Scratchbuilder questions from new member

[Barry63]

Another question: What size metal brake do you scratchbuilders have? Would a 24" be long enough?

[sonex1566]

Hi Barry,
Depends on how brave you are! A 24" will do most of the formers and brackets etc but is too small for the rear spar, ailerons, flaps etc. If you want to fold those yourself you either have to spend mega bucks on a commercial one or make one. I made mine and mounted it along one side of my work bench. I copied the idea of the web and spent a couple of hundred dollars on it. Practise on small bits first. The rear spar was the absolute limit needing my wife's help to muscle it into shape. But it worked. I only stuffed up an aileron skin and made a perfect pair of flap skins.....half the required length. I need more space to list my various balls ups. I folded the various bits in shorter lengths, not as specified on the plans where you make complete 12ft long bent profiles and then cut them too length. My system probably takes a little longer but if you make a boo boo it's not the end of the world.

[Barry63]

Richard,

Thanks for the info. We have a 4 foot box brake at work but it isn't the best. When you bend a 90 angle, on end is 90 and then anywhere from 85 to 95 thruout the entire length of the piece you're bending. Hard to do quality work, but the company won't buy a newer one.

If I may ask, what brand brake did you buy. And do you have a shear also?

[sonex1566]

Hi Barry,
I ended up doing all of my folding with my home made job. I used two different thickness bending plates to do the two different radius' required 1/8" and 1/4". The leading edges were done using a crappy old vacuum cleaner and has got to be the coolest, cheapest, fastest way of making neat curves in aluminium sheet known to man! My bending brake works a treat on bends up to about 60" long. Over that you really need three arms to apply even pressure. My L4 inspector and numerous other people have said that 'we are not building a Swiss watch, it's just a bloody airplane!' So buy being as OCD as I could be, I reckon that my aircraft is built to about +/- 1/32" and the paint job about 40". Anybody comes closer I ask them to remove their glasses! It flies a treat and I love it to bits.

[Barry63]

Allright, thanks! I'll probably be the same way also. I'm fairly particular and need to have things perfect.