Thanks for the feedback folks, Rick, pulleys ahoy!
I have not been idle. Despite the lack of updates there has been progress, it's just been very slow. Here then is a summary of that progress.
When we last visited, I was getting psyched up to make lots of tiny pulleys. They are 1mm discs punched out of 0.25mm plastic rod, drilled, and mounted on 0.4mm aluminium rod.
I needed 8 so I made 8
Silly me, I should know better by now. 4 fitted on the underside and 1 left! The other 3 are watching me from somewhere not far away and sniggering to each other.
I also added 4 control horns while I was at it so I wouldn't have to wait for them to dry when I came to fit the wires. Of course that train of thought is only relevant if I don't didn't knock some off later anyway!
Which left me with this x2
Then it was time to add more wire! I had decided on a plan of action previously. There are double linkages on the ailerons with the lines joined just inboard of the inboard pulley, so I had decided to add the first line all the way to the outer attachment, then tie another line on for the inner attachment. The biggest problem was simply getting the line to sit on the edge of the .25mm discs so I could glue it in place. Eventually the outer lines were done.
Then when those were good and dry I tied on the inner ones and added a spot of CA to the knot to keep it from sliding.
Getting the lines attached to the control horns has always been a pig of a job. For some reason this time around I suddenly had an idea. I snipped off a short piece of plastic rod of the same size as the horns and cut a slot in one side with a micro saw. I then simply slipped this in under the wire, just behind the control horn, with the wire in the slot, then slid it across until the wire was resting against the side of the horn at exactly the right height. A drop of CA was added while I held the wire taut - easy to do as it was resting on the little plastic block, et voila!
To avoid pulling it off when tensioning the rear end, I used a piece of .25 x 1.5mm strip for the same purpose. Slipped under the wire just behind the horn it meant I wasn't pulling down on the CA joint while tensioning it.
It worked! The underside rigging is finished with the exception of the landing gear and elevator control horns (both of which, needless to say, have been knocked off!)
The landing gear has also been added.
It needs a little tweaking to straighten it up, and while I was attempting that, I loosened the left strut between the booms again.
I have managed to get it and the associated rigging back in place and am now leaving it well alone. I may remove the landing gear again to tweak the angle slightly but that will wait.
To sum up, I am now on the home straight. I need to fix the undercarriage, do the aileron rigging on the top side, including adding the pulleys and control horns, then finish and add the engine. Then it's a quick touch up around the cockpit and add the Lewis gun, and she's finished!
Stay safe, and thanks for looking in!
Ian
