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Building Tips and technical articles. => Building techniques => Topic started by: Mark Mc on July 29, 2021, 10:07:31 PM
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I tried doing a search, but nothing popped up. I’m trying to figure out the best way to deconstruct some models. My wife’s pretty set on moving out of the area and finding a good place for retirement, and I’m about ready, too. We’re going to just downsize and do a minimal move, getting rid of almost everything. I’m good with that, but I still want to take a bunch of planes with me, mostly profile. The question is how. I don’t have room to take them as built, so I figured I’d deconstruct them to the ARF stage. The tail surfaces are easy, a couple of minutes with a Zona saw and they’re free. I’m just trying to figure out the best way to get the wings out without doing major damage. The best that I can think of is drilling a small hole in the fuse at the wing leading and trailing edge, and using a flexible saw blade to cut the wing out. Then re-gluing them in place should be pretty easy.
Does anyone have experience with deconstructing their planes purposely?
Mark
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If going across the wing , cutting it free , best to put say plastic sheet or tinplate both sides of the fuse , so it aint going to foul up the top sheeting / covering .
Ive cut straight over the wing , with say 30 degree to vertical - razor saw cuts fore & aft ( at the hinge line . Deep fuse ( on twins ) shallowest under .
Alternative is just cutting off the rear , say at the hinge . A angled cut or two .
Reglueing , a good few straight edges , some masking bar the cuts . Id think epoxy with a little micro ballons or suchlike would be best .
Rubber bands so its pulled in taut , unless you used a standard hack saw . Slow glue & having so you can see if its shifted . The olde ' Its gotta sit straight unaided ' helps .
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"The horror! The Horror!" --Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness
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I have had to do that a couple of times while in the military. I learned to make wings removable since they fit in the PCS move crates. Personally I would cut the fuselage just aft of the wing highpoint halfway above the wing, same on bottom back to about 1" behind the wing. Makes it like a plug in. You can use cf tubes as dowels to pin it back later and imbed them in the top and bottom to join. I have never tried this intentionally but it should work.
Ken
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I've used an oscillating saw. it will cut threw the fuse around the wing pretty accurately and pretty quickly.
I use the most narrow blade I can find to do the job.
At the leading edge I use a coping saw to finish it off.
Otherwise I just take the plane to the field and fly it. That typically will separate the fuse from the wing in short order. :)! ~^
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Otherwise I just take the plane to the field and fly it. That typically will separate the fuse from the wing in short order. :)! ~^
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