Notice the break at the butt joint of the two wing sides.
Using a sanding block, a slight angle was sanded into both wing root edges.
Glue is applied to one side of the wing. I don't use much glue so I can make adjustments if needed. Both sides are joined. The dihedral is made automatically when the wing tips hang over and touch the table top.
TIP: Roll a dowel or pen barrel over the seam to even up both sides of the wing joint.
I got a very clean, even joint.
Now a fillet can be applied to the opposite side.
Notice the tape down the center joint of the wing. This keeps the paint out of the inside gluing angle.
To keep things light, I didn't spray filler/primer. I'll go right to light coats of gloss white with sanding between coats.
This is the inside surface of the wing. The tape strip has been removed to glue the wing to the BT-20 tube.
Laminating printer paper on the Orbiter/Glider wings, with Cy/A adhesive, is lighter and stronger than fillers, for less wing flex during liftoff. Make sure you see wicking through the printer paper for the best bond to balsa and this will require less paint, for a really smooth finish. I'm upscaling the Orbital Transport to a BT-70, up powering to 38mm and upscaling the Orbiter/Glider to a BT-60. Might go RC on the Orbiter/ Glider for easier recovery.
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous,
DeleteI would think the filler or paper lamination would be about the same weight.
I could see paper laminating the glider wings, but working paper around all the fins and motor housing on the booster would be difficult!