Old-Timers - 2009/08

THE 2009 SAM (Society of Antique
Modelers) Champs will be held the week of
October 5-9. Again, the site is the vast, dry
lake bed incorporated in Boulder City,
Nevada. With Las Vegas just down the road,
why not plan a week’s vacation?
For non-SAM members who’ve built an
Old-Timer and would like to participate, I
strongly recommend that you join and acquire
a SAM rule book beforehand. Many Old-Time
aircraft-and-engine combinations aren’t suited
or legal for particular classes of SAM
competition, but they can usually be modified
slightly to fit the rules.
Complete information is available on the
SAM Web site.
I answer mail directly because of column
space and lead-time limitations, but I want to
review a few letters I’ve received since I began
writing the column in August 2007. Maybe
this will encourage more questions, comments,
tips, and quality photos.
Bruce Augustus, a past editor of the SAM
house organ, SAM Speaks, and a skilled FF
enthusiast, raised some questions about
getting started in SAM RC. I answered him at
the time, but some of the information might
be useful to others. Following is our Q-and-A
session, heavily edited for brevity.
Q: “I’m writing for some advice on RC
models. The travel required to fly FF is
becoming exorbitantly expensive and
fatiguing. I’m restoring four old models. My
72 MHz RC gear is roughly 25 years old, but
has been gold stickered. The models are all
heavy so I want to reduce weight. Are the
micro receivers and servos usable in 6-foot
SAM models? Do they have the range and
torque required?”
A: Yes, as long as the microreceiver is full
range, not the park flyer variety, and has the
“out of sight” range. Many use standard-size
servos (rated at roughly 45 inch-ounces or
more) on the flying surfaces of the “honkin’”
ignition .60s and B&C glow engines.
And we use either miniservos (rated at 30
inch-ounces or more) or electronic switches
for the shutoffs. Smaller aircraft and gliders
can use the smaller servos.
Q: “Can you tell me where to get an
electronic switch to shut off the ignition in a
SAM RC model? I want to remove the
ignition servo and micro switch if possible.”
A: I tested and reported on the latest units in
my June 2008 column. For RC, it’s nearly a
necessity to use a transistorized ignition
system for radio-frequency suppression, and
one of the new units combines that system
with the cutoff. It is available from Marvin
Stern. See the “Sources” list for his contact
information.
Q: “Are people using Li-Poly batteries for the
receiver and servo power? If so, do they use a
voltage regulator or some other device to get
4.8 volts, or can you run the old receiver and
servos on one or two Li-Poly cells without a
regulator?”
A: I have no experience with this, but
published articles do recommend voltage
regulators. I’m using NiMH batteries on some
receivers for weight reduction and in
transmitters for higher capacity. I fly some
electrics with Li-Polys, but so far I’ve stuck
with Ni-Cd or NiMH for radio use.
You can get regulators and advice from
Tony Stillman. He wrote a radio column in
R/C Report magazine for years and runs a
radio service shop. He’s also AMA’s vice
president in District V. Check the “Sources”
listing for his contact information.
Q: “Should I just trash the old RC gear and
buy modern equipment? Most of my flying
will be with just a few local guys, so
interference won’t be a big factor.”
A: You’ll be fine with gold-stickered
equipment as long as it passes the enginerunning,
ground-range check. Some experts
might disagree, but practical experience has
shown AM modulation to be just as good as
FM for rejecting radio-frequency noise caused
by spark-ignition systems.
If you do encounter an ignition
interference problem, three of us in my flying
group have found the following to be
successful. We had Futaba equipment so we
bought the Futaba FASST 2.4 GHz 6EX
(transmitter and receiver only), and it seems
to be a cure-all.
We plugged everything into the new
receiver and were in business with problems
fixed. The receiver is tiny and lightweight,
and it installs easily without the long antenna.
You could do the same thing with other
brands of 2.4 GHz sets, as long as the servos
and connectors are compatible.
