John's Build

[David47]

I finally got my lift struts done and painted. Not much to do now... just some mods to the turtledeck cover after I mount the wings. Gosh it feels good to see the end approaching.

John, congratulations on what you've achieved to date. I just went back and looked at your first post on your build thread - dated 12/22/13 - and even at that stage it looks like you'd been building for quite some time before. Thanks for all your posts so far and hope you continue to post when you get flying. Looking forward to some first flight preparation photos and then the same for first flight.

Good job.

[rosslr]

Hi John and Dave,

Yes, its looking close now John - lovely job. Dave, as you are getting close the covering, you might recall from looking at John's posts a wonderful built in thermometer/thermostat that he constructed on his iron. I can't remember you reviewing how that worked John - but you may have and I missed it! However, I think that good temp control on the iron is really critical for a good finish and the thermostat settings on most irons don't maintain a constant temp but cut in and out over time. I used an infra red thermometer but John's iron looked better!

cheers

r

[efwd]

John used Oratex fabric, so his iron temps were far more critical to have control of. The Irons that are recommended for the product are over $100. Wish I had Johns talent and creativity.

[jrevens]

Hi John and Dave,

Yes, its looking close now John - lovely job. Dave, as you are getting close the covering, you might recall from looking at John's posts a wonderful built in thermometer/thermostat that he constructed on his iron. I can't remember you reviewing how that worked John - but you may have and I missed it! However, I think that good temp control on the iron is really critical for a good finish and the thermostat settings on most irons don't maintain a constant temp but cut in and out over time. I used an infra red thermometer but John's iron looked better!

cheers

r

Thank you Ross, and Dave. The iron”experiment” was just playing around... I had a little digital temperature control I found on eBay, and also got a cheap “dry” iron (no steam). I used a solid state relay to do the switching. I made some aluminum parts and cobbled it all together. Two things that made it less than ideal were that it was a relatively low-wattage iron, and that it didn’t have a teflon- coated base. I thought the non-stick base was important at the time, but found that the silicone paper from Oratex was easy to use, after I ended up giving the iron to John at Kitfox Aircraft. John had mentioned to me that they had been looking for & thinking about a real accurate iron for some time when I mentioned it to him, so I surprised him and sent it to him. I hoped it might be useful, or that they might at least get a chuckle out of my Rube Goldberg-like “invention”. I ended up buying one of the nice digital Toko ski-waxing irons, and it, along with my small hobby iron and digital heat gun, worked real well.

[jrevens]

John used Oratex fabric, so his iron temps were far more critical to have control of. The Irons that are recommended for the product are over $100. Wish I had Johns talent and creativity.

Thank you Eddie... I appreciate what you and so many others on this forum are doing too. In this vein, have you seen Lowell’s (“Highwing”) recent post on a different thread, with pictures. What a talented and creative guy he is... a true “experimenter” - I wish I had his talent and creativity! I’m very grateful for this website and the people who make it work, encouraging and helping each other.

[efwd]

I have! I look forward to seeing it up close. I aim to head his direction soon after completion. Nice stuff.
Eddie

[David47]

You're right Ross, I'm looking to start covering very soon and was looking for an iron and laser thermometer (Bunnings of course !).

The iron”experiment” was just playing around... I had a little digital temperature control I found on eBay, and also got a cheap “dry” iron (no steam). I used a solid state relay to do the switching. I made some aluminum parts and cobbled it all Together ........ I ended up buying one of the nice digital Toko ski-waxing irons, and it, along with my small hobby iron and digital heat gun, worked real well.

(Abridged)

Thanks John. I had seen your post and pictures of your newfangled invention. I seriously considered building something similar until I saw your comments about the ski-waxing irons. I'm now looking at both options.

So when's first flight John !?. I know there'll be many people on this site excited for you when that happens .... including me. It'll be a good day.

[HighWing]

Thank you John for your kind words. I hope you don't mind me becoming a bit misty eyed on your Build Thread. I went through a Psychiatric evaluation this morning in preparation for a possible Cochlear Implant to hopefully help me understand what all you pilots - and the living, breathing FAA guys are mumbling about when you click that push to "talk" button. Lots of questions about support groups, how busy or not a person is - that sort of thing. All to evaluate a persons enthusiasm for life - or Not! This with the extremely varied outcomes of implantation in mind - from a magical Thumbs Up, Or Not.

It got me thinking of what I have found true about of the Kitfox airplane. I often refer to it as a very powerful "Good People Magnet". Then the thought of that day when a friend handed me a copy of the August 1992 Issue of Popular Mechanics. I still have it! Six months later I received that big box on my driveway. And like they say, "The fun began". I would like to give a sincere Thank You to everyone - past, present and future!

[Esser]

The 912UL prices in that literature really date it! Good luck with everything pertaining to the implants!

[jrevens]

Lowell... my most sincere good thoughts, wishes and prayers for a good outcome! How lucky we are to have grown up when we did, and to be able to experience some of the medical miracles that have been developed in our lifetimes. I feel really good about your chances for success!

Nice sentiments about the Kitfox, my friend!

Paul Z. - are you out there? How are you doing?