Slope Soaring homage to 'thenated0g'

[Piotrsko]

There are low temp versions of covering, much more inexpensive than moneycoat, suitable for direct covering of expanded polystyrene (aka "Styrofoam") there are also mylars and other polymer makeup materials that do not shrink as aggressive. The colored tapes used on DTFB also work well for this as does common kitchen cling wrap.

 

[thenated0g]

that tow setup is crazy lol. I have no idea, how strong did it feel? This experimenting is part of the fun.

 

[bracesport]

@thenated0g - the feathers came out nice and strong - the surface is flat and shiny - the 2mm balsa was super flimsy beforehand - not sure if the tow is doing the business, or if it is the FG cloth, but they look pretty cool - time to trim them out properly!

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[bracesport]

@Piotrsko - YAY - A bit more progress with a positive spin - I beefed up the end caps from 4mm to 8mm - and given the lack of end grip to the PLA I added some balsa end caps - I also made some cross inserts to help prevent surface warping in the TE!

I am very pleased with the result - I had two goes at it (first time without the balsa) and damaged the shape slightly - there are a few ripples in the surface, but now I am confident knowing that I can make this work!

I realised that the shrinking needs to be done in small bites otherwise the PLA destroys itself - I will go back and reshrink the sample piece a tad more when it is properly cooled!

The total weight of the wing section including CG flats is 45g so each wing should be under 150g

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[Michael9865]

Do you have a covering air gun? Then you could use your iron to tack down the covering. Maybe then a sweeping motion with the covering gun at an acute angle may limit the deformation of the printed parts. Just an idea.

 

[bracesport]

@Michael763 - I have a Turnigy covering iron and a standard airgun - I suspect for better performance the airgun nozzle could be flatter rather than round - Yes, I think the process is to tack on the film and seal the ends, then some quick air bursts at an acute angle followed by some smoothing - It is so surprising how quickly the PLA softens - practice seems to help!

 

[Piotrsko]

Comment: the printed sections appear to be capable of farther rib spacing, like maybe another 1/2 - 3/4 span apart. Or make the components much thinner. That section could support a tank.

The before picture of the covering shows the covering is too loose at start. When you shrink, you then have to add too much heat to get a taught surface. That's what the teensie edge wrinkles indicate. In theory, the closer to actual the covering is, the less shrinking required, thereby less heat, (kinda exponential)

 

[bracesport]

@Piotrsko - oh that makes so much sense - nube errors - YES, the formers do look a bit chunky up close but the damn PLA is so sensitive to any heat (and I have printed all the parts) - I will treat this first one as an experiment and plan for the worst and hope for the best - luckily the slopers seem to like a bit of weight!

 

[bracesport]

nothing too startling on the feathers but they feel like they should do the job - nice and stiff - a bit more trimming and edge sanding then hinges to add!

 

[bracesport]

@CarolineTyler - I plan to put one of my new FRsky G-RX8 Rx's into this puppy for some telemetry (vario with altitude calls) - it will not be close to what you are doing with FPV but it is a step in the right direction - one day I will need your help on FPV!

 

[Piotrsko]

Not knowing anything about PLA properties, I guess it softens about 50C? Put the part in the freezer for a while before heat gun shrinking. I bet the mass difference may delay part melt. Proper would be spray with C02, but those days are gone.

 

[bracesport]

@Piotrsko - great thinking yet again - I have my head so buried in the detail you lose sight of the big picture sometimes - tomorrow I plan to assemble the full wings - watch this space!

 

[Piotrsko]

Don't worry. Works of art fly really well (or its rumored that way). I sure as heck will never know because where your are at in the process is where I lose all patience and just go fly it warts and all.

 

[buzzbomb]

Don't worry. Works of art fly really well (or its rumored that way). I sure as heck will never know because where your are at in the process is where I lose all patience and just go fly it warts and all.

Wasn't it John Glenn who said "If it looks good, it'll fly good?"

 

[bracesport]

@thenated0g - the original Ridge Rat plan runs at 31oz (880g) so I am pretty sure if the wing is under 300g the rest is doable at under 580g - I will weigh the fuse and feathers tomorrow - I also need a bit more balsa, and am considering a pull string for the elevator (what do you think)?

 

[Piotrsko]

Never saw one fly @ less than 1250 grams, they were bricks with wings, but gosh they were fast, although a junior nobler could out perform it.

 

[bracesport]

the raw fuse (blue foam and a CF braided sleeve) and tail feathers (2mm balsa with CF tow and FG skins) weighs in at 190g - nice - lighter than I thought!

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[bracesport]

Step 1 in the wing construction - all went smoothly including the addition of the wing mount CF tubes and CF flat spars - each wing weighs in at 140g on the nose - so, at this point without covering film, battery, servos, and Rx, the raw fuse, feathers, and wings are totalling AUW 470g - not too bad!

 

[Wildthing]

Step 1 in the wing construction - all went smoothly including the addition of the wing mount CF tubes and CF flat spars - each wing weighs in at 140g on the nose - so, at this point without covering film, battery, servos, and Rx, the raw fuse, feathers, and wings are totalling AUW 470g - not too bad!

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Pretty cool looking,

 

[buzzbomb]

Step 1 in the wing construction - all went smoothly including the addition of the wing mount CF tubes and CF flat spars - each wing weighs in at 140g on the nose - so, at this point without covering film, battery, servos, and Rx, the raw fuse, feathers, and wings are totalling AUW 470g - not too bad!

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That is one seriously, solid-looking wing! It looks like a bridge span!