(1.38.193.5/16.2) id AA23881; Wed, 25 Jan 1995 23:42:07 -0500 Date: Wed, 25 Jan 1995 23:42:07 -0500 From: Ewestland@aol.com Subject: Re: Plans change questions Lee, 1) The foam sheet size may have changed because the manufacturer changed the sizes they make. This happens all the time and is no big deal as you can always butt-joint pieces together to get the needed shaped. The sheets may have been smaller requiring 1.5 sheets and when the size changed, the amount may have not. I had the same question in the beginning as well. Just order what you need. 2) In an earlier note I wrote to Marc, I suggested postponing drilling the bulkhead holes until they are in position and you have an idea where the holes will go for the controls. It makes it easier to glass and you are not constantly re-opening them up after glassing/taping. The hole is "off-center" because of the worm gear retract mechanism. When you buy it you will see what I mean. You can also postpone drilling the crank tube hole in the instrument panel. When it comes time to drill these holes, a hole saw mounted on a long 1/4" drill bit or a longer 1/4" round steel rod allows you to saw perfectly aligned holes through bulkheads for the controls (it all gets covered up anyways and they can all be oversize within limits) 3) How do you do these ">" caret things when responding? You know, these: >One way to get this out to more people would be to send a short note to Terry >Schubert that put out the Central States Newsletter. If you are not familiar >with it, it's the best $20 I spend on any type of aviation magazine. It is I have AOL using a Mac. Is this possible? Eric Date: Sat, 25 Feb 1995 19:12:50 -0500 From: SidLloyd@aol.com Subject: Re: For your info >Me too, God but do I hate sanding. You have a mechanical bond and a >possible chemical bond with epoxies. I the laminate you're trying to >stick to is less than 48 hrs hold, you could bond without sanding but >should sand anyway. If it over 48 hrs, you really need to sand even if >it's micro. How about using one of the abrasive 3M rotary pads? I've tried the 3M large area paint & rust stripper (4" diameter) just on my power drill and it seems to work great. It looks like a round 1" thick scotch-brite pad on steroids. This dulls deeper into the weave than sandpaper. Steve Russell uses this to dull his wings prior to fill. He's an auto-body guy & I heard he can do a complete set of wings in about 40 hours (sand, fill, sand, prime).. WOW! Sid Date: Sun, 26 Feb 95 0:59:09 EST Subject: Sanding info Sid says: >How about using one of the abrasive 3M rotary pads? I've tried the 3M large >area paint & rust stripper (4" diameter) just on my power drill and it seems >to work great. It looks like a round 1" thick scotch-brite pad on steroids. > This dulls deeper into the weave than sandpaper. Steve Russell uses this to >dull his wings prior to fill. He's an auto-body guy & I heard he can do a >complete set of wings in about 40 hours (sand, fill, sand, prime).. WOW! I was wondering about those. Sounds good. I have found, so far (on the bulkheads and the sides [now finished]) that peel plying EVERYTHING saves a LOT of sanding. I haven't heard a reason not to do it, and I don't seem to be using any extra resin. BTW, Sid, thanks for the advice on the "dry layups" - things are working better now that I'm squeegeeing everything, and I've got a scale on order to weigh the glass and resin, both. Today's safety tip from pinhead central: I managed to saw 8 stitches worth into my finger with my sabre saw today, so, do as I say, not as I do; be careful with your power tools! -- Marc J. Zeitlin E-Mail: marcz@an.hp.com From: Marc J. Zeitlin Subject: Jigging (fwd) Date: Tue, 28 Feb 95 1:07:06 EST >Other jigging tools I wish I had bought the first day include: >A 7' or so long piece if extruded aluminum that can be used as a straight >edge. I got a 6' spruce straight edge from Wicks or Aircraft Spruce - I forget which. Works nice. >A really good 4' level. >An electronic smart level which will give you angles within 1/10th of a >degree. I combined these two and got a 4' smart level. It's amazing how far you've got to move one end of an eight foot thing to