Some small parts...

I`ve made some small parts for the first NWC. One 15mm. ballast tube for the wings, and the joiner pockets. I have also started on the shear webs. These will be made from vertical grain balsa laminated in vacuum with 105g/dm fiberglass at 45 degrees. I probably should have used carbon, but I`m out of it for the moment. The balsa is weighted and oriented with the heaviest pieces close to the wing root side, to keep weight out of the tips.

The bottom moulds are cleaned up and are receiving wax at the momement. I`m happy with their quality, but the gelcoat has got some slight discolorations that may come from me not stiring the can before mixing. I`m not sure of this, as there has been some reports about bad batches with this particular gelcoat... Anyway the finish on the moulds turned out more than good enough for making planes for myself, and probably for production too. Altough not up to Jaro Mullers standard. (Not many can build to his standard..)

In two weeks I`ll make the top moulds, and hope they turn out just perfect. I`m going to use the same gelcoat, as I didn`t manage to get hold of the Ebalta OH 33 I was going to try in such a short timeframe. Tomorrow I`m going to finish the plates for the shear webs and make the fuselage ballast tube.

The bottom moulds are released!!! :D :D :D

The bottom moulds released just perfect and they came out very good. -Now they just need a slight cleaning up and some very fine polishing, before they are ready for production. Also, the positives are unscratched and ready to make another mouldset, if needed. Next up is the top moulds. They will be made in about a month or so. And yes, I am very happy, but mostly relived. The moulds are very stiff, and weigh 6kg. each.

Steelframe and torsion wall mounted.

Just a few pics of the backside reinforcement of the moulds... -Tomorrow is the big day. I`m excited, and having trouble sleeping...

The bottom wingmoulds lay up is done! :D

Putting on a layer of mould gelcoat.
F200 for the mould surface, and F260 for the edges.
My cusin, Kenneth. He is now a well educated composite worker. ;)
First layers, plus coupling layer laid down.
411g Carbon makes expensive, but light moulds...
The last layer is in, time is 00.30
What a mess!





Last night the layup for the two bottom wing halves was done. I was lucky enough to get help from my cusin, who is an aircraft mecanic and a ROV-pilot. He got his hands wet in epoxy for the first time, but did a great job! Thanks alot Kenneth!

The layup of the two halves took us 17 hours! -My back is a bit painfull today. Guess I have found some new muscles..

The layup is as follows:

-2 layers of mould epoxy.
-Coupling layer.
-1 layer of 110g fiberglass.
-1 layer of 280g fiberglass.
-1 layer of 390g fiberglass.
-1 layer of 580g fiberglass.
-1 layer of 411g carbon @ 45 degrees.
-1 layer of 390g fiberglass.
-1 layer of 280g fiberglass.

-3,6kg epoxy and 2kg mould resin was used for the two halves.

The following was learned:

-Laying down all those layers was a pain!
-The 390g fiberglass was hard to wet out, beacause of being thightly wowen.
-The 580g fiberglass was just a mess, fraying, and epoxy sucking!
-The 411g carbon was beautiful working with, I recommend it!!!

Today I will mount a 30x30mm. steeltubing lengthwise on the backside of each mouldhlave, and a crossing wall in the middle of the mouldhalve to make it even more rigid.

The mouldhalves will be opened on Sunday. I`m keeping my fingers crossed!!! :)



....PROJECT DOCUMENTATION STARTS ON DECEMBER 2008.