Rigging

[jknaus]

I need some help please. I am trying to rig my Snipe and am running into problems. They will be exasperated when I get to my Rumpler. I do not have the wings on yet and thought it would be best to drill holes and place Bobs Buckles before I put on the struts. I can find most places to drill but some dont show. Now my bif problem is how to drill without breaking the drill bits at every hole. Any tips anywhere? Any thoughts on doing this after the wings are glued on. Most of the videos and how toos I have seen show after this step. I'm getting frustrated now. So any help suggestions links to really good how toos would be appreciated.
James

[uncletony]

HSS drill bits won't break. They don't cut as fast, but if you are snapping carbide bits left and right, maybe that's the place to start.

With carbide bits-- be careful not to exert any side pressure, always let the tool do the cutting (only very gentle pressure), keep the flutes clean by backing off every few turns (we're talking plastic here; only a quarter turn in brass) to clear the swarf. If you are having trouble holding the drill and workpiece steady, try holding your arm tight against your body so that only your wrist is free to move. If you still can't control the shakes, you need to devise some kind of fixture.

[lcarroll]

Hello James,
   Those carbide bits can really test your patience; as Bo has pointed out they don't tolerate side pressure at all. Regarding your main question as to "what stage to do what" I believe most here install the buckles or "eyelets" before wing assembly as access is easy and I find I can use the carbide bits perfectly vertical on most locations and reduce breakage. Extracting the broken piece from the hole when they snap is also a large pain. I also install the wires prior to assembly wherever possible. It's a pain having all that, in this case mono, trailing around, especially when painting etc. but well worth the end result. As you can see here things get "busy' however it beats trying to work in the confined space between wings etc. Note that, in the second photo, the undersurface of the upper wing has received the same treatment. Once the assembly of the wings is completed you usually have only one end of each wire to attach to the pre-installed buckles.





   In the case of your completed Rumpler it's a big job to rig after assembly, not impossible but you may want to just press on with the next project to save your sanity! On the odd occasion a buckle will pop out on rigging and re-drilling and installing a new one can be very time consuming.
    I hope this helps. If you really "hit the wall" on this give me a call and I'll give you a hand if needed. 594-6881.
Cheers,
Lance

[uncletony]

a thought on the Rumpler -- if you haven't installed the eyelets yet, consider drilling clean thru the wing from the top to bottom (upper wing) or bottom to top (lower wing) -- a lot easier than trying to work the drill in that confined space. You'll of course need to touch up the tiny holes but that is a relatively easy chore.

Many modellers don't install turnbuckles at all, just run mono or E-Z thru holes like I mentioned and tension from the outside of the wing cellule. Looks much better than no rigging, and truth be told I think it looks better than some poorly done (oversize/ crooked/ gloppy/ loose etc.)  turnbuckle attempts I've seen.

[jknaus]

Bo and Lance thank you very much. I appreciate it. I'll try this again and see what I can do.  I think for the Rumpler I will just finish it and leave it unrigged. I might just grab another and do it again with a different scheme and do it right from the beginning. I have a weeks leave coming up soon so that will give me time. Hopefully it stops snowing by then and warms up.
James