Welcome back Rob

Make sure the balance is per instructions or just a little nose heavy and limit the control throws for the first few flights. You can always increase the throws as you gain confidence. While breaking in the motor, time how long it will run on different amounts of fuel then limit some of your first flights to shorter duration till you overcome some of the dizziness.
Good luck
Robert

      Rob , I have that combo , ARF Baby Clown with the Brodak Mk. 1 and it flies well .
   Using .008  35 ft lines and fuel is Sig 25 % nitro  20% oil ,you can use less nitro .
    Good times !
 
             Bill

Rob,

Welcome back! 

My break from control line flying was a little longer (49 years), but I'm having a ball. 

Tried a half A combat trainer for my first flight, and it really screwed me into the ground! Managed to land it safely, but I was so dizzy that I fell over, and just laid there laughing! 

Flew a couple more half A airplanes with nearly the same results, but managed to stay upright on about the third flight.  Still too dizzy to walk a straight line, but definitely better than the first few flights.

Now I'm flying a Skyray 35, with an engine almost as old as I am. It's a fifty year old McCoy 35 Red Head that had never been run! The owner started it once, before selling the airplane and engine to me.

On my last flight yesterday (still limited to level flight and wing overs) the dizziness was almost completely gone. Can't wait to try a few loops and horizontal eights, but I'm in no hurry.

Here is my friend Mark's Coroplast trainer, that I had my first few flights on. That much fun isn't usually legal! 

Bill

Wow, thanks for all of the encouragement!   

I do have access a grass field to fly from at the local park.  The remnants of a dirt infield remain for a runway.

I should have mentioned that I bought a 1/2 ounce wedge tank to mount on the Clown and a 1-ounce tank for the break-in stand.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the wedge tanks require the plane to be moving in order to extract all of the fuel.  I suppose that mounting the tank on the test stand at an angle would give me some idea of the run time.

As far as limiting the control throws initially, do I just move the lines closer together on the handle?

Rob, where are you located?  Maybe there are some forum members close to you.  Having fun,  DOC Holliday

Try to get your son to bring a few of his friends along too!
The more, the merrier!

Robert

Well, it seems the hinge glue has some advantage over the epoxy.  It's probably lighter too.  Looks like we're going to get rain tonight, canceling the engine break-in, so maybe I'll take a ride to the other hobby shop for the correct stuff.  I wanted to pick-up one of the Mecoa plug adapters for a Cox .049 anyway.

As far as the Baby Clown, I bought the beam mount ARF.  However, it doesn't appear that any fuel-proofing was applied to the exposed wood in this area.  I'll add a light coat of epoxy after I get the engine mounting holes drilled.  Might not be an issue anyway, I'll probably destroy it before fuel-soak does...   

It's really tough to find kids that are actually interested in this stuff.   Not to stereotype all teens, but video games, cell phones and organized sports seem to have grabbed the attention of most of them.  As a kid, I remember spending every dime I could earn cutting grass at the hobby shop.  My son has always been exposed to whatever Dad was tinkering with in the workshop so his exposure was different than most.  He even got his ham radio license at 12-years-old (proud parent mode: OFF).  I hope we can get more teens interested.

The wing is already covered and they have you slice it away in the fuse contact area, then the thin CA is wicked into the joint.  I suppose that one could apply some 15-minute epoxy, then slide the wing in and align it.  You'd have to do some epoxy clean-up from what squeezes out, but it would definitely be a strong joint. 

The weather held out last night, so I passed on the hobby shop trip and finished the engine test stand.  Unfortunately, it started raining before I could get it running.      Our local weather pattern has been very unsettled for the last few weeks and most days have been breezy.  We've tried to squeeze in some flights with the RC park flyer stuff after things calm in the last hour before dark.

Tried to start the new Brodak .049 last night, but finally gave up once it got dark.  Having followed the motor instructions to the letter, I was a bit frustrated.    I called another pilot I know, and planned to meet at his house this afternoon.   He determined that the fuel line I was using was a bit too big and probably drawing air.  He also repositioned the tank on my test stand to be closer in-line with the intake.  The Brodak manual suggests two turns out on the needle valve as a starting point, but mine wouldn't fire until we leaned it half-a-turn.  Ran two one-ounce tanks through it and headed for home.  Brodak suggests about six one-ounce tanks for break-in.  My Ni-starter was dead, so I'm going to run the last four tanks tomorrow.

I like how this little engine sounds.  Doesn't seem to have the high-pitch sound I remember from the Cox engines...

Rob,

Yes, it would equate to more flying time, but my group of retirees only flys three days a week.  

We also help take care of our youngest granddaughters quite often, so I seldom get to fly more than once a week. The kids are kept busy full time, with dancing, piano lessons, T-ball, Little League, soccur, girl scouts, and social activities. Being a father, you know the drill I'm sure.

Our garage is also our main storage area, so it's pretty full.

Good to hear you got the Brodak engine running. Which model do you have?

