Courageous Posted March 2, 2020 Share Posted March 2, 2020 Good wing work. Enjoy your beer...or two. Stuart 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted March 2, 2020 Share Posted March 2, 2020 Quote I do hope you aren't referring to Ced's tool! Don't be disgusting Darling, thought never entered my head...... This little chappie looks to be a bit of a basket case Ian, so fits in well around here. (Think how bored you would be if it all fitted together like a Tamihasejima).... Good call on the wings and cockpit thingy, that's exactly the route I'd have chosen. Already looking forward to the next installment of the 'Fate of the FE8', as it were... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrzeM Posted March 2, 2020 Share Posted March 2, 2020 Really impressive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted March 2, 2020 Share Posted March 2, 2020 Seconded! I must say I’m wondering how much the kit helps build the model though 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 Strikes me you would have been further on if you’d bought a sheet of flat plastic card rather than a bumpy one! The revised wings look great and the fuselage reshape is looking promising too. Regards, Adrian 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted March 3, 2020 Author Share Posted March 3, 2020 (edited) On 3/2/2020 at 9:20 PM, general melchett said: This little chappie looks to be a bit of a basket case Ian, so fits in well around here. (Think how bored you would be if it all fitted together like a Tamihasejima).... Good call on the wings and cockpit thingy, that's exactly the route I'd have chosen. Already looking forward to the next installment of the 'Fate of the FE8', as it were... Thanks Melchie! I think "basket case" is being rather kind to it, however, it certainly isn't boring! 21 hours ago, GrzeM said: Really impressive! Thanks GrzeM! 18 hours ago, CedB said: Seconded! I must say I’m wondering how much the kit helps build the model though It provides a base for filler and Milliput! 14 hours ago, AdrianMF said: Strikes me you would have been further on if you’d bought a sheet of flat plastic card rather than a bumpy one! The revised wings look great and the fuselage reshape is looking promising too. Regards, Adrian Probably very true Adrian, but nowhere near as much fun! So onto today's installment. I'm very happy with the wings. This is the underside of the upper wing. I tried to get some oblique light on it to show the blemishes, but since there aren't any visible it was a bit of a waste of time! Then it was on to the nacelle. The side pieces went on easily enough and I'm happy with those. A small fillet has also been added at the rear which will be filed down with a rat's tail file when dry to give the curve up to the rear sides. Because the sides are now higher, the rear of the cockpit doesn't need drastic alteration. However the hump behind the pilot's head was far too small so I rumaged in the spares box and found these I think they came from the Sopwith Baby. Filed a bit narrower and reamed out with the rat's tail and it should work nicely! It can be extended further aft once in place. The last item on the cockpit nacelle was to add the final blanks to shape the front of the cockpit opening. Strips of .020" x .060" were added and again Mr Dissolved Putty was added to the seams. Once that's all properly dried I'll file and sand it all to shape. That should complete the adjustments needed, at least until after the halves have been jopined when I can finish off the final shaping. The underside at the rear will also need to be opened up and an angled piece inserted to give a slant to the underside, although the nacelle edges remain where they are. A strut will eventually be positioned between the lower rear edges of the nacelle too. Last job today was the prop, which was actually done while waiting for other bits to dry so i could work on them again. I started with an Aeroclub prop which was slightly too large so the tips were clipped to give the correct prop diameter of 34mm, then it was out with the needle files to reshape the blades, then thin them to a nice sharp edge. Halfway and finished I'm happy with that, almost a shame to have to paint it! That's it for today folks and progress with undoubtedly slow now as I'm back to work tomorrow. Thanks for looking in! Ian Edited March 3, 2020 by limeypilot 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted March 4, 2020 Author Share Posted March 4, 2020 Evening all! Just a quick update today as I got the sanding and reshaping of the cockpit nacelle completed. I have also added a floor along the entire length as it will double as a locator tab and also give a base for when I have to add filler along the seam! I'll add more tabs later. That'll do nicely for now. Final shaping of the nose profile with filler can be done when it's all together. Thanks for looking in! Ian 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 Nicely batted old fruit, a significant improvement over the 'kit' parts. Bet you're looking forward to all that lovely rigging! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 5 hours ago, general melchett said: Bet you're looking forward to all that lovely rigging! What's wrong with rigging? I like rigging! Nice work Ian. I was going to suggest that you put this one in a diorama setting with Melchie's old de-bagging partner Squadron Leader The Lord Flash Heart and his "driver" Bobby Parkhurst. Helpful of Mars 👽. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonners Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 I don't know whether or not this pic will be of any use to you, Ian; I took it at the Smithsonian years ago, but it won't win any prizes: Jon 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pheonix Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 Only just found this Ian! Yes I am completely delighted to see that at last you have taken the plunge and am about to start on a REAL aeroplane! I too had problems with the DataFile plans - not their usual standard by any means but I think that they were shrunk to fit the page. You will find that it is not only the engine which is small in this model - just about everything else is too! However it is a really interesting and undervalued type IMHO and I know that you are going to perform your usual magic on it. I will be following closely and cheering you on all th way! P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted