--- In Indoor_Construction_at_yahoogroups.com, "Mark" <mcrabby311@...> wrote:
>
> I was directed to this group by John Kagen after writing him a couple
> of emails.
Welcome to our world!
> Not alot of luck, broke as much as built. I started with some
> Peck kits, those went well. But I have a million questions also.
Don't be discouraged. Try building heavier until you get the hang of
things, then go light and thin. Ministicks are fun, but I would go
with a larger model, perhaps a Limited Penny Plane, they are easier to
build in the beginning.
> 1. Is the purpose to thinning Ambroid glue to lighten it? Does it
> effect the strength that much?
The idea is to use just enough glue to hold everything together. Extra
glue only adds weight without contributing anything. Don't use too
much glue. Some successful modelers don't think their glue very much.
I dilute about 50/50 ambroid with acetone.
> 2. I see rubber strippers online. Are you stripping existing motors, or
> do you get wide lengths of rubber? I need some small motors for
> ministicks, but havent seen anything as small as needed pre-stripped.
> (1/32nd)
Most folks purchase rubber in strips up to 1/4 inch and you strip it
to the desired size. You used to be able to buy stripped rubber from
Lew Gitlow, don't know if you can still buy it from him.
If you are serious about indoor, it makes sense to buy a stripper.
There are several on the market, I like the one by Ray Harlan.
> 3. What diameter circle should I expect for a Ministick, and a
> PennyPlane?
Usually you adjust the circle so that it fits within your flying site.
You want it to fly in a circle that keeps it well away from the walls,
allowing for a little drift. Smaller circles can usually get closer to
the ceiling as well. However, two small circles can be tricky to trim
for and the flight won't be as long as with a larger circle.
> 4. I'm going to purchase some balsa as soon as I figure out "grading,
If you go to a regular hobby store, expect to look through a lot of
wood to find something appropriate. You might want to buy some "indoor
wood". I got some really nice wood from Lew Gitlow when I was starting
out and built my first to weight limited penny planes with it. It was
much easier to build and fly the model with good wood. Once you have a
feel for this, you can sort wood from your local hobby shop.
> weight and such. Do you store it flat, or on end?
I store it flat.
> 5. Im going to have to buy some tools I think. any suggestions for:
> a. Rubber stripper
It's worth it to get a good one.
> b. balsa stripper(have a Master Airscrew, seems only "o.k.")
Ray Harlan's micrometer stripper is a great tool. I use it to cut
tapered spars. The Jim Jones style stripper (Tim Goldstein makes a
version, others do too) is great for stripping straight spars. Some
folks use it for tapers as well. You can also use some bits of razor
blades to make your own.
> c. gram scale
You want something that weighs 0.01 grams. Some folks like 0.001 gram
resolution. You might check out police auctions for scales, drug
dealers often have really high end scales. These get auctioned off
after the trial. You can also make your own mechanical balance. Ray
Harlan has a nifty, inexpensive, spring scale, as well as a very nice
balance beam.
Get a copy of Lew Gitlow's book. Check on eBay, occasionally a copy of
"Building and Flying Indoor Model Airplanes" will show up. If you can
get it inexpensively, then do, it's a great resource. also look at
http://www.indoornews.com/ it has plans and information on the forum.
It also has an archive of all of the messages on the old indoor yahoo
group.
Another good resource is
http://www.IndoorNewsAndViews.com/ the
website that goes along with the "Indoor News and Views" newsletter.
INAV is full of articles and plans.
Feel free to ask here, or to ask folks off-line. As you have found,
folks like John Kagan are happy to help when they have the time.
Marty Sasaki
Received on Tue Feb 05 2008 - 15:17:12 CET