Chiribiri No. 5

[Squirrelnet]

Great to see progress on the Chiribiri. The wings look beautifully light

[THB]

Hi Lurk - have really enjoyed your build so far.

With your side-by-side English, Greek, and Aeromodelling Hieroglyphs you have created a Rosetta Stone from which hopefully anyone possessing at least one of these languages can see how you have built this model!

Couple of quick questions - sorry if these have already been answered:

1. what did you use for the u/c skids - noting one has cracked in storage - is it bamboo?

2. what tissue are you using? Esaki 'white'? Or did you find something with a more vintage colour?

Re the spoked wheels - I have a few Hungerford wheels from 'back in the day' and every time I want to use them they seem a bit chunky also. Esp for the pre-WWI types which seem so skinny. I don't plan to sand mine thinner tho! Just have to find the right aeroplane... 

Tim

[TheLurker]

Evening Tim,

THB> With your side-by-side English, Greek, and Aeromodelling Hieroglyphs you have created a Rosetta Stone...

Umm. Err. As Γίωργο will confirm the Greek is very... approximate and any putative Champollion would have his or her work cut out trying to use it.


THB> ...what did you use for the u/c skids - noting one has cracked in storage - is it bamboo?

Basswood.  I used bamboo for the Mooney peanut version (as recommended) and adhesion between the various framework components was poor.  If this one is anything like the Mooney one I built then I expect I'll have to build at least one more complete undercarriage framework before it's even half way through trimming.  There's a word for people who build Chiribiris, on the tip of my tongue, begins with "m" ummm, errr madmen?  Nooo. Morons?  Hmm no. Ahhh... I have it;  masochists.

THB> ...what tissue ... did you find something with a more vintage colour?

A tale in itself.  I'd run out of the period correct "antique" a lovely mucky white colour (like the one SAMS used to supply) that Bill Dennis gave me a year or two back and I was moaning about it somewhere and John Whatmore (another Trinity inmate parishioner) very kindly let me have a couple of sheets of someone else's antique.  This is more a very pale tan than mucky white, but CDL does darken over time when exposed to sunlight so I'm more than happy with it.

[THB]

Thanks!

[Jmk89]

THB> ...what did you use for the u/c skids - noting one has cracked in storage - is it bamboo?

Basswood.  I used bamboo for the Mooney peanut version (as recommended) and adhesion between the various framework components was poor.  If this one is anything like the Mooney one I built then I expect I'll have to build at least one more complete undercarriage framework before it's even half way through trimming.  There's a word for people who build Chiribiris, on the tip of my tongue, begins with "m" ummm, errr madmen?  Nooo. Morons?  Hmm no. Ahhh... I have it;  masochists.

Hi Lurk

I have never had a problem with bamboo joints coming apart.  I use aliphatic glue for bamboo to wood joints and 30 min epoxy for bamboo to metal joints and both seem to work fine . 

Then again, I don't suppose that my joints are ever end grain to long grain like between a U/C leg and a skid or axle.  In those cases I would use a metal pin as a dowel through the joint and glue with epoxy. 

Cheers

Jeremy

[TheLurker]

Evening Jeremy,

I think a large part of the problem is that the joint surfaces are very, very small and regardless of adhesive there just isn't enough area to withstand the shock from a hard landing on a gym floor, nor is there enough wood to take a dowel, unfortunately. 

I tried various reinforcing schemes on the peanut version's 2nd UC frame, mainly wrapping with fine wire, but they were ineffective.  For this version I've gone for a mix of cyano-soaked 45gsm paper reinforcing "plates" and cyano-soaked thread bindings. The reinforcing plates have been painted gun-metal in the hope that they look like the sort of thing you'd find in real life. See the circled areas below.

[Prosper]

I've only just latched on to this thread. Very entertaining and interesting Lurk, and thanks for the 'chord of a circle' wheeze. Kudos.

Stephen.

[TheLurker]

.....'chord of a circle' wheeze.

It's nice when you turn up stuff like that isn't it?

Started doping

[TheLurker]

Fin / rudder today.

Split over two posts.

[Spiros]

Silly question.

Once you apply the dope over the rudder surface, or water it for shrinking, won't the pencil marks be affected?

Because I loved the idea!!

[TheLurker]

Not a silly question at all.  Briefly; pre-shrink tissue, apply lettering & dope opposite side to lettering.

Flat components rarely need any further shrinking if you apply the part to the tissue while it is still in the frame and under tension.   

Sometimes, rarely, a component will need the very gentlest of steam shrinking before doping, but crayon/pencil is usually safe under steam provided you don't go crazy.  This one wasn't shrunk any further.

Pencil (& cheap crayons) seem to be dope-fast, but even if they're a bit soluble you're doping the opposite side to the lettering so there's no drag from the brush to disturb it. 

The final snap shows the doped fin. 

[Spiros]

All clear!!

Thank you.

Definitely will try it!

[OZPAF]

Beautifully masochistic Lurk.   The neatness of your builds always inspires me.

John

[TheLurker]

Fuselage lettering started.

[TheLurker]

Fuselage lettering done.