Still cold and still snowing.

I've spent my time lately between prepping the modified Vector for paint, clearing the driveway of snow and chipping ice from the cellar door step. The temp. got into the high 30's yesterday for the first time in a couple weeks. 8 degrees right now at 0630.
I tried using tissue on the Vector fuse. and it came out a little better than the last attempt. I gave it several coats of clear dope and then mixed talcum powder into the dope for a filler. That is the real old school way of prepping for paint. This is the first time I've tried it since reading about it in the 50's.

Cold and snow.

It warmed up to 16 degrees and snowed 3 inches today. Wednesday night there is forecast a big storm coming again.
I got the ARF Twister in the box about a week ago. It's been too cold to do any painting so I stripped the Vector. The covering came off hard and left a lot of adhesive on the wood. It took two days to get the bulk of it off. The wing and stab tips are curved quite a bit so I added a half inch to each stab tip and squared it off. The wing tips are carved balsa and I finally decided to pop them off and make a wedge out of foam and put it at the leading edge so it sticks out an inch farther and the trailing edge is glued to the wing like it was in the first place. Much easier than making new tips. The original had a nose rounded off for a 1-3/4" spinner. I can't get any of my props to fit into that small of a spinner so I cut a half inch off the nose and built it up to take a 2" spinner. I moved the turtle deck forward 4" and will put either the original canopy or a bought one. I also added 2" to the rear which moves the fin back and changes the look. I also squared off the fin shape.I had to add shear webs to the spars and trailing edge sheeting. I took that opportunity to straighten the wing. Now it's pretty much up to fill and sand. Probably cover it with paper. I don't know yet what I'll do with the wing and stab.

I did it.

I made some quick lines on the wing and decieded that would be the best way to go. A little heat and the graphics came off and I painted the stripes on the wing. Clear coats and alignment to go.

Slippery Tuesday.

I added some graphics to the ARF and started painting the fuselage yesterday. I put two coats of paint on the fin/rudder and it covered very well. The flaps and elevator are hinged and the flaps have had the pin pulled from the hinges and removed for shipping. I still have to clear coat the fuse. and align the wing and stab and cut away any covering that will be in the final glue joint. I had to make the shipping box longer as this wing is two inches longer than the Vector. Should work out all right. I've been looking at the Vector and will remove the covering and change some things to make it look more like I built it. Wing and stab and rudder tips maybe move the canopy forward and change it's shape. I already did away with the fiberglass cowl and made balsa sides so the engine is in the open air but hidden from the sides. I can get a look at the control leadouts to make sure they are not hitting anything inside the wing. With the rain on the snow there should be a crust when the temp goes down. I may be able to fly off the crust at the school. I just had an idea on the ARF. Remove the graphics and paint on a flowing design over the bare covering then clear it. Then again I could add a second layer of covering over the painted areas.
I had found a thermometer at the dump a few years ago and never bothered to use it. I found it was way off and there was a screw on the back that moved the face so I moved it so the temp read what the temp was and put it in the basement shop. 55 degrees. Probably should have left it in the garage. Or turn the screw up 15 more degrees.

Getting colder.

I've covered both planes finally. The new stuff works very well and I have to find out what to clean it with before paint. There is a coating on the film that allows the paint to stick and I don't want to remove it.
After the trip to the dentist yesterday I figured there would be moderate "discomfort". A jolt of Nyquil at bedtime and nothing since. I'm surprised after what it took to get the second root out. I guess that's why he makes the big bucks.
We are not the only ones to have problems because of the other dentist. My barber is loosing most or all of his teeth because of sloppy x-rays. They didn't show the end of the root and lots are abcessed. I told the barber I call it unprofessional but it's really malpractice.
0.1 degrees this morning and forecast below zero tomorrow morning.

New covering.

