• Administrator
  •  
    Before your membership becomes valid, you will receive an email that must be answered.
    Please check your spam folder or this email.
     

ASK-13 Refresh

Stephen Portelli
Posts: 11
Joined: 08 Oct 2021, 02:54
Location: Adelaide

ASK-13 Refresh

Post by Stephen Portelli »

Hello All,
For what it's worth (minimal :lol: ) I thought i'd share some photos of my ASK-13 tidy-up. This is 1/5 scale, glass fuselage built-up wing which I got 2nd, 3rd, or 4th hand and in hindsight (its a wonderful thing) paid too many pesos for - note to self don't buy model over the interweb!).

Upon delivery (did I mention I mention it was located 2500km away) it was evident that the model had less than an easy life, once I got it on the bench.
The nose had been repaired, repainted (didn't quite match, and very thing glass with lots of putty, wing covering was not great and in film. It also had an electrical whirly thing, which wasn't scale and had to go.

After my last outing and a hard arrival (which i admit was on me - partly because I hadn't set up my new TX correctly) which resulted in a damaged wing, I decided to embark on this project. At one point in the model's life, it had worn the markings of the Southern Cross Gliding Club and as it was still in those colours elected to go with them again. BTW - when I contacted the gliding club for help with reference photos the Secretary could not have been more helpful, which is what I've used as a reference for the marking stencils and decals.
full size
full size
what im hoping for!
what im hoping for!
model as received
model as received
film covered wing
film covered wing
Upon removing the covering (which hid lots!) I was amazed at the questionable selection of balsa used for various applications. The wing sheeting was less than 1mm in thickness and was basically crumpled at the root rib, the shear webs are at least 5mm thick. Also that both wings had been broken previously which explained the kink in one leading edge... So i did my best to repair and straighten them, prior to covering them with Bem silk.
stripped
stripped
k1.jpg
[attachment=0]

I reinforced the root rib sheeting with .6mm ply glued to the underside of the sheeting, there was little i could do with the LE sheeting unless i replaced the lot! I elected to see (hope) that the bem silk would offer greater rigidity - which it has.

More to follow - my aim is to get this ready for the Bordertown aerotow on November 20th!
Cheers
Stephen
Last edited by Stephen Portelli on 10 Nov 2021, 06:20, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Cliff Evans
Posts: 1032
Joined: 29 Dec 2019, 15:13
Location: Bristol
Contact:

Re: ASK-13 Refresh

Post by Cliff Evans »

Glad to see you managed to get the photos up Stephen. Looks like an interesting project. And great to hear that the "whirly thing " had to go.
https://lasercutsailplanes.co.uk
https://patteaklegliders.co.uk
Stephen Portelli
Posts: 11
Joined: 08 Oct 2021, 02:54
Location: Adelaide

Re: ASK-13 Refresh

Post by Stephen Portelli »

After stripping of the plastic wrap (sorry coverfilm) on the wings and tail surface, I proceeded to prep the wings ready for the Bem silk. I forgot to mention that I couldn't ignore the kink in the LE of one wing from a prior, poorly done repair so took the step of sawing it in half, re-joining, and setting it straight!
before
before
after
after
wing ready for paint
wing ready for paint
As for the fuselage... Well, it could have gone smoother, shall we say. The rear fuse was cracked and so was the top of the turtle deck . I repaired the breaks and applied automotive filler to hide the sins of a bad landing. The first attempt at respraying the fuselage resulted in a paint reaction, but only in certain spots! oh shit, let it dry sand it off, and start again. Fortunately the results the second time were better.
failed first attempt
failed first attempt
Second times a charm!
Second times a charm!
B Sharp

Re: ASK-13 Refresh

Post by B Sharp »

I think you have been quite lucky so far with this resto Stephen. FG fuselages are not so difficult to repair, the difficulty comes when you have to repair other peoples botched repairs (especialy at the back end). Incompatable paint surfaces are very common. I usualy end up stripping back to the bare surface before a total repaint which saves a lot of grief. I find sheeting and LE wing repairs very satisfying. and it looks like you have made a very good job of it. The big problem usualy comes when the sheeting has parted company with the underlying structure.
I have not seen any models covered in silk since my control line combat days. Where do you get your silk and how difficult is it to use?
You are doing a great job with this resto and the finished model is going to be well worth the effort.
Brian. :)
Stephen Portelli
Posts: 11
Joined: 08 Oct 2021, 02:54
Location: Adelaide

Re: ASK-13 Refresh

Post by Stephen Portelli »

Thanks Brian, really appreciate the words of encouragement. I get the Bemsilk from a chain store called Spotlight. see link:https://www.spotlightstores.com/sewing- ... 5001-white
It is very cheap at AUD11 / per meter x1.20 meter roll and even less with the loyalty card discount! The cloth is acrylic acetate, made in Japan and 65GSM - light and strong. You apply it mostly the same way as you would with traditional dope/silk or tissue, except that once it's doped to the framework, as smooth as possible you then heat-shrink it drum tight. Then apply Two more thinned coats of dope (i use a hairdryer to speed up the process) give it a very light sand with 600 wet and dry then it's ready for paint. This method has the benefit of traditional covering with natural silk, strength, and scale-like finish, with the added advantage of heat shrinking, although a lot more work compared to modern plastic film.

Note: I am using water-based polyurethane (Cabothane) instead of traditional dope (which also works) as its cheaper, no smell, is easy cleanup and seems to be more flexible.
Hope this
Stephen
Post Reply