Working with Foam- Finishing- Ideas-& Relative Trend

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Neons
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Working with Foam- Finishing- Ideas-& Relative Trend

Post by Neons »

I have come across all types of information through following RC Universe, WattFlyer, RC Groups, and multiple threads and videos. If I find some usefull links explaining a worthy subject I will just tag them in here.

Here is a later Podcast that is in our BCRCC Home page. I put it in here also so you are aware of it. It is in YouTube and you can play it while you are on the computer. Stop it if you need to and come back and pick up where you leave of at a convenient time.
Streamed live on Nov 12, 2015

Model Aviation and Park Pilot Editor-in-Chief Jay Smith talks with Keith Sparks about building with foam.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfrDSbcYiE4

Here is one I found that is interesting as the guy says he built the plane for around $10. The key is the PLANE, not the extras. Never the less Foamies can be inexpensive.
Here is a Quote from his YouTube video.

Tinman writes:
"This is a foam scratch built plane I named the Cess-nah!!! It is the best flying plane in my arsenal of 10. I tried to build it for $10 but because I added landing gear and actual hinges instead of tape, it ended up costing about $11. It took three days to build and I've been flying it for 6 months or so. I love this plane,. Motor- BpHobbies outrunner 2217-6, 25 amp ESC, 11.1v 2200mah lipo, three Bluebird 371 micro servos, 9" prop."

Part #01 Video build:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv3D30RG ... gest-vrecs

Part #02 Video flight:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufmRpaObx0w

But all in all, it is a sizable aircraft for maybe well under $100 ready to fly if you shop in the right places.
Last edited by Neons on Mon Oct 31, 2016 9:52 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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A Couple of Huge High Wing Foam Fliers

Post by Neons »

Here is a nice plane made to 16 foot wingspan. It can be made at a very reasonable cost too. I have give this some serious thought but got side tracked. The best part is I can fit it all int my pickup truck in sections. ave a look. Someone out there, please build one.

The builder never did say a lot about it other than the foam work. I found some info though below. Both planes have the same motor.

rcarma17
"This airplane was made from blocks of foam, glued together. Then "templates" of the airfoils are made from pressboard or such. These templates sit at either end of a block of foam. A "hot wire" strung across a large bow (yes, as in bow and arrow) rides along the templates and cuts the foam to the airfoil. The numbers which define airfoils are available from multiple sites on the net. Not 8, not 12, but a 16 foot wingspan this time. There are refrigerators all over the country searching for their lost foam!"

"The entire airplane is made of white, insulation foam purchased at Home Depot. It's the same stuff those cheap white beer coolers are made of.They cut the wings with an 8 foot hot wire bow. The fuse was mostly "eyeballed". The motor cover was a "potted" plant. The entire plane, wings and all, was covered with 1.5 oz fiberglass. Foam plus fiberglass makes a very strong and tough material for airplanes.The motor is the same large outrunner used on the 12 foot airplane. The batteries are two 3S 5000 mWH in series for 6S. Total wattage ~1700. AUW 14 lb 121 watts per pound. Prop is 19 x 8 but going to 21 X 7. Props come and go. "

!6 foot plane flight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FzlZSaW ... xw&index=2


!2 Foot Plane- An earlier build
rcarma17 - 3 years ago
"People have asked for the details on this plane.
They are:
Motor: TGY AerodriveXp SK Series 50-65 380KV
Propeller: 19X8 APC
ESC: SuperSimple 100A
Battery: Zippy-H 5000mAh 6S
Total Power: 60A @ 20V-1200 watts."
TGY AerodriveXp SK Series 50-65 380KV
The test story here on this motor. Newer motors are out now.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=922326

12 foot plane flight. Earlier plane
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyyyjWZt ... w&index=36
Last edited by Neons on Sat Dec 08, 2012 11:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Paper Covering a Wing- Strength and Finishing

Post by Neons »

I am going to show some ideas I found on demonstrating covering with many types of paper. For instance. . Newspaper, brown paper, silkspan, coffee filter paper, etc. It works great and is paintable with just about any type of paint too. It is applied with with Elmers white, Titebond, and waterbase Polyurethane paint as examples in a thinned 50-50 water mix. For now I am just starting this post with the link to the Forum that many have submitted there ideas and many questions. The finish is very strong and inexpensive with a low weight penalty of maybe a range of 10 - 20% depending on how it is painted and the type paint used.. More links here later.