change the angle 0.1 degrees. I agree with Eric that a bubble level (expecially an old one) doesn't cut it. Although, I did calibrate my 3' bubble with the smart level, and I could (with a lot of effort) get to within 0.1 - 0.2 degrees. Not bad, but not great. -- Marc J. Zeitlin E-Mail: marcz@an.hp.com Date: Fri, 7 Apr 95 9:21:04 EDT Subject: Re: Bottom Fuselage Layup tip Marc; >Did you build your building table for the first few chapters for did you do >it for the wings? I built the table before I started any plane stuff, and built an epoxy-pump warming box at the same time. I'd recommend getting your shop as done as possible before starting the plane. >Hope to spent a lot of time on this project. You will, you will :-). -- Marc J. Zeitlin E-Mail: marcz@an.hp.com From: Lee Devlin Subject: pizza cutter ... any good? Date: Wed, 12 Apr 95 9:55:54 MDT Hi Marc, I noticed in the Cozy plans and in your spreadsheet that there is a pizza-cutter style cloth cutter. Do you have one? If so, I'd be interested to know if you like it and if it does a better job at cutting the glass than the shears. I realize that you have to have a flat surface to do it on, so you still need the shears but it sounded like an improbable tool to me at first. Do you need to have a rubber self-healing mat or something under it? Are the blades razor-sharp? I ran out of BID last night while working on the instrument panel stiffeners. I had mixed up the UNI and BID amounts for Chapter 4 and ended up with too much UNI and not enough BID. Oh well, I placed an order with Wicks and should get it, hopefully, by the weekend. I can work on cutting the landing gear bulkheads and firewall until then, after I make up the templates, that is. I've got the seatback, f28, and f22 glassed and sanded. Maybe I'll take some pictures this weekend. How do you avoid getting fiberglass on your arms while sanding. Do you always wear long sleeves or coveralls or something? Thanks, Lee Date: Wed, 12 Apr 95 13:01:57 EDT Subject: Re: pizza cutter ... any good? Lee; >I noticed in the Cozy plans and in your spreadsheet that there is a >pizza-cutter style cloth cutter. Do you have one? Yes. >............................. If so, I'd be >interested to know if you like it and if it does a better job at >cutting the glass than the shears. I realize that you have to have >a flat surface to do it on, so you still need the shears but it sounded >like an improbable tool to me at first. Do you need to have a rubber >self-healing mat or something under it? Are the blades razor-sharp? I like it a lot. I don't have a large enough surface to use it as often as I'd like to, but when I can, I do. You get a mat for it as well (some sort of rubbery material - could be larger) and the blades are SHARP. It's great for making long cuts, and keeping the fraying to a minimum, expecially on longitudinal cuts in UNI. Get one. >I ran out of BID last night while working on the instrument panel >stiffeners. I had mixed up the UNI and BID amounts for Chapter 4 and >ended up with too much UNI and not enough BID. Oh well, I placed an >order with Wicks and should get it, hopefully, by the weekend. I can >work on cutting the landing gear bulkheads and firewall until then, >after I make up the templates, that is. Oops. One nice thing about ordering the Chapter kits is that Wicks keeps track of what you need. >How do you avoid getting fiberglass on your arms while sanding. Do you >always wear long sleeves or coveralls or something? Yup. Long sleeves, sometimes gloves, coveralls, whatever. Don't let it touch your skin, if you can help it. I find the worst is when I continually rub my arm back and forth over the dust and grind it into my forearms. Got a really bad rash for a couple of weeks doing Chapter 5. Always wear long sleeves, now. It's not so bad in the winter, but the summer might get REAL hot. -- Marc J. Zeitlin E-Mail: marcz@an.hp.com Date: Wed, 05 Jul 1995 11:22:56 -0500 "Marc J. Zeitlin" From: tims@enet.net (Tim Sullivan) Subject: Epoxy system-Thanks Looks like 2427 is the epoxy of choice. Too bad about safe-t-poxy. I believe that purchasing the cores might be a good idea for me. My wife just couldn't get the hang of it when