I’m building my first aircraft in many years and I’m looking for methods of weighting the nose so the plane sits right. I recall seeing something with a liquid that could be poured in but now can’t remember much about it.
So can I get some ideas for weighting the nose, or will I be going back to the old fishing weight method. It works but seems like there has to be a better way.
Thanks
i would spread elmers glue in the nose and place bb’s in the glue, until the nose was weighted down.
pennys work, too… I would think (matters on the space of the place you wanna put it in thought )
aaron -
You can use almost anything handy. BB’s, sometimes a little modeling clay does the trick. I’ve mentioned this before, here, but for 1/72 scale jets .22 caliber heads (NO, not the entire cartridge, just the pointy part!!!) works great. If you know some one who reloads rifle ammo, ask for a few heads, just white glue them in place. .30 caliber heads work nicely for 1/48 scale kits.
Archer out.
I use fishing sinkers and a squirt of silicone caulk.
Hi Guys,
I used .357 158 grain lead bullets, the “pointy end” in my last P 38 build, one in each boom epoxied in the front behind the prop, and chopped one down to about 100 grains to fit in the off side ammo cans that were open. The nose wheel stays firmly planted.
Find a gun shop and get a box of 100 .357 lead bullets for about $6. These are just the lead end part, no propellant, no primer, just don’t fondle them or use one to chew on as you work, after all it is lead. Also being lead, a set of side cutters is all you need to cut one up into smaller chunks that can be more manageable in tighter areas where you have very little space. Use a good 2 part epoxy to weld them in place in your chosen location and let it set up dangleing downwards as the epoxy sets. In some areas you may have to box an area in to keep the epoxy from running where you don’t want it, ie the glass nose of a B-25 or such. Hope this helps
Jay modelnut4
AKA treadhead 1952
Las Vegas, NV
I use lead muzzle-loading bullets or fishing sinkers, then beat them into the shape needed with a hammer. Test fit, then beat some more. GREAT for getting ride of some aggression! Then I glue the weights into place with a generous dollup of Eillen’s craft glue. {It is a white glue, but the only thing that really breaks it loose once set, is a long soak in warm water!}
I’ve always just used good old fishing sinkers… I always thought they were perfect because they come in all different sizes and you can always hammer them flat to hide them under floors and such. If you don’t want to risk the health effects of lead they also make steel sinkers (just don’t try to hammer them out). I never thought about getting slugs though… that’s not a bad idea.
As I’ve mentioned before, I look in the hobby or craft shop section devoted to Pinewood Derby cars for cub scouts. PineCar Speed Accessories sells decals and things like that for the wooden cars, but they also make blister-cards of weights. They have them in different sizes, shapes (that really helps) and weights. The pieces come in a rectangle a little bigger than a Hershey bar, and you break off the individual weights just like the scored chocolate bar. Extremely handy remedy for the tail-sitter blues.
I use lead flashing. I bought a 10" x 12" sheet at Home Depot for $2.50. You can cut any size or shape with a utility knife, and they can be sandwiched into tight places. You can even fill 2-piece nosewheels, and take some of the weight off the gear.
i use the self adhesive weights that are used on aluminum car wheels, they come in strips with the weight marked on them and you just cut off the desired amount, peel off the backing and stick it in.
hope this helps
Greg
Pix, what exactly is “lead flashing”? Is it sold in a flat sheet? Will it substitute for lead foil? I have a hard time getting that stuff since I no longer drink wine. I used to have a lot more than I had any use for, now I have none to make seat belts from. And a three or four inch square sheet of lead foil (seems pretty thick to be called foil, but I beat it flat for belts) is very expensive from hobby manufacturers, considering it’s lead and not worth five bucks for such a small quanitity.
Ok I htought I had enough wieght in my 38H, tested it on its gear and the nose sat down so I buttoned it all up. Now its tail heaving again. I have some lead fishing wieghts but the model is all buttoned up. I have room for more in the nose but how so I do it…I even have the decals on… “Pudgy” which runs across the gun door. Any thought?
