A Collection of R/C Modelling Tips - RC World

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Now, using a belt sander (a disk sander will work too), remove the extra wood around the ribs down to when thesteel begins touching the sander. Cut out the spar notches with a hand saw, and clean them out with a file.This will make all the ribs for a wing at once, and they'll all be identical, resulting in a straight, uniform wing. It canalso be used for a tapered wing (with all the ribs of different size), and bulkheads and formers can be made usingthis method too.Q.Sandbag WeightsA.Fill plastic zip-lock bags of various sizes about 3/4 full of fine sand, and seal each well.Use these to hold down large parts while building, such as wings. The sand will conform to the shape of parts well.They also work good when gluing sheeting to foam.Q.Air-Bleed ScrewsA.When adjusting air-bleed carburetors (the ones with the little hole in the front), a good rule to remember is the word“richen”. Split this word in half (rich-en), and when you want the carburetor rich, turn the screw in. Of courseleaning the carburetor would be turning the screw out.Q.Measuring Balsa DensityA.Knowing the density or weight of balsa pieces can be important. It's especially useful when making ailerons orwingtips, because you want the pieces to be "matched", which will result in a better balanced and better flyingairplane. To do this, choose balsa that is similar in weight by weighing them on a gram scale. If you don't have agram scale, use the deflection method: Take the balsa pieces, and using heavy weights or sandbags, hold down afew inches of one end of each balsa piece onto the edge of a table. Make sure that equal amounts of each piece ofbalsa overhang the edge. Place a smaller weight onto the other end of each piece, and measure how far each onebends from the floor. The one that bends the most generally is the lighter piece. Using this method, you can choosebalsa that is similar in density. Keep in mind that if you build from kits, you don't have to use the supplied wood ifyou don't like it!Q.Transmitter Neck StrapsA.If you use a neck strap on your transmitter, beware of getting it caught in a rotating propeller! Some people leavethe strap around their neck and detach the transmitter while starting engines. This is a perfect way for it to getcaught in the prop, especially if you start your planes on the ground rather than a stand or table. Also, having thetransmitter nearby while starting an engine is potentially a hazard. When you pick up the transmitter make sure thestrap doesn't swing into the prop.Q.3-Blade PropsA.3-blade propellers are useful when you have a scale plane that's modeled after a plane that uses them. However,since the engine has more mass to turn, the maximum RPM is lower. The general rule is to use a 3-bladed prop
one inch smaller in diameter than the 2-blade you would normally use. This will allow close to the same maximumRPM as you would have with a 2-bladed prop. You may also increase the pitch by one inch, but experiment andsee what works best with your engine and plane.Q.Firewall FuelproofingA.Firewalls of planes are normally coated with epoxy to help prevent fuel and oil damage to the wood. On planes withno cowling, apply a coat of epoxy on the firewall after you cover the plane with film covering. Make sure the filmoverlaps a little onto the firewall. This way the epoxy seals the edges of the film covering. Besides, most filmadheres better to wood than epoxy, so that's another plus.Q.Ultracote PrintingA.Goldberg Ultracote film covering has a paper backing that you can print on. Cut a 8.5 X 11 inch sheet, put it in aninkjet printer, and print your design on the paper backing (don't use a laser printer or anything that uses heat - it'lldestroy your covering). This works well for large lettering. Make sure your image is reversed, so that when it'sprinted on the backing you can cut it out and it'll be correct when ironed on your plane. If you want to use a piece ofcovering that's smaller, print the design onto paper first. Then carefully tape the Ultracote to the paper over thedesign. Then run the whole thing through your printer, and the design should print in the same place.Q.Cutting Dowels StraightA.When cutting a dowel, it's easy to make the cut crooked. To help ensure a nice 90-degree end, especially on largerdiameters, try rolling the dowel into the band saw or scroll saw blade.Q.Picking up Glass SafelyA.After sweeping up broken glass off your shop floor, it's difficult to pick up tiny fragments. Try making a loop of ducttape, adhesive side out. Place the loop over your hand, and pat the fragments carefully so they stick to the tape.Then just throw the tape loop in the trash.Q.Antenna HolderA.Here's a way to attach a receiver antenna to the back of your plane after it exits the fuselage. Take a short length offuel tubing and make two cuts into it, dividing it into thirds, but make the cuts go through the tubing only halfway.Then pin the tubing to the top of the plane's fin. Thread the antenna through the tubing, lacing it through the cuts.This will keep the antenna somewhat taught and out of the way of control surfaces.Q.Converting Cubic Inches to cc's
Page 2 and 3: Moving the CG aft, within reason, c
Page 4 and 5: Always sand the edges smooth with f
Page 8 and 9: A.Sometimes there's a need to conve
Page 10 and 11: Q.Wheel Axle BushingsA.If you have
Page 12: These are but a few thoughts on the
Page 15 and 16: mail everyday, waiting for them to
Page 17 and 18: charge will seldom short out since
Page 19 and 20: side of model as roll |command. |C.
Page 21 and 22: Now that is dune you must have a Ba
Page 23 and 24: What is this fuel crossover like? C
Page 25 and 26: Ni-Cd Life - or why is down so quic
Page 27 and 28: Signed, the guy who has a nice deep
Page 29 and 30: The main difference between this me

A Collection of R/C Modelling Tips - RC World

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