Jack Juechter wrote to me about the
popularity of the Lanzo Bomber.
“As a former member of SAM 7, I agree
with you that the Bomber is a great model.
I’ve had 3: the 7 footer, a Leisure Bomber,
and a 1/2A size. Flights of half an hour in still
air are virtually routine.”
In April 2008, I scored my first boo-boo
when I did an awkward job of describing the
simple act of advancing an ignition timer. My
friend, Larry Davidson, was the only one to
gently point this out, although I’m sure that a
few old timers raised their eyebrows. Larry
wrote:
“Great job in the latest MA column. One
question though. You stated ‘to advance the
timing, move the timer in the same direction
as the rotation.’ I move the timer clockwise,
looking at the front of the engine, or opposite
of the rotation to advance. Am I missing
something?”
Congratulations, Larry. You caught my
first (I hope) goof. Actually, I wrote “into the
direction of rotation,” but that could still be
unclear to many. I was thinking in the same
way you might express moving into the wind
or upwind. The mental picture was right, but I
didn’t translate it to writing very well.
It deserves a correction. Thanks for the
heads up.
Larry responded with, “I missed the word
‘into’ and read it as ‘in’ so it was confusing to
me. Now I know that you are human.”
I mention this, because when the
correction was published in the June 2008
issue, a typo erroneously indicated that I’d
originally said “in the direction of rotation,”
just as Larry had misread it.
Since we’re back on the subject, let’s add
another note. The “opposite the direction of
rotation” rule also applies to advancing a rearmounted
timer found on engines such as the
OK .60, Fox .59 long shaft, RB Special,
Thunderbird, Pacemaker, and a few others.
Realistic Tires: Tandy Walker asked the
following question via the SAM Talk Forum.
“I’ve turned a set of laminated balsa
wheels for a rubber-powered J-3 Cub I’m
building. I want to paint them black, probably
flat black, so it will look like a rubber tire.
What kind of paint is best for this application?
Should I paint the raw balsa or should I seal it
first?”
I’d had experience with a product that
worked well. I’ve had good luck painting
foam-rubber wheels with the product used to
dip tool handles for grip and insulation.
Plasti-Dip is found at Freight Harbor
Tools and other hardware stores. It comes in
colors, but I use black most often as a sealant
on the Dave Brown foam tires after shaping
them to my liking.
The product thins with camp-stove gas for
brushing. It’s flexible and leaves a slightly
shiny, rubber-looking finish. It shouldn’t
require presealer on balsa. It still looks good
on my Kloud King tires after several years of
use.
High-quality, decorated ceramic mugs are
available from Bob Holman Plans. My SAM
chapter has used these as contest trophies, and
they’ve been well received. Bob uses a new
firing process called “sublimation” to
decorate the mugs with any clear picture or
text that you can supply. The glazed finish is
completely dishwasher proof.
You can get a single, custom-decorated
mug for $15 plus shipping. If you ordered a
quantity, there would probably be a price
break.
Don Blackburn passed away from cancer on
April 24. He was one of the nice guys of
SAM and a skilled craftsman who was one of
our main sources for restoring and tuning new
and antique engines.
Don’s daughter, Mo Wassell, has
graciously informed us that if you’ve sent an
engine or engines to Don for repair, please
contact her directly to identify the item(s), and
she’ll return them as soon as possible. Mo
asks that you contact her at her home—not by
telephone or at Don’s address, since it’s a
difficult time for the family. See the
“Sources” listing for her contact information.
MA
Sources:
SAM
Box 542
Jonesboro LA 71251
www.antiquemodeler.org
Marvin Stern
(732) 928-0884
[email protected]
Tony Stillman
(912) 242-2407
www.amadistrict-v.org
Bob Holman Plans
(909) 885-3959
www.bhplans.com
Mo Wassell
Box 643
Perkins OK 74059
[email protected]
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