Some Questions About Ringmaster and Fox .35

Thanks Rusty, it looks like the 1963 EC J 80

Matt,

It looks like an S-1 with an S1-A canopy.

Don't worry about the old fabric, just sand it down and cover it. Try and use a darker covering than the old fabric.

Your's looks much better than what I started with.

Lose that perfect tank. It will be nothing but a pain. 10x5 APC is my go to prop on my Ringmaster although a 10x6 will work fine.

Ron

Thanks Ron.

The only other tank I have on hand is a 1oz Sullivan clunk tank. Could I take the clunk out and use that? I wanted to have it mostly complete by Thursday for an event. If I swing by the Hobbyshop tomorrow is there a specific tank I should look for?

You should use a tank that has 3.5 oz's of cpacity for maximum enjoyment. The Fox .35 is thirsty.  This tank is an excellent choice. It's plumbed correctly for a Fox leaving the fuel line close and short to the spraybar which is what you want.  

http://brodak.com/fuel/fuel-tank/deep-wedge-profile-standard-vent-fuel-tank-3.html    

Some good advice would be to cover the entire end cap of the tank (facing engine side) with 1/8" plywood epoxied onto the end cap. Fly with the top filler pipe blocked off with a piece of tubing and the yellow caps that come with the tank. Leave the bottom overflow open or place a piece of tubing on it with a cut angled into the wind. Launch slightly rich and go have a blast. Ken

Sullivan plastic tanks are only available in  increments of 2 oz's at a time, the closest being a 4 oz doesn't fit  on the nose of the Ring. However Sullivan makes 2 types. One plastic is white in color and opaque while the other is totally clear and flexible. The clear version is known as "Flexi" and it can be molded around the leading edge if you wanted a commercially available r/c tank. The flexible Sullivan tanks are also a bit more money. Ken

The remaining tissue on the airframe is fine. It will add weight, but as long as the ship isn't porky then don't worry about it. The film is lighter than the painted tissue in all likelihood so it will all work out.

If you feel you must remove due to poor surface or because the airframe is heavy then a chemical stripper that you can neutralize, or using solvent (acetone) and paper towel will get it off. If you go this route strip the fuse too so you can refinish with hopefully lighter results.

Phil

Matt,

There are a ton of things I could write to help. What are you planning on doing with this thing? Besides the obvious that is.

Don't use the ply control horn indefinitely. You will want to replace that with a nylon one and the longer the better. 20 degrees of elevator deflection is more than sufficient.

Also the perfect tank as mounted in the second picture is correct. The pickup is the outermost tube away from the fuse. Still think you should toss it though.

Is that Fox new?

I should've mentioned this in my prior post. Your Fox has a OS plug installed within it. While this plug may work, it also could cause a huge amount of headaches. OS plugs aren't of the correct length. While the heat range may or not be correct a R/C long plug with idle bar is what the Fox .35 needs for optimal running.  I'm not a fan of Fox plugs for various reasons but they will work. These may be the easiest and readily available to find for you. My choice is the Thunderbolt r/c longs followed by Sig r/c longs and K&B 1 L and also Fireball hot. Mccoy mc-59's are another option available through Tower Hobbies.

Your needle valve if left in the stock length with the knob on it will quickly be removed when the plane flips over. It will happen I can assure you of it. Cut the knob off with side cutters and deburr. Bend the top of the needle valve over making it L shaped leaving a  leg on the short side approx 3/8" long. When bolted onto the Ring it would slightly be protected now by the fuse and not subjected to having the high grass or ground break it off.

Something also to consider, your plane would benefit from having a pushrod guide on it midway between the stab and trailing edge. A safety pin with the hasp cut off works great. Just leave approx 1" of legs on the pin keeping the coiled end. Unhook the pushrod and install the coiled end over the wire. When satisfied with position, poke it into the fuse and test for binding. When satisfied, epoxy in.

The wooden control horn on your Ring is stock. At this time in age, I would say it's been subjected to oil soaking and or delaminating due to the low grade ply that was provided in the kit. That horn is responsible for more wrecks than I can count. I would consider cutting it off and use a nylon control horn that's at least 1 1/4" long. Don't use a short horn. The controls of a Ring are too fast now. Using the taller horn will tame overcontrolling and stalling of the wing. Start with the pushrod in the hole furthest away from the control surface and work it back one hole at a time until satisfied with control and turning rate. Ken

You can also knock the nail out of a pop-rivet and glue it into the worn wooden control horn to renew and extend the life of the perfectly good wood horn. I have done it and I have seen it done by others.

Replacing the horn is also pretty easy too, wood or plastic.

The horn should have a tight fitting hole to the push rod, and should be structurally sound.

Phil

Matt,

Glad to see you picking up CL. If you meet up with Rusty he can surely help to get you going.

Here is a link to my Ringmaster resto. It has some good info from the members here. Some of it may be a repeat, but some will be new.

https://www.coxengineforum.com/t3784-ebay-ringmaster-resto-finishing-pics?highlight=Ringmaster

Here is the Joe Nall video, I don't think it ever got posted.

Hey Matt, that was pretty cool! The old Fox .35 stunt is a pretty sweet engine! It's a good thing that your mini-bike engine doesn't run with that 4-2 break.. If you did a wheelie; you'd end up on your butt!!! I have an old Fox .35 stunt too and also a .29 stunt. I'm told that the .29 stunt is also a great running engine. It is slightly "heavier".. because of the smaller bore in the steel cylinder liner. I would have loved to have been able to attend that day, with you and Rusty.

I just got a mental image of a 4-2 wheelie   

Good flying Matt, I thing Rusty already posted it, but I enjoyed watching it again.

Ringmasters Rule! Flight Streaks Drool......  

Juuuust Kidding Rusty   

Hahaha, that's a fact! I'm glad I could be there. I wish I'd had more time to spend but it was a great surprise hooking up with you, Matt.
Rusty