Cessna 180 (kit 601) build questions

[Seeker]

I can only agree about less glue is better, I'm rapidly learning that taking 30 secs extra to make sure any excess is wiped up saves 30 mins sanding!

But again, what's the advantage with thinner glue, is it easier to apply or something?

[StefanJ]

You can brush on thinned glue with a brush. It's neater and easier to apply than full strength white / yellow glue, and for the purpose of apply tissue it is all that is required!

I have a few cheap brushes for the purpose. I keep the thinned glue in an Adam's peanut butter jar. Glass jar with a metal lid and a rubber seal.

[Seeker]

Ah, so it's used thin for tissue fixing, but "full strength" for wood fixing?

[ADW 123]

typically. people have all sorts of methods, but when it comes to attaching tissue with white glue, thinned is the way to go.

[StefanJ]

D'OH!

I don't know if it was me being careless, or a wind blowing through my apartment, but the fuselage of my Cessna, which I'd just applied glue to, ended up on top of a wing. The pieces ended up sticking. Tried as I might to pry them apart carefully, two spots of tissue were torn from the wing's upper surface.

I replaced the torn panel last night and sprayed it this morning.

Next up, trimming the edges of the fuselage tissue. I'm not sure whether to do this before or after doping. I figure the edges will be brittle, and easy to sand, afterwards. Any ideas?

[ADW 123]

before. also run a brush on it with a little glue to glue it down. then a fine grade sand paper's sand will make it nice and smooth.

[StefanJ]

before. also run a brush on it with a little glue to glue it down. then a fine grade sand paper's sand will make it nice and smooth.

Thanks! This model is going to look pretty shabby, but I'm learning a lot for next time.

[StefanJ]

I'm finally at the point where I can put the tissued, doped parts together.

The plans are not as helpful as they could be here. It's fairly obvious how the wings and horizontal stab go on. But the rudder and wing struts, not so much.

The plans suggest scraping away tissue where wood is glued to wood. This is the case of the rudder, I'm guessing. There's a stringer right under where the rudder goes. But it is covered with tissue . . . un-glued-on tissue. That is, the panel is secured at the edges but not in the middle.

The wing strut has a similar problem at the wing end. There's a bit of balsa strip where it is supposed to mount, but it too is beneath tightened tissue.

What's the strategy here? It seems sad and wrong to cut and slit nicely shrunk and doped tissue.

I got impatient and slit the fuselage-top tissue to expose the stringer the rudder is glued to . . . right or wrong?

[ADW 123]

really it works either way. i would sand down the tissue so it gets that fuzzy look, and so that the balsa is BARELY pokeing through. this will give you a better bond to the frame, instead of the tissue.

[StefanJ]

So, let the glue soak through the scuffed / sanded tissue? Gotcha.

[StefanJ]

I'm asking this question here, rather than the new build thread, because I'm almost done and don't want to jump the gun!

I put the rubber in my Cessna, and managed to peg it in place with the dowel.

The propeller / hook assembly seems awful loosy-goosy. I can picture the band falling off of the hook, resulting in having to repeatedly fish out the rubber and reseating it.

It is common to tie the rubber to the hook?

Also, still having no joy in getting the windshield material to stick. So close . . .

[ADW 123]

I would try closing the gap of the hook with some plyers. make sure there is still some room to put the rubber on. Soulds like you are worried about the rubber falling off of the prop shaft's hook because the hook is pretty big.... Let me know if it is something else.

[Phugoid]

Be carefull closing the loop with pliers, if the "bulge" in the loop does not land up being in line with the shaft it can can cause the whole thing to vibrate. A simple solution is to buy a pack of "water bombs" or very small party baloons. If you cut the neck part off (ie the thick bit) you get a very small band which you can wrap around the rubber, and then slide it up behind the hook, thus keeping things in place, whilst still allowing it to be removed for winding......

If you don't know what I mean then I can take a picture, just let me know.

Andrew

[ADW 123]

i believe people have also used rubber (really plastic) bendy tubing for this with good sucess. both of them work.

[supercruiser]

Ugh, and to rub things in, I don't have enough long pieces of stringer material to make the required five stringers.

Sometimes I run into a similar situation. What you might have been able to do is take your sheet of stringer stock and with a straight edge and razor is continue the cut for the stringers all the way to the end of the stock sheet. Sometimes this will provide enough long pieces, then again, buying a some extra 1/16 sticks and having it on hand helps, too.