Yes, inspection/preparation may be in order....
Maybe in my living room...the wife will not like it.
Ok, so I have some questions for you.
1) I noticed that the Balsa filler was a little different. The center gap was wider on one. That wouldn't happen to be Dog was it?
2) I see you cot off one end of the block and added to the other end I am quite certain that based on the quality of the work I see that the cars ended up a full 7" and did not loose the saw kerf in overall length did they?
3) In one of the pictures I can see what I believe to be either CA glue or nail polish near the one rear wheel. It appears that the area was taped off prior to application. If you don't mind, what did you use and what was the process? I am currently struggling with how to accomplish this task.
Oh, if your are located close enough, I am volunteering to help with the track prep/inspectionas I am really curious.
DJ - I sent you a PMWhere are you located if you don't mind me asking?
Very nice cars. My favorite is the DOG(not because it's the fastest) lol. It's very simple but looks great. Are they wrapped or painted? I'm guessing wrap because the creeper would be hard to pull offAlso you gave me a great idea for my race. Tape is prohibited(ridiculous I know) but I can fill with balsa. Never thought of that. Great share.
Ok, so I have some questions for you.
1) I noticed that the Balsa filler was a little different. The center gap was wider on one. That wouldn't happen to be Dog was it?
2) I see you cut off one end of the block and added to the other end I am quite certain that based on the quality of the work I see that the cars ended up a full 7" and did not loose the saw kerf in overall length did they?
3) In one of the pictures I can see what I believe to be either CA glue or nail polish near the one rear wheel. It appears that the area was taped off prior to application. If you don't mind, what did you use and what was the process? I am currently struggling with how to accomplish this task.
Oh, if your are located close enough, I am volunteering to help with the track prep/inspectionas I am really curious.
I live in Florida.Where are you located if you don't mind me asking?
Those look VERY well made. When you start league racing, you will be good!
1) The wider gap was on the Dog car. Again, it was the sibling car, so I just used the last scraps I had for that one. I am considering opening the balsa cut out on all of them to be more of a diamond opening in the middle, meaning I still have good corner support but remove some material. I don't think there was any difference in stiffness. And the difference in weight is very small.
2) I did lose the saw blame width when I moved the rear to the front. But, when I wrapped the design around the front, I tried to make up for the difference. I thought about putting a toothpick at the nose and wrap around that but it ended up being a bit to thick and I didn't feel like sanding and filing a toothpick. But great question.
3) I bought some of what I thought was the Sally Hansen Teflon nail polish. I tried it on some scrap wood and honestly, it felt sticky to me. So, I either got the wrong stuff or didn't let it dry or other. Anyway, I abandoned that approach. What I used is some Teflon tape. I think that is what you are seeing. It is a light brown tape. Our rules do not allow washers or I would have used the Delrin washers form DD4H. Teflon tape seemed to be within the rules. I am not sure if it is any better than compressing wood and burnishing with graphite but I gave it a shot. This is one area where I still need to investigate. I plan to remove all the wheels and inspect the wear on the tape to see if I need to replace or use alternate approach for districts.
Thanks of the great feedback!!!
I noticed when using the nail Polish if you put it on too thin with minimal amounts it becomes bumpy. I finally learned the trick after after practicing on some scraps. It just so happens that the product I was using is Sally Hanson lol. But it's not the teflon one. It's called insta dry but after the sanding process it is like glass. I've used in a few races now and will continue to use it. I havnt got a clear idea of what teflon product to buy yet. I know it's sally Hanson teflon tuff but there's a bunch of different ones. Thanks for the info in 5 kids techniques. I think that would fall under the "no tape" rule in our race tho. I'm not quite sure but it's definitely debatable![]()
I dont know why you would go through all the trouble to cut the block off and glue it to the other end..if you fill like you have to use the original block in the kit just flip it over move the wheel base back dill you axle holes the cut the slots..you guys really make this harder than it is
Thanks TRE. I recall you giving this same advice in an earlier post. I seriously considered it but our rules have a very clear statement about using the "original slots". Maybe they couldn't tell but I decided to stick to the rules. Maybe next year I will try your suggestion if I can get a good gig for cutting slots.
Actually, one of the other racers notices my wheels farther back and accused me of moving the axels. I was glad I could respond with what I had done. I got a "that's clever" instead of "you cheated". Of course, I gave you guys all the credit.![]()
Quick internet calculations show that you gain approximately 0.0033s by moving the wheels back, everything else being equal.there is really not that much speed from doing that maybe few 001.s but i have seen and built fast cars with out moving the wheel base..personally i dont think its worth it
Quick internet calculations show that you gain approximately 0.0033s by moving the wheels back, everything else being equal.