GSNadmin
Staff member
Experience is the best teacher, and we love when our readers share their unique ways of using ordinary items in their hobby. Here are a few of our favorite tips. What are some of your go-to tips and tricks? Share them in the comments section!
NO-SLIP BATTERY
Place a piece of rubber tool-drawer liner material under your battery pack before you secure the pack with a Velcro strap, and the liner will prevent it from slipping out.
SEALING IRON STAND
So it’s more convenient to lay a hot iron down while cutting covering material or repositioning trim pieces, simply bend a stiff piece of wire as shown, and then attach it to the top of the iron using the screws that hold the plate to the shoe. Now when you set the iron down, just turn it upside-down and the stand prevents it from burning your work surface.
SECURED BULLETS
With several smaller brushless motors and speed-control setups, the wires connecting the two slide-in bullet connectors make removing the equipment quick and easy. I had an incident where vibration had caused one of the connectors to come undone during flight, so to prevent this from happening again, I slipped some heat-shrink tubing over the connectors. Once heated, the tubing holds the connectors securely while still allowing easy removal.
NO RUN PAINT STICKS
To avoid touching a part while painting and to prevent runs from getting too big, I make a simple jig from scrap sticks glued together. I form a handle with the main crosspiece and make it long enough to be a tight press-fit inside the part. Now when a run starts to form, I can quickly reposition the part so the surface is horizontal and level. Just wait a moment and the run will smooth itself out. No more fingerprints or smudges to ruin the finish!
Model Airplane News - The #1 resource for RC plane and helicopter enthusiasts featuring news, videos, product releases and tech tips.
Continue reading...
NO-SLIP BATTERY
Place a piece of rubber tool-drawer liner material under your battery pack before you secure the pack with a Velcro strap, and the liner will prevent it from slipping out.
SEALING IRON STAND
So it’s more convenient to lay a hot iron down while cutting covering material or repositioning trim pieces, simply bend a stiff piece of wire as shown, and then attach it to the top of the iron using the screws that hold the plate to the shoe. Now when you set the iron down, just turn it upside-down and the stand prevents it from burning your work surface.
SECURED BULLETS
With several smaller brushless motors and speed-control setups, the wires connecting the two slide-in bullet connectors make removing the equipment quick and easy. I had an incident where vibration had caused one of the connectors to come undone during flight, so to prevent this from happening again, I slipped some heat-shrink tubing over the connectors. Once heated, the tubing holds the connectors securely while still allowing easy removal.
NO RUN PAINT STICKS
To avoid touching a part while painting and to prevent runs from getting too big, I make a simple jig from scrap sticks glued together. I form a handle with the main crosspiece and make it long enough to be a tight press-fit inside the part. Now when a run starts to form, I can quickly reposition the part so the surface is horizontal and level. Just wait a moment and the run will smooth itself out. No more fingerprints or smudges to ruin the finish!
Model Airplane News - The #1 resource for RC plane and helicopter enthusiasts featuring news, videos, product releases and tech tips.
Continue reading...