Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2005 18:09:18 -0500
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
From: "Mike B." <omni at omniphile.com>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: F-104 and more
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

At 05:31 PM 3/23/05 -0500, Colleen Cahill wrote:
>
>>Aluminum or fibreglass or some combination of similar materials might be a
>>better choice.  Both are fairly easy to work with, though neither is as
>>cheap as cardboard and there can be more hazards in using drills, TIG
>>welders, hot wires, and epoxy resins than there are with scissors, utility
>>knives and tape.
>>
>>-- Mike B.
>
>Humm, so know a lot about this stuff... maybe like you made such a model at
>one time ...? :-)

I took a couple of weekend classes in building kit aircraft (the sort you
fly around in, not the Testers type you put on a shelf) and learned the
"wet layup" method of fibreglass construction (cut foam to shape, coat with
resin, lay on wet glass cloth, roll out excess resin, repeat as required by
the design, use a layer of special cloth on the last layer to reduce
sanding needs, finish off with resin filled with microbubbles as a filler,
sand and coat with resin for the "gel coat", then sand and polish.  If you
need it hollow, use a solvent to eliminate the foam core...gasoline works
pretty well)...made the basic parts of an aileron that way.  Also learned
basic sheet metal construction techniques too (riveting aluminum for
instance), as well as basic oxy-acetylene welding (which I'm continuing to
learn on my own...almost have a small roll-around welding table done...just
need the sheet metal to enclose the flame-cutting side to catch the slag
and sparks.  The class had us flame-welding aluminum, which is damned
tricky!  A TIG welder makes it a lot easier and is the generally
recommended method...but I haven't tried that yet) and some other
techniques (like fabric covering of wooden frames (the biggest danger on
that one was the iron you use to heat-shrink the Dacron after it's glued
down).

I'm no expert, but I've been exposed to the techniques, tried them once or
twice and heard the safety lectures several times.  I'm continuing to
develop skills for a couple of them, but there's a long way to go...

I know at least a little about a whole lot of things, but am expert at very
few.  The only career I know that that fits me for is writing, but alas,
writing isn't one of the skills I'm expert at...though I'm slowly working
on it along with the rest.  Maybe if I live long enough...

-- Mike B.

--
The trouble with opportunity is that it's always more recognizable going
than coming.