Molded to blocks for Veco Hurricane

Has anyone used molded top blocks or a carbon/fiberglass molded top for a Veco Hurricane?

>Has anyone used molded top blocks or a carbon/fiberglass
>molded top for a Veco Hurricane?
>
>Jerry

Shouldn't be hard to do.

Well it looks like no one has done this. I was hoping to borrow the molds and/or someone already had the molded fiberglass top I could buy.

Guess I will carve the top block then decide to mould one from that, or go ahead and hollow it to use on the airplane.

Thanks anyway,
Jerry

Have you thought of making the mold from foam. Should be easy to carve.

My own molded top blocks are carved from pine. 'Tis a pain, but the parts come out straight! I use 2 sheets of 1/32" soft balsa with a layer of silkspan in between. Thinned Titebond works well. I wrap the pieces on the mold with strips of a cotton bedsheet (not a new one, of course).

>Has anyone used molded top blocks or a carbon/fiberglass
>molded top for a Veco Hurricane?
>
>Jerry

Ron B.
F4Fguy

Molded top "blocks" are so easy it's hard to see why anyone would ruin a nice chunk of balsa to carve one. Unless you're going to make half a dozen or more it's a waste of time and energy to make a wood buck,whether balsa ,maple,pine or teak.I've been making molded balsa components since the sixties ,and have (except for canopies) always used foam. All that's needed is a plywood base and foam blocks the distance from former to former.Carve to shape and start molding. 1# bead foam is too soft, but blue,pink,green,grey 2# is fine and spider foam is even better. Ive molded everything from 1/32" to 1/8",single and up to three lams with no,zero,nil,nada problems. It's too easy NOT to learn to do! Examples follow:

LAST EDITED ON Dec-03-04 AT 07:32 PM (CST)
 
Hi Ron,
I agree. Once you start to mold blocks it soooo east.
I really enjoy carving and the challenge of making a great top block from a big chunk of balsa, but it is much more efficient to mold!
A big "Thank you" to you, Al, Bob Hunt, and Billy for turning me on to the world of molding.
Bill <><

LAST EDITED ON Dec-03-04 AT 07:44 PM (CST)
 
>A big "Thank you" to you, Al, Bob Hunt,
>and Billy for turning me on to the world of molding.
>Bill <><

DITTO!

>>A big "Thank you" to you, Al, Bob Hunt,
>>and Billy for turning me on to the world of molding.
>>Bill <><
>
>DITTO!

Lets be fair, They didn't invent it but did adapt it.

>>>A big "Thank you" to you, Al, Bob Hunt,
>>>and Billy for turning me on to the world of molding.
>>>Bill <><
>>
>>DITTO!
>
> Lets be fair, They didn't invent it but did adapt it.

Hi Dennis,
No Arguement on that.
I just refer to the guys who "convinced" me of the benefits it gives for use on control line stunt ships.
Bill <><

Nope. But I have used molded tops and bottoms on three Ares. I learned how to do this in the 70's from a gent in Pocatello, Idaho.
AL Culver. Many on here in the NW should know AL. He is Eddy Culvers Dad and I learned more from AL by just watching him. He is a wizard with a piece of balsa and a piece of sandpaper. He also showed me and helped me do my first foam wing. Thanks to a model railroad transformer.
My mold buck is made from a very heavy and hard piece of balsa. I think it coulda-shoulda been a baseball bat. Way to heavy for anything we do except molds.
As to AL Rabe, Bob Hunt and Billy Werwage, here on line and on VHS tape, I got the encouragement to do it again. Thanks guys.

LAST EDITED ON Dec-04-04 AT 11:52 AM (CST)
 
>My mold buck is made from a very heavy and hard piece of
>balsa. I think it coulda-shoulda been a baseball bat. Way
>to heavy for anything we do except molds.
>As to AL Rabe, Bob Hunt and Billy Werwage, here on line and
>on VHS tape, I got the encouragement to do it again. Thanks
>guys.

Ron B.
F4Fguy

Several seem to have missed my main point. There's no need to spend the time or money to make wooden bucks.Insulation foam (2+#/ft.)is easy to work, fast and cheap. It's perfectly adequate for making up to half a dozen parts (after that it gets kind of ratty). The only place you need to support it is at any SHARP edges. On a buck to be used for molding balsa parts there's no need for a super finish. Contour must be correct, but finish is unimportant. Typically I develop contour with a "Surform" rasp/plane,and sand with 80 and 100 grit and leave it at that,no filler,no epoxy no further finishing .All the parts and fuselages shown in my post above used foam bucks.

I agree as to the use of foam to make the buck, BUT down hea in Dixie, thea don haavea insulation. I had to go to St Louis to even find any blue 1" stuff for my model railroad. Up there they have two inch and 4 inch foam. Thickest I can find here is 1/2" to 3/4" and most of it folds, has creases so it can fold. So far coldest night here in 8 years has been just below freezing and back up to the high 40's by noon.

Right Ty,
The only stuff I found around here that is over 1" thick is the bead foam. I can get the blue in 1" and glue it together to make bigger "blocks".
Bill <><

LAST EDITED ON Dec-04-04 AT 07:08 PM (CST)
 
>Right Ty,
>The only stuff I found around here that is over 1" thick is
>the bead foam. I can get the blue in 1" and glue it
>together to make bigger "blocks".
>Bill <><
>
>When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his
>friends.
>Japanese Proverb

Ron B.
F4Fguy

Bill and Ty:

I now live in "sunny"?? California (the rainy season is upon us).Even with shipping costs Spider foam is (a lot) cheaper, per cu.ft., than balsa,or, for that matter almost any other wood.And it's a WHOLE lot easier to shape.

Bill:

I agree that bead foam, at any density, is a lost cause for this application.

Ty:

You get down in the FORTIES??? Brrrrrrrr!

I'd at least email Larry Richards [email protected] and see if he makes molded parts for his kit of the Veco Hurricane. A great looking design, good choice. I saw one fly at Sand Point NAS Regionals in the mid-'60's, built by Bob Tucker from Selah, WA. Flew good, too. Steve

Thanks for the advice guys. I will consider the options. Only plan to build the one airplane so I might just use the block that came with the re-pro kit either for the mold or forward top block.

F4F guy,

That is some beautiful work. I have always admired it. Those Nats judges must have been nuts.