I used balsa, not only because of concerns about heat, but it is much stronger to resist hangar rash incidents than the foam/hysol. The horizontal and elevator tips are especially vulnerable to hangar rash.
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I used balsa, not only because of concerns about heat, but it is much stronger to resist hangar rash incidents than the foam/hysol. The horizontal and elevator tips are especially vulnerable to hangar rash.
I missed that David had said "foam". Also used balsa for the rounded shapes.
Thanks guys. Where do you get the balsa and how do you attach it? This build is looking good and like all the suggestions.
After searching through many replies to the original post, I could not find the answer I was hoping to find in this thread. Maybe you could help?
What would the smallest but comfortable size workshop be for building a kit? 20'x20'? Looking at just building a workshop rather then renting hanger space for a build.
Thanks :)
Balsa with hysol and fill with superfil
As for shop, I went from a 20x24 to a 20x20 and it felt MUCH smaller. I recommend 20x24 or even better, 24x24 for sizes, however, 20x20 is doable.
Also, wings folded dimension is 23’
Shadowrider: I'm in a small town so Amazon was the only practical source for balsa. Well, Amazon, or a road trip to the big city. PM your address and I'll send you a 2 x 4 x 12 "board". Using the vertical stabilizer as example, you might make two 1 x 2 x 8 pieces, epoxy them on either side of the tubing, roughly shape, then start filling and shaping with epoxy. Satisfyingly easy job.
FarFox: I'm building in 2/3's of a three car garage, effectively 22 x 23. With some workbenches against the wall and a work table on rollers, it's a fairly comfortable space. There are times when the wife's car gets parked in the drive for a day or two - rigging the wings for instance. Don't skimp on lighting.
Any RC airplane model shop will have balsa blocks. I laminated several together to get the thickness I wanted. Shaped it and installed with Hysol, maybe a bit of SuperFill to fair it in nicely.
And, suddenly, there is a tail dragger in the shop. Putting the gear on created the same sense of wonder as first working with clecos. While ticking off step after step on the project, there are stages when it really sinks in that you are building an airplane.
It's Spring here in East Texas. Yesterday I enjoyed the "Burning of the Fuselage Rotisserie" celebration along with seasonal cleanup of our wooded lot.
Yeah, that's a good feeling Carl! I laughed at your "burning..." celebration reference. :)
Looking good Carl. Some day I will be sending up “smoke signals “ too!😁