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smiling albert

Active member
Btw these are the wheels I bought ,not sure what the tyres are made of ,worried they might be a bit heavy for a TT.
Could I fix the wheels with a blob of Uhu or are there other methods?
 

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FDS

Elite member
They make most of the minis in larger sizes. You can just scale the plans up by an amount to enlarge them. If using 5mm UK foamboard you should lengthen the nose to counter the tail weight, as the dense board is not considered in the original design.
There are a number of scaled up plans available on the forum if you search, community builders like playing with different size builds!
With wings the simple under camber wing of say the SE5A you might want to look at a spar for the wing.
Get one bird in the air first, concentrate your time and energy into that, then start the second, third, fourth etc.
 

smiling albert

Active member
Hi again
FDS mentioned checking out the flexibility on my 1.1 mm wire I bought and it does seem more twangy than the official control rod.
FDS - you mentioned K+S being the right thickness for control rods,is this the one?
https://www.sussex-model-centre.co.uk/piano-wire-047-x-36-1-19-x-914mm
Also checked out your thread and somebody mentioned using pushbike spokes .Have got a knackered 26 inch wheel .
Haven’t got my callipers to hand but spokes look to me to be only slightly thicker but only about 2/3 as long as the official control rod.
 

smiling albert

Active member
Ps
If could get spokes same length (thinking road bike) as control rods one advantage is they have a thread on the end and wouldn’t the nipple thingy do for a linkage stopper?
By now you,ve probably realised I,m looking to save money where possible,it’s in my Yorkshire DNA I,m afraid!
That’s what attracted me to FT!
 

CarolineTyler

Legendary member
Ps
If could get spokes same length (thinking road bike) as control rods one advantage is they have a thread on the end and wouldn’t the nipple thingy do for a linkage stopper?
By now you,ve probably realised I,m looking to save money where possible,it’s in my Yorkshire DNA I,m afraid!
That’s what attracted me to FT!
Bike spokes seem too thick to my mind.... Might be difficult to drill a hole to take them in the servo horn and still have enough "meat" around it to keep it strong.
 
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smiling albert

Active member
Drat!
I knew there’d be a problem .Thought I’d found a goldmine!
Still can,t find my callipers but my mountain bike spokes look to be 27 cm long and road bike ones 29 cm.
That’s not long enough is it ?
Will keep an eye out for any penny farthings on my way to work!
 

CarolineTyler

Legendary member
Drat!
I knew there’d be a problem .Thought I’d found a goldmine!
Still can,t find my callipers but my mountain bike spokes look to be 27 cm long and road bike ones 29 cm.
That’s not long enough is it ?
Will keep an eye out for any penny farthings on my way to work!
I use 1.2mm piano wire usually, it's a pound a metre at the Leeds model shop. When I visit, I usually buy 2 or 3 lengths so I don't often run out.
 

smiling albert

Active member
Just tried poking a spoke in the horn hole,it is fractionally larger,still there must be a use for them somewhere.
How about undercarriage?
 

FDS

Elite member
Probably a good swap for 2mm undercarriage wire. I buy the 1.3mm Music Wire in 3 ft lengths, I am not linking the page again. That was what I sent you in the hardware kit.
 

FDS

Elite member
You can use any self adhesive Velcro you like, hardware shop stuff is fine, if the HK is cheaper buy that. You are only needing it to hold the battery in place, there’s nothing special about it.
A blob of hot glue holds the wheels on, I use a zip tie as well, my glue fell off on landing once.
 

smiling albert

Active member
Have just got some 1/16 inch plywood.
My calliper make it 1.5 mm thick.
The official FT firewall is measuring 1.8 mm and the horns 1.5 mm.
Hope my plywood isn't too thin to build firewalls?
Any thoughts anyone?
Also official FT control rods measure in at 1.35 mm
Also measured my bike spokes ,they seem to be 2mm so should be ok for undercarriage.
Don't throw your old wheels away without liberating the spokes first!
 

FDS

Elite member
That will be fine. Make lots of firewalls. You might need some very small washers of your ply is too thin, to stop the motor screws hitting the windings. You can always buy the next size up of ply, thicker isn’t a problem.
 

Headbang

Master member
I prefer 2mm push rods, you can get 2-56 rods threaded on one end that fit nylon clevises.
1/16 ply might be too thin for a fire wall, I would double it up.
 
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Hai-Lee

Old and Bold RC PILOT
As for mini firewalls I use standard and cheap 3mm ply scraps from building sites and the like. The ply is thick enough to allow me to remove the "X" mount from motors and use the screws through the firewall directly into the motor. as a result it can actually be a little lighter and even stronger than the original setup.

It does take a little extra effort initially but saves a lot of effort later.

I often just shave the Ply firewall off of the crushed powerpod and fit, (glue), it straight onto the new FB powerpod piece. Often the same firewall outlasts the TT completely and is often reused on the new pilots next mini!

Just what works for me!

Have fun!
 
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