"One Nite 28" Rescue, Rebuild, RC Conversion

[TooJung2Die]

I added cross-braces to the horizontal stab so the tissue will not touch together when it is wet with Eze Dope. It did make a stronger horizontal stabilizer but it didn't solve all the issues I'm having with Eze Dope.

I have decided that Eze Dope is not the best finish for light tissue. At least I know I'm getting poor results. Since it is water based the tissue sags a lot every time it is applied unlike solvent based finishes like dope. It is very hard to apply evenly using a brush or even an airbrush. After the first coat it either wants to bead up or puddle. It is perfect for attaching tissue and for the first shrink of tissue. I give up on using Eze Dope for the final finish. After the tissue has been shrunk many builders use Krylon Crystal Clear matt or gloss for the final coat. The Krylon is water resistant and will help protect the tissue from moisture. I have a can so that's what I used.

This is much better. It even looks like a doped tissue finish. Like I said days ago, experience is gained from making mistakes. I have lots of experience putting on tissue now. The fuselage is stripped and sanded. I'm going back to the original idea of making this a 3 channel electric RC airplane. I'm having fun flying the Guillow's Lancer and SE5A. The One Nite 28 will be a nice addition to the collection of rubber power to RC conversions in the hanger.

Jon

 

[Piotrsko]

Clear dope finish would be almost transparent. Nice effect however with the krylon. If you have access to it lacquer or shellac is an appropriate substitute, banana oil is second.

Yes I'm THAT old.

 

[Joker 53150]

Whale oil mixed 50:50 with bison sinew (powdered) also gives a nice finish, although it tends to be a bit heavy and attracts flies.

 

[rockyboy]

Whale oil mixed 50:50 with bison sinew (powdered) also gives a nice finish, although it tends to be a bit heavy and attracts flies.

 

[TooJung2Die]

Whale oil mixed 50:50 with bison sinew (powdered) also gives a nice finish, although it tends to be a bit heavy and attracts flies.

Ow ow stop! My sides hurt. Thanks for the belly laugh.

Clear dope finish would be almost transparent. Nice effect however with the krylon.

I wish I could use dope. I miss the smell. I have a brand new unopened jar and thinner. The wife gets deathly ill from paint fumes. I thought I found a smell free alternative with Eze Dope but I am disappointed. I wouldn't have thought of using Krylon but there are some really skilled old school builders out there that have switched from dope to Krylon crystal clear. One light coat to seal and protect is all that is needed. I'm sold on it until I find something better. I have to use it outside to save the marriage. It smells remarkably close to the smell of dope, pretty strong.

 

[TooJung2Die]

The 820 motor and gearbox is glued into a 3/32" balsa firewall. I think plywood would be overkill here. The green tape is to check the direction the motor rotates.

Next the motor assembly and receiver brick are glued into position.

I'm trying a pushrod connection other than the usual Z-bend. I'm using thin .020" music wire for push rods. The thin wire slopped around in the servo arm holes. I got a short piece of wire that fit the holes and made an L-bend. Heat shrink tubing holds it tight to the push rod but allows for adjustment. A drop of CA glue on the heat shrink locks it in position when you have the length fine tuned. This connection is much easier to hook up and remove than a Z-bend inside a tight fuselage.

I'm using the old standard Tyvek paper for CA hinges. I like this stuff for tough, very flexible hinge material. An unlimited supply is available at the post office for free.

Rudder and elevator hinges are finished.

Jon

 

[Joker 53150]

I've done this on a few Mountain Models planes in the past and it works very well. The way you did it gives you great adjust-ability at the servo until it's glued, which is nice. The other way I've normall done it was to put the L bend in the wire going to the control surface and using a short section of straight wire to lock the L bend into the servo (but you said that wire was too thin for a good fit). Both ways work well and should be considered for lightweight builds.

I'm trying a pushrod connection other than the usual Z-bend. I'm using thin .020" music wire for push rods. The thin wire slopped around in the servo arm holes. I got a short piece of wire that fit the holes and made an L-bend. Heat shrink tubing holds it tight to the push rod. A drop of CA glue on the heat shrink locks it in position. This connection is much easier to hook up and remove inside a tight fuselage.

View attachment 142703

 

[TooJung2Die]

The way you did it gives you great adjust-ability at the servo until it's glued, which is nice.

Usually the L-Bend is on the push wire like you do it but this alternate way popped into my head while thinking about how to use a thicker wire in the servo arm.

Cut out new tail skids because the old ones are warped and cracked.

Glued in little push rod guides to keep flexing to a minimum.

Fuselage is halfway covered.

Last view inside before the top side gets covered.