Bill

       I understand that were some problems with that engine, I do not know exactly what it was but if you call (573) 255-3514 and ask for Joe he can tell you all about it.
     Okay let us say that the engine is good, we first want to check the engine out. Pull the glow plug and test it, if it sizzles it is flooded, if it glows bright it is good anything else it is not. Check all screws in engine, one might have shook loose. Reinstall the plug, tight. Remove the fuel line from the engine and plug the tank vents with your fingers; blow into the fuel line and watch for leaks.
     Now to set the needle valve. First connect a NEW fuel line to the engine then remove the needle valve and blow into the fuel line, air should pass through. Now plug the spray bar end (where the needle valve came out of) and air should blow into the engine, if not then clean it out. Screw the needle valve back into the engine, all of the way. Blow into the fuel line no air should come out, slowly back the needle valve out until you hear air hissing out, this is about the right setting for starting.
     Now hook the fuel tank back up and let's start it up. Place your finger over the venturi and with the battery hooked to the glow plug walk the prop through (turn it over slowly) you should see fuel comming up from the tank and even feel the prop jerk as the fuel reaches the piston's top. The Glow plug should sizzle and the engine is ready to start. I never use a starter on a 1/2a engine 3 to 10 brisks SNAPS of the prop should get it running. Electric starters tend to flood engines quickly. 
Larry

Rob,

Larry and Bill pretty much covered it.

One thing that I noticed is that the tank is a little higher than the venturi, so when the tank is full, fuel may siphon into the engine. If that is the case, your fighting a flooded engine from the start.

Here is what I would try. Disconnect the fuel line from the engine, pull the prop through by hand until the piston comes up and blocks the exhaust ports, then squirt a couple drops of fuel against the side of the piston.

Connect the glow driver, and flip the prop over smartly. It should start, and run out the prime. If it only pops a couple times, and then won't fire again, increase the amount of prime slightly (again with the piston up), and try again. When you can get it to start, and run out the prime, you will have an idea of how much prime it likes.

Now, put only a half ounce or so of fuel into the tank, and reconnect the fuel line to the venturi. You only want enough fuel to cover the pickup tube inside the tank.

Now cover the venturi with your finger to choke the engine, and pull it over slowly until the fuel is drawn to the spray bar, and no air shows in the fuel line.

Now put one drop of fuel in the venturi, and prime against the side of the piston as before. Connect the glow driver, and flip smartly. It should run out the prime, and continue to run. If it's too rich, it will slow down after the initial prime is exhausted, and possibly sputter and die. If it's too lean it will run out the prime, and immediately die.

So, open the needle a couple clicks if lean, or close it a couple clicks if rich.

Bill

     I own the same engine myself. I found that the 10% fuel didn't give satisfactory runs though. I'm well aware of what the instructions state but the higher nitro results in easier starts and easier needling. I found the engine liked smaller props initially until it was broken in. I was using a 5x3 APC. The only down side was it was tricky to flip it fast. One thing to keep in mind with that engine is that there is no dowel or roll pin to keep the cylinder liner in place. Make sure when you tighten the head the cylinder liner is still lined up with the cutout in the case . This might take a try or two to get it lined up correctly. That engine really doesn't like the muffler much for break in. I use it now with good success. Ken

You can use any plug in the engine if you do not tell the engine, it will never know. The size should be short and since you engine floods easy you may want to try a R/C plug. Take the plug with you and compare.
Larry

Wow, that's an interesting idea, but it sounds like something way beyond my ability.  Metal-working of any kind has never gone well for me - I'd probably end up with a $50 paper weight.      I think I'm going to have to stay with the stock setup and work my way through the learning curve.

Larry Renger posted a simple fix to this engine by drilling out the threaded area that the plug screws into and using a head button like the Norvel and Ap engines use. I did this mod due to the fact a new head was only $10.00. I took out the cylinder liner and lapped it on a piece of flat glass using 800 grit and a bit of oil. I then used the Norvel head button and flattened it the same way. This allowed me to discard the stock head shim which comes with the engines. This boosted compression considerably and made starting quite easy. This put the engines performance more into the parameters which I prefer. These head buttons are now being produced by Merlin glow plugs and are relatively inexpensive. Ken

Believe me, the simple mod is not beyond anyone's ability.  If you drill the plug hole out undersize, the new glowhead won't go through and you need to use the next size up.  If it is oversize, the original cylinder head threads will center it and you have no problem.  I do not do any lapping, I just use the original gasket to seal the new glowhead.  The "R" drill is .3390, but the next "inch" drill is 11/32 or .3483.  Either will work just fine, and in fact, I doubt that there would be a problem using a 3/8" drill, as the head outside radius is what applies the retention pressure and the threads the centering.  You don't even have to drill all that well as the hole for the top of the plug just isn't the critical dimension. 

For ultimate performance, just buy the Nelson glowhead and plugs.  Do a search and you can read all about it.