I cut cores for the Genesis I. A fixed epoxy pump seems the way to go. I will give a ring to the rec...homebuilt group and see if anyone is selling their's. Vacuum bagging sounds like it might cancel the saved time from buying cores so that one is cancelled. Now - a couple more questions: Knowing that the RAF methods are designed to prevent the builder from purchasing lots of expensive equipment. What tools do you builders use that are not a part of the reccommended list that you find very helpful? I have access to a large band saw, dremel tool, skill saw, drill press etc. but is there something in particular that has helped? I do not have a table saw is that a porblem? Nat has told me more than once that I can borrow his jigs so that might eliminate some equipment and hopefully time. Workbench: Any thoughts on breakdown types? A hollow core door with fold out legs? Thanks. Tim Sullivan (tims@libre.com) Phoenix, AZ | * | |-----(/)-----| / \ o o Date: Wed, 5 Jul 1995 15:10:53 -0400 From: Phillip.Johnson@Lockheed.on.ca (Phillip Johnson) Tim Sullivan says > What tools do you builders use that are not a part of the > recommended list that you find very helpful? Many people have found the Ryobi detail sander a good buy but I have found mine little use and I seem to work faster using my hands, maybe it defective. A few of tools that I have found indispensable are: 1) Black & Decker power file. This is a 0.5 inch wide hand belt sander with the belt sticking out on a probe like structure. It removes a lot of material quickly but it gets in places that you cannot. I use mine every where. 2) Dremel or Delta 1 inch vertical belt sander. You can use it to shape metal or any parts. 3) Delta 4 inch bench belt sander. These three devices save so much time. Phillip Johnson. Date: 03 Aug 95 19:56:15 EDT From: "William E. Buckley" <74744.2301@compuserve.com> Subject: Required Tools Greetings, Hello to everyone from the 'new guy'. I joined the mailing list last week and have really enjoyed having access to so much information. There is however one problem -- I have the plans in hand but I am several months away from begining construction. All the 'hands on' talk going back and forth between all of you is driving me nuts. (I'm jealous) :-) Now for my first question. I have a list of required tools I plan on having by the time I begin construction. (Nat's list plus some additional items). The big ticket items include: Epoxy pump, Band Saw, Drill Press, Hand held belt sander, and Dremel moto-tool. Will this list be sufficient? What tools do the people who are well under way possess that you consider a necessity? William, 74744.2301@compuserve.com Date: Fri, 4 Aug 1995 08:25:22 -0400 From: Phillip.Johnson@Lockheed.on.ca (Phillip Johnson) Subject: Required Tools William Writes: > What tools do the people who are well under way possess that you > consider a necessity? One tool that I find indispensable but is little heard of, is the Black and Decker Power File. It is a hand held half inch wide belt sander. The belt is configured on a probe that sticks out of the handle arrangement. You can get in every where but beware with new belts it can cut through a lay-up in seconds. I keep old belts so this does not occur. Try to see one in the hardware stores. I passed it by when I first saw it but a builder/friend bought one and raved about it so much I bought one also. I have to agree with him. Phillip Johnson (1.38.193.5/16.2) id AA06294; Mon, 7 Aug 1995 17:16:26 -0400 From: "Volk, Ray" Subject: FW: Required Tools Date: Mon, 07 Aug 95 14:05:00 PDT Encoding: 79 TEXT ---------- From: Volk, Ray Subject: RE: Required Tools Date: Monday, August 07, 1995 1:15PM Bill, I too am a new member of the Cozy mailing list. I saw your question on required tools and thought I would respond with what experience I have, just starting chapter 7. 1. The epoxy pump is a must, both from a time standpoint, and a accuracy in mixing standpoint. I'm from Arizona and my garage temperature is running around 82 degrees in the evening so I don't have much time to dink around once I've started a layup. 2. A band saw as far as I'm concerned is optional. I bought one but have used it very little. I find my trusty radial arm saw is much more useful. 