Ringmaster Jr Kit S5

Thanks for the tip Ken. I unfortunately tried that with no luck. I had to cut an access hole in the wing and remove it. I tried what you said, but I then remembered that I applied CA all around the cutouts for the leadouts, so it was rock solid, and not going anywhere. I even had a tough time cutting it out. But it is all repaired. I tried going in from the bottom, then hit my mounting plate with teh first cut downwards, so went in from the top. Cut out a 1" square hole. I reinstalled the piece and glued it all around the edges. I will just put a decal over the repair!

Good idea Ken , i have a Baby Clown that has a glitch in the controls and haven't been able to get it out i will try this . Glad you got that fixed Chancey , Decal O Yes !!

To avoid this problem in the future, open the holes larger in the ribs. The other is to start using shrink tubing on your leadouts allowing it to cover the termination in it's entirety. Make certain that the tubing where it ends on the opposing side of the termination isn't impacted in anyway by the next adjoining rib. You will no longer have these issues and in areas where it's quite tight, this method can allow for smooth friction free controls.

To avoid this problem in the future, open the holes larger in the ribs. The other is to start using shrink tubing on your leadouts allowing it to cover the termination in it's entirety. Make certain that the tubing where it ends on the opposing side of the termination isn't impacted in anyway by the next adjoining rib. You will no longer have these issues and in areas where it's quite tight, this method can allow for smooth friction free controls.

Last night I finished up a fuel tank for my Ringmaster Jr. Nothing too fancy, but proud of it. I built it with standard venting, and not uniflow as per suggestion from a fellow club member. I still have to figure out how to clean the outside and what to flush the inside with before using. As well, I have to do a test for leaks, but just blowing in it with two tubes plugged, I could not see or hear anything.

Hea man that is Nice !! for a scratch build , looks factory I will keep that in mind Ken , before i covered the wing it wasn't binding ?? O well have to get it off the wall and see if i can clean up the problem.

Nice looking tank Chancey! Acetone or lacquer-thinner should be used to flush-out the tank. I would leak-test the tank in in a clear glass jar or bowl, filled with enough water to cover the tank. Cap the vents and pressurize the feed-tube using some tight-fitting fuel-line.. and either a empty fuel-bulb or syringe. Look for bubbles.. and if you see any; note the location and re-solder the leaking joint. Repeat the leak-test until the tank holds pressure without any signs of bubbles.

Just curious.. what the tanks' capacity is... in ounces/cc's? By the looks.. I would guess it's around 2oz.. ? Did you size it for the Fox .15X engine to be able to fly the pattern?

Thanks. I will test for leaks yet before cleaning the inside. As for size, I went off a picture online with dimensions and a scrap one I had here. I believe it is between 2 -2 1/2 ounces. I will find out when I fill it up. It was not honestly intended to fly the stunt pattern, but rather fit in the space available. The only stunt i can do proficiently is a figure 9! thanks for asking.

So, for now, I still do not have a measurement of volume, but the tank was just water tested for leaks and passed with none! As of a few minutes ago, I have put about an ounce of thinners inside the tank to clean out the inside. I gave it a good shake around and have it resting on the 'peak', upside down for a few hours, with a shake every once in a while. Later, I will rest it on its flat side to sit and soak for the night. Tomorrow morning, I will suck out what I can, then fill with alcohol or fuel to flush it out before mounting om the Ringmaster. Thanks for the help.

Congratulations on passing the leak-test.. and on the 1st try! That's significant. How do you plan to attach the tank to the model?

roddie wrote:Congratulations on passing the leak-test.. and on the 1st try! That's significant. How do you plan to attach the tank to the model?

Thanks roddie. Now, that is the question I am trying to figure out right now. I know of a few methods to mount it, but I am seriously and really considering trying to mount is using velcro. It will allow adjustment, as well as give a slight cushion so as not to hopefully bubble. Either way, I did still plan on wrapping a couple rubber bands around the tank and fuselage as added security. I will get into mounting the tank in a little bit as I gotta run out for a bit right now. And I will post a picture when I get it done.

NEW222 wrote:

roddie wrote:Congratulations on passing the leak-test.. and on the 1st try! That's significant. How do you plan to attach the tank to the model?

Thanks roddie. Now, that is the question I am trying to figure out right now. I know of a few methods to mount it, but I am seriously and really considering trying to mount is using velcro. It will allow adjustment, as well as give a slight cushion so as not to hopefully bubble. Either way, I did still plan on wrapping a couple rubber bands around the tank and fuselage as added security. I will get into mounting the tank in a little bit as I gotta run out for a bit right now. And I will post a picture when I get it done.

Yes.. I like the hook and loop (Velcro) approach for the padding.. and adjustability. Regarding securing the tank with rubber bands, you could easily install x4 small 3mm dia. hardwood dowels "horizontally" on the inboard side of the nose (opposite the tanks' footprint..) as posts for the rubber-bands to wrap around. It's a simple and lightweight way to do it. It makes raising/lowering the tank to find the sweet-spot.. an easier task. Once you've flown enough flights to know the best position.. you can then go for a more sturdy/permanent mount. I'm not an advocate of "gluing" a tank in place. That's a bit too permanent.. and a slightly out-of-balance prop (due to a prop-change) could cause that profile-nose to vibrate like a diving-board.. creating bubbles in the fuel. You don't need those problems.

I've never found Velcro to be successful. The adhesive is impacted by any residual fuel. When you try and pull the tank off, the adhesive fails and it either sticks to the tank or the body. Tanks can be mounted in various methods. J bolts can be glued into the ply doubler, wire hooks can also be substituted. A thin metal strap can also be used which is generally what I do once I'm settled on tank height. If your not flying maneuvers other than a occasional loop I wouldn't worry about tank height. If tank height is suspect, it will be noticed in a outside maneuver or inverted. Assuming your starting point has the pickup approximately centerline of venturi, the engine will go rich in these maneuvers. Therefore, the tank will need to be raised.

Ok. Thanks Ken. I will just look at 'j bolts' or the like then.

Ok. It is finally officially finished! Got the tank mounted and plane balanced today. Took 3/4 ounce of weight on the tail to get it to balance nose down at 20%. And as for mounting the tank, I drilled holes in the opposite side doubler and screwed in 4 small screws, 2 on top, and 2 on the bottom. I then strectched a rubber band around the tank in front and in the back of the tank, then hooked to the lower screws on the other side. I hooked up a fuel line and called it done! Now to wait for a nice day outside so I can make up a set of lines for this plane. I am contemplating using 30lb spectra fishing line still too.

Ready for some Air time , i am sure you are glad its done so to move to the next project !!

The Ringmaster looks awesome. I too have only flown 1/2A airplanes. I have a couple Goldberg shoestrings, I’m thinking about building one after I finish my current 6 or 7 projects,

While I use a lot of Fox engines, one thing to remember is that almost every spraybar they made is just poor in design. The fuel tubing just loves to pop off and generally when the plane is in a poor recovery attitude. It's always a good practice to wrap a small piece of copper wire around the tubing to tighten it up.

Thanks Ken. I'll take a look and see what I can do.

Plane looks great, nice job on the tank. Ken is right on about the spray bar's on the fox, they need some small wire or twisty tie to hold that fuel line on.  would love to see how she

Everything just looks right on that plane . I like the paint job , the Fox .15 , the home made tank ( very nice job on the tank ) , a real classic ! Makes me want to build one .

Mike1484

Thank you all for the help as well as the kind and encouraging words. It is greatly appreciated. With all of that behind me, I hope the plane heard them as well and treats me right!