SE5a CONSTRUCTION BEGINNING TO . . .

[wonwinglo]

Stinky,smelly fibreglass who wants it ! but no in this case it suffices to form the desired little cowl.

If anyone hates this stuff as much as myself then try this-Make the former exactly as Grahame has done,use the cling film technique as well,then soak brown paper strips in water,remove and cross layer using PVA adhesive as the resin,bake in the oven for a few minutes and ease from the plug,result one pattern that has not harmed the atmosphere and not stunk the place out.

You can even use blue foam as the plug,use the brown paper and when dry scoop out the foam with a potato peeler,told you that I was domesticated ! just an idea as a practical alternative to glass fibre.

[Greyhead]

Barry

I see fibreglass isn’t your favourite either!

Actually I suspect that statement isn’t entirely true and, as with me it’s the resin not the fibreglass that is the problem. Having discovered Poly C, fibreglass skinning is OK, if time consuming, but it hasn’t got the strength of resin.

I’ve never tried PVA / brown paper, I’ve heard of it used for skinning but does it have the strength to self support without being too thick?

To add to my post above; the best method to produce these mouldings is to use multiple thin layers, this is true for everything from fibreglass to paint, but I dislike the process so much that I’ll put up with the extra filling and sanding with its associated extra weight and time.

[Glider Guider]

I’ve just caught up with your last few posts. I’m certain that if I were making the headrest I wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of cutting lightening holes in a short piece of 1/16” balsa. I know it all adds up but it must be low on the effort/advantage continuum line.

In a similar vein the machine gun is very impressive but then to cover it all up! Unless the idea is to have the cover easily removed to reveal the gun like a rabbit from a hat.

Did the cover only have a single coat of resin and was this enough to fully fill the weave or will a bit of filler be needed?

By the way Apex Craft was in Church Gate, Leicester, ably run in the 1950/60s by Ron Pepper and his son Graham. It was an excellent shop and on a Saturday afternoon it could get so crowded at times that you had to queue outside just to get into the shop. How things have changed in these days of buying on-line, mail order, etc.

Keep up the good work Grahame the SE5 is coming along fine.

[wonwinglo]

Yes it is that smelly resin,after all it is a by product of petroleum and other nasties,some people use ordinary Tufcote fuel proofer as a binder,it does work but just as obnoxious.

Yes brown paper in three layers is very tough,another trick is to put a layer of gardening fleece betweeen the brown paper layers,tough as old nails.

Try a small test piece Grahame,if you need extra support then just leave a skim of bluefoam and skip the cling film,I built the Lancaster engine nacelles from this method.

BarryI see fibreglass isn’t your favourite either!

Actually I suspect that statement isn’t entirely true and, as with me it’s the resin not the fibreglass that is the problem. Having discovered Poly C, fibreglass skinning is OK, if time consuming, but it hasn’t got the strength of resin.

I’ve never tried PVA / brown paper, I’ve heard of it used for skinning but does it have the strength to self support without being too thick?

To add to my post above; the best method to produce these mouldings is to use multiple thin layers, this is true for everything from fibreglass to paint, but I dislike the process so much that I’ll put up with the extra filling and sanding with its associated extra weight and time.

[Greyhead]

This is a marathon post because since my last one I’ve not been able to up load any photos to my gallery, up until now that is; I’ve been preparing the posts as usual over the last few days so in fact this is several added together and I have to say I’ve been rather busy of the festive season! I’ve not done any editing using the benefit of hindsight so some details have “developed” throughout this one post.


Ron Pepper, I’d completely forgotten that. Definitely a name from the “good old days”!


The weight saved by cutting holes in 1/16th balsa is minimal, although it does add up taken over a complete model, but as much as anything I like the aesthetics even if I’m the only one who sees it. I couldn’t use the weight argument with regards to the Vickers because it that case I actually added weight, albeit very little, but I though it worth it, even though not much will be visible on this model, because it is now a complete unit that may be able to be transferred to other models in the future. As for the effort in making the complete gun, it wasn’t an effort it was a pleasure!


One coat of resin was enough to give the required strength but being quite a loose weave meant that it needed a lot of filling but to me this was preferable to working with resin to add extra layers. I can’t say that I’ve really enjoyed this part of the build; from now on it will be OK but it started badly, I think as much as anything because I had the wrong attitude, I knew I wasn’t going to like it and that’s not the way to start things. There are a few more small mouldings needed for the SE5a and for these I’ll certainly try out the brown paper technique first and start with a positive attitude!


The inside of the cover.





The resulting finish will be smooth enough to simulate metal so no need to cover it with litho plate, this is with just one coat of silver Solalac and not yet sanded.





The next job is to make the 2 long “hinges” that attach the cover to the fuselage, they have loose pins, so the cover will be removable but not easily. Once again these are not working hinges, when the model has been painted etc and the cover fitted in place it shouldn’t have to be taken off again (unless I want to show off the Vickers!) so litho plate will suffice.


