"Memories of Flying School"

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

After a few further experiments I decided to go with a woodburning tool set at medium heat.Most other methods did not allow for enough control over the rate of scorching and some were too hard on the glue joints.When the wing is built I can further refine it a bit with pastels.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Trailing edge and aileron spars and the leading edge have been temporarily installed.The aileron spars where the leading edge of the ailerons are attached must be shaped into a U type curve.

I had forgotten just how time consuming the the building of the Albatros wings can be,much more so than either the Camel or the Nieuport or maybe it is because I have a short memory!

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Wood bending tool.

I use an old hair curler for bending wood.It remains at a nice constant temperature and has just the right curve for most hobby work.

I dunk my wood into water and let it soak for awhile depending on the thickness.Then I press the wood up against the curler and slowly bend it to shape.If you are bending right near the end of the wood get an old piece of wood or the end of an eraser to replace your fingers.Take your time and re-soak the wood if necessary.Even thin wood has a grain and some of it does not run lengthwise but is cross grain in nature,so if it keeps breaking select another piece.If the wood splits turn it over and bend the other way.After a while you will become more familiar with the grain of the wood just by looking at it.Experiment and take your time! Have fun.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Glueing up the wing.

The upper wing has been glued up using super thin super glue at all the joints and in between the bend laminated wood strips.The capillary action of the thin glue allows for all parts to be glued while pinned down to the building board.

Where the wing tips join the leading edge I made a 45 deg cut.

Let the glue cure for an hour or so and then the wing can be freed from the building board.Give it a quick check for any loose joints and apply more glue where necessary.Now it is on to the sanding.

Note: there is a pic on my photobucket site that shows the underside.The four rib from the front shows some deformation where the cap strip fits over the spar.I couldn't see this until after the wing was removed.It was probably caused by the rib installation somehow getting out of sequence when they were installed over the tapered spar.Normally I would replace it but this being a wreck I will make it a stress fracture.

There are many areas that could be improved in the fitting of the wood parts etc... I could without too much effort scratch the ailerons etc...but on a large project such as this I can't allow myself to get bogged down into too much detail that will never be seen upon installation.You have just got to draw the line somewhere and modeling for God is that line for me!This is not an excuse for poor modeling just reality if I ever hope to get anything finished.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Shaping the leading edge and wing tip.

Draw a line down the center of the leading edge and wing tip,this will be your reference point.This line is maintained until the sanding process is finished , it represents the outermost point to which the rest of the edge is shaped.In other words if you sand off the pencil line you are decreasing the width of the leading edge.Redraw the line if it accidentally gets rubbed or sanded off as soon as possible.Just before you lacquer the leading edge then you can remove the pencil line.Why do I emphasis this so much ? because after 11 years of teaching wood carving this was one of the most difficult points to get across to my students.

Believe it or not, one of the hardest things to carve is a ball from a square block of wood, using only four pencil points as a reference.Great for training the eye and for understanding wood grain.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

The sled.

The wreckage rests upon this sled and was dragged by horses or a truck to the spot beside the hangar.The wreckage had been ordered off the field right away with no time to even cut the control wires and remove the tail.

It is now being stripped of any usable parts and the rest will be sent to the junk pile.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

I used my usual barn siding technique on the raw wood for the aging process and then used pastels for shading.I will leave it at this for now until I mount the engine and then will add oil spots,rusty nails,chains for pulling etc...The sled is the base upon which the rest will be built.

I have decided that there will not be a lot of fabric left on the wings or control surfaces other than a few burnt remnants.Why? because I want my viewer to be able to get a good look at the skeleton aircraft and how it was built.The plywood fuselage aft of the cockpit will give me ample opportunity to add a little color to an otherwise pretty drab scene by putting on some national and other markings.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

The wing tips ,trailing edge and bent center section are finished.I did a little more scorching of the wood but will let it go at that for now ,until after I mount the front section of the fuselage and decide on the burn pattern.

__________________

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Burned fabric remnants.

Here is a great example of flash burning of the fabric on a wooden aircraft.

How much fabric to leave attached is a judgment call,in my view.

Some photos show an almost complete burn, others varying degrees of burn.

I think that the determining factor for me will be just how much color I want to add to the scene.

The little model above shows just enough color to be able to identify some of the squadron and national markings which is probably more important for an aircraft set in a field.My wreck is set in a diorama where this would be quite obvious.

Another consideration , in salvaging some of the parts ,would most of the remnants of fabric have been already torn off by the salvagers.Also, I can't imagine any base commander wanting a wreck hanging around for any length of time, especially if it was showing half burned squadron or national markings. Not good for morale,I would think.

[JohnReid]