Keil Kraft Phantom Scratch build from start to flying.

944_Jim wrote:Subscribed! And intrigued...

I will try not to fluff it then Jim.
You provided me with the info I needed earlier as it is this model that will take the Cox Medallion 09.
For other readers, Yes I am fitting a Cox Medallion 09 to this build so I have had to narrow the F1 and F2 formers so that the engine bearers measure 0.0800" .
Firstly I narrowed the engine bearer slots to this measurement on the templates.
Then I narrowed the templates a smidgen on both sides of F1 and F2 with the flat sanding block.
When I then cut the formers and glue them to the fuselage, the Cox Medallion 09 will fit exactly.
It probably would have fitted any way but I am a fuss pot.
Big Thanks To Jim and Ken sending the info over from USA to Australia in record time.
What a forum!!!
Woody

Pressing on, I cut a little piece of the plan out that showed the position of the drilled holes for the undercarriage wire.
This was glued to the plastic template and the holes drilled with a 2mm drill.
The undercarriage former was cut out of 3mm birch ply using the template for the lines and the holes.
Formers 2 and 3 cut from 2.5mm balsa grain cross wise not perpendicular.
Sides were out of 2.5mm balsa cut out using the template.
The plan was then laid on the table and the three former lines continued with a pencil and steel rule about 75mm top and bottom so that when the right side is laid in position on the plan, the lines can be drawn onto the balsa side.
Now I know where my formers go.
Next is to glue the bearers on to the sides.
I used what we call a rubbed joint to do this.
It is used in musical instrument making and the surfaces must be dead flat.
The PVA glue is applied to one surface and then the bearer is rubbed up and down on the fuse side till it won't move any more. This squeezes out the glue and it is wiped off with a damp rag.
Preferably a blue one!
Former F2 was also glued and pinned in place to make sure the bearer lines up nicely.
The same with the other side checking that the bearer fits nicely into F2.

Hey Woody , Thanks for doing the build interesting to see how people build in different ways and the approach they take . Looking good !

the engine bearers measure 0.0800" .

WOODY!!!!!!!!!!!

Pretty precise! Great attention to detail. Eager to see the final product.

I have that exact same Stanley plane, goes back many, many years.

Bob

Woody,
You are lieing to us. I see no balsa dust on that particularly clean work surface!

I believe we have another master craftsman in our midst. Attention to detail is being displayed before our eyes. Judging by the method of construction, I can already see that this will be a beautiful plane.

What will the finish be? Will you use a commercial tank, or home-built?
Go Woody, Go Woody!

Enjoying your clean build so far Woody….I would like to know more about the rubbed joint if you don’t mind…. Always like to learn something new

Robert

Thanks for your very kind comments.
I don't know about where the master craftsman is?.....I find the best way of learning to build an aeroplane is to teach someone else to do it.
Yes I am very attached to my Stanley No 4 plane and nobody else is allowed to even touch it...same goes for my chisels..they are a big NO NO!
Ref Dust and shavings. Yes I am a lying Ape.
I am normally quite messy but I see all these you tubes of people who make stuff without shavings, dust, mess and swearing!!so I thought I would make the extra effort to be posh.
The Rubbed joint is used for example, by luthiers who want to join two halves of a violin, guitar etc back or front.
The two halves are planed dead straight on a shooting board so they both come out at 90.
They are then held to the light to check for gaps.
Then the glue is applied..in the case of violins...hot animal glue. If its too cold it wont hold. If its too thick it wont stick. All this rubbish was drummed into me.
The two halves are then literally rubbed together until most of the glue oozes out and then wiped off with a damp cloth...preferably a blue one!!!.
I hope this explains it better.
There is no reason to suppose it would not work on a model aeroplane so I did it.
Who dares wins.
Anyway enough of that.
The undercarriage wire drawing was literally that. Someone drew around the prebent wire in the kit so it came out massively thick.
I found a spare bit of piano wire which measured 0.093" or 2.35mm so that will do.
Just a gripe about wire......
Why have we not globally agreed to go WIRE METRIC?
Then it will be a simple case of 2.5mm wire.
We have SWG, AWG, ...I cannot remember them all.....crazy.
The wire was bent to shape as per plan but we have to be a bit careful here.
After bending to shape and then put at the angle it sits in the model, the toes point rearwards so it is a case of putting it back in the vise and bending the toes so that when the whole is placed at the angle in the model, the toes point out nicely..Phew.. If you understood all that you are a genius.
I made up a little jig as pictured to hold the wheel stops upright whilst soldering.
Two slips of balsa each with a slit knifed in to hold the washers and then all stuck down with Blue tak which is white over here!!!
Then soldered using lead/tin multi core solder and Bakers acid flux and an 80 watt large iron.
The undercarriage was sewn on with thick linen thread and then epoxied onto the former.
Epoxy was also applied to


one side of the former and glued to the right fuse side.
Over here we have an epoxy called Araldite which is marketed by Selleys. This epoxy is dear but heck its good stuff.
You have one minute until it starts to set.
This was perfect as it allowed me to make minute adjustments whilst holding it to the desired angle and pencil lines in the fuse side.

The white arrow in the picture points to a recess filed with a rat tail so that the undercarriage wire will fit nicely.

Kim wrote:

Woody wrote:The white arrow in the picture points to a recess filed with a rat tail so that the undercarriage wire will fit nicely.

Great Build Thread Pete!!!!

