Steve Harmons Future ride

[Big Steve]

Well I finished Chapt. 5 today cleaned and trimmed all the bulkheads getting read to put the fuselage together next week. I am getting low on epoxy Wicks says they will have some ez epoxy in the 29 of this month. If not I will be forced to buy from ACS. Still struggling to keep my shop warm it has not got above 20 degrees for over a week. I have burned a lot of wood. STeve

 

http://websites.expercraft.com/bigsteve/index.php?q=log_entry&log_id=14600

[Phil Kriley]

Hi Steve - Switching to ACS won't help...my epoxy is not due to arrive until mid-February from them. I just used up my last bit putting the third layer of BID on the fuselage bottom. I'll be finished with Chapter 6 as soon as I get some epoxy... We've had an unseasonably mild winter in western PA until today - looks like winter is finally here for us.

[Big Steve]

Phil:

 

You must be using MGS epoxy. I was going to use Mgs but when I went to order my foam and stuff they held up my order for over a month waiting for epoxy. I decided to build with something made in america so they would not run out of it. It looks like wicks is out of ez poxy and spruce only had a gallon kit in Ca. I wonder if we are going to all have to change to some other epoxy to build these planes. I found some stuff called system 2000 very similar to ez epoxy. It is a bit stronger acording to there web site.

http://www.fibreglast.com/showproducts-category-Epoxy+Resins-5.html

It is not an appoved epoxy but now that no one is designing or activly promoting these planes anymore I wonder if any new epoxyies will be approved. I just hope I can get enough of what ever epoxy to finish my project. STeve

[Phil Kriley]

You're right - I'm using MGS. MGS is what came with my Chapter 3 kit from ACS, and I liked the stuff so I ordered 4 or 5 gallons. If I had had any idea that getting the materials to build would be so hard, I don't think I'd have started. But it's going together well - just ordered my step and the electric speed brake kit. Gonna order up the antenna kit next. Have fun!

[Big Steve]

Today I jigged up the fuselage and floxed in the front seat insrument panel and f-22 took a little longer than it should of mainly because I started to do it upside down like Wayne Hicks. I decided I did not want a hole in my table so I did it like the plans except I did it on the table. I have to stand on a bucket to get to the bottom inside parts but that is not to tough. I will hopefully get it all taped in Monday. I have been a little under the weather lately I think this has also slowed me down. Here is a pic. of the front top view.

 

 

 

Build on!

[Jon Matcho]

Looking good!

[Big Steve]

I am moving right along on my future ride. I am now in the process of carving the bottom to a "pleasing shape" I did my bottom a little different than the plans. I am doing mine similar to Wayne Hicks but with my own twist. I shaped the aft end of the plane and got the naca duct all sanded down to. I put foam in the area of the gear leg bulkhead space and shaped it to. I just finished glassing that. I am going to put some boards on top with bondo to hold its shape then cut it out and hang it on the wall until I build the gear legs. Then I will carve out the foam and make a shelf then I will turn the fuselage right side up and make a nice little shelf all the way around the gear leg area like Wayne hicks has done. I do not have to worry about making the little joggles that Nat has in the plans. I have enclosed a photo of what it looks like today.

[Phil Kriley]

Any chance you could post a bigger photo? I'm at about the same place you are - I sanded the NACA scoop flat last night, and will shape the foam between the aft landing gear bulkhead and the firewall this weekend. JOOC, why did you foam and glass the landing gear area? I'm doing it "Wayne's way" also, but he doesn't call for anything in the landing gear area until later. What is the advantage to doing what you did? I may follow your lead!

 

Thanks, Phil

[Jon Matcho]

Build on guys... I'll be trying my best to catch up later this spring.

[Big Steve]

Phil:

 

The reason behind my madness is that I contoured my entire naca duct and the aft end of my plane all at the same time. I will take the gear leg cover off next time I work on the plane and set it aside until I install my gear. I thought I would get better transitions shaping it all at once. STeve

 

PS.. I will post the picture one more time but I dont know how to make it any larger. STeve

[Big Steve]

I just had a computor learning moment I figured out how to contro the size of my photos I think. Pretty good for a working stiff that never had a computor till after he built his first plane. STeve

[Phil Kriley]

I just had a computor learning moment I figured out how to contro the size of my photos I think. Pretty good for a working stiff that never had a computor till after he built his first plane. STeve

Thanks for the bigger picture, Steve! It's a lot easier to see what's going on than the thumbnail! We glassed my NACA duct yesterday - I'll take off the clamps tonight and take a picture if it looks OK. I cut some scrap foam to hold up the glass on the sides of the scoop, and cut a couple more pieces of foam to wedge them in place. If it turns out good, I'll explain in more detail.

