace the stock rubber (it's junk) with a better one like this one: http://www.peck-polymers.com/#!product/prd1/3788904121/3-32"-super-sport-rubber---16-feet;
5. Lubricate the rubber with a rubber lube: http://www.stevensaero.com/SIG-Rubber-Lube.html (Place the rubber in a bag and drip a few drops of the lubricant in. Close the bag and wriggle the rubber around. BE SURE TO TIE THE KNOT ON THE RUBBER BEFORE LUBRICATION! Otherwise, the know will untie itself the first time you start winding.);
6. Get a winder to wind the model up faster;
7. Secure the knot of the rubber at the back of the model; use a 3/32" aluminum tube to hold the rubber in place. Since the tube is hollow, you can pass a thinner wire though it and place that wire behind two posts-- that way, you'll be able to wind her up easier.

These are just the basics. Try to find a club/group/organization in your area. Those guys are usually very welcoming and supportive.

Good luck and have fun!!!

 

[The-One-Who-Never-Crashes]

There is also peter's tip of using the pipettes and capillary action with thin CA in one of the videos...

Yup! That was the Electrohub Build: http://flitetest.com/articles/electrohub-build

 

[BobK]

About 10 minutes ago I ordered a Switchback Sport from Mountain Models for my dad. He's built from balsa a few times, but only from scratch. The finished planes look good and are very clean looking, but are extremely heavy and mainly for display. My goal in getting him the Switchback is to hopefully change his style. This plane is designed to be light, but will fly with some extra weight on it. By simply following the plan and not ad-libbing too much he should have a great flyer.

I'll back that advice, the Switchback is a fantastic plane..I have owned and flown a few and they are great.

http://www.mountainmodels.com/product_info.php?products_id=225

Some thoughts on glue, if you have the patience and time then as mentioned before wood glue is the way to go until you get more familiar with the building process. But if you decide to go with CA I have found some really great ones that can be found at your local hardware store, Gorilla Suoer Glue is a medium to thick formula that can be moved around a few seconds before it sets up and can be used in areas where there might be a small gap..gaps are not a good thing and should be avoided but once in a while one appears.

http://www.amazon.com/15g-Gorilla-Super-Glue-Gel/dp/B00CJ5EO2E/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1450931132&sr=1-2&keywords=gorilla+glue

Wonderlokking Tight Chair glue works fantastic as a thin CA, it has a consistancy about like water and flows into the wood grain making a very strong bond, a couple warnings though it sets up almost instantly and like most CA's the fumes can be pretty potent so try not to breathe them in.

http://www.amazon.com/Wonderlokking-w2081-Tite-Chair-Glue/dp/B000H5W3RG

I don't have a local hobby shop and I don't like to make an order for glue so I use these two on all my builds. If you build over plans remember to put some wax paper down before building.

-Bob