3. A drill press is important for clean accurate holes. 4. I've been contemplating buying a hand held belt sander but haven't as yet. I finished carving the sides-bottom edges last week using hand tools and was surprised how fast it went. Unless I find future applications more demanding I probably won't buy one. The problem I find with power tools, especially sanders on foam, you can do yourself a lot of damage in short order. 5. I have two battery powered electric drills, including the Makita 90 degree head unit, and these along with as assortment of grinding and sanding attachments, are a must. 6. I also built a fiber glass dispensing cabinet which hangs on the wall and forms a table when folded down. I find this very helpful when cutting cloth and in keeping the rolls clean during other operations. 7. The foot long 1/4" drill is also a must. For what it's worth, these are my thoughts on tools. Regards, Ray Rvolk@space.honeywell.com ---------- From: William E. Buckley Subject: Required Tools Date: Thursday, August 03, 1995 7:56PM Greetings, Hello to everyone from the 'new guy'. I joined the mailing list last week and have really enjoyed having access to so much information. There is however one problem -- I have the plans in hand but I am several months away from beginning construction. All the 'hands on' talk going back and forth between all of you is driving me nuts. (I'm jealous) :-) Now for my first question. I have a list of required tools I plan on having by the time I begin construction. (Nat's list plus some additional items). The big ticket items include: Epoxy pump, Band Saw, Drill Press, Hand held belt sander, and Dremel moto-tool. Will this list be sufficient? What tools do the people who are well under way possess that you consider a necessity? William, 74744.2301@compuserve.com Date: Tue, 8 Aug 1995 01:21:46 -0400 From: StetsonE@aol.com Subject: Re: Required Tools Regarding required tools for a composite project: Although not really a "tool", I consider a space heater a must. Unless you live somewhere warm year round, you'll need to warm up your work area sufficiently for large layups. Using Safe-T-Poxy I or II, I consider the shop temp of 80 degrees F a minimum, and 85 is even better. I don't know for sure, but I suspect the newer recommended epoxy systems are equally as sensitive to temperature. Without exaggeration, a layup will proceed in half the time if shop temp is above 80 (compared to say, 70) due to the epoxy being less visious at the higher temps. The frustration level is also much less because the cloth wets out much quicker and easier, the epoxy is less "sticky", and the ability to squeege out excess epoxy is greatly enhanced, which means you're building lighter parts. I would NEVER consider doing a large layup such as a fuselage or wing with the temp below 80. With most shops being in the family garage, the simplist way to heat the place up is by using a kerosene space heater. These things really put out the heat. Don't even consider the electric types - they just can't cut it. I picked up a Corona brand heater at the local home improvement warehouse several years ago for about $100.00, and it was worth every penny. Now, in addition to epoxy fumes, you'll have to also worry about carbon monoxide poisioning and heat stroke. But no one said building one of these planes was going to be easy! :^) I also threw together a heated epoxy box with scrap plywood and 1 inch white hardware store type styrofoam on the inside for insulation. Its got a little door in the lower right front to access the pump handle, and the pump outlets stick out through a hole in the front. I keep it warm with a 40W lightbulb on a reostat, with the bulb under the resin side of the pump. I just crank up the light an hour or so before a layup, get the epoxy box up to 90 degrees, and I'm ready to go. Turn the light off when your done. For Safe-T-Poxy at least, the hardner tends to slowly "cook" at the higher temps and gets dark and thick, so don't leave the temp at 90 constantly. For anyone who might think all this concern over temperature is overkill, try a layup just once with shop