How many still build traditionally ?

[solentlife]

Now before we have the usual balsa vs foam arguments ... I would like to say this : BOTH mediums are excellent and both have major advantages in their own rights. In fact the Skymaster I'm building now - I did consider whether to sheet wings in depron !

Anyway back to Title of thread ...

How many people still build a model traditionally ?

That is spars, ribs, vertical webbing, formers, doublers, etc.

How many have formed little tricks to get around tricky bits .... ie how to keep a wing tip 90deg to end rib while glue dries ? Simple - add a couple of brace bars lightly superglued that can be removed later.... or that horrible leading edge scenario ... square section LE and sheeting over ribs. Afraid to sand hard back to get nice rounded LE ... what to do ? Simple - glue a smaller section along front centre of LE and then sand that ... original LE is then max strength with a few mm extra on wing chord to give the nice LE shape.

Over to you ............

(Yes I'm bored waiting for glue to dry again !! )

[Tony Smith]

Yes, but only Free Flight and Control line models now, I would not entertain building anything larger, say for RC.
I fully embrace and use the new 'materials' and techniques.

[plummet]

I do. I enjoy the building part - at least most of it. I prefer to have a model that I have built, and know its structure. Then I know how to mend it when I break it.

I do not enjoy the covering. I am not good at it.

I am a slow builder. I tend to use slow glues, especially aliphatic.

I have built with depron, but did not enjoy it.

Plummet

[nitroairplane]

I do I build planes a lot ateast once every two months even if just little ff models. Most fly and crash and then get repaired until they are more glue than balsa.

[hpiercey]

I get as much enjoyment out of the building as I do out of the flying. Still mostly balsa construction, covered in plastic film now, as dope and tissue/nylon is so messy and smelly. Have built numerous foam wings, that reminds me Tony I've still got your transformer and bow. but balsa ribs spars etc are much more fun to build. if a little slower. Went to Hop farm show today to get some more balsa and Solarfilm for the winter project, but don't know what it is yet. Haven't even decided if it will be R/C C/L or F/F.
Off to the shed now can't stand X craptor on the telly.

Hector

[mowerman]

Being retired I have the time to build in the traditional way and get a kick when a model I have spent some weeks building takes to the air, although I usually get one of the younger (quicker reactions) club memers to do the first flights. This also lets me try to get some flying photos.
I still ocasionaly use tissue and dope (love the smell).

[nitroairplane]

Love the smell too.
I find gluing together balsa wood and then putting a diesel on it very therapeutic for anything.

[TryAgain]

Rmember: in the film "Flight of the Pheonix" ( spelling doesn't look right I know but...) the model plane builder got them home !!!

[quorneng]

Recently I have used traditional building techniques (spars,ribs, formers, sheet skin, etc) but in foam (Depron)! It is easy to cut and glues well.

Depron is much lighter than balsa but by weight is nearly as strong.
In fact the skin in a Depron structure can be so relatively thick that fewer ribs/formers are required to support it.

A conventional build wing structure but made entirely in 3mm Depron. The 'spar' is also Depron and simply acts as a shear web.
   
Sheeted in 3mm Depron.
   
The result is a true monocoque with all the stresses carried by the skin.

[solentlife]

(22-09-2011 23:17)quorneng Wrote:  Recently I have used traditional building techniques (spars,ribs, formers, sheet skin, etc) but in foam (Depron)! It is easy to cut and glues well.

Depron is much lighter than balsa but by weight is nearly as strong.
In fact the skin in a Depron structure can be so relatively thick that fewer ribs/formers are required to support it.

A conventional build wing structure but made entirely in 3mm Depron. The 'spar' is also Depron and simply acts as a shear web.

Sheeted in 3mm Depron.

The result is a true monocoque with all the stresses carried by the skin.

The use of Depron as a material in traditional build interests me also ... living in Latvia - traditional materials are not so easy to find as in UK .... Depron's not either - but there is a source in Riga that could be used and have supplies bussed to my location. At a lot less cost overall to balsa.
I've just completed a 1980's biplane build with traditional wing structure ... it crossed my mind to skin those wings with depron ... but in the end opted to go original. I have spare ribs though - so I may just end up creating some alternative wings to test out .....

Me ? I love the build and the flying. Material ? I don't care as long as it does the job, looks right, flies right. RTF and pure kit build all have a place in my inventory.