Projects

[Balsabasher]

Thank you to Ray for giving me this nice little corner to whittle away at my projects,lots of interesting new models are being planned and at this very moment I am cutting the card templates for a 1=30th scale BAC Drone,that requires a tiny pylon mounted Bristol Cherub or Scott Flying Squirrel motor with exposed engine cylinders and tiny exhaust stack right at the back of the pilots head ! brave chaps these early aviators,men of steel.

Also looking at photographs of the Portsmouth Aerocar with a view to drawing up some plans to make a solid model,only one fullsize machine was built but to me the lesser known types are real challenges and this is no exception.

Tomorrow is project build day,as I mostly cut and sand outside the weather is important to me,at the moment the weather here in the UK is just awful with lashing rain between a little sunshine,so if I cannot get outside it will mean contingency plans to get out some bagged sets of pre cut wood parts that I prepare now and again,these are idea standbys if you just want to grab a few blanks and start sanding,I know that there is a Reid & Sigrist Snargasher amongst the stash so I may just start that one,who knows ?

Lots of offcuts lying around in the workshop are being pressed into service to make models,for the first time last week I used a block of pine on the Roscoe Turner racer,tough as old boots I eventually got the shape I wanted with lots of hard work.

On the new tools front I picked up a curved Surform at a low price,I soon realised why as the tool is obsolete and I cannot get new rasp blades,however they last for years so a few solids will get shaped with the device.

I will continue to update the gallery with my new projects,lots of build pictures for you to see,keep the blades well honed and keep sweeping out the sawdust,but remember good fine sawdust mixed with clear dope makes super filler.

Balsabasher aka Barry.

[dave_t]

Barry,
       I was just admiring both of your Aerocar models in the gallery. Did you paint them with spray cans or airbrush? I also like the home-made drawings.

[Balsabasher]

I always use spray auto rattle cans,airbrushes are just too fiddly for me and time consuming on cleanouts unless you have ultrasonic cleaners.
The cans suit me fine and loads of lovely colours as well to choose from,my sequence is three coats of sanding sealer ( talc added to clear dope with a smidgin of castor oil to flex the dope,go easy you only need a tiny amount ) two coats of white flat primer,followed by two coats of grey flat primer,all wet sanded in between,then final gloss coats three of those.
As I use mixed balsa/jelutong/basswood the sequence is adjusted as you do not require as much primer on the latter woods,in extreme cases I knife on some putty to fill any blemishes,as you know finishing takes the time I just do that between washing up,making meals,everyday jobs !
The plans are done from selections of photographs with old dinosaur tech drawing techniques from school days when we had no computers,there is great satisfaction from creating something from the ground up,glad to share with you.
Balsabasher aka Barry aka Wonwinglo.

[dave_t]

Thanks for the details, sounds like a lot of work, but a nice job of covering up the heavy grain in balsa.

Here's a nice link of photos, drawings and details of the Portsmouth Aerocar- http://airwarfareforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=3813

[R.F.Bennett]

Are you a member of that forum Dave? Perhaps you could post a photo of Barry's model and a links to the site.

[Balsabasher]

Many thanks for these Dave,I just wish that I had seen them before embarking on the models but thats the way it works,there is some very useful information there which has been kept for future reference,very grateful to you.
Balsabasher.

[dave_t]

No, I'm not a member, but I do a lot of lurking in the archives. Ton Meynders (RIP) provided a lot of photos and drawings of some unusual birds. It seems like things on that site don't always come up in google search results.

[Balsabasher]

Yes I wondered about that Dave,could be something to do with the way that the site has been set up ? I am delighted that you found these especially the interior shots as one day I plan to make a detailed model of the Aerocar,it is such a cute art deco design,I must take a look to see if anything else appeals to me there.
Balsabasher aka Barry aka Wonwinglo.

[lastvautour]

I am a member and I posted these photos and our site address.

Let's hope for some traffic and a few new members.

Lou

[R.F.Bennett]

Thanks Lou   

[cliff strachan]

Barry, hate to bug you about this, but as I'm just at the step of painting a bunch and as I'm also working in primarily balsa using the clear dope and talcum mix as a sanding sealer, I have to ask: why the need for the prime coats if you've already sealed the balsa with a couple of coats of the sanding/grain  dope mixture sealer?

Thanks,
Cliff.

[Balsabasher]

Cliff simple answer to this,sanding sealer is not a primer,it merely fuzzes up the balsa to sand off the hairy bits,after two coats it sinks between the grain leaving channels,these channels need to be levelled off,what white and grey auto primer does is to flow between those channels and act as a wonderful leveller and surfacer,sanding sealer does its initial job by sealing prior to sanding thats all,you could probably load the wood up with upteen coats of the stuff and it would not do the same job as the auto primer,get the idea ? years of experimentation have shown me that as a surface filler this system works best for me at least,everyone has their own system and sometimes we get to rely on a product too much thinking it is the best,even thinned down PVA especially aliphaetic resin makes a great sanding sealer but still needs the essential primer,dont forget also that it is not what you put on but what you take off that matters,a good wet sanding with a tad of washing up liquid in the water makes the wet and dry paper slide,continue to sand until it sludges up on the surface,then wipe off with some kitchen towel,wash the model before applying more primer until you are happy,dont forget the essential discreet pin hole to release any moisture content in the wood over a long period of time,otherwisde you will get distress cracking,drive in the pin hole about half an inch to allow moisture bleed off.
Balsabasher.

[cliff strachan]

Thanks very much, Barry. That's a great help. It's got to be posted as a permanent piece of advice or explanation.

Cliff

[Balsabasher]

Cliff this is a typical case of me assuming everyone knew the properties of old fashioned sanding sealer,here is some more advice for you to obtain easy peasy good finishes on balsa,when you go for the white/grey/black primers ask for 'High build' ths is excellent for use on balsa as it does what it says and builds up easier,it is easy then to wet sand after 48 hours drying time,use fine grit wet and dry and use it like a miser,those well worn pieces are the best,once the sludge has built up wash the model under running water,go on it will not harm it.
Another excellent feature of the auto primers is that you can spot the blemishes as they stand out liker a sore thumb,just apply your favourite filler,even fine grain polyfilla works and sands at the 'same rate as the balsa or other wood' it is no good using fillers that are harder than the surface of your model,what happens is the wood will sand as undercuts while the filler needs extra work toget it level ! get the idea ?
When you add the primers alternate between colours,ie start with white say,then grey,then back to white again,this way you can see the coverage is even.
There is one other way to get a super finish on solids and that entails wet tissue application,but that technique will have to wait for another day,perhaps a tutorial on a specially built model will be the answer,meanwhile keep on experimenting you can even use flour and water to finish a solid,I used to use nothing else when dope was scarce,PVA adhesives thinned down also provide excellent sealers that knit the grain together at the same time,enough for you to digest for now.
Balsabasher/Barry/Wonwinglo

[lastvautour]

Very nice models in the gallery. Thanks for sharing.

Lou