OK , agreed , a “ drone ” might be able to deliver a modest payload , maybe , but ask yourself , and you know , what is the chance of taking a new model full of technology , out for it ’ s maiden flight and it all works perfectly on day one , on arguably what is a complex and risky mission ? Never mind of course , that you have managed to keep all your preparations away from other curious and prying minds and eyes
No , I strongly believe the KISS principle will be the core of the next successful crazy attack . Yes , sure , “ Drones ” can do bad things in the right hands , but so can some sacks of fertilizer , trucks and fireworks . Let ’ s ban all this deadly baby-killing stuff !
Next topic . Let me be blunt , I hate planking , no , not the new craze of laying out here and there , if you don ’ t know what I mean , see en . wikipedia . org / wiki / Planking _( fad ) and for proof that Darwin ’ s Law is true ! No I mean the old method of cutting increasingly smaller and more precise balsa strips to cover a fuselage turtle-deck or similar .
So , I cook it and bend it ! Or more precisely , I steam it . Some years ago , I learnt at a woodworking seminar , just how amazingly flexible wood becomes by heating it . It can be done with dry heat , but steaming tends to give better results . About 60 minutes of steaming per inch of timber makes it like sphagetti .
My solution can be seen below . It ’ s an 800mm ply box held together with brass screws , a removable wood plug at each end and a hole to introduce steam at one end . An old whistling kettle on a camping stove provides the steam .
Balsa , ply or veneer in there for about 30 minutes becomes very soft and flexible for about 10 minutes after it is removed .
The next topic is one I learnt about 50 years ago from an old hand , and apologies if you know about it , but I find that few do .
If you ' re looking for a effective , cheap , relatively safe , method for removing rust give electrolytic rust removal a try . What ? It ’ s actually very simple and won ' t damage the underlying material . It consists of submerging the rusty metal part in an electrically conducting solution of washing soda The positive lead from an 12 volt battery charger is connected to a steel electrode and the negative lead is connected to the piece to be cleaned . A bit of rebar or an old tin can is ideal as the electrode . After a few hours the rust has been removed , the process does not damage the base metal in any way , it only removes the rust . Of course it does nothing to improve the finish of the metal under the rust so any pitting on the metal will remain , just the rust will be removed from it . The cleaning solution will last almost indefinitely , but gets to look pretty nasty and dirty . You only need to add water to replace that lost by electrolysis and evaporation , if you want , but washing soda is so cheap I always make a fresh lot .
Other alkalis will work too , but most are more expensive and / or more hazardous .
A few safety precautions are required . Please think , and take care !
• The cleaning solution is alkaline and will irritate your skin and eyes . You should use eye protection and rubber gloves when working with this and wash up any spills with fresh water
• Make sure the battery charger can ’ t get water splashed on it . A cheap RCD is great insurance and is strongly recommended .
• The leads from the charger are relatively safe but it is still possible to get a shock if you put your hands in the cleaning solution or touch the electrodes while the power is on .
• The process generates hydrogen and oxygen . If you get it just right , a spark might cause a gas explosion , So , work in a ventilated place and avoid shorting out or sparking from the leads . Just like normal battery charging . But I do this outside to avoid any problems , and I ’ d suggest you do the same .
So you have to work quickly , and be careful of the steam , it takes surprisingly little to burn bare skin ! I know this , because ?
Here ’ s a couple of finished examples . Right is 8 layers of veneer bent around a fin / rudder template and glued with ordinary PVA . Picture below shows how a piece of 1 / 16 balsa can be easily rolled around an ordinary pencil .