Tutorial Novice - Supermarine Spitfire - Where should I start? - An ID Model

[cliff strachan]

As before Lou this is a wonderful tutorial. I would hope that it could all be collected and (before being offered in book form to new members) could be presented as a pdf file.
Cliff.

[Peter]

Thanks Barry we'll see if this works!

Lou Thanks for your help and your patience as Cliff says you should write a book! or at least put this into a PDF it helps alot. Although I think my Spitfire might end up looking more a crash victim.

[Balsabasher]

Its looking really good Lou,this really brings home that sometimes the more simpler models can give just as much pleasure,the Spitfire is always a winner with that lovely wing shape.
I think we can all learn from each other no matter how long we have been making models,some of your own techniques are interesting,carry on whittling !
Barry.

[lastvautour]

Peter, feel free to ask questions if things are not clear to you. I don't mind. I have been known to go too fast at times.

Lou

[Peter]

Remember when you were a teenage boy growing your first mustache. You'd trim to much off the left side and you would try and fix it by trimming some off the right side. Of course you'd trim to much so you would go back to the left and eventually you'd end up looking like Charlie Chaplin. Well that's what I just did with my Spitfire's wing!

The good news is I have enough wood to make a new one. My work is going to slow to a snails pace over the weekend but I'm off Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week. So once I drop the kids at school I'll have lots of time at the work bench. I will post a progress photo then.

Peter

[lastvautour]

That is OK Peter. You don't get to see the messes I make even after 50+ years of practice. Getting there is a major part of the fun.

Lou

[lastvautour]

So far we should have this. If you are having any problems along the way let me know and I will back track.

Lou

[lastvautour]

I have hit a snag in posting more pictures.
Lou

[Mark Braunlich]

If you ever publish this thread as a booklet, this should be the cover IMHO.

[lastvautour]

Looks like me!!

Lou

[lastvautour]

Next the cutting of the dihedral. Make a mark 1cm away and parallel to the centre line. I used a razor saw, but any saw will do as long as it is not too wide. You can also score the cut using a knife. Don't cut all the way through, this will help in aligning the outer wings and make the joint stronger.

[lastvautour]

I use sandpaper to widen the cut before adding glue. I use gel superglue but any good glue will work but it must be allowed to dry completely before handling. I use weights to make sure it does not move while setting.

[lastvautour]

While the wing is drying, we can sand down the tail, wing fillet and stab pieces. I have a medium grit paper stuck to my bench. Just work the piece back and forth removing the paper plan and as much wood as needed to thin out the piece. I mark the centre line of the fin and run a line 3/16 inside the edge. You can add a bit of a bevel and them smooth things out.

[lastvautour]

To keep things organized, I placed finishing nails into the edge of the bench and then placed various grit paper for quick access. I just cut off what I need and sand on.

[lastvautour]

Ah, now comes the fun part. Redo the lines indicating the widest part of the fuselage. Run a line on top in line with the canopy edge. Remove the wood between the two line. Go slow. Depending on the grain of the wood, you may remove too much rather quickly. Just shave a bit at a time. Keep redoing your lines.