This was a hard picture to take!
I pencil marked the body with a pencil at the 5" point. Here the model was balanced on a straightedge.
The supplied clay weight starts at almost .25 ounce.
Bits of clay were added to the inside of the nose cone until it balanced at the 5" mark.
In the end .08 oz. of clay was pressed into the nose cone. Your model balance weight may vary -
How could you add clay weight if you have already glued the nose cone on?!
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous,
DeleteThat's a pretty big mistake in the Estes instructions. I honestly didn't notice it until your comment.
Out of habit I don't glue in nose cones on gliders until I have to balance them. A first time boost glider builder wouldn't know that. I went back and amended the post to say: "Don't glue in the nose cone now."
You could install some balance clay on the end of a dowel. Roll clay balls and place them on the end of the dowel, into the body and press in place. It'll take a few minutes but it can be done. My model balanced with just .08 oz. of clay. Start with less and add bits until you get to the balance point.
I wouldn't recommend trying to pry the nose cone out of the tube. BT-50 tubing isn't very strong and can easily crimp.