Oriental ARF assembly

rogermharris wrote:Certainly looking more sporty.  Can't wait to do some larger builds...

Thanks, Roger. I maidened it last Tuesday and posted a flight report in "Flying Discussions." I never seem to completely finish the cosmetic parts before I get it all greasy.
Rusty

RknRusty wrote:

rogermharris wrote:Certainly looking more sporty.  Can't wait to do some larger builds...

Thanks, Roger. I maidened it last Tuesday and posted a flight report in "Flying Discussions." I never seem to completely finish the cosmetic parts before I get it all greasy.
Rusty

LOL! Yea. It makes it a bit harder to get things to stick once it's covered in oil. I re I read the report. Very informative. I have enjoyed following the build the short time I've been here

I  see a 500 point pattern in the making. Put a small pin in the bottom of your pilot. He will look real funny bouncing around in there if he comes loose.

Ken Cook wrote:I  see a 500 point pattern in the making. Put a small pin in the bottom of your pilot. He will look real funny bouncing around in there if he comes loose.

Hot damn, I'd take that! Those top end points are the hardest to get. Little things like Takeoff and Landing, Level Flight and smooth pullouts and transitions. My best ever was in October I amazingly scored a 417.5 in the Profile event with the Osprey, but I think the judges were excessively generous. It was Dave Wenzel and the guy from Florida who's name I can never remember.

I hated burying the tip of my knife in that top sheeting. I don't know how deep it is, 1/16" I guess. I thought I felt a stringer, but when I took the oval of covering off it turned out to be a glue joint in a seam that I had felt. I worried the whole time about screwing its structural integrity, like cutting a T-top in a sports car. Rather than black dope, I considered a patch of charcoal colored sandpaper, bit it was getting late and I'm lazy, so black dope it was. Aerogloss, actually. I hope epoxy sticks to it. I think it will. I'll scuff it out of the groove. And I'll put a pinhole in the canopy and fuselage to keep it from fogging or popping loose in the hot sun.
Rockin' Rusty

1: you forgot to paint something on the helmet, even if it is just your name.

2: repeat after me "I will cut installed film on sheeting with a soldering iron" you can thank me later, or not, but you will wonder why you ever tried using knives to cut installed film on sheeting

Phil.

pkrankow wrote:1: you forgot to paint something on the helmet, even if it is just your name.

Ah good point, thanks. A name commonly goes on the fuse under the canopy too, right?

pkrankow wrote:2: repeat after me "I will cut installed film on sheeting with a soldering iron"  you can thank me later, or not, but you will wonder why you ever tried using knives to cut installed film on sheeting

Phil.

Thanks. Actually I've used a soldering iron or a red hot knife blade since my first roll of Ultracote, but in this case I wanted to also puncture the wood, so there would be no question of where to gouge my groove for the canopy to seat in.
Rusty

I wouldn't worry too much about the canopy and cutting through the stringers. Obviously not a good practice but it didn't seem to hurt mine. I put mine straight in from the top of the circle. I totally obliterated the aluminum spinner. Wings were toothpicks. I didn't know they could shatter in that many pieces. I weighed the idea of rebuilding it and once I started into it, I threw it out. These were not designed with repairing in mind. The wing construction of this plane doesn't resemble the wing of the kit version. I saved the fuse which is actually in very good condition. If you need a fuse, I have one for you. The cowling is cracked in multiple places and I also broke the backplate of the engine. All in all a good crash if I must say so myself. But, the canopy stayed intact and on the plane and the front end didn't shatter off.    

Damn, that was quite a wreck! If I need a fuse I'll let you know. Could happen. Was it under power when it hit?

I got my canopy on, not as professional looking as I had hoped, but it won't come off. And it looks great from 10 feet away. I tapped the tongue muffler and installed it. The CG moved back a little, still forward of the edge of the sheeting, but I don't expect it'll bother me. I keep forgetting to check the vertical CG. I ordered a nice Great Planes black spinner with an aluminum backplate. I'll get my decals on in time to fly Tuesday.

The weight is now down to 44.8 oz.
Ken, what do yours weigh?
Rusty

Rusty, that is what mine weighed prior to the carnage. What diameter lines are you using and what length? The ARF Oriental that I rebuilt is the lightest of the bunch. That weight 39 ounces and uses the MAX-S.35 for power. My Fox .35 Oriental weighs 42 oz's. The MAX-S has been giving me terrible fits. They can be most problematic in terms of air leaks around the venturi. Ken

I'm flying on .015" lines with an Allen Brickhaus cable handle. I like that handle a lot. I need to get a couple more of them.

