This month I am looking at some new tools I purchased to use with next months project.

A good selection of tools is essential and having borrowed any item more than once to my mind means you need to get one of your own. The scalpel: Used for all manner of jobs, a few times I have not been able to find mine and decided to buy 2 more spare handles so I will always have a useful cutter.

Micro Drills: One thing I have done more times than I care to remember is fit a screw and whilst tightening it have the wood split underneath. Usually when mounting servos this has happened so I got a set of micro drills. From .5mm to 2mm this 16 drill set is made from High Speed Steel and have so far worked extremely well.

Sanding Block: Permagrit do a large range of Tungsten Carbide coated sanding tools. This angled block has coarse and fine grade. I also have 2 permagrit cutting discs which are used to cut, sand, roughen and form slots in almost anything. Razor plane. For trimming and shaping balsa and ply. Most planes these days use a Stanley type blade which can sometimes stick or gouge if blunt or set to cut too deep on harder wood. This plane uses a proper razor blade and can be set to trim the minutest amount. Ideal when forming a leading edge or trying to match ply components.

Balsa Saws: These are 2 of the 3 I have each is a different grade, 32, 45 & 54 teeth per inch. Very slim blade can be used to make very accurate cuts, leaving a smooth finish to the cut surface. The 2 shown were bought without handles and some kitchen reject shop spoons were soon retired to provide these excellent wooden ones.

Muti Pliers. When I picked these up I thought they were just folding pliers and would make an excellent addition to my flight box. However on opening the package found they were just that and more. With small and large knives, 2 sizes of flat blade driver, a philips driver, a spike, a saw and a ruler (along the back of the saw blade) As well as being an excellent pair of pliers it covers a whole host of tasks and never goes far from my tool chest now.

What was going on in September 1975 in the modelling world. Take a look back at some snippets from a magazine of the era.

The Editorial this month seemed centred on the lack of response to the creation of a national governing body for non competition aeromodelling. At a time when no one group had or seemed to want responsibility for the sport on a countrywide level, Ray Favre was a voice of consolidation calling for peoples comments on the non contest and junior side of the sport.

The namesake this month had the new OS 60F-SR max on his bench and gave a glowing review of this most powerful(at the time) OS engine. In 1975 OS had been making model engines for 38 years and this was one of the best so far. Featuring 11 & 7 steel ball main bearings (front bearing also shielded), Schnuerle scavenging was also a feature. AKA Schnuerle Porting. Expensive at the time at £54 but did come supplied with a silencer and offered a build quality and performance that could not be matched.

The featured plan of Sept '75 was this stunning combo glider. With 3 wing configurations taking the flyer from 2 to 3 channel operation and aileron trainer to advanced aerobatic in one model. At 61" span a very easy model to build and most satisfying to be able to progress through the wing stages without having to rebuild or rejig all the radio installation.

Pre-Bent sheet aluminium undercarriage features this month. Used widely on my own planes as a matter of course, these must have been a revolution of ease and enginuity at the time.

New engines were abound in this issue and the YS60 pumped seemed to be the latest song being sung. With no need to worry about fuel stavation and tank position this would have meant a whole new range of flying styles could be adopted. Just look at that price too.

Protech have a vast range of products and having built and flown a Topic400 I can say I have no problems with thier kits. Seeing the Alpha180 as the Topics big brother I was almost tempted to get one then this bargain came along. Untouched kit, new in box 40 squids. Half price and local too. I went for a look and almost burned my hand trying to get the money out too quickly. Will I break the Protech 45 minute record set by the Topic. Follow my article later this month on how long it really took me.

That's it for another month,
See you in October.
Chinman ~ 01/09/01