I got the 100 feet of clear iron on covering on Saturday. I covered the tail pieces of the Lightning and it works pretty good. I got the wing for the new Twister just about ready for covering as well as the Lightning. I may have to hook up the old spray gun for the painting.
Still cold and a lot more snow is forecast for Tues. night and Wed. It's supposed to be clear for our appointments.

Still cold.

I put the fiberglass on the Lightning today with poly crylic paint. Then I got the idea to mix that with the primer to fill the weave of the cloth. One part primer and two parts poly crylic. It's drying now and looks like it might work. The stab/elev is finished and I made the fin/rudder for the Twister. I tried to make some wire gear using old gear but it didn't work out. I removed some aluminum gear from another plane and installed that. I went to the new hobby shop in Plainfield and got the only piece of 3/32" balsa he had. All cars and crap. I made up plenty of ribs for the wing and cut slots for the spars. I have to get a tray to soak the leading edges so I can mold them. Engine is mounted too. The covering should be in soon.

Cold again.

I finished framing up the stab. and elevator on the new Twister. I used the plans for the Pathfinder for the design of the ribs. It's stronger than the first one I did. I got some 1/2 ounce fiberglass today for the Lightning. Too cold to do anything else.
I've always not liked the way a new dentist takes all kinds of x-rays when you first go. A waste of money. Well I've since changed my mind. My last dentist, I'll call him shithead, had treated me for over 20 years. Shithead had a foot cut off a year ago and hasn't opened since. I now go to a dentist in Groton. She took lots of x-rays and I remembered having a root canal by shithead on a tooth. The x-rays showed no root canal. I was perplexed to say the least. Sitting through a root canal isn't something you would forget. The x-rays did show a problem with that tooth and I was referred to a specialist in root canals. Again x-rays. The specialist asked if I had had a root canal on the tooth and I said "I swear to God that I did but the x-rays say otherwise". She said I'm not so sure. The tooth is a two rooter and a root canal was done on one of the roots and not the other. Incompetence at it's finest or mal practice. I've had three root canals done by shithead and lost the first two teeth for strange reasons. Now the third is coming out too. Ma goes to the same dentists and they found a root canal that only went half way down the root. It was saveable. Too bad shithead didn't lose both feet.

Cool down coming.

We went to the school this afternoon. I got in 3 flights total. 2 with the Padre and 1 with the Snow Fox. I had cut some of the monokote hinges to loosen the controls on the Fox and it worked well. I put a 1 degree shim under the engine on the Padre and that helped the overhead tension . I also removed the gap sealing and tried a different style seal. I put a piece of scotch tape top and botrtom that covers the gap. It is stuck to the stab. trailing edge flowing back over the elevator leading edge. I didn't notice any difference from the other type seal except the controls are looser. There wasn't any thermals at all today as it was overcast and the melting snow made for wet landings.
After cleaning the planes I started on an ARF version of the Twister. I got the fuse. cut out and motor mounts glued in. I'm planning on a 1/2" thick stab in this one. The wing will be cap striped so it will be 1/16" fatter all around.

Indian winter?

The temps have been in the 40's and 50's for the last few days. I used it to get in some flying and trimming on the Padre. It's flying better than before the mods but still not as good as the Twister. I made it to the club field for the first flight of the year. For the first time the parking area was full and there was planes in the air. Very light winds helped a lot. I got in a once around the field flight and headed for home. We went to the school in the afternoon and got in 3 flights. I had installed an OS .46 on the Padre. I found that I had originally made the plane for the OS engine and didn't need an adapter. I've made a few tweaks last night and hope to test them today. It's quite foggy now but is supposed to clear up around noon.
I found some clear iron on covering that comes in 100 foot rolls or more. $35.00 a roll and it's 15.5 inches wide. Plenty to cover the wings. I may cover the fuse. with it. It's treated to be paintable which is good. I may get some 1/2 ounce fiberglass cloth for the fuse too.
I started the hot rod and let it run for a half hour or so yesterday. We took the El Camino to the school. I washed the Saturn and truck while I was outside.