Matt,
>>The airplane is covered with light silkspan and more and more coats of clear are being applied to it.<<
So, you have already started the finish. ;D
Hello Matt,
I've drawn a rough sketch of your plane, which shows a variant you may want to consider.
I saw that in the wing and stab you have curved trim colors and thought it would be nice to somehow match those curves in the fuse trim colors as well.
Of course, there are no rules when it comes to designing a paint scheme, so this is only MY own opinion.
Regards,
Claudio.
Claudio,
What did you draws those with? Just curious. I'm currently trying to teach myself to you a vector drawing program just so I can do paint scheme layouts.
Matt,
Well, I talked a little about this. Part of it depends on if you are going around curves. On flat surfaces, you can just cut out Frisket paper or similar (I found some Avery stuff and Office Depot that works very well). If you are going around curve (at least compound curves), then it gets interesting. You can use soft vinyl material or do it the hard way with 3M "blue" vinyl tape (just be sure you shoot some clear before the color to prevent bleed). It can be a painstaking process. I draw out the pattern on the vinyl adhesive paper and cut it out, then stick it on and seal it down. Then shoot some clear to seal it and blast away.
A single direction curve, IOW not a compound curve, will still take frisket fine. Of course centering the checkerboard on the fuse so its the same on both sides can be fun, but aside from that, it shouldnt be bad. I am assuming that its not really a compound curve since most fuse at the aft end are pretty straight.
Randy,
I use Corel Graphics Suite X3 (ver. 13) to do all my CAD work, but any version will do it.
You can download it clicking here: http://www.softbull.com/coreldraw-graphics-suite-x3.html (free and fully functional, as this is not he latest version) or the free 15 days trial latest version (X4) from here: http://download.cnet.com/CorelDRAW-Graphics-Suite/3000-2191_4-10265849.html?tag=mncol
Both versions are fully compatible with all laser cutting machines and plotters.
Once you get used to it, you'll LOVE it!
Claudio,
Did you sign up and register for this program and if so, are you getting a lot of junk mail? I don't like giving out my e-mail and all the information they are requesting. Just wondering if you were experiencing any problems with it.
Thanks,
John
Nice plane Matt, I kinda thought you might have it painted by now? Too much snow and ice up there or is
school work getting in the way of artistry?
Jim Pollock H^^
>>I asked grandpa where the stab was and he says it's on the plane<<
That's how you know to knock off for the day. You run all over the shop looking for a tool only to realize that it's in your left hand. Definitely time to knock off.
Its looking great Matt,
keep on plugging,
as one whom has sanded a LOT recently,, ( see avenger long story) lol,
I can commiserate with the sore arm syndrome!
its all worth it though when the clear goes on.
Today I moved the plane out of the shop to the extension part of the building , had to take it outside to get there. The sun hit it just right as I wheeled it outside and I said,, HMMMMM yeah, its worth it,,
Matt,
Mark's right, of course. As with any finish, you have to decide at what level you say, that's good enough. Sounds like with the current plane you're not yet a the point where you can say, OK, that's as good as it's going to get. Keep sanding. You'll be happier in the end.
No finish is ever completed, only abandoned.
Looking good you young whipper snapper. No go do your home work, You're making us olde fahrts look bad. LL~ LL~ LL~ LL~
Can't wait to see it in color Matt. H^^
>>I am now coming up with a different paint scheme to keep the weight down.<<
I sometimes think it's worse the other way. The Silver Slider I built was ridiculous light before finish. so I did worry too much about how much paint I was putting on. Big mistake. I ended up probably 8 oz overweight. Maybe it's a good thing, worrying about weight, when you are finishing.
>>I am now coming up with a different paint scheme to keep the weight down.<<
Matt,
Now you know why I ended up with the paint scheme I did on my last PA plane. All I could think of was, where can I cut weight.
I sometimes think it's worse the other way. The Silver Slider I built was ridiculous light before finish. so I did worry too much about how much paint I was putting on. Big mistake. I ended up probably 8 oz overweight. Maybe it's a good thing, worrying about weight, when you are finishing.
