Topic: D80 to D100 metamorphosis

Hi Will

looking really good mate.

1 question though - if you are going to take a mould off this, do you really need to add a spar?

Tim

I hear you Tim. But How will I get the spar in the correct place in the mould? And how many scraps will be made in the process?
I can cut my hole slightly oversize (But as close as posible) and tune it to the tip panel to be sure it is perfect.
Then when I pull the mould I will put the joiners in the wings and mould around them.
This means I can use the joiners to line the spar up in the mould and be sure it is spot on in the correct place.

Like Joe has done.here http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost.php?p=17593105&postcount=137

Although I may only pull a hand full at best, this is again a test bed to learn and practice. The next moulds I make I hope to make production standard and hopefully Sell some models to you lads. Already have the design, and plugs (well need to collect them). thinking of a 1 piece wing and a 3 piece wing for travel. We will see how it goes. Still need to learn more, And prove I can do it to my self.

Will

P.S. Thanx Stuart

Are you putting a spar in that bagged plug? If so, I might be able to help with another option.

Are you putting a spar in that bagged plug? If so, I might be able to help with another option.

That was the plan.
But as soon as I started it soon became clear that it would not be easy.
So I damaged my core a bit. And stopped for a rethink.
I am now thinking of ways to do it in the mould and am very open to advice.
At the moment I am continuing to smooth the cores down, remove all the dents I have put in by pushing too hard, and from trying to spar it.
Then I will back to the sparing plan. but I am thinking of splashing, and then litrally cutting them into the mould. May not be easy to get accurate so Yes Joe, what you got for me?

I would take my joiner boxes and glue them into the tip panels. Use the joiners to help keep everything aligned. Then, sand up i/2 the length of a joiner. Clear out the foam in the plug so you can glue it in. Make some slots in the foam so the glue can tie into the skin of the plug. Slide the smooth side of the sanded joiner into the tip panel and add some wax to so no epoxy can seep in between the joiner and the box and wrap some clear tape around the root of the tip so nothing can stick to it. Then brush a bunch of thickened epoxy into the hollowed out area of the center section. You will need enough glue so you get some squeeze out once you slide the joiner in. Wet out the sanded end of the joiner with the thickened epoxy as well. Then mate the tip panel to the center and mock up on the bench so all your angles are spot on. Once the glue cures the joiner will be permanently glued into the center panel at the proper angle. Then slide off the tip and you good to go. You can use this same method later to get all your pins aligned. If need be, you can make a couple of ribs with the joiner and pin holes milled out and slide in some pins and a joiner keeping the ribs a few inches apart. This will give you a jig with proper alignment. Glue it up and use it to set your pins in the tip panels first then use the first method to transfer the locations to the center section. Hope that didnt sound too complicated. The first method I use 5min epoxy. It is a 10 minute process once your tips are outfitted with the boxes.

This is a great project Will, thanks for sharing it with us. Advice from the master too, very cool  I hope it ends up as you wish, Steve

Its gone a bit Quiet on this build for a while Will, any updates or is it on hold at the mo 

  Stuart.

Yes.
hope to make a mould for the joiner this weekend.
Trying a new filler caller poraver. makes much lighter moulds with less resin and just as strong as sand. But much easier to work with.

Wing is nearly there from a smoothness point. I cut it to length last week and faced the sides off 2 nights ago. but needs another layer of glass as it seems a bit too week.

I think I have a method to put index pins and joiner / spar details in.

The clock is ticking as the opti mould tooling resin arrived today, and has a 6 week shelf life, so within the next 3 weeks I will have to have it splashed. I have all the ingrediance to do the lay up (200g carbon, 400g carbon, lots of tows 1.5kg resin, kevlar, peel ply, release film, lanor core mat.) Could have a wing before the end of summer.

At the moment i am planing on just using my d80 fuz. if its good i will start fixing the broken fuz and stab.

Will try take some pics.

Good to hear that its still coming along nicely Will 
Look forward to hearing more & seeing a few pics
Keep it up Will

  Stuart.

Did a bit more last night.

Think I finally have a picture in my head of how I will get the sparing / ends to work.
I have cut the holes into the sides, and plan to glass them tonight with a wing joiner, and 2 index pins that will be held in position by 2 templates 20mm apart. Will see if I can get some pics tonight. def more to show at the mo.

pictures as promised
This is the wing mid smoothing, just after a coat of primer to see how it looked. more work required.

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couldn't resit, the light'i up mam tor holding the d40.

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Wing faced and gluing in the joiner. It has been waxed, and just popes out. I will make a small joiner to put in for when I splash, and this will be used to position the spar when closing.

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Half a wing joiner mould.

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Was hoping to finish it this weekend but as light'i is turning 2 on Sunday, there will be no time.

Will try be a bit better at taking pics, hoping to do allot over the next couple of months, just need to remember the camera.

Will

Thanks for posting the pics Will    Look forward to seeing & reading more soon please 

  Stuart.

more about this later. in the mean time some pics.

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the sections where taken of off the tips.
the left one looks good, but the right one looks a bit wrong on the trailing edge. about 1.5mm at the trailing edge.

So as can be told from my trail I had a good night in the loft last night.
I stopped this for a bit to get some more motivation. it seemed like a lot of work and no results. so I have been playing with some carbon, building some wings and got a feeling of completion.

But

The thing that really got me down was when I noticed my cores where not perfect. 1 is good, and the other not.
I cant check the centre that accurately without cutting it, so will hope for the best with that. and now look to the future. I have 3 ideas in mind.
1 as it is pretty much linear, I could try sand it back to section.
2 I could cut one of the skins, bend it correct, and then re-glass.
3 I could get new cores cut and start again (Its always quicker the third time)
4 or I could just leave it and trim it correct.

None of these really seem like the best thing to do, What happened to Tony fu?? He would know what to do.

So for now I will think about it some more, maybe speak to others to get some perspective, and then get stuck in and Finnish this project.

Well at long last I have managed to get going with this. Or I will decide to stop.

I have started to flat it back some more, done a repair to the trailing edge where it got knocked, and well it needs some more filling and sanding.

lets see how this goes