The Paper Hanging forum.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=155284

So lets look at just a paper covered wing compared to a similar uncovered wing. How strong is it? I think for most usage on a home made plane it is quite strong and could sustain a load of stress. This does not even have a spar in it. Here we look at a simple experiment to show how much strength is achieved from covering a foam wing with paper.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsMis_-Ox9Q

The instructional videos below are all related to the building of a foam parkflyer Mustang. Here is what the teacher is going to do in this instructional video set. Here we look at some of the options for 3D planes with respect to the weight of the structure. I comparison with a foamie design using $$-Tree foam core poster style board. Here this plane will use wings made of high density pink foam.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2BCVeA-qRQ&feature=plcp

Click Pictures once to open a picture and twice to ZOOM
Attachments
foam strength paper testing 4.jpg
foam strength paper testing 3.jpg
foam strength paper testing 2.jpg
foam strength paper testing 1.jpg
Last edited by Neons on Fri Apr 08, 2016 3:26 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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So! Before Covering a Wing You need one. Here is How

Post by Neons »

So now that you seen a demo on the strength of covering a wing you will need a wing made or to use an existing wing to cover. This demo shows you a real basic way of cutting wings or other parts in different shapes. You can use almost any type of thin wire to do this. The transformer power supply here is easy to get. It comes from an old computer. The wires coming out of the old computer transformer power supply are both 12volts or 6 volts DC depending which lead you pick to use . You will not get electricuted.

I use an old transformer from early 50's electric trains with a dial on the top for more voltage control. My wire cutter is a PVC bow with a roll switch. This demo system is very basic and easy to use. He anchored one end of the wire to a block on the work table and swings an arc for cutting. Keep it tensioned as the cut is made so it rides over the template. I use aluminum flashing for my templates. Phenolic hardwood is very good also for templates. Move slowly and let the wire do the work. Do not cut with a glowing wire. If yo stop you will get a groove.

See here how to make a cheap hotwire cutter first.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3E8CwwviG8

Then watch the wing being cut here. Easy stuff with very little skill needed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_tMhm67uXg

Sanding the wings are almost basic. But you do need to make a couple of large sanding blocks to make the sanding technic simple and to have the wings come out smooth and even. You will get the idea watching how the process is done here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSw51WRT3Yc&feature=plcp
Last edited by Neons on Mon Dec 10, 2012 10:55 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Here is How the Paper Covering Goes On the Wing

Post by Neons »

This is a great demo on how to lay the paper down on the wing or any other part for that matter. This is almost like laying 0.75oz. glass cloth with epoxy on foam but easier, cheaper, and of coarse cleaner. You have to consider that when it dries it tightens some. So it has to be done equal on opposite sides so it cancels the warpages when drying out. lf you do a round or oblong object you would skip back and forth like left side and then right side then back to left side. Never do all one side like a fuselage and let it dry. Remember, always alternate.

In the above thread there is a web paper covering forum that covers it all. There are all types of paper related material that works well. It all started with old newspaper. Yep! Black & white newspaper works fine. Then all types have been tried with different results. There is brown paper rolls available at Home Depot. Body shops use it in masking cars to get painted also. There have been good reports of using coffee filter paper which is good because it has cross grain and is very light like silkspan. If you read the paper covering thread you will find even more to work with.

Here are the video instrucions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDGgj7UehVI
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Ok! Now You Have a Pair of Wings. What to Do With Them?

Post by Neons »

Here you see the nice hardened paper covered wings all dry and ready to join and cut ailerons. So how much is invested in these nice wings? Not much. I'll bet I can feel good pushing them more than 100mph even with out a spar in them.

