tu54

I've seen that this forum has done as well as it has only because of Slade's participation. Now it appears that largely-absent Nick hass slam-dunked / trumped it, at least the software, nobody owns the current content. I hope we get an offer of a good deal on the IPO or a cut if this is actually successfully grown and attempted to be sold to ACS in a couple years by Brickhouse. Merlot.

Fyi Marc, I did very much enjoy being on your email based system. I found I was addicted and spending 30 to 90 minutes each day going thru the mail and copy-n-pasting the more valuable stuff to my own filing system. This was necessary to delete mail and keep my yahoo-id from filling to capacity and shutting down. Finally I had to let it overfill for other reasons and reject all new mail. I'd join again but I'm afraid I'd spend 30-90 minutes per day again and not get stuff done on my project. Same reason I keep telling myself not to do a project web-site. Despite forums, your system is a good thing and I hope it stays around.

Actually, I sensed your possible direction too John (who I've never met personally and probably badly impressed with what YOU think are my crazy ideas that I'm secretly going forward with anyway, raspberries). Nor have I met Jon. But if this were to become consolidated with other things and further developed, my preference would be for it to be centered not around a web-based business, which I've been part of a couple times at Trip.com and Circle.com, but something which more directly and narrowly supports canard/pusher/plastic community with a knowledge resource, and ok, a known personality, based on that. I'm sure even I could adequately support this forum with this linux based pc to my right with its panel off and the hard-drive sitting on a chunk of white-foam for better cooling. Best? theres always someone better. My choice is not simply based on what wheel squeeks more loudly and boldly. Disclaimers: If I've talked more than my share it's because I've discovered I have opinions I'd like to express. And notice I didn't refer to vulgar acts involving anyone's family members, pets, IQ, or political alignments. So while I'm being direct, its still civil. It's all 'good'

I sometimes spend time on message boards where exchanges are very heated and vile as a norm, so this to me is all still very civil, but... "unfortunately, it seems to me, we have the potential to screw it up. Our current and future Cozy community deserves only the best." Jon it sounds as if you really really really want it. As a string-puller in a commercial software and web-hosting outfit, I'd have to be wondering where you would want to take it, how you'de want to develop it, package it with other links and services. I think John Slade was being polite in asking us all for the poll, you sound accustomed to making business happen. I don't think you meant to say that John Slade would 'screw it up' were you?

Ok, two volunteers now to pick it up. Since Slade the rotary blade has a history with establishing and populating the forum, and volunteered first, I'll second his notion. Rick Maddy's server would be another good place, (as long as the background colors don't change, har har). Jon, welcome aboard fellow software slave, I've nothing against you, it's just a matter of seniority.

I don't think I'd like to see ACS pick it up. I fear a tendency for them to claim ownership of submittals and content.

Last night I opened the 2nd box of foam I received from Wicks 1.5 years ago. I'm fearing they sent me the wrong bulkhead plywood too but I'll check the plans. My wooden I-beam truss-things are in at the orange lumber store, going to pick them up and do a shop re-org tonight. Saturday, pier fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. Sunday, table making and compiling another order of goods for a Monday submittal.

"See: http://home.earthlink.net/~jerskip/cozy_018.htm for another (peepers) chuckle." Thanks Jerry, it really gave me a good laugh, coorelated damned well.

A big congratulations from me Norm. I've checked your site often and had been wondering too about your project.

"Wait till you start building. Then you'll have nightmares because something you've done during the day might work wrongly." I wish I could find Jerry Schneider's comment about a panic situation on the project which had him dancing like Mr Peepers the monkey-boy on SNL.

Regarding my tables, I'll be using a three-legged support arangement since the concrete floor was an amateur's job and isn't even anywhere. I'm renting this shop, 20x40 outside. My I-beams were $2.75 / foot and will be in Saturday evening after-hours. I'll use 2 i-beams per table with cross-members to carry load between the beams. It'll be two tables so I can challenge myself with multi-tasking and task-transition. Should I copy all this over to a new thread: 'Tables' ?

"I worry about the sand leaking out of the cloth bags?? We tried water once, big mistake" I keep sand leakage in mind when selecting my fabric but I don't think it'll really be an issue for me. The blue jeans are obsolete only because my teen son grew out of them. The thick material is in good shape and is handling the sand well. My next material is a kind of nylon covering for an air-matress I inherited. I'll wait and see what shape I might need before I cut it up. smaller diameter worm-like tubes? bean bags shaped? loose pillows so I can redistribute the sand? Weights, should I copy all this over to a new thread?

Thanks for the advice guys, bulkheads would be nice.

I guess it's probably the same as my batch, nevermind. 1 minute? In my putzing I also tend to see that perhaps less than the Rutan 3 minutes is necessary. Thanks

"you just need to start building, make sure you have a large clock to track your mix time, we use 1 min per batch and two size cups, small for 1 or 2 pumps and medium for 3 to 8 pumps, larger just aren't needed." What do YOU mean by 'batch' here?

Well ok then, as said in Raising Arizona. I'll just scale it to do from 1-4 batches, still powered by a sewing machine motor.

You see, it's good to check newbies expectations against those much further down the road. Let me ask this, can you see much value to having a magical appliance which could safely and completely mix from 1 to 16 batches concurrently? I've read about how the wing or fuselage job took all day to get thru the job and assumed such a magical appliance could reduce that to a lazy 90 minutes. Reality check. I can very cleanly, safely, and completely mix from 1 to maybe 4 or 6 batches concurrently with manual techniques. Clean-up involves no chemicals. I can build a suprisingly simple appliance which will handle from 1 to 16, or even 20 batches concurrently, loading and unloading up to 3 or 4 batches at a time. I can take out some mixed batches, quickly load replacements for mixing, and then head off to apply my mixed batches.

