rickh

Generally resin. If you'll need 3/4 gallon for a chapter, the destructions will say purchase 1 gallon. I'm about ready to flip the tub and make the bottom, tapped into my third gallon of Pro-Set resin yesterday (100:30 ratio). Not sure if that's good/bad, but there's not much in the cups (epoxy, flox, slurry) when I'm done for the day. You can figure resin needed by calculating the weight of the cloth. Assuming the ever popular 50:50 resin:glass ratio. Add a bit for the slurry mix on the foam too, this isn't a trivial amount as I anticipated it would be. Rick

I'm tending to go with Edge. (there I go flipping an a floppin again...) I recessed the foam a bit larger than the plans (the gauges do need it), but will wait for final install til the strakes stage. Possibility to further recess the gauge, make an angled mount extending into the strake a bit, ... Rick

Nope.Didn't wanna spoil my Ch 7 "First Flight" experience. My runway is only 14'x35', and the sofa gets in the way. Waiting for VFR in the mountains. ...

White plastic backer: .125"Clear plastic front: .090" (it varies a few thousanths) The destructions say when you glue the two halves together, not to clamp. So add a bit for the glue line. If I'm using my bad eye, sorry. Overall thick with the calipers is .50" +/- So if I read you right, if you depress the foam .205" plus ?? for the flox bedding, plus 2 ply BID perimiter, only the bubble will protrude, no step at the edges. Sweet! Why didn't I think of that Rick

(he's hooked ) Wait till you complete the IP, and envision yout feet in the openings Wait untill you glue the IP to the sides, and envision the (soon to be) zoom-zoom noises you can make when you install and glass the bottom (I am!) Epoxy will be mostly hard in 24-48 hours, depending on temp, but not fully cured for about a week (or more, depending on ambient temp). A fan forced free-air heat tent will accelerate this, so will covering it with a heat blanket of some sort. (talking like I'm some sort of pro ) Rick

Large enough to hold his gauges! Attached is a shot. If you get them unassembled, you epoxy the clear plastic to the white plastic (shown as sorta brown in the attachment cuz it still has the protective cover sheet), trim to fit, flox to the fuselage side, then a 2 ply BID wrap. There's two holes on the white plastic that get a hollow 'rivet' in each hole at assembly. I assume this rivet is to sleeve any foam in a retro install. The C to C of the rivet holes is 5 7/16". The white plastic is 2.375 x 7.25". Bubble is 1 x 5.875" and approx .25" tall. Total thick is ~ .437" Overall (it gets trimmed) is 2.912 x 7.562". Rick

F-28, both LG bulkheads, maybe the angled one too. Front nose NG-30's (lots of fiddly work there me thinks) IP, but may be a bit large? same for F-22 Seat back brace (you should be trimming to fit to the seatback, if my bulkheads are any indication) front heat duct. Rick

Knowledge is power I've somewhat of an advantage (pee -> boot), but can see how the workshops would be beneficial if you've never worked w/ epoxy/glass. For me, attending RR, seeing other builds, and completing the first chapter/two put me up there with [most of] the best. Composites aren't that hard, but do require a new skill set. Gotta buy your [cozy] plans somewhere I'm equidistant from Wicks and ACS, have purchased exclusively from Wicks. Prices for what I ordered were basically lower than ACS. One minor flock-up in my first order, they made it right the next one. Smaller company, I find them 'pleasurable' to work with. ACS has a price match, but I ain't gonna price-shop for 100 different widgets and do-dads. Not to imply they won't see my business. YMMV Rick

It could be argued Cozy elevator bellcranks are overpriced too. I'd hate to see the day when they arrive in ocean containers. I don't mind spending 2x~3x more Rick

It's an airplane, money is always a factor Ya ya, I know, HP is king. Add in I'll probably be based out of KLMO (5200' elev.), and Rick Maddy was planning on an XP-400 for his Cozy; a 320 would a bit light. There's a bunch of 320's out there though. FWIW, an IO-360 is on my short list. Eiselstein I think, Chris maybe? Rick

Wahoo! I can finaly contibute something useful www.atkinsonfuelgauges.com/ nostromo56 at tx dot rr dot com I mailed a check, got the gauges 5 days later. Rick