Here’s a series of photos showing the method of making a hinge.


The litho plate “blank”





The first bends.





The second bends.





Bent around the hinge pin ready for trimming.





The assembled hinge glued to the cover.





When gluing hinges like this it’s obviously important to not glue the pin so use very little epoxy to “tack” the assembled hinge in place, take it apart and fill in any voids with more epoxy. The same applies when gluing to the fuselage.





Some SE5a’s had an extra hatch towards the rear of the cover; I think I’ll add one to take away the plainness. With the bracing wire passing through the cover and the angle of the top “hinge” I didn’t think that it would actually work as such and would really just be used to hold the cover in place, but in fact it does allow the cover to be easily hinged open, I should have had more faith in the designer! Of course now I need to make a convincing mount for the Vickers, as I will be able to “show it off”.


With the extra hatch and the other various fittings added the cover is looking a lot more business like.





With the cover hinged open the Vickers is visible in all its glory.

[Guest]

It's great to see that cover after it's been filled, it's really coming together nicely.

I must admit I'm not a great Fan of Fiberglass either, it's such an unpleasant material to work.

Is the little projecting flap on the side the slot where the spent cartidge cases are ejected from?

Mental note **Must get some litho plate...**

[wonwinglo]

Very businesslike Grahame,the strut bindings look very realistic as well,is that good old Solartex ?

[Greyhead]

Yes and yes: the spent cartridges are ejected through a hole in the cover and the deflector plate ensures that they don’t hit the rear cabane strut, presumably gravity makes sure they don’t hit the tail plane! The binding is solatex, a very versatile material.


Here’s a “quick build” that got lost in the confusion. It’s the oil reservoir for the interrupt gear; simply a plastic tube with a carved spruce handle and plasticard supports painted all over gloss black.





It is attached below the instrument panel and points forwards into the foot well. At the moment it’s full length but because of the way it fits it may interfere with the servos so I won’t actually glue it in place as yet. If necessary it will have to be shortened.

[Greyhead]

While the better half hit the sales I visited the model shop and bought the copper tube for the interrupt pipe and the snakes etc. for the elevator. I’ve now managed to “fix” the positions for the servos and therefore the interrupt reservoir; it didn’t need shortening.


Here’s a “pilot’s eye” view of the completed cockpit. Not much of the Vickers or the interrupt reservoir showing from this angle!

[wonwinglo]

Well what can I say Grahame ? your S.E.5A cockpit looks so real,you have achieved wonders using simple basic materials,the secret is you made just the right choice and using your skills the results are excellent,you can be justly proud of the end product.

Another factor is that you have maintained a researched interest in your subject,another big factor that ensures success.

[Greyhead]

Barry

Thanks for the favourable comments; they’re much appreciated.

Grahame

And ditto to Richard and Alan for the posts below!

Grahame

[Guest]

Grahame, this is one of those models that is so beautifully put together that you could take a good quality photo of it and easily pass it off as the real item.

Absolutely superb and a joy to watch being put together.

[Guest]

What I enjoy about these build threads is seeing how the parts of the model come out of very straightforward materials. I especially enjoyed seeing how the various instruments in the cockpit were made and how authentic it looks assembled.

It's good to get the benefit of seeing the result of someone's experience, and glad you find the time to post so many work in progress images of your build as it progresses.

[Greyhead]

I’m always amazed at the number of models that seem to have had the radio gear added as an afterthought, decent models spoiled by a row of servos bang in the middle of the cockpit. I’m sure with a bit of forethought they could be mounted more unobtrusively and for the last few days I’ve been busy mounting the servos for the rudder and elevator; not the most “glamorous” of building jobs and as such it doesn’t make for a very exciting post, but nevertheless very important; for the moment the control cables are button thread.


What might be of interest is the linkage for the rudder / tailskid; the rudder servo arm has two 2mm bolts / nuts, the “quick links” are cut away to stop them fouling at maximum deflection.





The tailskid servo arm has it’s splined boss removed and is fitted on top of the rudder servo arm by the two bolts. The control cables are connected by piano wire links incorporating a “Z” bend to provide some shock resistance (thanks for the idea Richard).





This photo shows the double-decker arrangement more clearly.





Another thing that perhaps I should point out is that the front servo rail isn’t glued but fixed to the side rails by 2 servo screws. I find it quite awkward feeding servos between fixed rails, especially in the cramped interior of a model, so being able to slide one of the rails to widen the gap is very helpful.


When looking at one of my previous servo installations a fellow modeller pointed out that he wouldn’t be happy with 3 servos effectively held by just 2 screws. Well I’ve used this method for quite some time and had no problems; there’s no way the screws would sheer before the rail itself broke and routine maintenance ensures that the screws are always tight

[wonwinglo]

What a neat and clever installation,well thought out as always Grahame.