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1/4 Scale Salto**
- Peter Balcombe
- Posts: 1399
- Joined: 18 Mar 2015, 10:13
- Location: Clevedon, North Somerset, U.K.
Re: 1/4 Scale Salto
With the wing surfaces now glassed, it is time to mask off around the underside brake apertures and the brake seat using a shiny surfaced tape which will have release agent applied.
The brake vanes will be held in place whilst glassing resin cures in order to ensure the vane surface conforms to the rest of the wing as far as possible.
Once this is done the vanes can be released and the top rear surfaces glassed unsupported.
Ailerons & servo hatches can also be glassed whilst I have resin mixed.
The brake vanes will be held in place whilst glassing resin cures in order to ensure the vane surface conforms to the rest of the wing as far as possible.
Once this is done the vanes can be released and the top rear surfaces glassed unsupported.
Ailerons & servo hatches can also be glassed whilst I have resin mixed.
- Peter Balcombe
- Posts: 1399
- Joined: 18 Mar 2015, 10:13
- Location: Clevedon, North Somerset, U.K.
Re: 1/4 Scale Salto
Brake vanes glassed & temporarily covered with polythene sheet to allow them to be clipped at rear & weighted at front whilst the resin cures overnight. Top surfaces of ailerons & servo cover plates also done at same time.
Hopefully, the parts release ok, then the remaining sides of the brake vanes & ailerons can be done to complete the exercise.
Hopefully, the parts release ok, then the remaining sides of the brake vanes & ailerons can be done to complete the exercise.
- Peter Balcombe
- Posts: 1399
- Joined: 18 Mar 2015, 10:13
- Location: Clevedon, North Somerset, U.K.
Re: 1/4 Scale Salto
With the wing now glassed & rubbed down with 240 grit wet&dry (used wet), it’s time to bite the bullet and install the TE brake blades
The inside of the blades and wing blade seat were first given a coat of Acrylic Appliance White Gloss from a rattle can, as these areas may be a bit more difficult to get to for painting once the blades are in place.
The RH wing blades pivot slots were then cleaned up and one of the blade pivot tubes (both ends on centre one) fixed to the axle. (The blades are linked to each other via the centre pivot, so make sure that the central tube of the 3, which is fixed in the wing, rotates wrt the outer tubes which are fixed in the blades).
I installed the brakes in 2 steps:
1) With the blades securely taped/clamped in place (without servo pushrod connected) the pivot assemblies can be carefully epoxied into the blades only. I clamped a small piece of plastic sheet over each joint to ensure that the pivot tubes didn’t protrude above the brake upper surface. Once the epoxy has cured, the linked blades should be able to be rotated & lifted clear of the wing to check all ok & the wing pivot tubes still rotate on the axle.
2) Now fit the servo pushrod and reinstall the blade assembly in order to epoxy the wing pivot tubes. Check all is well and the pushrod operates ok, then carefully epoxy the wing tubes in place making sure that the epoxy doesn’t get to the axle anywhere. I used plastic sheet strips again to stop the tubes protruding above the wing skin.
I had to release the outer end pivot
Hopefully, once the epoxy is dry, the blades rotate cleanly and can be fully opened & closed using the servo pushrod.
Servo operation to be tried next ....
The inside of the blades and wing blade seat were first given a coat of Acrylic Appliance White Gloss from a rattle can, as these areas may be a bit more difficult to get to for painting once the blades are in place.
The RH wing blades pivot slots were then cleaned up and one of the blade pivot tubes (both ends on centre one) fixed to the axle. (The blades are linked to each other via the centre pivot, so make sure that the central tube of the 3, which is fixed in the wing, rotates wrt the outer tubes which are fixed in the blades).
I installed the brakes in 2 steps:
1) With the blades securely taped/clamped in place (without servo pushrod connected) the pivot assemblies can be carefully epoxied into the blades only. I clamped a small piece of plastic sheet over each joint to ensure that the pivot tubes didn’t protrude above the brake upper surface. Once the epoxy has cured, the linked blades should be able to be rotated & lifted clear of the wing to check all ok & the wing pivot tubes still rotate on the axle.
2) Now fit the servo pushrod and reinstall the blade assembly in order to epoxy the wing pivot tubes. Check all is well and the pushrod operates ok, then carefully epoxy the wing tubes in place making sure that the epoxy doesn’t get to the axle anywhere. I used plastic sheet strips again to stop the tubes protruding above the wing skin.
