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Home > Articles & Tips Index > Construction

This section of the site contains articles about model construction contributed by our members and anyone else we can cajole into contributing!  If you have an idea that you think others might benefit from, please click here to email webmaster "at" charlesriverrc.org.

Wings

• A Center Wing Plug Solution (Bill Wingstedt's solution to "how to get those darned wing servos plugged in easily")
• Accurate Shaping of Balsa Surfaces Without Templates (Mark Drela's technique for solid balsa shaped wings, as used in the Apogee HLG and national record winning indoor HLG's - 12 kB Acrobat PDF file)
• Accurate Shear Web Cutting (Mark Drela's technique for accurately cutting balsa shear webs for wing spars - 13 kB Acrobat PDF file)
• Co-Cured Spoilers for Foam/Glass Wings (Mark Drela's technique for building aerodynamically clean spoilers in composite wings - 18 kB Acrobat PDF file)

• Errorless Wing Construction (Pete Young's writeup on how to get all the panels to match up "just right")
• Improving Sanding Accuracy (an article by Mark Drela on how to sand accurately - especially useful for wood wings such as those used on Mark's Apogee HLG)
• Lightening foam wings (a quick and easy tip on how to lighten foam wings without fancy tools)

Fuselage and Tail

• Bagging Ultralight Tails (notes by Mark Drela on how to build 3.5-4 gm bagged tails)
• Canopy Tinting (a link to Bob Pastorello's how-to page)
• Making a Perfect Hatch (how to make a hatch that fits just right in a fiberglass fuselage)
• Nosecones made easier (an easy way to make form-fitting nosecones)
• Rolling Your Own Fuz (John O'Sullivan's page on how to roll your own fiberglass fuselages)
• Detachable v-tails! (Darwin Barrie's neat way to make v-tails removable)
• How to make lightweight v-tails (and other sheet surfaces)
• Lightweight v-tails 2 (another approach for lightweight vtail and sheet surfaces)
• Instant v-tail alignment (a neat trick for aligning v-tails and wings in a flash)

Incidence and Alignment

• Adjusting HLG Incidence (a quick way to adjust wing/tail incidence on HLG's without detaching, shimming and gluing things back together!)

Control Systems

Harley Michaelis' RADS

• Harley Michaelis' RADS Linkage Design is an all-internal rotary aileron/flap driver system, leaving no exposed pushrods or control horns while providing positive control.  After a lot of effort on Harley's part, you can now get molded couplers rather than having to fabricate your own!  The link to Harley's pages explain how the system works and how to install it.
• RADS in Molded Airframes (some thoughts by Harley on how to use RADS in a molded ship)

Pushrods

• Working with CF HLG pushrods (notes by John Schmoll on using carbon fiber pushrods in HLG applications)

Hinges

• Pinning Hinges to Survive Aerobatics (how to prevent the surfaces from pulling out of your dreamboat at an "inopportune time")
• Robart Hinge Point Attachment (two ways to make sure your hinge points are solidly locked in place and installed with free movement)
• Silicone Hinge Construction
• Strong and Flexible Cloth Hinges (Mark Drela's tips on making great, strong, lightweight hinges - 8 kB Acrobat PDF file)

Servo Mounting

• Instant micro servo mounts (how to mount micro servos in a minute with practically no added weight, and no tray to build)

Covering and Finishing

• Carbon Fiber Hazards (a writeup on hazards of carbon fiber to watch out for)
• *** DO YOU USE EPOXY? *** (of course you do...)  Read this important note about latex vs. vinyl gloves when working with epoxy!

• A Good Pinhole Filler
• Attaching Trim Monokote (a quick suggestion by Jim Ryan)
• Covering an EPP Plane with Sign Vinyl and Packing Tape (a detailed writeup on Dave Wenzlick's technique for rugged EPP sloper covering - especially for those locales with really hot temperatures where 3M77 lets go)
• Covering with EasySpan
• Covering with MicaFilm - the light way
• Custom Printed Lettering Technique
• Fiberglass Paint Preparation (how to get fiberglass parts ready for a successful finish)
• PPG DCC/CONCEPT Formula Reference (mix formulations to match specific Monokote and Ultracote colors!)
• Scale Silver Paint (tips by Frank Tiano, seconded by Scott Black, on how to end up with a scale silver paint finish)

• Working with Fiberglass (a great synopsis of how to apply fiberglass smoothly, lightly and consistently)

Other Construction Stuff

• Easy EPP foam routing (without noxious fumes or ripped out chunks)
• Making Molded Propellors (link to a page on the 'Team Klaustrophobia' site)
• Precision Wood Cutting (a tip by Ron Fikes about how to cut out smooth wood parts without a scroll saw)

• Rolled Plans Solution (an easy way to get rolled plans to flatten out - pronto)
• Scobie's Sanding Secrets (a great set of tips and ideas on all manner of sanding adventures!)
• Zagi-THL Under 10 oz (Jody Vogel's notes on how to build a Zagi-THL at well under 10 ounces complete)
• Weights of Common Materials (a table in web, PDF and Excel form, with weights in various units of measurement)

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