at 80 and epoxy at 90. You'll be amazed at the difference! Again, the above recommendations are for Safe-T-Poxy. Check with other builders regarding the newer epoxy systems most builders are now using. By the way, since I'm done with structure my heater is for sale. $40 takes it, but you'll have to pick it up (Santa Ana, CA) since its too big of a hassle to try to ship. Diamond file - You can pick this up from one of the woodworkers catalogs. It looks like it has diamond chips bonded to a metal backing. One side is about 30 grit and the other about 80 grit. It can take down fiberglass like nothing else and doesn't wear out. To accompany your drill press, pick up a complete set of drill bits. I picked up a set several years ago, complete with a metal box, that came with 29 bits from 1/16" to 1/2", 26 letter sizes A to Z, and 60 wire sizes 1 to 60. They're made in Korea but work great. Cost $50 several years ago from one of the mail order shops like Harbor Freight (800-423-2567). In the course of your project you'll use most of these bits at least once. Pick up some straight flute chucking reamers, one each in 3/16" and 1/4" sizes. That way you can drill your holes slightly undersize and then ream them exactly to the proper diameter. With all the things you need to worry about when flying your airplane, at least you won't have to worry about sloppy holes drilled in your engine mount, landing gear and control system. These reamers are hard to find. Try a company that sells tools to machine shops, or call Grainger Industrial Equipment. They have offices all over the US. Let me know if you can't find a local office and I'll look up a number for an office near you. The reamers cost about 10 bucks apiece. Please excuse the verbage if the above recommendations are already covered in your plans, but not being a Cozy builder, I wouldn't know. Stet Elliott Perpetual Long-EZ builder From: Marc J. Zeitlin Subject: Tools - Sanding Spline Date: Thu, 17 Aug 95 17:08:20 EDT People; People had been asking about tools, so I thought I'd describe the sanding that I use. It's a 2" square aluminum tube (maybe 1/8" walls) with a 8" x 33" x 3/8" plexi (or polycarbonate) plate bonded (could be screwed) to it. Here's stupid ASCII art: end view top view -------- -------- _ |_| --------------------------- ------------ |_________________________| |_________________________| | | --------------------------- This allows me to use spray contact adhesive (3M #77 or equivalent) and tack bond three whole pieces of 8 1/2" x 11" sandpaper to the bottom. It really takes off material, and is long enough to not make waves in the surface being sanded. The tube is a good handle. I had been using a small sanding block (1/2 sheet) on the canard for the preliminary sanding of micro, but when I switched to the spline, the canard came to the right shape (or as close to it as I'LL get :-) ) fast, and lost 99% of its waviness. -- Marc J. Zeitlin E-Mail: marcz@an.hp.com Date: Thu, 17 Aug 1995 19:25:30 -0400 From: Marcnadine@aol.com Subject: Ch. 9 tools Speaking of tools, did anyone really buy the 5/8 and 3/4 in. spotfacing tools mentioned in Ch. 9 for opening up the landing gear support holes. Brock wants $41 for each, and as far as I can see you'll never use them again. Has anybody found another tool that works. Marc N425CZ Date: Thu, 17 Aug 1995 20:54:46 -0700 (PDT) From: Eric Westland Subject: Re: Ch. 9 tools (fwd) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Thu, 17 Aug 1995 20:53:03 -0700 (PDT) From: Eric Westland Subject: Re: Ch. 9 tools After mine became dull, I switched to good quality hole saws (Jim Whites idea). They mount on a 1/4" pilot/drill bit and if you want exact diameter holes, you just adjust the set on the teeth. I did this when drilling the holes to mount the spar and wings and ended up with a press fit (very little flox and precise). You do have to watch for heat build up, that is, go slow. Milwaukee makes some great hole saws, they run about $5 each and you will need a mandrel. On Thu, 17 Aug 1995 Marcnadine@aol.com wrote: > Speaking of tools, did anyone really buy the 5/8 and 3/4 in. spotfacing tools > mentioned in Ch. 9 for opening up the landing gear