Thank you all for the
very helpful replies. There is a lot to go over. I've been researching all of the things mentioned so far for several hours.
1) Glue. I have some titebond II and III. I also have some Weldbond PVA glue. It looks like the titebond II is also PVA so I'll probably go with that. I wasn't sure if the PVA glues were fuel and finish safe.
2) For the paint, I'm definitely interested in "quick and easy". KlassKote is a bit pricy, $50 for parts A&B. I'll look into Rustoleum. I'd definitely like whatever I use to be fuel proof. That stuff gets everywhere.
If I were to use monokote on the wings, or maybe ultracote which looks to be a bit lighter, would I need to seal the wood first? I've seen some comments about the thin sheet wing warping, and that sealing the wood might help??
3) Those wrapped and soldered leadouts look very nice. I'm very comfortable with electronics soldering, but in this case are you wrapping copper wire around a steel wire? Did you get the solder to stick to the steel? I'm guessing that requires a lot of flux.
4) The sewn hinges look really very nice. But how to you secure the ends of the line? Epoxy, CA, a fancy knot? Alternately, I think I already have some Blenderm tape. Do you glue the Blenderm tape down, or is it sticky enough to stay put?
5) Thank you for the link showing the added reinforcements. But the mention of reinforcement fillets for wing and fuse and hinge joint strips and such brings up another question. Where would I find thin plywood, spruce or basswood strips, and other wood to add, assuming I can't find it locally?
6) For a handle, I have a Sig 1/2a handle. I'm sure I have a Cox handle around somewhere. But the Renger handle does look nice.
For lines, I like the idea of the Spectra. That looks like serious stuff. Is there a consensus on the line weight? Given that it looks like 30lb Spectra braid is only 0.011" diameter, why not go with 30lb?
For the line length, you mention 42' but the Skyray operating instructions say the maximum length is 30'. What would be the best length for the first flight?
While I know nothing about building wooden planes, and my only experience with balsa is Estes rockets, I'm not worried about the Cox engines. I have quite a few engines, not sure where I got them all, and I've rebuilt several of them and some are new (although late production). I have some reasonably fresh Sig 25% fuel. I made a test stand with a 2x4 and cinder block to test an engine for a Cox flying saucer I picked up. I flew one like it with my dad, and I thought it would be fun to take my son out and see if we can loose it somewhere.
But that hasn't happened yet.
As the drawbacks of 1/2a planes, I figured this simple kit was a good place to start. I have a Sig Buster that I also picked up. I'd like to give that kit a second try after I butchered the first when I was 14. But mostly this is an exercise in trying to figure out all of details around flying. Can I find a park that I won't get kicked out of? Do people complain? Can I convince someone to go out with me and help me launch it? Will I get really dizzy?
With that in mind I was trying to fix up an old Cox RTF F-15 that I gave my brother some 30 years ago, well enough to make at least one flight. I tried to glue and patch the various cracks, but the fuel has softened the plastic so much that the cracks just pull open again. So I gave up on that and moved on to the Skyray.
I also recently discovered that my FIL built CL planes as a kid, and he turned up a box of late 50s/early 60s engines. I had no idea. Seven engines! All glued stuck as solid as can be. I figure we should both go to the Fly-in next year.
As for where I'm located, I'm on the east side of Pittsburgh. Brodak is about a 1.5 hour drive south, so not too far but not around the corner. If anyone has recommendations for where to fly in Pittsburgh, I'd be happy to know. I've scouted a few parks with a baseball diamond in a back field out of the way. But I haven't turned up anything official, like a club or RC field that's convenient.