Sanding dihedral and making the aileron cut.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sFrosARsR0

Fitting the Ailerons with the cuts and sanding.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UicDsR-gzA

Here we permanetly set the dihedral by gluing the joint between the wings. Here is how to hot glue the foam wing and reinforce it with a wooden dowels. Finish the joint by adding a foam adhesive to the joint. Gorilla Glue works well also. Make sure it is taped with painters tape tightly to prevent foaming. Use it sparingly. It sets up in about 2 hours.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D3akLRD05s

Here the wing joint is reinforced and finished then set to dry.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBD_cYeaAL8

The fuselage was cut, formed earlier, and ready for the elevators. After painting the wings and elevators this video shows how to locate the fiber reinforced hinges and mount the tail feathers on the body. Remember to paint first then hinge. Blenderm tape is the best. Google it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation ... QSAoFoVsjE

Using the Styrofoam fuselage on the Mustang Park flyer, the video shows how to balance it and then do the electronics test. It is now almost ready to paper cover the fuselage and finish painting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maMN5ngwVwU

Finishing up the park flyer with the control rods and horns. Adjustments are made and then the testing of all all surfaces.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TivSHhRgrks
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Do You Know the Correct Way to Hinge a Parkflyer?

Post by Neons »

Here is the very best way to hinge your parkflyer control surfaces. Make sure the 2 glue surfaces contact each other along the seam and it will last the life of the plane. The best tape is a medical tape called Blenderm. It is kind of elastic properties in it. It is not like stiff plastic package tape. It has a super sticking glue also. I feel it is the best product too use. You can get good deals on it by searching Google or go to your favorite hobby supplier. Du-Bro sells it as hinge tape. Remember do your painting first then tape. Paint will not stick to the tape.

The picture shows taping the bottom first and then fold over and do the top. I find if you do the top first you will have better control taping the bottom after. Leave no more than 1/16 inch gap when doing the top first. Then again, make sure the gap contacts each other. This is also known as the "H" pattern hinging

Thread here:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthre ... =tape+hing
Attachments
HingeTape.jpg
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Re: Working with Foam- Finishing- Ideas-& Relative Trend Qui

Post by Neons »

Here is a simple way to make some lighter duty clamps that work. Bob Dupre sent it to post
http://www.easybuiltmodels.com/Glue%20Clamps.pdf
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Grumman Hu16a Albatros Seaplane- Scratch Foam Built

Post by Neons »

10-24-10 Albatros Best (1a).jpg[/attachment]
10-24-10 Albatros Best (2a).jpg
Grumman Albatross HU-16A Build -55 Wing (61) (Large).jpg
Grumman Albatross HU-16A Build -55 Wing (68).jpg
Here is a totally scratch plane I have built using Pink foam. A detailed model book I put together for your use. This famous plane was built from 3 view drawings easily available. There are now some kits being made in the RCGroups Seaplane thread.

The Hu-16a Albatross I built in 2007 is a model of the U.S. Coast Guard seaplane that was stationed at Quonsett Point , Rhode Island down Narragansett Bay a ways.

Check out the BUILD MANUAL HERE:.
For private use only. Not for commercial use.
Grumman Hu-16A - Bob Pacheco -Build Manual.pdf
(6.42 MiB) Downloaded 427 times
[attachment=3]

A maiden video can be seen here also.
https://youtu.be/qEdBlNsc2PA

Posts are here in RC Groups. 2008
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthre ... 955&page=6

Complete Build Forum details here. Pages 6-8 in RC Groups
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthre ... 256&page=6

Post: Flown at BCRCC 2010 Waterfly Here
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthre ... 256&page=6

Military Factory pics.
http://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft ... aft_id=383
Attachments
10-24-10 Albatros Best (3a).jpg
10-24-10 Albatros Best (1a).jpg
10-22-11 Hu-16a-Albatross Inflight 01.jpg
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