Glad you like it Kim.

A bell crank assembly has been made up according to the dimensions on the plans.
The rods are shaped and soldered at the ends using fuse wire to bind them.
The top nut is soldered to stop it vibrating loose.
I used a rc type clevis pin at the control horn end.
There is now some debris nearby to prove It was hand made! and people like to see a mess.
The other side is now epoxied into place, the bottom , cockpit plate and former 1A are also glued on using PVA.
F 1A should have fitted inside between the sides but there was an unwelcome gap there where I must have lined up the undercarriage former wrongly. So much for marking out the former lines.
Cannot figure that one out but I am happy and will not loose sleep over it.
I have prepared the fuse rear top block.
I dont have any 1/2" stock but I do have 9.5mm and 3mm which makes 1/2". We


have to improvise
I used this to my advantage by cutting a large hole in the 3mm sheet to save weight.

Woody calls this a mess? Ha!
I bet he whittled a piece of a tree limb just to throw us off.


I dare not show the train wreck my hobby closet is. It is embarrassing at best.

I'm loving this build, Woody. Your avatar name is appropriate Given what we get to witness here.
Considering the wingspan/area, was this model originally designed for this size engine? Or are you going for the old adage "there is no misplacement for displacement?"

Woody wrote:
There is now some debris nearby to prove It was hand made! and people like to see a mess.

JUST ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT

Please keep posting. this is lovely.

Thanks for the detail on the rubbed joint Woody….Yes, model building and instrument building could be cousins…. Enjoying your construction details

Thanks for all the welcome comments.
I chose Cox medallion 09 because Keil Kraft writes that the model can take a 1.5cc engine.
The plans seem to represent a DC Sabre 1.5cc.
Will this then fly with an .049?
I hope I have not goofed.
What sort of lines should I use to fly it? ( I mean metal, nylon, gauge ?) please?

Woody wrote:Thanks for all the welcome comments.
I chose Cox medallion 09 because Keil Kraft writes that the model can take a 1.5cc engine.
The plans seem to represent a DC Sabre 1.5cc.
Will this then fly with an .049?
I hope I have not goofed.
What sort of lines should I use to fly it? ( I mean metal, nylon, gauge ?) please?

The plane has a smaller cousin called the Phantom Mite. It would be more suited to an .049.

Oldenginerod wrote:

Woody wrote:Thanks for all the welcome comments.
I chose Cox medallion 09 because Keil Kraft writes that the model can take a 1.5cc engine.
The plans seem to represent a DC Sabre 1.5cc.
Will this then fly with an .049?
I hope I have not goofed.
What sort of lines should I use to fly it? ( I mean metal, nylon, gauge ?) please?

The plane has a smaller cousin called the Phantom Mite.  It would be more suited to an .049.

Which would be more suited to an .049?

Woody wrote:

Oldenginerod wrote:

Woody wrote:Thanks for all the welcome comments.
I chose Cox medallion 09 because Keil Kraft writes that the model can take a 1.5cc engine.
The plans seem to represent a DC Sabre 1.5cc.
Will this then fly with an .049?
I hope I have not goofed.
What sort of lines should I use to fly it? ( I mean metal, nylon, gauge ?) please?

The plane has a smaller cousin called the Phantom Mite.  It would be more suited to an .049.

Which would be more suited to an .049?

Just suggesting that the Phantom Mite would do better on an .049 than the Phantom you're building.

Woody,
You are on target. Keep in mind 0.08 cc is .049 cubic inch displacement (cid). Then 1.0 cc is .061 cid. So that makes 1.5 cc about 0.09 cid.

Wait until you finish the model, and check weight to determine lines. I did an eBay buy on my first reel of SpiderWire for my 1/2A trainers, but I really liked the 0.008" 7-strand wire. Then I tried some locally purchased synthetic braid with a higher Control Line referral and really liked it too! I say all that to say there is nothing wrong with the right synthetic...except for learning knots. The flip side is having to terninate stainless lines.

There is nothing in the plans regarding line length? Hmmm. Maybe someone on StuntHanger can help out with this. I'll try to remember to ask, or Ken may know a good reference over there. PS...I know I've been kind of tongue-in-cheek, but I'm really digging this build! No harm intended.

944_Jim wrote:Woody,
You are on target. Keep in mind 0.08 cc is .049 cubic inch displacement (cid). Then 1.0 cc is .061 cid. So that makes 1.5 cc about 0.09 cid.

Wait until you finish the model, and check weight to determine lines. I did an eBay buy on my first reel of SpiderWire for my 1/2A trainers, but I really liked the 0.008" 7-strand wire. Then I tried some locally purchased synthetic braid with a higher Control Line referral and really liked it too! I say all that to say there is nothing wrong with the right synthetic...except for learning knots. The flip side is having to terninate stainless lines.

There is nothing in the plans regarding line length? Hmmm. Maybe someone on StuntHanger can help out with this. I'll try to remember to ask, or Ken may know a good reference over there. PS...I know I've been kind of tongue-in-cheek, but I'm really digging this build! No harm intended.

It says in the destructions lines from 25 to 35ft depending on engine!
MMMhhhh! so I want to go for 35ft so I don't get giddy.
It says three strand wire or fishing line ( no breaking strain ) so not very informative for someone building a trainer.
I can learn knots but as you say...stainless wire ?.....people have used it so there must be an orthodox method of joining it.
Thank you so much for your help.
really appreciated.
Woody.