I think I got STeve beat

"Hey Bubba, ho ma beer, watch is..." Erps, sorry, wrong forum Rick

Last month I thought that was a bunch of hooie, now I know it's not. I should have started sooner Rick

I think most people start looking about a year out. You might decide on a Mistral , Innodyne , rotary, ... Not to mention funds will be tied up in an engine sitting on the lift, taking up space, ... My thoughts anyway. I'll be going with the opposed four. Not sure if I'll use a 320 or 360 for the test phase, then shoe-horning in a new 360; or buying new, or buying a low time 360. I'll cross that bridge when... You'll need a lot of sniggly bits, gloves, scissors, build table, ... Buy it on sale if you can. There's a lot of websites out there too, a ton of info. Retracts, elec speed brake, FHC, Cozy Girrrls Strakes, ... You'll need to decide on some (or none) before the build, and how (if at all) it'll affect your build. I went the first time a year and a half ago, highly recommended! RR is what keeps me motivated (among other things). Being able to compare a modification side/side is nice, and everyone talks canards. Nice group of people too Interesting. Umm, maybe the size. My cloth rolling table is the guest bedroom floor, I don't know how people use a 4' table extension to cut cloth. Some of the layups use long cuts from the roll. And most recently (yesterday!) how big the tub skeleton really is. I glued up the bulkheads to the sides last night. Now both the build table and fuse are taking up floor space. Right answer, or were you looking for somethign different? I was pretty sure, thanks for the confirm Rick

I don't know the New from the Old testament, but do know which end of a screwdriver to pound on, and can pour pee out of a boot even if there are no instructions on the heel (I looked!). I sat on my Cozy plans for almost a year before I mixed my first cup of epoxy, finances partially, I like to ride motorcycles too. During those 11 months, I poured over the plans to the point some (all?) of the pages are dog eared. I also made a few jigs. Rough cut the turtleback rectangle blanks, the wing jig rectangle blanks, and more recently the FJx jigs. I also made a production jig to make the canard "K" templates in quantity, as well as the canard incidence and elevator angle check template. All will occupy some spare time, and can be stored under the guest bed if needed, until needed You might also find tracing the templates onto drafting velum (Clearprint) an enjoyable time waster, and this will avoid cutting up the plans or extra "M" drawings you buy. I recommend the latter, if only to place the finished part on to check contour. You'll also want to go to Rough River or the Canard fly-in in California at least once. Both are total canard immersion, total. If you're frugal (I am), any slack time can be used to purchase materials and supplies at a discount. I scored big on my BID, and I mean big. Doubt I'd have had the time to pound the pavement if I was building. Other than not getting a jump start in my build, I think the 11 month wait wasn't lost. Buy the plans

You could probably get by without it. I have a rather large bandsaw, and it's quite handy for cutting anything with a curve. I haven't used it since I cut the temp firewall. I find my table saw much more useful though. Rick

I'm lucky to have Strider (Curt Boyle) right down the hill from me. Got an email from him last night, "wanna go for a ride?" Well, DUH!! Steamboat he says. It's about five hours by cage in the winter, maybe three hours in the summer (Trailridge Road closure in the winter). It's about 45 minutes by VeriEZ. Travel times like that keep me motivated to get my Cozy done

OK, start with a small part (quick cure desired) then progress to a large part (slow cure desired). Have the starter decide which one is first? Rick

Some people don't, some people replace all four tires on their car/truck the same time too. Hope you don't poo-poo me if I told you I have West and Pro-Set in the shop. Different corners of the room though, so they don't co-mingle Rick

I can't speak for MGS, I use Pro-Set in a 60-65F environment. Cures are 'bout twice as long, and somewhat brittle for several days. The motorcycle bits I make from drug store epoxy can be forced the next day by placing in an oven @ 120-140. Assuming your epoxy ratio was correct, might try placing an electric blanket over your part and turning the heat up. I made a heat tent (as have others) out of poly sheeting and a small electric space heater. Kent Hoit 2 try. Hmmm, could be a unique way to tape the bulkheads in... avoiding epoxy drips on your head... Rick