Matt...I'd suggest losing the wheel pants plot and get yourself (or make) a CF landing gear! I just weighed the one off my Skylark (very close to the size of your O+). It weighs 2.6 oz with 2" wheels (kinda wide ones, maybe Brodak) with 6-32 buttonhead axles. Better for grass, anyway... y1 Steve
Hey Matt She's lookin real good !!
Thanks Steve,
I'm hoping to have the rest of the red masked off today. The black will have to wait until the weekend since I head back to school tomorrow
Matt...You need a CF landing gear. If you don't want to buy one from Randy Aero or Windy Aero, I have Windy's way of rolling your own, in a PDF. I tried to post it, but the file size is over 1,000kb, so it won't upload. Czech your email! :-[ Steve
Matt, Matt, Matt. You are young and we want you to live a lonnnggg time. So PLEASE wear a mask for painting, one that keeps out the fumes of the thinner as well as the paint particles. Your lungs and taste buds, liver and brain will thank you later on. Trust lme on this. Nuff said. y1 D>K They are available at Sears for one.
Matt,
Looks good so far. So, are you planning on backmasking all the trim to shoot on the base color (white, I think you said), or are you deciding to go with silver as the base color?
I like it so far. Remind me, how are you powering it?
I think the Confirmation was a Ted Fancher airplane.
Doesn't look much like the sketches I saw ???..............of course it still looks good.
Well,
With his experimental weight addition to a Tucker Special, Ted Fancher along with Brett, I think? Proved that adding weight is not necessarily a bad thing! D>K
Jim Pollock H^^
Well,As I recall, this situation was a result of the airplane not having enough line tension to impart control deflection . My understading was that by adding weight, they were able to get enough control deflection because of the higher tension, wheras before, the force required to deflect the surfaces was greater than the amount available from line tension . The Netzband wall effect
With his experimental weight addition to a Tucker Special, Ted Fancher along with Brett, I think? Proved that adding weight is not necessarily a bad thing! D>K
Jim Pollock H^^
>>I have noticed my quality in building skills have gone up with every plane I've built.<<
We all hope that. I still get better with each plane.
"(if you look real close, you can see some of the silver lifted, but didn't pull off the paint)."
Heat Matt, a little heat, a thin coat of clear before taping trim helps too.
Yeah, if I use silver again, I will do that. Every other plane I've painted there hasn't been any problem whatsoever in pulling up the paint, probably because I've used gray as a base, and not silver. I do think silver looks better, it is just hard to work with, well it's all a learning experience.
It'll still be a learning experience when your 60 Matt, but it's a great one.
Matt, Randy,
Guys don't get too obsessed with weight! Ted and Brett added 8 ounces to a Tucker Special and it actually flew a lot better than when it was lighter. Just keep them as light as possible and don't worry about it! n1
Jim Pollock y1
Well Matt, did you find out Grandpa is pulling the old April Fools joke on ya? If not, hope the plane is not hurt too bad. I have knocked planes off their hooks with no damage. H^^
All the talk of it being too heavy. I just figured the hook broke LL~ LL~
Tom
I really like your choice of engine decals Matt!
Well it done more or less! Bad thing is is that I had to add 2 ounces of nose weight to get it to balance (ugh), and the plane is bottom heavy. I don't know hiow much it weighs, and I really don't want to because of how heavy I think it is (hopefully my fears will not be true)
I'm going to bench run it tonight, make up the lines, and take some pics, and I'll post them.
Forget about the weight and enjoy your new plane Matt!
It's way more important a well trimmed plane than a couple extra ounces...
Wish you a successful maiden flight!
Claudio.
I thought I was worried about the weight of the plane, well, now I'm not so worried. When I bench ran the plane today, the amount of pull I felt holding onto the plane was tremendous for a 40 displacement. Then again, this is my first modern motor.
It really should fly good!!!
Well where's the picture man!!!??? You know, finished product!!