I stacked everything on top of the fuselage to get an idea of where the CG is going to land. It's tail heavy. The wing will sit about an inch more towards the rear than normal. I could add weight to the nose but the total weight including battery is a porky 2.3 ounces.

Top view of where the wing will sit with a 500 mAh 1S battery on the nose, fuselage is balanced on that stick. I think I'm going to make a removable battery hatch.

Jon

 

[Joker 53150]

Sanding and cleaning the wire before flying is also a good idea, gives it texture and removes the oils that could prevent the glue from sticking.

 

[TooJung2Die]

Sanding and cleaning the wire before flying is also a good idea

I'll have to remember to do that next time. I just cleaned it off with alcohol on a rag. Made a little hatch for the battery compartment. It's held down by a couple of wires and brushless motor magnets.

Covered it with tissue. Added a ball head pin for a handle.

Control horns cut from an old credit card.

The vertical stabilizer is glued in place with CA. When gluing on top of the tissue paper like this I take a pin and make a bunch of holes through the tissue so the CA can wick underneath and bond with the balsa.

Jon

 

[FoamyDM]

Great detailed write-up / walk through! Thank you. I have a couple models I wanted to tissue cover.

Forgive my youth in the hobby and this question that stems:

Is Dope nothing more that thinned white glue?​

 

[TooJung2Die]

Forgive my youth in the hobby and this question that stems:
Is Dope nothing more that thinned white glue?

Dope is the traditional solvent based paint used for finishing airplane covering like tissue paper or silk cloth. It has a strong lacquer like smell that's not healthy to breathe. The stuff I have, Eze Dope, is a nontoxic water based substitute that doesn't quite live up to its promise IMHO.

I just finished the tissue covering on the fuselage. I sprayed it with water to shrink it. Then I gave it one coat of Krylon Crystal Clear gloss. It looks perfect. I'll continue to use Eze Dope for sealing down the tissue edges but for the final finish it'll be rattle can clear lacquer from now on.
Jon

 

[FoamyDM]

Eze Dope, is a nontoxic water based substitute that doesn't quite live up to its promise IMHO.

I just finished the tissue covering on the fuselage. I sprayed it with water to shrink it. Then I gave it one coat of Krylon Crystal Clear gloss. It looks perfect. I'll continue to use Eze Dope for sealing down the tissue edges but for the final finish it'll be rattle can clear lacquer from now on.
Jon

I just picked some up for another project... how does tissue covering work a foam skeleton? anyone try it?

 

[TooJung2Die]

I just picked some up for another project... how does tissue covering work a foam skeleton? anyone try it?

I saw a foamboard jet over on the Mad Scratch Builders covered with tissue. He used the tissue for color, not covering. I'm doing tissue for old times sake, not for durability. Tissue is very fragile, tears and punctures very easily. My favorite lightweight covering is 1.5 mil document laminating film. It's the best stuff I've used by far. Goes on like Monokote, crystal clear when heat shrunk and it is paintable. Laminating film is also great for covering foam for protection and strength. Check out the Guillow's SE5A build thread.
Jon

 

[TooJung2Die]

The tail is glued on and the control wires attached. The One Nite has an unusual landing gear. One wheel up front and two skids at the rear forming a tripod. Guess I'll find out if a ROG takeoff is possible with one wheel.

Front landing gear wheel.

Two tail skids attached under the horizontal stabilizer.

Here is a clever way to mount the wing so it can easily be moved front or rear to fine tune the CG.

Jon

 

[Bricks]

Looking good working with tissue is a pain, hats off to you doing it the old way. Years ago many products would come in different colored tissue packing that I would save for projects.

 

[TooJung2Die]

Looking good working with tissue is a pain, hats off to you doing it the old way. Years ago many products would come in different colored tissue packing that I would save for projects.

Thank you. The new adhesives made it easier than I remember, especially using purple glue stick for attaching the tissue to the balsa. The white tissue was salvaged from our box of assorted gift wrap. It is extra nice tissue. Glossy on one side with a fine, even grain. Don't know where it came from. The red tissue is a new pack from American greetings.

 

[TooJung2Die]

Ready for the Maiden Flight.

Here's a reminder of what it looked like.

Here she is now.

There was a few minutes at dusk for test glides in the backyard. It was nose heavy with the CG at the wing spar. The best CG seems to be around 60% of the wing chord. So the wing was moved forward an inch and very close to where it is shown in the plan. The glide is long and flat. A very brief flight with the motor barely spinning proved it takes very little thrust to stay aloft.

With the battery onboard the ready to fly weight is 73 grams or 2.6 ounces. In the next day or so I hope to get out to the flying field and get it trimmed right. Maybe record some video too.

 

[Joker 53150]

Very nice work, and congrats on saving the plane!

 

[rockyboy]

Excellent restoration!