Beyond The Sprues

Modelling => Tips, Tools & Techniques => Topic started by: cthulhu77 on June 13, 2012, 05:34:55 AM

Title: Nose weights for aircraft
Post by: cthulhu77 on June 13, 2012, 05:34:55 AM

 step one: First, you bone the chicken (whoops, wrong subject)  Ahem:   First, you take some soft modeling clay ( I like Roma Plastalina) and sculpt into the correct shape...in this case, a A/T 37 Dragonfly:
(http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm232/GregEwald/NoseWeight/nose1.jpg)

Title: Re: Nose weights for aircraft
Post by: cthulhu77 on June 13, 2012, 05:39:54 AM

step two.   Jump up and down to mix the plaster, or use a popsicle stick...they are usable only AFTER you have eaten the popsicle:
(http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm232/GregEwald/NoseWeight/nose3.jpg)

Title: Re: Nose weights for aircraft
Post by: cthulhu77 on June 13, 2012, 05:47:10 AM

Wait for the plaster to dry, then pop it out of your spouse's tupperware. Without them seeing it.  Cut in half with a saw of some sort...I am a lazy person with a ton of power tools, so I used a scroll saw...
(http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm232/GregEwald/NoseWeight/nose2.jpg)

Title: Re: Nose weights for aircraft
Post by: cthulhu77 on June 13, 2012, 05:48:42 AM

Go to your local tyre dealer, or your neighbors, and get some free lead weights that are used to balance the wheels:
(http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm232/GregEwald/NoseWeight/nose4.jpg)

Title: Re: Nose weights for aircraft
Post by: cthulhu77 on June 13, 2012, 05:50:22 AM

cut the required amount of soft lead to fill the mold, and tape it shut with duck tape (duct tape, if you like):
(http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm232/GregEwald/NoseWeight/nose5.jpg)

Title: Re: Nose weights for aircraft
Post by: cthulhu77 on June 13, 2012, 05:52:12 AM

Using a small torch, or a big one if you like...melt the lead until it flows into the mould, like a crunchy frog sprinkled with larks vomit:
(http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm232/GregEwald/NoseWeight/nose6.jpg)

Title: Re: Nose weights for aircraft
Post by: cthulhu77 on June 13, 2012, 05:53:32 AM

Remove from mould, after a bit of cooling, unless you like that sort of thing:
(http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm232/GregEwald/NoseWeight/nose7.jpg)

Title: Re: Nose weights for aircraft
Post by: cthulhu77 on June 13, 2012, 05:55:35 AM

 A little bit of burnishing with bastard file that won't bite your legs off, and "viola" ! you have a nice custom nose weight that won't rattle around like a bunch of bb's. Or DD's if you prefer...:)
(http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm232/GregEwald/NoseWeight/nose8.jpg)

Title: Re: Nose weights for aircraft
Post by: cthulhu77 on June 13, 2012, 06:07:26 AM

total time?  about 24 hours, mostly due to me being sick, and the drying time of the plaster...

Title: Re: Nose weights for aircraft
Post by: GTX_Admin on June 13, 2012, 05:21:22 PM

 :)

Title: Re: Nose weights for aircraft
Post by: Weaver on June 13, 2012, 07:39:15 PM

Yeah, but the great thing about 2mm BBs is that you can coat them in PVA and then roll them down the inside of the fuselage from the cockpit to the nose via the rudder pedal cutouts after having sealed the fuselage up before putting any weight in there first - so I'm told......... :-[ ;)

Nice one Greg!

Title: Re: Nose weights for aircraft
Post by: Brian da Basher on June 14, 2012, 04:05:12 AM

That's one of the best & most entertaining How To bits I've seen in a while!

Thank you, wise Old One.

Brian da Basher

Title: Re: Nose weights for aircraft
Post by: cthulhu77 on June 14, 2012, 04:08:54 AM

Aw, shucks !   It worked out well.  She never even noticed the missing tupperware. Score !!!

Title: Re: Nose weights for aircraft
Post by: Frank3k on June 14, 2012, 09:50:54 AM

Greg - VERY impressive master holder! How long did it take you to fabricate it?

Title: Re: Nose weights for aircraft
Post by: cthulhu77 on June 14, 2012, 08:02:09 PM

Almost 30 seconds. Why whiffers have such enormous stashes, no?