March 5, 2020 Author Share Posted March 5, 2020 (edited) @Jonners that's a huge help! I knew the nacelle itself was metal skinned but wasn't sure about the internal framework and whether it was wood or metal, and what the colours were. The colours may of course be incorrect but it's the best I can hope for. It has a non-standard front cabane strut arrangement as the original had the same inverted V-strut set up fore and aft, but I still think I can use it. Many thanks! ian edit - I see what's going on now. What I thought was a second v-strut at the front is in fact the front wing strut and the bound flying wires. The angle makes it look like a double inverted V on the cabane struts! Edited March 5, 2020 by limeypilot 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marklo Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 Loving the FE so far. ( the DH2 is edging towards the bench but I’m positively absolutely not starting anything until my Snark and JI are finished) Btw I like rigging too ( when it goes right ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 I thought this a duplicate thread until I noticed this was 'F' and not a 'R'. Two pushers, must be feeling confident... Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted March 5, 2020 Author Share Posted March 5, 2020 Not sure what's going on here. This is a duplicate post but only of my first post. The build is now past 2 pages! @Mike - can you move these replies to the main thread and delete this one? Thanks! Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 4 hours ago, limeypilot said: Not sure what's going on here. This is a duplicate post but only of my first post. The build is now past 2 pages! @Mike - can you move these replies to the main thread and delete this one? Thanks! Ian Yup 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pheonix Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 Just found this thread joined into one, so now I have read through all of it. I made my FE 8 from a DH 4 using an article by A Woolett in Airfix Magazine c 1970. I swear that it was much easier than going through all of the rigmarole that you are encountering. Actually I agree with Adrian - a flat sheet of plastic would have been a better starting point and IMHO more satisfying. Which is probably why I only scratch build these days! Good tutorial on how to correct the lumps and bumps in plastic sheet though - keep it up. P 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Massimo Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 Verynice subject and great start!!! I like the fuselage's reshaping! Well done Ian!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 I'll follow this one for sure Ian. I've built a couple of vac forms in the last couple of years and they were a great experience, even though the last one was more like a scratch build! Great subject and great start. Terry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted March 19, 2020 Author Share Posted March 19, 2020 Sorry it's been a while since the last update, busy at work! Well, that and a total failure at soldering! I recently bought a new iron and wanted to try it out, but for the life of me couldn't get anything to stick together! I persevered for a whole afternoon before putting it down (before I threw it!) and going for a beer. Yesterday I tried again and couldn't get any solder on the tip. Every tie I tried to tin it, the solder just formed a little ball Anyone have any ideas? I ended up using solder paint and got the cockpit framework done, including what will be the "spars" for the lower wings, to give them a positive location and a bit of strength. I was thinking of adding the cabane struts but that would mean removing the upper centre section of the nacelle and would make it awkward to fabricate the fairing along the spine, so I will just drill holes for those and CA them in. Anyway, here's where I got to. I'll leave the two bits sticking out the back for now as they give me something to hold it by when working on it/painting it. The gun mount was also done I will CA the cross braces for the seat support, and the rudder pedals/control column as I don't want to break the joints I already have! I'm happy with those but would love to know why I can't get the solder to stick! Ian 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted March 19, 2020 Share Posted March 19, 2020 Nice work Ian Few ideas why the solder's not sticking… Flux? Is the iron variable temp / hot enough? Is the tip clean? That's me out of ideas… 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marklo Posted March 19, 2020 Share Posted March 19, 2020 (edited) 20 minutes ago, limeypilot said: Yesterday I tried again and couldn't get any solder on the tip. Every tie I tried to tin it, the solder just formed a little ball Anyone have any ideas? From my engineering background( I used to work on real aircraft parts) I suspect you need flux. Basically the solder isn’t wetting out the surface you’re trying to adhere it to. You could also try roughening the surfaces. it is also possible that the solder isn’t hot enough or the surfaces are contaminated. Edited March 19, 2020 by Marklo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted March 19, 2020 Author Share Posted March 19, 2020 I wasn't using flux to tin it, maybe I should try that, but I was using it to try to solder the bits together. Maybe the liquid flux isn't up to it. Ian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hendie Posted March 19, 2020 Share Posted March 19, 2020 (edited) Other than what's already been suggested above, the only thing I can add is that I clean the tip of my iron with wire wool every now and again. Maybe try that with a little flux? Edited March 19, 2020 by hendie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevejj Posted March 19, 2020 Share Posted March 19, 2020 You will need flux to tin the tip of the iron. Liquid type is fine, beware of bakers fluid it is very corrosive and will eat into the tips core. Clean, flux and apply solder but be as quick as you can. Keep a damp piece of sponge handy to wipe the tip on this will help keep it clean. The new solder without lead can be a bit of a s#d. I still use the old stuff ( only got a klio or so left) Hope this helps. Heather of this parish might also be able to help Regards Steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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