It's nice to have stuff........

That's Good to have the handle that was with the plane when new way to go Kim !! One thing i don't have right yet is the control handle seems it would bee cool to have that speed control in the air and the idle to take off at the line time will tell stating GARDEN right now DUH ! Ouch !

I have tried to find one of those circular wire springs and throttle sleeve for the Ryan but no luck, still looking.  It would be nice to take advantage of the speed control handle that Kim sent me.  Got most of the wrinkles in the tail section worked out but still a work in progress.  Ryan will be in traction for awhile.  




Went to Walmart this morning looking for paint.  Can't find an exact match.  Thinking the gloss light blue.  Nothing is removing the stains, so paint it is.

I was wondering how you were going to fix the wavy parts . Did you heat them and then clamp them ?

akjgardner wrote:I was wondering how you were going to fix the wavy parts . Did you heat them and then clamp them ?

I heat the wood with a heat gun and clamp on both sides while hot.  Heating the plastic can be disastrous.  Might take several times but patience pays.  Heat cool, heat cool.  Never, ever going to be like new though.

rsv1cox wrote:

akjgardner wrote:I was wondering how you were going to fix the wavy parts . Did you heat them and then clamp them ?

I heat the wood with a heat gun and clamp on both sides while hot.  Heating the plastic can be disastrous.  Might take several times but patience pays.  Heat cool, heat cool.  Never, ever going to be like new though.

. That’s a good trick , I’ll have to remember that one

Bob,
Have you got the three-wire bellcrank assembly as well? I understood this model was built un-throttled as well as throttled. I don't know if this is a matter of build-date/production time frame, or side-by-side off the line.

I bet if you were provided good numbers, you could basically replicate it. I know of one assembly in good shape...hint, hint, hint.

I think I have one, just have to find it.  Seems this one has the hole in the case but not the three wire bell-crank. Curious.

It's this that I'm looking for, thanks to duaneh for posting the picture.

Hey Robert! Not sure how much info. you have on this model.. so please excuse my admissions if you already have them.

From my files/photo-archives..







You may or may not know, that Cox only made a couple of C/L airplanes that used their reed-valve .020 engine equipped with a plastic backplate/NVA/reed-valve housing assembly, for an external fuel tank. Your Ryan ST-3 is one.. and AFAIK their little PT .020 Army Trainer is the other.. and I'm guessing that they come from the same moldings.



Your photo (below) shows some parts soaking in a bowl (upper-right).. which looks to contain that red Delrin backplate.. and what looks like the "main" bellcrank.



There should also be a "throttle" bellcrank and a line "slack-adjuster" (see the "Synchro-Pilot" handle packaging photo)

Thanks roddie. I have had chances to buy both versions and passed them buy. Forgot the golden rule - The time to buy something is when you see it. Maybe I knew one day this special edition would arrive thanks to Joe's generosity. Lot more fun than one in perfect condition.

Yes, standard bell-crank, forgot what that little hook on one end is for. Only thing cleaned here is the basic motor. It will get a new black Cox prop. original other than that.

rsv1cox wrote:Thanks roddie.  Yes, standard bell-crank, forgot what that little hook on one end is for.  

That "hook" on the Cox bellcrank is there for when you have no one to "pit" for you. A short (2-3 foot length) string is anchored to the ground with a "loop" tied on the free-end.. which attaches to that hook. Pulling "up-elevator" releases the loop and the model.

Thanks roddie. "A memory is a terrible thing to waste." Got it now!

I tried 91% alcohol on that wing stain, didn't help so I used Berryman's. If that doesn't do it nothing will and it didn't. Hate to paint it, but the staining and repairs will make it necessary.

Well, I am honestly quite surprised that even you could not get the staining off. I guess that it is possibly just that old and 'impregnated' into the plastic. Too bad.

As for the reshaping of the plastic bits. I too find it very interesting about heating up the wood and not the plastic. Still learning something new every day! Thank you for the trick!

It's not a cure-all but it does help.

Heat causes expansion, cold causes contraction.  I have thought half jokingly to apply ice cubes to the distortion.  Dry ice and compression might actually work to contract the molecules back to their original positions within the plastic.   Don't know.  

A little more progress.



SOP for me now, pass a pin through the NVA removing all the castor/corrosion goo followed by aerosol Remoil spray and a compressed air blowout.  Aerosol straw and plastic cement replaces the broken nipple.  Flushed out the tank with 91% and blew dry with compressed air.  Straw a very tight friction fit backed up with the cement.  








Little guys took a Berryman's swim.  Did a great job cleaning off all the dirt/castor but also removed most of the paint.  Might farm them out to one of the kids for a repaint.  Might not.  

Looking really good Bob!..,I wouldn’t know where to start on plastics rehab…. The tank nipple repair looks good …. Berryman’s did a good job cleaning as well…Did you ever notice if the prop was left hand?…. It looked like it from the photos…. Just curious because of the recent discussion on LH props on PT-19’s

rdw777 wrote:Looking really good Bob!..,I wouldn’t know where to start on plastics rehab…. The tank nipple repair looks good …. Berryman’s did a good job cleaning as well…Did you ever notice if the prop was left hand?…. It looked like it from the photos…. Just curious because of the recent discussion on LH props on PT-19’s

Yes, LH prop with a backwards curve easily cured.  Heat, weight and wait.   I might be able to save it afterall.



I managed to get the single windshield off without breaking it.  I have some sheet plastic but it's rather thin.  I might be better served by a plastic bottle of some sort.  



I could paint tomorrow.

Still looking for the instructions...they happen to be Ryan-centric.

And a larger one in action:

Thanks for those pictures Jim, gives a better understanding about how it works.  Complicated little assembly.  I took Kim's three-line handle apart just to see.  Not much comes this way that doesn't get disassembled.  



Also made a test windshield out of sheet plastic.  Traced an outline using the original windshield and found a bottle with the same curve.  Cut it out and taped it on, heated it with a heat gun and was surprised how well it came out and held it's shape.






Not so happly with the alignment of the broken mounting post.  Jagged end that did not fit well.  Testors red tube.  Got to break it off insert a toothpick guide and re-do it.




Edit add:

Did and done. Perfect alignment now. But those wrinkled panels are proving to be a challenge.

Somewhere in there is a Cox Ryan ST. Fresh out of paint that has to cure before assembly.

Looking great Bob….Looks like you found a very close match on the blue…. That is certainly a neat little bird…. Due to its uniqueness I can nearly see this one in its own shadow box with the handle in one corner and maybe some other memorabilia in the others…. Looking forward to see how it turns out !!

That’s looking good Bob, painting it was definitely the right choice, Can’t wait to see it finished.

akjgardner wrote:That’s looking good Bob, painting it was definitely the right choice, Can’t wait to see it finished.

Sorta............

Bob, figuring what you started out with:

rsv1cox wrote:

and results after painting:

rsv1cox wrote:

I'd say that you did a good job of matching original colors and restoring the finish on age marred plastic.

Based on your works with the Wen Macs and Gilberts, which you in many cases were able to salvage and restore without painting, this time your finish on an otherwise unable to restore finish candidate came out very well.