BMFA Gyminnie Cricket

Dont plan to Andy

Am now pretty much onto the final bits now, fin added and just got to make a wire hook for the drill, fit the rubber band and nose with prop and shrink the paper. Have found perfect bottle for the spray- Nit solution haha, courtesy of my 3 year old neice who started nursery recently and has acquired the little buggers, spray bottle is empty and needs a good clean so will try that out and hopefully get rid of the wrinkles.

Question guys, I need to add plastacine to the nose to balance level, what is the best way of making sure it is level?

DON'T SHRINK THE PAPER SARAH!

ooooo ok confused.com, lol which aint hard for me, thought i was supposed to wet it now slightly to get it to shrink?

I posted that one quickly as I wanted to get the message across.

If you water shrink it, it'll warp the structure out of shape. I know, because that's what my daughter did with hers some 15 or so years ago. Indoor models such as the GC like the odd wrinkles. It causes turbulence next to the skin and energises the airflow causing it to stay 'attached' to the wing for longer. Paradoxically, this makes the wing more efficient. It only works for indoor and slow flying models though.

So, GC like wrinkles, don't try to shrink them out.

If you want smooooooth paper to cover your model with, iron it first before you cover it. If you iron it with a steam iron, it'll cause some pre-shrinkage too which is also a good thing.

Ah thank you , I did wonder if it would distort the balsa frame a bit, was just talking to my dad about how on earth could I pin it down flat to prevent the wood warping whilst spraying it- impossible now it is all together.

ndoor models such as the GC like the odd wrinkles. It causes turbulence next to the skin and energises the airflow causing it to stay 'attached' to the wing for longer. Paradoxically, this makes the wing more efficient. It only works for indoor and slow flying models though.

That makes sense, would that apply to the frog too? Am assuming that is slow flying as well?
(was contemplating ironing it under a tea towel prior to applying)

Yes Sarah, That does apply to the Frog, and any other indoor duration model if it comes to that.

No need to use a towel to iron the tissue, just go in there with the iron. I normally use a steam iron on the lowest steam setting if I ever iron mine, but I normally get away with the raw tissue un-ironed.

STREWTH about time you showed up, here i am, scratching me head, trying to remember things that i did 300 years ago, and we have a most respected free/ flight/full size jocky available,
I should have said pin it down and shrink it, but Andy reckons dont wet to shrink, farynuff, i have to bend to better knowledge, its wot makes us great

Cheers guys
Ok, Doh me! Put the motor stick on the wrong way hahah, thus couldnt get the prop to fit on the front as the wood was too wide (looking at it you can see the wood slightly elongates to accomodate the prop) problem sorted with a slight sand making sure the prop is straight.

Now it says I need to add plastacine to the nose to balance it, hmmm am slightly worried this already feels nose heavy as it is....any tips guys? Can I add plastacine further along the motor stick and what is the best way to make sure it is balanced (sorry for asking such noobie questions )

Sarah
I presume the balance point is marked on the plan?
As long as you have built it to the plan then add weight right at the front or back to get it to balance at the required point.
When you have got it balanced try a gentle glide (and in a location where it is less likely to get damaged) to see what happens.
The plan balance point is a good starting point but the weight may need adjusting to get a nice smooth glide.

Having stuck my head above the parapet it will be interesting to see what Alan has to say.

Quorneng wrote: Sarah
I presume the balance point is marked on the plan?
As long as you have built it to the plan then add weight right at the front or back to get it to balance at the required point.
When you have got it balanced try a gentle glide (and in a location where it is less likely to get damaged) to see what happens.
The plan balance point is a good starting point but the weight may need adjusting to get a nice smooth glide.

Having stuck my head above the parapet it will be interesting to see what Alan has to say.

Says to add plastacine to the nose, thats where the arrow points- not sure that is a good idea, it is already pretty nose heavy when you rest the fusalage in your hand- which is the only way I am holding it to check balance, as no idea how to do it lol! But am resting it with the pylon on my palm, not sure if should be resting it further down or not, or......see these are things a novice needs to know- instructions, nada!!!

hold it with pylon resting in palm and it seems pretty balanced already, let it rest on your palm to the right of the pylon (towards the tail) and it tips foward nose down.

test glide it, and determine from there if it is balanced, put weight anywhere you like, i used to put small amounts of fine lead in the plastacine smaller the amount, less drag it makes,

have we discussed motor lube yet?

alan cantwell wrote: test glide it, and determine from there if it is balanced, put weight anywhere you like, i used to put small amounts of fine lead in the plastacine smaller the amount, less drag it makes,

have we discussed motor lube yet?

lube? PMSL sowwieee, northern dirty mind :woohoo:



scuse the croaky voice, i have man flu!!

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationSO predictable :whistle: lubing the rubber (there she goes again) will make it last longer, and give more OOMPH to the motor, if i remember, its a mix of glycerine and water??? anyway, you can get it ready mixed, dont use a lot,



i may even have some somewhere, and a winder, i have a posh battery powered winder, with a counter, MUCH better than the finger, DONT !!!!!!!!

Ooooo Matron rofl

Sent dad on an errand to find a piece of metal to make into a winder for a drill, which is lucky I have one muhahahaha (cos thats what the instructions say, make a hook using 1mm steel wire and secure in a hand drill chucfk- hahaha, yeah right, like I can be trusted with a hand drill!!!! )

Well it flies, in a fashion!! wooooooooooot! If it stays as calm as it is right now, and depending on how the man flu is will go for a walk in the park later and try it out. Just scared of ripping it!

The initial test glide looked fine to me Sarah.....now put it back in the box before you break it and wait for a calm day/evening outside or your next indoor meeting before you go any further.

You can amuse yourself in the meantime by building something else!

....and before I forget, Excellent Job well done You!