I had to release the outer end pivot
Hopefully, once the epoxy is dry, the blades rotate cleanly and can be fully opened & closed using the servo pushrod.
Servo operation to be tried next ....
- Cliff Evans
- Posts: 1036
- Joined: 29 Dec 2019, 15:13
- Location: Bristol
- Contact:
Re: 1/4 Scale Salto
Salto brake operation.
https://lasercutsailplanes.co.uk
https://patteaklegliders.co.uk
https://patteaklegliders.co.uk
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- Posts: 21
- Joined: 18 Mar 2015, 09:00
- Location: pentewan cornwall
Re: 1/4 Scale Salto
Peter very nice work
- Peter Balcombe
- Posts: 1399
- Joined: 18 Mar 2015, 10:13
- Location: Clevedon, North Somerset, U.K.
Re: 1/4 Scale Salto
Tailplane halves now covered with film & control surfaces hinged using small pin hinges.
Servo leads shortened by 60mm to allow enough to be poked out for connection, but short enough for this to retract back into the tailplane as it is pushed home on its carbon joiner/peg.
The servo is fixed using hot glue & very short pushrods made using 2mm threaded rod.
All seems to work ok when installed & servos driven from Rx end of the extension leads
Servo leads shortened by 60mm to allow enough to be poked out for connection, but short enough for this to retract back into the tailplane as it is pushed home on its carbon joiner/peg.
The servo is fixed using hot glue & very short pushrods made using 2mm threaded rod.
All seems to work ok when installed & servos driven from Rx end of the extension leads
- Peter Balcombe
- Posts: 1399
- Joined: 18 Mar 2015, 10:13
- Location: Clevedon, North Somerset, U.K.
Re: 1/4 Scale Salto
I have been finishing off all the last jobs on this build apart from wing painting over the past week.
Brake vane pivot slots now filled & sanded flush with rest of the wing/blades.
Ailerons dry fitted & pushrods made up.
Tail cone made from balsa & given an initial coat of Acrylic to seal.
A shaped seat has been made by laminating 4-5 layers of glass cloth between plastic sheets and curing in a Hotwire cut shaped foam former. The cured cloth has been cut to shape and epoxied to a couple of 1/8 balsa sheet stand-offs which will now be fixed into the fuselage. The result puts the pilot figure at about the correct position & the canopy fits - which is always a bonus
Over to Cliff now, for the paint shop & radio installation.
Brake vane pivot slots now filled & sanded flush with rest of the wing/blades.
Ailerons dry fitted & pushrods made up.
Tail cone made from balsa & given an initial coat of Acrylic to seal.
A shaped seat has been made by laminating 4-5 layers of glass cloth between plastic sheets and curing in a Hotwire cut shaped foam former. The cured cloth has been cut to shape and epoxied to a couple of 1/8 balsa sheet stand-offs which will now be fixed into the fuselage. The result puts the pilot figure at about the correct position & the canopy fits - which is always a bonus
Over to Cliff now, for the paint shop & radio installation.
- Max Wright
- Posts: 198
- Joined: 10 Mar 2020, 19:57
- Location: Clayton Bay South Australia
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- Posts: 1
- Joined: 03 Mar 2021, 18:28
- Location: Dorset
Re: 1/4 Scale Salto
Hi Peter. I have been reading your review of the build of your great looking Salto. One question springs to mind - how have you locked the tail plane halves together in the fuze?
- Peter Balcombe
- Posts: 1399
- Joined: 18 Mar 2015, 10:13
- Location: Clevedon, North Somerset, U.K.
Re: 1/4 Scale Salto
The tailplane halves are attached using a carbon rod into a tube in the Fuz, plus an alignment peg at front.
My post on 9th Aug last year shows a shot of the 2 crossed fuselage tubes.
There is no locking device, similar to many AMT setups, relying on the joiner tube friction (maybe assisted by a spot of pritt-stick glue or similar) to resist any tendency to inadvertently slide out in flight.
My post on 9th Aug last year shows a shot of the 2 crossed fuselage tubes.
There is no locking device, similar to many AMT setups, relying on the joiner tube friction (maybe assisted by a spot of pritt-stick glue or similar) to resist any tendency to inadvertently slide out in flight.