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Building Tips and technical articles. => 1/2 A building. => Topic started by: Dave Nyce on July 21, 2024, 02:33:49 PM
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I remember as a child in the 50-60s, that two pennies formed a suitable tip weight for slab wing planes with Cox Bee engines. But when I started again working with kids since the mid 1990s, that seemed marginal. I changed to using 3 pennies, and found that ok. I only just today found the reason: before 1982, two pennies total weight was 6.22 grams. Since 1982, two pennies weighs 5.0 grams!
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Mr. Dave,
This is sad...a penny doesn't go as far as it used to these days.
What are you using for lines? I'm not discounting your measures at all, but adding that you may be able to pinch pennies going to lighter lines. However, if you are already using braided synthetics, then you just have to pony-up the extra dough.
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A copper US penny weighs 3.1 or 3.2 grams as you found out, depending on the scale. After 1982 the US Mint went to a zinc alloy and they weigh less now. When I was building pennyplanes for indoor F/F I always kept a few copper pennies on my building table to check my Ohaus triple beam scale with and calibrated it with those. I remember finding very little to almost no variation in the coins.try 1/4" flat washers, or #10 flatwashers instead.
Type at you later,
Dan McEntee
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I didn't reply when this thread was first posted, as everyone has their own method. I know two pennies is a standard for others. Since I'm a high roller, I've always used a nickle. But today I glanced at this post and got curious. So I went to the U.S. Mint website to see what they say about coin weights. Dave's correct that today two pennies is 5.0 gm. But, a nickle is also 5.0 gm, so I guess I'm just spending 2.5 times as much money on my tip weight. Okay, so I'm a spendthrift.
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I am switching to lead. I bought some lead strip that is 0.050" thick. It is a little thinner than a penny, so is easier to inlet into a thin, solid wing than a penny. (A nickel is thicker than a penny, and therefore can't be hidden inside a 1/16" thick wing.)
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With .049 reed valve engines, I use Power Pro braided, 10lb test, yellow.
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With .049 reed valve engines, I use Power Pro braided, 10lb test, yellow.
That's what I use now, just because I can't get the 5# test in yellow.
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"A nickel is thicker than a penny, and therefore can't be hidden inside a 1/16" thick wing."
Don't hide it! Drill a hole right thru the sheety wing and epoxy around the edges. Now your nickel gives you bling!
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I am switching to lead. I bought some lead strip that is 0.050" thick. It is a little thinner than a penny, so is easier to inlet into a thin, solid wing than a penny. (A nickel is thicker than a penny, and therefore can't be hidden inside a 1/16" thick wing.)
When using coins for tip weight on a thin wing, drill all the way through and secure it with clear epoxy so it shows from both sides. A silver dollar works good on a 40 Rat. This is a good way to utilize foreign coins that aren't worth anything, too.