SE5a CONSTRUCTION BEGINNING TO . . .

[Guest]

I have to say Grahame I completely agree with your thinking as regards the plate surface. Not only would a perfect finish be difficult to acheive but it would also look considerably less realistic.

I still find it strange that so many people insist on spreaying a large scale model of an old boat hull. They simply didn't have spray gear in those days so the finish was far from perfect as it was applied by vast numbers of shipyard workers with large brushes. When I painted my coaster hull I deliberatley used a small flat brush and painted in all directions. This will be given more coats of slightly varying surface textures in differrent areas to bring the surface to life.

I think your plate work looks superb and a boat hull made with riveted litho like yours would look stunning!!

[Greyhead]

Iain


I’ve only tried the “drops of glue” method for simulating rivets once and I found it extremely tedious. On the other hand the results are fine and there are some occasions when it is the only viable method.


The way I use on Litho plate is very simple, fast and produces perfectly spaced rivets; I use a dressmaker’s copy tool and a straight edge or curved template.


This one has had every other “tooth” removed to widen the spacing.





Mark the position for the rivets on the reverse side of the panel, hold the straight edge or template in place and carefully run along the edge with the tool; a couple of seconds to make a row of perfectly spaced rivets; what could be easier?


Richard


I agree; a hull finished in Litho plate really would look the part. Before I “discovered “ canopy glue, which is water based so not suitable for a boat, I used 5 min. epoxy made runny with cellulose thinners, this works fine you just have to make sure that the inevitable sticky fingerprints are removed before the glue sets!

[Guest]

Grahame,

This one is getting better looking as each post progresses, a real work of art and a real pleasure to watch your skills. Yes I do have a dressmakers copy wheel in my toolbox too for the very same reason you have used it. I like the way you have modified yours for correct spacing too.

I Trust we can see this model at a Future World Champs meet..?? The way she is building up now she will surely be a Winner when she is completed, the attention to detail is awesome and worthy of recognition.

I hope the Scale Model Mags have picked up on this one !!!!

Regards......Mark.

[Greyhead]

The fuselage front section is now as complete as I want it; in a perfect world I would be able to work on the cowl and dummy engine, but before I do I want to fit the engine to ensure I don’t make things unnecessarily awkward for myself later, and in this non-perfect world I don’t have a spare Laser 70! The spars and leading edge for the bottom wing stubs aren’t permanent as yet; these will be built after the fuselage rear framework is attached.





With the cabane struts and all the bracing wires soldered in place I think it’s obvious why I decided to complete the tank cover first.

[wonwinglo]

Grahame the S.E.5A's distinct shape is appearing,this idea of a front fuselage module is a good one,what you need is a slave scrap Laser 70,this one is going to be a floater with that undercambered wing section,and wing area.

[Guest]

and I only wish my workbench was as immaculate as Grahame's too !!!!. Nice to see that sort of work space, clean. clear, Uncluttered and the tools all neatly put away but to hand when required.

Regards.......Mark.

[Guest]

Very interesting thread with great workmanship, that I follow with the greatest interest.

[Greyhead]

Barry

The undercamber is a slight cause for concern, in the past I’ve had the covering pull away in this area, in that case it wasn’t too much of a problem because it was a Solatex non-painted finish on a glider, but the SE5a is another matter.

I’m seriously considering stitching the covering as per full size, I’ll experiment on the centre section first and see how that goes, after all the stitching would have to be simulated anyway so why not go the whole hog?

Mark

It wasn’t always so!

I’m making a special effort to keep things tidy after the better half “donated” half of her half of the shed so I could build an “extension” to my workroom. But I must say that now I’ve retired the 5 minutes cleaning up after each building session doesn’t seem such a waste of valuable building time!

Grahame

[Guest]

Every one is completely differrent as regards workbenches, if you remember Nigels workbench competition we saw that.

I'm with Grayhead, I can't handle not having everything neat and tidy and in its place. I am, of course, very fortunate in having a lot of wonderfull space but I still couldn't work with an untidy workbench.