Sharskin I use an empty Toothpaste container for my foil. Cut the container after you used it all and open it all the way up. Clean it out good and remove the foil from inside as needed. Excellent for 1:48 scale as is.
Hi WB,
Oooh, I used to think nothing short of a prop rod would help that sort of thing. An older modeler buddy showed me a trick. Drill a hole in the inside of the landing gear bay and trickle sand in. Follow the sand with lots of Epoxy or White Glue, wipe the hole clean as you can. Keep the aircraft on it’s nose until the glue sets up hard. Use some stretched sprue or styrene rod in the appropriate size and Liquid styrene glue it in the hole. Slice the rod off as even as you can to the level of the surrounding surface after it hardens. A little touch up paint and your tail sitter should sit properly[:)][:)]
Jay modelnut 4
AKA treadhead 1952
Las Vegas, NV
sharkskin - the flashing is used on roofs, to close the openings where chimneys & pipes are. It’s about as thick as the cardboard back to a pad of paper. It can be thinned, if needed (for tight spots) by hammering it (also a good way to take out the frustrations of a [censored] kit that won’t co operate, rather than the model itself ! [(-D] )
I hate to say this after all the good ideas posted, but I don’t believe in weighting aircraft!!
Over the years I have noticed,especially in larger models, that the nose wheel assembly starts to bend due to the extra weight.
What I do is to use something to prop up the tail or hold down the nose.
A tressel under the tail, a crew member/pilot doing a preflight or looking at damage, a starter cart wired into the a/c or even a bit of clear plastic sprue in an unobtrusive place.
The ideas are endless just think a bit and I’m sure you’ll think of something.
Dai
I tried using peacock feathers but I never seemed to be able to stuff enough of them in there to do any good. Now I use the fishing sinkers, just wrap the line around the nose a couple of times so it doesn’t fall off. [;)][:D] Seriously, all the other suggestions are good ones.
If you do it just right youll have no problems at all with weighting the plane. The trick is getting just the right amount placed as far forward as possible. This gives you the greatest moment arm for the weight you have. Its more efficient. If you get it right you can have just a couple ounces extra on the nosegear. I believe youd get in more trouble by putting a lot of weight closer to the center of gravity. This way youll eventually get it to sit and the nose wheel may only have an ounce or two to support but since its placed so far back the main gear is getting a huge load. You can do some easy calculations to figure all this out. If you do it right youll usually have no problem.
I know this sounds sick… but Im bad for weighting taildraggers! Long story…
You can get the flashing in places like lowes or HD. Go around to where the roofing stuff is and youll see all the mashed up lead pieces laying around at the bottom of the rack.
Thanks for all the ideas, I particularly like the BB’s and lead foil due to the conforming nature.
Dai jones I have had similar concerns, I’ve never had very good luck with weighting the nose hich is probably why I used to buy a lot of tail draggers or hang them from the ceiling when I was younger, I am particularly concerned since later I will be doing a DC6, C130 and P3 Orion. I suppose a combination of nose weight, engine weights and gluing down the wheels would take care of most of the issue. Then again its been so long since I’ve done an airplane there might not be an issue with it, my last attempt was about 20 years ago and it was a 1/48 B29 which I never could get to sit right even after adding like a pound of lead weight.
Woodbeck don’t feel bad, I just did the same thing on my S2, first I forgot to put the small windows behind the cockpit in before gluing the fuselage together, luckily I could cut away and open up the fuselage in an area that will be covered by the wing, then I realized I forgot to weight it, I was thinking about using the BB idea but with small lead shot then pouring in a healthy portion of glue to hold it in place but then found out I got lucky, the S2 has a nose wheel and a tail wheel and sits on all four wheels.
Thanks for all the ideas.
hmmm ok I’ll have to check to see if the nose wheel is solid. It’s a kit piece but it doesnt come in halves so i dont if its solid or not.