You know I have nightmares because I later realize something I've said during the day can be taken wrongly. I've yet to make a Cozy part myself. I've got a couple things to complete first. Then I plan a focused, intense effort for 2 years, then resume living.

I've started this post several times and cancelled it. I'll see how far I go. The idea of running all the resin/hardner for this airplane thru a little paper cup in 6oz batches immediately struck me as needing a better solution. It's my nature. I first thought of having mixing parties on the days I work on larger components, similar to barn-raising parties. Or alternatively, hiring a small group of high-school kids. There are nice social aspects to this. I also spent time investigating Norm's approach, buying a few things, (like a large metal paint bucket which was to be painted red and sit in the corner for exotherm emergencies) and conducted tests. I played with paint propeller-based stirring tools. And I made stirring wires to use on my dremel against smaller batches. Not only did I have trouble making a balanced wire, tests with mayo & mustard showed that the walls of the clear cup I used was coated with unmixed mayo that I couldn't get mixed. I tried modifying my stirring wire but never was successful in getting a balanced wire that did the job. I searched the internet and found dispensing/mixing guns. Nice but too extreme for this job.

" For epoxy storage... a thrown away dormitory refigerator. ... As a bonus, I stripped out the compressor (which is sealed with its motor) and I have a great vacuum pump." Hey Jim, that refrig sounds like a nice idea. Have you started making parts yet? I made my cheap suckers last year, no reservoir but vacuum controlling switches with dead zones to maintain a vacuum range. Ready to go. But that's another thread. Sorry Mr Slade, I should've titled the thread more narrowly to 'tables.

Does anyone have a notable flight to report? Like a first flight? Norm?

Thanks Norm, My home-made i-beams didn't really work out as I hoped. I really want this task done so I'll get my order in for tji's tomorrow and work on my next item for the next few days. Mr Shender, I wouldn't argue that using these i-beams are going too far, especially if Nat says so. It's just when I've looked at lumber and plywood at the store I see all kinds of bends and twist. It worries me that it might transfer into the parts I make and I'll have a funny flying airplane. The I-beam seems like a quick and simple approach to get what I want. My ex once said I could spend an afternoon picking lint out of the carpet. I've seen builders sites of completed Cozy's where they used simpler tables, 2x4's between sheets of plywood. They got their project done and I assume today they're happy fliers.

Yes, I wouldn't discount sand or gravel for use as a large quantity of weight. At the shop today I re-estimated the weight of one bluejean leg filled with sand to 40 lbs. At beautiful Pensecola beach I collected sand in plastic tubs I already had from WalMart. The cops at Penesecola beach said sand is free but the beach oats have a stiff surcharge. Each tub could be 120 lbs or more. It took two wooses to lift them out of the car and carry them into the shop. I met my objective for the day, a custom tool and guide to sand the tops of my table support I-beams. My challenge is to make the straight/flat tables where my only reliable long straight-edge is thread and a SmartLevel. I already found the lazer tool to be useless. While I could reduce the fat 3/16 inch beam to a tiny thing by putting a cap over the end with a needle-hole, I can't see the beam, only where it hits. So its thread and fishing line. Tomorrow I use todays products to sand the tops of my table support I-beams. I see Norm is flying now??

I'm in my shop this weekend continuing work on the tables, I'm really bent on getting flat untwisted tables. I liked the idea of using those wooden I-beans from the lumber store but the mizer in me stood in the way. And I wondered how truely straight they would be. So I'm making my own while re-thinking the time/money tradeoff. I'll have 2 tables that I can disassemble and put on a moving truck. Last weekend I obtained lots of nice clean white sand from Pensecola beach for use in making weights. I'll omit the fishing story. I've already made and used a couple weights fashioned from the legs of old blue jeans. I cut the legs off, sewed the ends and filled with sand, not precisely in that order. They probably weigh 25-30 lbs each. Earlier I make a number of 1pound lead weights from a Discount Tire raid after seeing Norm Muzzy's in his "fuselage sides" pics. I've used these a number of times and wished I had more. Just to my right elbow is my linux server which begs for attention to get Apache re-installed and connected to the Linksys router. Then I could waste valuable construction time on a web-site. But it looks like this new cable company sees the router and refuses to talk thru it. Maybe after I return this evening I'll put some time on it. Off to the shop

I did get a chance to attend Rough River this year. It was a 3.5 hour drive. The weather was beautiful and the turnout was good. It seems like a nice place to 'hang out' for a day or weekend. I stopped at the seafood restaurant across the road and had my first ever frog-legs and some breaded deep-fried 'oysters'. I was looking for variety, something different. I can't say that particular meal rated 5-stars, next time I'll do the hamburgers. The fly-by's were very inspiring as were the park-bys. I think the Cozy count was around 5-7 Cozy 3's or Classics and 3-5 Cozy 4's and one AeroCanard. Also many Vari's and Longs and at least one hot Berkut from Michigan. My drive home toward the south was during the late afternoon hours and took me thru rural Kentucky until reaching the freeways in Nashville. The rural route was intentional. I was looking for southern culture by driving thru the little towns. No civil-war cannons seen, no dixie flags. I passed a number of barns which had smoke pouring out, looking like they were about to burst into flames. I also passed barns with doors open where I could see tobacco hanging to dry. They must be smoking tobacco. Anyway, it seems that something else could be added to this gathering. Perhaps a large (safe) formation flight/tour or an air 'race' like that of Jackpot Nevada.