[Greyhead]

The first rear frame is built over the plan.





Using an open framework structure has advantages; it is quick and easy to build and very light but it is inherently weak compared to sheet material, to make matters worse the longerons have to be “broken” where the fuselage starts to taper towards the tail.


The strength can be greatly increased by the use of gussets, as always it is a trade off of strength against weight, I use 1/64th ply, which I consider to be a good compromise. One of the modelling magazines had an article that measured this increase in strength and amazingly even gusset made from brown paper made a significant difference.





The second frame is built over the first, which is covered with Clingfilm to stop any unwanted adhesions.

[wonwinglo]

Grahame the correct aviation term is 'Biscuit' every full sized wooden aeroplane uses them in the construction,and yes they add fantastic extra strength,I think that the use of your 1=64th ply is an ideal application,where did you manage to get that spruce from ? a very scare commodity these days.

[wonwinglo]

***Grahame,can I suggest a compromise situation here with the rib stitching ? to stitch the lot is a mammoth task,why not loop stitch three positions on the aerofoil and simulate the rest ? first make sure that there is plenty of balsalok onto the ends of the ribs on the underside,iron on the tex but do not tighten up the fabric yet,cover the upper surface same here do not tghten up yet,next place your preferred ribbing tapes ( perhaps cut from solartex strips ) onto the rib edges,make your three critical loops onto each rib which will hold the fabric on the under camber,next simulate the true stitching by laying pins at strategic points,wind thread around each pin,tack run thin cyno around but do not touch the pins,remove pins,apply a thin coat of pva to lock everything in place,now tighten up the covering working top and bottom of the wing by use of your heat gun.

Having seen some excellent models that have been rib taped at Old Warden scale days it can be done but is time consuming to say the least.

BarryThe undercamber is a slight cause for concern, in the past I’ve had the covering pull away in this area, in that case it wasn’t too much of a problem because it was a Solatex non-painted finish on a glider, but the SE5a is another matter.

I’m seriously considering stitching the covering as per full size, I’ll experiment on the centre section first and see how that goes, after all the stitching would have to be simulated anyway so why not go the whole hog?

Mark

It wasn’t always so!

I’m making a special effort to keep things tidy after the better half “donated” half of her half of the shed so I could build an “extension” to my workroom. But I must say that now I’ve retired the 5 minutes cleaning up after each building session doesn’t seem such a waste of valuable building time!

Grahame

[Guest]

Hi Greyhead i had not seen this thread since it started up and i have to say it has come along leaps and bounds.

It looks lovely so far and you have a great attention to detail.

am just wondering if you where planning on painting this? If so i have always loved the RAF colour scheme for this old beauty!

[Greyhead]

After gluing the rear framework to the front section the longerons are cut ¾ through at the “break” point and carefully cracked to allow them to be pulled onto the rear formers keeping the sides straight. On many aircraft, the Elf for example, the sides aren’t straight; they are pulled in at the rear and allowed to take up the natural bow imparted be the spring of the wood. I used a variation of the “3 pins method” to ensure a straight fuselage i.e. in this case the front formers had marks drawn on the centre line instead of pins.


The framework is made from 1/8th square spruce; when working with this wood I’ve found that the glue takes a lot longer to set, even cyano takes its time!! So it’s essential to use lots of clamps and leave everything to set completely before removing them.





At this stage the rear fuselage is quite flexible, not to say fragile, but with a few more biscuits it’ll firm up.


Barry


Strange they’re called biscuits, in the woodwork industry a biscuit is an elliptical shaped piece of wood that is glued into slots cut in two pieces of wood to strengthen a butt joint, very similar to what we have here but significantly different.


Richard


The colour will be PC10 and “natural” linen.

[Guest]

Well Grahame the more I watch this thread the more convinced I am that you are building a real aircraft in miniature. You are following so many techniques used in the real construction you could scale this up and fly it!

Absolutely fascinating to follow and so much appreciation to you for sharing it so closely with us all. You put more time and effort in to the build thread than a lot of us put into making the model!!

I can't wait to see this beauty fly for the first time.