Thanks for asking.    I took a break from things last weekend to go camping with the family, but I got back to it this week.  The plane is finished except for the decals and mounting the engine.

I still need to get a few more good runs on the test block to feel confident with the little Brodak engine.  Last night I picked up some new fuel tubing, a 1.5v starter battery with plug wire, and a couple of McCoy plugs.  Last week I managed to get a 20-30 second run from the engine before it died.  There was plenty of fuel left in the tank.  The fuel tubing I used was old and had very thin walls, so I'm guessing it might have been drawn closed.  The new tubing is the thicker walled stuff that should eliminate the problem (if that was the problem).  I had been using my son's 1.2v ni-starter from his RC car, but I read a post somewhere that some plugs/engines like a bit more voltage.  The 1.5v battery should eliminate that possibility.

If all goes well, I hope to fly it tomorrow.

       Rob , keep us updated on how you are doing ! Have you flown your model yet ?
                  Bill

      George is 100% correct  , get it  running well on the test stand before you put it on a model .
 We have all done it the other way which  leads to a lot of frustration  ,   I know ! 

I've been outside for the last hour trying to get this engine to run.  It's on the test stand and the fuel tank is currently disconnected.  I've only managed to get one short burst on a prime.   Tried a new plug, still only pops.  Remembered why I started flying electric RC...

Going to get a cold one and try again...

          Like Bill Adair you could have a low battery or your flooding again . Those are the two main things to check .
           Keep trying !
                               Bill

Rob, an hour is a LONG time for a booster battery to be used at one time.

Tell us about your support equipment...booster, clip, fueler, primer device, etc.

George

Well, after enjoying a cold beverage and thinking about it for a bit...

I checked the starting battery voltage at the plug connector, 1.5v (good), but I put the ni-starter on charge anyway as a reserve.  Disconnected the fuel line and put the Brodak plug back in.  Connected the battery and started flipping.  I got a short burst after a few minutes of this.  Went back to the earlier advise and tried running only on the prime.  I few more flips of the prop and it ran on the prime.  I connected a length of the new fuel line to the intake, then set it by blowing and listening for a hiss as suggested.  Finally, repositioned the tank to a lower position and fueled up.  Primed, flipped, short burst, checked fuel feed, primed, flipped, it ran!!!    Adjusted the needle for a sloppy sound and let it run.

Followed a strict procedure for fueling and priming for each run.  Managed to get five 2-ounce tanks run through it.  I bolted it to the plane and finished the decals around 11:00pm Saturday.

Knew we had a graduation party on Sunday afternoon, so I called my father-in-law and another flying buddy to see if they wanted to give it a go on Sunday morning.  All was a go.  Woke up Sunday morning to a windy day, checked with the guys and decided to go for it anyway.  We get to the field, and my father-in-law gets his Fox .35 powered Yak going first.  Fifth lap, the wind blows it in on him, but he recovers.  Two laps later, wind blows it in, but he can't recover it and we pick-up a busted plane.  Started to ponder if it made sense to send the Baby Clown up.  Then our flying buddy gets one of his .35 powered planes airborne and starts having blow-in problems with the wind.  He ends up smacking the ground.  Since both of these guys have over 25-years of CL experience, I decided that I'd wait for a calmer day to send the Clown up.   

Thanks again for all the help!   I'll take a picture of the finished plane and post it this evening.

That wind must have been really blowing to blow 35 size planes into the circle. 

You say you ran two ounces of fuel at a time for break in?  Not required unless it is a large engine.  You only need enough fuel to get engine up to operating temps.  On a  1/2A I would say one to one and half minutes.  On my 35's and up it is usually two or more minutes of run time.  Usually when an engine will hold a setting on the ground I put it in the air with the needle set slightly richer.  Good luck with your flying.  DOC Holliday

          Rob , good decision , 1/2 A's don't like the wind . With time the Brodak MK 1  will get even easier to start .
                      Bill

I sure hope so.  However, I got it started while at the field.  Needed to figure out how much to prime through the intake.  Only thing I didn't like was securing the tank with a rubber band around the fuselage like the manual recommended.  It seemed to move around too much and I see it causing me problems.  I'm planning to secure it with some kind of strap, but I'm not sure how high to mount it.

By the way, I needed to add a 1/4-ounce of lead to the front to achieve balance.  Must have gotten too carried away with epoxy on the tail...

Rob

Rob,

A small piece of foam rubber under your tank, will keep it from shifting around. I used a couple of tie wraps on my Skyray 35 with foam between it and the profile fuselage, and the tank stays put.

The foam gets a little oily after a while, so I blot it with a paper towel when cleaning up.

The R/C guys use this foam to pad electronics, and fuel tanks. SIG sells it, and almost all hobby shops carry it.

You could probably substitute closed cell foam, as long as it's soft.

Bill

Rob,

Initially you can center it on the intake, and make small adjustments if the engine runs richer or leaner inverted. Mine were usually right on.

Bill

      Rob , we need an update , have been flying again ?
           Bill