stunthanger.com
Building Tips and technical articles. => ARF'S => Topic started by: Rudy Taube on March 17, 2010, 01:32:14 AM
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Hi Bradley,
Your T-Rex is excellent. I love mine. Like others have said, you have moved CL ARF/ARCs closer to the almost perfect ARFs we have in the RC world. Thank you for such a well designed CL product.
A humble suggestion on the "fix" problem for the ARFs already out there and already glued together:
Is there any way you and John could offer a small CF Tow patch kit with a small patch of orange ultracote included so the simple, but effective, patch that Jim did to his ARF could easily be done by any assembled ARF owner? This would make it easy and inexpensive for someone to solve the problem in a short time with very little trouble (not having to buy a full roll when only < 1/2 sq. ft. is required, and not having to hunt down the CF tow and only use a small amount from a big expensive package, etc.) I would think this would be good PR and put everyones mind at ease.
Again, thank you for a great product. #^
Regards, H^^
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Rudy
Dave Brown makes a product called "carbon fiber strip" http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXB965&P=0 at the hobby shop a strip of carbon fiber tow already laminated together. It is 1/2 inch wide and supplied in a 5.5 ft length. Its packaged wrapped in a circle in a clear baggie and not that expensive. Once glued down it is strong and rigid and will do the deed. Be a simple mater of cutting the film, cut it to length (scissors work), and CA glue it to the wood. Sand the side of the material to be bonded just to scuff it up and give it some tooth. Then apply a film patch or for a high tech look leave it exposed. Doesn't have the weave look you may be used to in carbon though cause the fibers all just run lengthwise. The stuff is a miracle maker! I had an RC 3D profile biplane that had a foam core fuse covered with 1/16 balsa. It had a top and bottom stringer of 1/2 inch balsa as the only structural members longitudinally. I broke them both just behind the wing doing a harrier landing (ground effect issue... my story and I'm sticking to it since it did a perfect on wheel 3 point landing with witnesses). The repair I did was simply to glue a strip of the stuff on the top of the top stringer and on the bottom of the bottom one and recover with ultracote. Plane flew for two more years before I decommissioned it. Oh yea, much stiffer than it was when new.
bob branch
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I think John would do whatever is needed to be helpful.
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Bradley,
After spending > 15 years in Marketing, I can't help myself from trying to help here. I apologize if I am out of line by saying anything.
I meant my 1st post more as a "PR" idea for an easy, inexpensive (free?) fix for this potential problem with your excellent design. sort of like the fixes that auto companies do when they discover a problem and make a recall.
If the customer has to order the materials it will cost around $20*, and have a lot of leftover stuff. This seems to me like adding insult to injury? It is a little like if Toyota told me to order and pay for the parts to fix a TH problem with my Lexus?
*(Dave Brown CF strip 5' min. size = $6.69 + $9.98 for Orange film role from John + sh/handling + tax = total >$20)
I was envisioning a very small, simple PR solution. Cut two 5" strips of the 1/2" CF strips (or whatever size you think is needed), cut out the two needed small film patches, make a small sketch of the fix location with a few "how to" words, put the three small items in a standard envelope with one stamp (should be less than an oz?) and send it to anyone that contacts you/John and says they have a T-Rex already glued together.
My guess is that all the material costs to John, including the envelope and stamp should be less than $1.25. Plus a very small labor cost. Given these small costs to him, I think it would be good PR to offer these little fix kits for FREE. If this was well advertised; here, his website, hobby shop partners, etc. I think this would be very good PR and prevent any worry for those who bought one. And it would show a proactive stance on the problem by you and John, and help make the problem completely go away.
Just a thought.
Regards, H^^