Douglas Boston IIIA

[Denis Brown]

All the best to you Steve. Will look forward to your return

[Steve Rickett 2333]

About 8 months ago the Boston made a huge 3300mi journey....although not under its own steam! It joined us out here in Qatar via the Suez Canal! I have been a little busy with work and getting the last bits done to the Hellcat...but I have now found a little time to make some more progress.

The start of it's journey...

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And the end....6 weeks later.

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I have started by making the plugs for the Nose glazing, Canopy and Rear gunners position....all out of balsa and ply. Would have been cheaper to use foam or something but this is all I had! At least it is easy to work with! These will get a couple of layers of heavy glass cloth to toughen then up and then sent off to Fighteraces Phil to work his magic on them!

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I was going to do the cowl in a similar way, but a friend has volunteered to turn me one on a woodworking lathe from something suitable! That saves a bit of work....!

[Denis Brown]

Pleased you are able to continue with the build again. Hope it will not be too long before it makes its journey back. Test runway available. Have you thought about bringing it back " a la Mike Booth " style. That would break some records. Looking forward to seeing you soon. Hope the job is coming on okay

DB. Sproutland

[Steve Rickett 2333]

Hi Denis....

Good idea!....But!....as much as I would really like to, I think I might be struggling to fit the 55 Gals I would need to achieve it! Not to mention the paperwork! (have a quick look at the countries you have to cross to get back to the UK!)

Job is fine...but there maybe a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel!!

[Steve Rickett 2333]

Actually.....that works out at about 55 miles per gallon! Pretty good considering the two Laser 360's burning glow fuel!

[andywynn]

Hi steve great to see it back on the board. at the rate you build formation at Elvington ????

[Phil Clark]

Steve

Has thet big nose got to be vacformed in 1 piece like that to for the various windows in the nose, or is that a plug for a tool to lay up a GRP nose?

Phil

[Joshua Henderson]

Hi Steve
Looking good.
I'm just wondering if you could tell me what type of glue hysol is ie pu, epoxy etc and where to get it from?


Thanks
Josh

[Steve Rickett 2333]

Don't worry Phil...that nose plug is for a fiberglass moulding. I thought that the moulds could be taken as two halves (top and bottom) and then two vac-form plugs taken out the moulds, will need a little bit of packing on the base of each vac-form plug to make sure the shape conforms right to very edge...but at least this way we can be sure that the glazing will fit the nose.

Hi Joshua,

Hysol is a professional epoxy glue that has immense strength, yet remains ever so slightly flexible (really, ever so slightly!), so it can withstand shockloads etc better than most epoxies. This is one of the reasons it is so good for use on engine firewalls, undercarriage supports, main spars etc. Speak the man above (Phil......at Fighteraces) he usually has it in stock.

Cheers

Steve

[Steve Rickett 2333]

Ha! Not likely, Andy. Maybe next years?

[Phil Clark]

Don't worry Phil...that nose plug is for a fiberglass moulding. I thought that the moulds could be taken as two halves (top and bottom) and then two vac-form plugs taken out the moulds, will need a little bit of packing on the base of each vac-form plug to make sure the shape conforms right to very edge...but at least this way we can be sure that the glazing will fit the nose.


Steve

If we take a 2 part mould from the nose plug for a GRP nose, that'll work fine, but if I then pour a aluminium powder filled resin vacform tool from the same mould, the vacformings will end up fractionally larger than the glass nose. Vacforms pulled on the outside of a tool, GRP nose laid up on the inside.......unless the glazed sections of nose are cut into sections to be bonded behind each opening, a 1 piece vacforming won't fit inside the GRP nose.

Phil

[Phil Clark]

Hi Steve
Looking good.
I'm just wondering if you could tell me what type of glue hysol is ie pu, epoxy etc and where to get it from?


Thanks
Josh

It's industrial use if for bonding disimilar materials (wood - metal, wood - composite, it will also bond epoxy & polyester composites) in high stress applications. Used predominantly for bonding formers into composite mouldings in modelling, but as Steve has correctly said, it's other properties make it excellent for all of our load bearing applications. It is also thixotropic (doen't run) so can be used to create neat fillers in joints that won't run & sag as it cures.

Phil

[Steve Rickett 2333]

unless the glazed sections of nose are cut into sections to be bonded behind each opening, a 1 piece vacforming won't fit inside the GRP nose.

I see where you are coming from. I was hoping that the glazing could be installed in maybe two or three sections. A little trimming will be required but I was thinking that the clear acetate would not be so far out. either that or having to make two plugs....I am not sure if I could make a second one accurate enough (ie about 3/32" smaller all round) and to be honest I don't think I could be bothered to make another!!

If the glazing has to be cut into smaller sections, then that wouldn't be too hard to do.

Unless you have anything better up your sleeve?

[Steve Rickett 2333]

Final wing sheeting now being applied. Medium 1/32" balsa spliced and joined. I cut out all hatch and access areas before applying the skins...it just makes it so much easier and neater. The sheets also get a really good sand to ensure they are as smooth and flat as possible...

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The wing has been jigged to the correct washout so it doesn't distort when the last skin is applied.

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Once the skin is ready to be applied I postion it in the correct place and then tape downfront edge with masking tape, just as you would when joining the sheets...the skin can the be folded over, the glue applied to the ribs and the whole sheet folded back into exactly right position....

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[Phil Clark]

unless the glazed sections of nose are cut into sections to be bonded behind each opening, a 1 piece vacforming won't fit inside the GRP nose.

I see where you are coming from. I was hoping that the glazing could be installed in maybe two or three sections. A little trimming will be required but I was thinking that the clear acetate would not be so far out. either that or having to make two plugs....I am not sure if I could make a second one accurate enough (ie about 3/32" smaller all round) and to be honest I don't think I could be bothered to make another!!

If the glazing has to be cut into smaller sections, then that wouldn't be too hard to do.

Unless you have anything better up your sleeve?

My idea was to take the glass mould off your timber plug and use this to lay up a GRP nose.

Then, on the inside of the same female tool, apply 1 layer of 1mm thick self adhesive wax sheeting. This is a product available from 'Alchemie' and is VERY maliable. It would have to go in in several pieces so there would be few join lines. The resin vacform tool could then be poured into the tool and the end result would be 1mm undersize all round compared to the internal dimensions of the GRP nose tool. As the wax has to be worked into the tool to get it to conform & stick, the surface wouldn't be perfect, so the exterior surface of the resin vacform tool would need flatting to get it back to a surface that is acceptable to vac over, but even so, it'd give an accurate plug correctly sized so you'd be sure the glazing would fit accurately inside the GRP nose.

just an idea........

C U Friday

Phil

[Steve Rickett 2333]

Ah, that sounds like a cunning plan!

I'll leave it with you!

C U friday!

[Phil Clark]

Small change of plan....it'll be 1st thing Saturday morning now

Phil

[Nick Reeves 3055]

Small change of plan....it'll be 1st thing Saturday morning now

Phil

phil,
i'll catch up with you during saturday or once the flying finishes saturday afternoon. ill be the one with the ginger 3yr old boy
nick

[Steve Rickett 2333]

As we prepare for the big trip home, the Boston and Hellcat have been packed away ready. The Boston is back in it's crate and the Hellcat bolted down ontop. I hope they'll travel ok in the shipping container on their 3000 mile journey home.....

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[Nick Reeves 3055]

is this a permenant return trip to the UK steve?