Sort of! I think the boyancy billets are 2 lb /ft.^2 (same/similar as the wall foam sheets you get at the home center), the wing foam is 1.6 lb ft.^2 from what I read. ACS says their foam is 2.0 lb. (edit: I think this is a typo in their description), Wicks says theirs is 1.6 lb. At least in my catalogs. Related, Dow also makes a pipe insulation billet, which is 1.6 lb., and is sold by them in blocks which are the same size as the longest/widest/thickest ACS sells. Confused? Rick

I'm working in a cool shop too, I double my cure times. As in 'bubblegum' stage is in the AM whenever, not exactly two hours later. 48 hours and the parts are rock hard (a bit brittle actually), then I bring them upstairs near the wood stove for a week or more. I did for the bulkheads anyway. Maybe I'll post cure in the summer, bag the parts in black plastic, and out in the sun... The times I did this, I got a little air that sucked back in at the edges. It looks kinda spider vein like. With plastic on top, you can squeegee the beejeebies out of the layup, but go lighter near the edges. The epoxy will flow back to a point, avoiding the air suck-back-in at the edges. IMHO. Squeegee lightly in a warm shop, a bit heavier in a cooler one. Depends on the viscosity of the epoxy from what I've found. A hair dryer (not a heat gun) helps a bunch! It also shortens the cure time. I've been told that the micro slurry in the foam may bleed back into the glass-epoxy layup with excessive squeegeeing, making parts look a mottled white deep down. Further reading, I think my slurry is too thick, it's not fully flowing into the pores of the foam. Even though I squeegee the beejebies outta it before laying the glass on. I tried this in demo mode much earlier, as well as for the electrical channel plug(s) I made today. It works, but takes up a metric boatload of time to setup for a borderline better part (IMHO). It does have it's place, but I'd recommend getting a stronger suck machine for production work. Rick

Get extra snips. One for the cutting table, two or more for doing layups. Don't buy the el-cheap ones (I did... once), they won't cut hot butter in the summer. If the handles aren't metal, make sure they won't soften if wiped with thinner (acetone/MEK), else get additional pairs.Get several boxes of disposable gloves, as well as buying paper towels in bulk. So do I. I'm nearing the end of chapter 5, haven't missed it yet. BS. Buy jewelry. Brush after every meal. Oh, wrong answer...Post written progress reports here, a "Plane Day" if you will. Include an occasional photo so the masses know you're not just blowing smoke. When the stars are in alignment, a web page will make itself known. Take a personal progress photo every few hours, or when you take the nitrile gloves off. But you'll be doing this. I find that my grey cells are revived when I look at a photo, then I can pen a few more words... err, drivel for my web pages. The build is a little frustrating at first, but it gets more enjoyable as you progress. It is for me anyway Rick

Me? Well as long as you asked... Poplar would be a choice also Generally, softwoods grow/shrink in width/thickness the least with changes in humidity, generally (lengths basically stay constant in all woods). They hold fasteners the best (primarily nails), and glue up easily. Exceptions to gluing ease are the cedars and redwood. Softwoods will survive "OK" outside, if protected by a coat of paint (old barns for instance). Hardwoods are, umm, hard... and heavy. They expand/contract more (generally), most have a higher bend/shock limit, though some will just plain old break if stressed. Hardwoods kinda look like bacon if used outside, though there are exceptions. Gluing varies, maple is difficult, poplar and basswood easier (relatively). Sitka spruce can be had in incredibly long knot free straight grained uniform boards. It's light, and is an excellent choice for spars (IMHO) and such on wood frame planes (Spruce Goose), but it may lack in applications where shock loading may be involved... like the LWxx series of reinforcements for what I assume are the aft LG load transfer mechanism. I are knot an injineer so YMMV. Pines will generally have a larger difference in properties across spring and summer growth, this is pronounced on woods grown far from the equator... typically all our hard and soft woods. Teak and mahogany (grown near the equator) have no real growth rings, and teak has a very low expansion/contraction ratio w/ humidity. It's a royal bear to glue though. Thought for the day: Epoxy is used to glue the longeron strips together, epoxy does not expand/contract much. Elmo's glu-all does. So does recorcinol (isn't this used to glue-up spar strips on wood planes?). I ran across the following, may be interesting reading: http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr113/fplgtr113.htm Lastly, the Cozy and derivatives have been around for a long time, no major problems, and no major changes from the plans materials Rick