Duplicating the Mako Shark Q40 Molds
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2019 8:07 pm
I didn't know if this should be in the Q40 forum or Building Tips ... it is Q40 related so I've put it here for the time being ... Trey may want to move it to Building Tips. I will go all the way from making male molds to making airplanes and getting them ready to fly ... it will be a journey, but I'm trying to get these ready for the 2019 NATS.
I bought the molds for the Shark Q40 from Jerry Small in 2016. I have not made any parts from the molds yet. The main reason being that there is only one set, and I don't even know if the fuselage and stab molds even exist anymore. The wing molds were CNC cut and are heavy as lead.
The name of the plane was changed from the Shark Q40 to the Mako Shark Q40 to distinguish it from the Mace Shark Q40.
I now have male molds in progress for the stabilizer.
After I get that done, I will start on the wing panels. I'm looking forward to having smaller molds that are easier to handle.
The fuselage molds are going to need work. They have been filled and ground to adjust the engine compartment, the engine cover, and the pipe tunnel.
I will make male molds, and then make another set of females. From the females I will make another full plug at some point and make some adjustments to the engine compartment and nose area.
After I get the male molds made, the females will go to off-site storage in case of something happening to the house.
I have a lot of other female and male molds in progress. Many of the project \s that got put on hold in 2017 and beyond are now back on the burner.
The epoxy is flowing and the cloth is getting consumed.
I'm flying RealFlight 8 everyday including some 3 pole EF1. If all I race at OJA on May 4th is EF1, I will be happy. But I'm trying to get ready for 424 and Q40 as well.
One of the better angles for this plane in my opinion
You can see that work was done on the "engine cover" area.
On the bottom of the nose you can see that the pipe tunnel was moved around some. The wing panels currently have the servos outboard. I may try making wings with torque rods to the radio compartment.
These are the stabilizer molds from the inside. The areas in the center are there so that the tubes can be put in with a rod between the two halves when they are joined.
These are the stabilizer molds from the outside
In between my other female and male mold making I have been working on making male molds from the stabilizer molds. I use 50K carbon fiber tow as "stringers" to keep the molds from warping. I will put about 1/8" more cloth/mat on these, then more CF, then a couple of layers of cloth too seal them up. I have been videotaping the entire process
I bought the molds for the Shark Q40 from Jerry Small in 2016. I have not made any parts from the molds yet. The main reason being that there is only one set, and I don't even know if the fuselage and stab molds even exist anymore. The wing molds were CNC cut and are heavy as lead.
The name of the plane was changed from the Shark Q40 to the Mako Shark Q40 to distinguish it from the Mace Shark Q40.
I now have male molds in progress for the stabilizer.
After I get that done, I will start on the wing panels. I'm looking forward to having smaller molds that are easier to handle.
The fuselage molds are going to need work. They have been filled and ground to adjust the engine compartment, the engine cover, and the pipe tunnel.
I will make male molds, and then make another set of females. From the females I will make another full plug at some point and make some adjustments to the engine compartment and nose area.
After I get the male molds made, the females will go to off-site storage in case of something happening to the house.
I have a lot of other female and male molds in progress. Many of the project \s that got put on hold in 2017 and beyond are now back on the burner.
The epoxy is flowing and the cloth is getting consumed.
I'm flying RealFlight 8 everyday including some 3 pole EF1. If all I race at OJA on May 4th is EF1, I will be happy. But I'm trying to get ready for 424 and Q40 as well.
One of the better angles for this plane in my opinion
You can see that work was done on the "engine cover" area.
On the bottom of the nose you can see that the pipe tunnel was moved around some. The wing panels currently have the servos outboard. I may try making wings with torque rods to the radio compartment.
These are the stabilizer molds from the inside. The areas in the center are there so that the tubes can be put in with a rod between the two halves when they are joined.
These are the stabilizer molds from the outside
In between my other female and male mold making I have been working on making male molds from the stabilizer molds. I use 50K carbon fiber tow as "stringers" to keep the molds from warping. I will put about 1/8" more cloth/mat on these, then more CF, then a couple of layers of cloth too seal them up. I have been videotaping the entire process