[Big Steve]

I glassed the bottom of my fuselage today. Took a total of 7 hours except for help in laying out the fiberglass I did it all by my lonesome.

 

Hear is what it looks like

 

[Phil Kriley]

No antennas on the bottom of your fuse? You are really moving on your project!

[Big Steve]

I put a nav antenna you can see it in the picture in the front I have a lead weight holding down a wood block so there would not be a lump where the coax come through. STeve

 

My project is an addiction it is all I think about and all I want to do. STeve

[Big Steve]

Well the big day has come and I am now a fuselage owner. I finished chapt. 7 this afternoon with a nice 5 hour layup on the right hand side of the fuselage. I will probably do chapt 8 next and then skip to chapt. 9 and start on the cannard. I now have to go through the pain of ordering more material. I have plenty of epoxy due to the fact wicks double shipped my epoxy. I have aprox. 15 gallons on hand. Maybe enough to finish. Weather is getting warme I am burning less wood now. STeve:D

[Jon Matcho]

I was holding off congratulations until your fuse cured, at least. Maybe you should sand it too. :-)

 

Congrats on your milestone! Anything you would have done differently?

[Phil Kriley]

You're really moving, Steve! I just got back from a week's vacation, so I'm really falling behind!

[Big Steve]

Here is a picture of how I stored the fuselage after I finished it. I only left it this way until I got the shop swept up. Boy do I have a dusty mess. Jon asked if I would do anything different. I have decided to do a remote fuel valve above the main gear. I have not added it yet I will wait and see where I have room about the gear mounting. I would not of tried in the very begining to to the poor mans vacume bagging It left me with some huge bubbles that I had to repair. It is fixed properly but does not match the rest of the better work. I am going to do chapt. 8 next then on to the cannard. STeve

 

[Big Steve]

It is about time I updated this thread. I just finished glassing my shear web on my canard. It took 4 hours I did the work like I always do by my self. I did get help from my 14 year old nephew to cut the cores. I am also concurently working on chapter 9 doing the layups in the first part of the chapt. I will order My landing gear as soon as a customer pays me for some welding work I did last week.

[Phil Kriley]

Steve - I just ordered my landing gear from Featherlite and they told me 45 days until they do the next run, so you might as well go ahead and place the order to get one reserved. We almost finished Chapter 8 this weekend so I'm probably going to skip ahead to Chapter 10 too.

[Big Steve]

Well I have a update on my progress. I finished chapter 10 the main part of the canard today. I got up at 4:45 am and was pumping epoxy for the top spar cap by 5:00am. I finished at 1:00 pm. I had all the glass cut and the slot masked of the night before. Those strings that you have to pull out of the spar material are a real pain. ACS sent me a defective roll I had to pick a new loop to pull about every 2 feet. I was glad when that roll went away after my second layer. The other roll pulled out just fine. Now I am in the machining mode I am making all the metal parts for my elevators. STeve

[Jon Matcho]

You're now inspiring the rest of us... thanks for the updates!

[Big Steve]

I have a new update. I have decided to machine all of my own parts for the elevators. It is going to take me some extra time but save me a bunch of money. ( have to justify my machines in the shop) I cut the nc-2 inserts today. They were a little tricky but not to bad just a lot of set up. Here is a pic.

 

 

I took the week off of work so I am getting lots done on the plane and playing with my grandkids. Steve:p

[Big Steve]

It is about time I posted an update. I am now jigging the elevators to the canard. I built all of my own metal parts so it is taking quite a bit longer to finish. I built the parts on Philip Johnsons site I think they were esier to make than the plans parts and lighter. I also recieved my main gear bow and nose gear strut this weekend. I am enclosing a picture of them in comparison to a Varieze bow that I have for sale. building the elevators has been a lot of fun but very time consuming.