I have a MAX-S 35 that I've never cranked. Us it worth using on any plane?

Rusty

Rusty, the MAX-S is a very solid running engine. It has a bit more over the Fox .35 and weighs pretty close without muffler. Quality is certainly better than the Fox. It does have it's problems. The connecting rods had a coating within the holes similar to a titanium nitride drill bit. Once that was worn off, the rod quickly egged out and performance fell off. I also do away with the brass end padded wrist pin. Dan has made a bunch of us new wrist pins with Delrin end pads.  These like a large wider paddled prop like the Zinger XW. They generally don't shake like the Fox. They also work well with the stock strap on muffler if the hole is enlarged. A good engine for converting glow fuel back into castor oil. If you have the stock needle and spraybar, hang onto it as they're a special size and are becoming more and more difficult to locate. Jim Lee makes a nice Delrin venturi for these. I purchased one at Huntersville and while I know I have it, it hasn't resurfaced. I think it might be in the suitcase pouch somewhere. One thing I have noted about the MAX-S is that when the oil content is high, they can shut off like a switch even using the hottest plug.

We had a Philly Flier member Bill Richards whom I haven't seen in several years who used the MAX-S in a Oriental. That engine defied all others I ever witnessed. It just had unrealistic performance. It flew that CLC kitted Oriental with authority. Bill used Powermaster GMA in that engine exclusively. Ken

Hmmm, I probably won't be using that one. I'm not sure where I got it, maybe it was one Ray Copeland gave me in H'ville along with the Skyray in 2013. But I'll paste your reply into my engine notes folder in case I ever need to know. Thanks.
Rusty

Rusty, don't hang that one up. It's a very credible engine. It works terrifically in most of the commercially available models.I didn't want to make it sound like a bad one. It's unfortunate that parts are no longer obtainable through OS for this engine. I'm certain we would see them take to the skies once again. Ken

Another Monday coming, and I'm up late.
I re-plumbed the fuel system to secure the lines and make it easier for fueling without the siphoning trouble i had on Maiden day. And printed some decals ripped off of Google for some better looking graphics than the ones that came in the box. My beautiful cowl is getting hangar rash from so many on and off operations. So I dipped my finger in some 5 minute epoxy and went around the edges of everything to try and keep it from getting ugly quite as fast.

I made a nice looking needle out of a semi decent looking OS wiggler. I tried this once and it failed, so I applied the best fix for any metal objects... JB Weld. Or more precisely, JB Quick. I love that stuff. My test puddle is usually stronger than me.

I used Microsoft Word's Word Art to make the shifting colors in the text on the wings. Testors 8.5"x5.5" transparent water slide decal paper for inkjet printers. You have to spray it with clear, so I use Lustrekote. A heavy hit too, the stuff isn't affected at all by it, so one heavy coat and some heat blowing near it, and it's ready to apply in a couple of hours. I've done it much sooner with no problems.. I traced around the edges of the decals with Aerogloss clear. I did that to the seams of the covering on the whole empennage too. I know everyone says that stuff is no good for a super finish, but it's fuelproof and clear, so for my simple needs it's great and I get it at my LHS. That's a single coat of black Aerogloss on the floor of the canopy too. Those are the only two colors I have, and I've heard that clear is all they make now.

Here are some pics. Even got some Oriental text on the fuse under the pilot. It says "Russ the Nailer" in Chinese



Russ the Nailer!



In this one you can see the overflow tube sticking out the side.

Rusty the cowling on these develop cracks very quickly. Your needle valve hole is one I would keep an eye on. The cowling hinges on the 2 side screws allowing it to pivot up and down. This develops spider web cracks very quickly. It really is unavoidable. This is really due to the cowling being pinched up against the fuse sides, this makes the top crack directly down the center. The fiberglass is very abrasive and acts like a cut off wheel when vibration and fuel residue is present. It could saw through your needle valve. Mine cut all the way through my venturi. Your plane looks great which is no surprise. Ken

I really like the black under the cockpit and the pilot looks great too. I think I have a yellow spinner for a Fox 35 that may look good if you want it and if I can find it.
Steve