support holes. Brock > wants $41 for each, and as far as I can see you'll never use them again. > > Has anybody found another tool that works. > > Marc > N425CZ > From: Marc J. Zeitlin Subject: Ch. 9 tools (fwd) Date: Fri, 18 Aug 95 0:13:55 EDT Marc P. writes; >Speaking of tools, did anyone really buy the 5/8 and 3/4 in. spotfacing tools >mentioned in Ch. 9 for opening up the landing gear support holes. Brock >wants $41 for each, and as far as I can see you'll never use them again. Well, maybe I'm an idiot, but I bought them. I got mine from Wicks for a total of $71.66. >Has anybody found another tool that works. Eric's comment to use hole saws on a long 1/4" drill sounds like it would have been a cheaper solution. Oh, well. -- Marc J. Zeitlin E-Mail: marcz@an.hp.com ; Fri, 18 Aug 1995 09:20:23 -0400 Date: Fri, 18 Aug 95 08:17:14 CDT From: qtdalls!ken%qtdalls@uunet.uu.net (Ken Reiter) Subject: Re: Ch. 9 tools (fwd) Hello Group, I used the hole saw solution and it worked great and cost less. Note: With the hole saw, just as with the spotfacing tool, you need to go slow and not heat up the area. So you can go FAST when done with the plane. I got mine at Home Depot - but watch they change vendors ALL the time. > From uunet!eagle.esd189.wednet.edu!ewestlan Thu Aug 17 23:46:15 1995 > Return-Path: > Date: Thu, 17 Aug 1995 20:54:46 -0700 (PDT) > From: Eric Westland > To: Cozy MK-IV Builders > Subject: Re: Ch. 9 tools (fwd) > Mime-Version: 1.0 > Content-Type> : > TEXT/PLAIN> ; > charset=US-ASCII> > Content-Length: 1017 > X-Lines: 30 > > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > Date: Thu, 17 Aug 1995 20:53:03 -0700 (PDT) > From: Eric Westland > To: Marcnadine@aol.com > Subject: Re: Ch. 9 tools > > After mine became dull, I switched to good quality hole saws (Jim Whites > idea). They mount > on a 1/4" pilot/drill bit and if you want exact diameter holes, you just > adjust the set on the teeth. I did this when drilling the holes to mount > the spar and wings and ended up with a press fit (very little flox and > precise). You do have to watch for heat build up, that is, go slow. > > Milwaukee makes some great hole saws, they run about $5 each and you will > need a mandrel. > > On Thu, 17 Aug 1995 Marcnadine@aol.com wrote: > > > Speaking of tools, did anyone really buy the 5/8 and 3/4 in. spotfacing tools > > mentioned in Ch. 9 for opening up the landing gear support holes. Brock > > wants $41 for each, and as far as I can see you'll never use them again. > > > > Has anybody found another tool that works. > > > > Marc > > N425CZ > > > > Date: Wed, 23 Aug 1995 10:02:15 -0700 (PDT) From: Eric Westland Subject: Re: Work Table Protection (fwd) I do the saran wrap and the belt sander. If your bench top is not made of particle board, I would suggest putting a 1/4" thick piece over the top of it. Makes breaking away jigs and drips of epoxy really easy. I also purchased a restaurant size roll of saran wrap at Price Costco for about $15. After 3.5 years, it loks like enough to build a dozen planes. Also, you may already know about these, but I just picked up a 5-pack of the dremel #426 fiberglass reinforced cut-off wheels. They are amazing, buzzing through glass and foam like a diamond saw. They were about $7.50 for the 5-pack. On Wed, 23 Aug 1995, Marc J. Zeitlin wrote: > Tim S. writes: > > >What are all of you using to protect your worktable from epoxy drips etc. I > >think I will try covering the area with saran wrap rather than wax paper > >which can contaminate the layup. Any other ideas? > > Nothing. Once it gets really crudded up, I whip out the belt sander > with the course grit belt, at take it all off. > > -- > > Marc J. Zeitlin E-Mail: marcz@an.hp.com Date: Wed, 13 Sep 1995 20:26:52 -0700 From: tims@enet.net (Tim Sullivan) Subject: Re: Core cutting (fwd) Marc wrote: >My $0.02: In theory this might work, but in my case at least, the spar >caps were the reason for 95% of the micro filling and sanding on the >canard. My cores looked good, and the rest of the canard required VERY >little filling. I don't know that it would be worth the effort, and I'm >not sure that you'd get a better surface by sanding the foam than you >get by hot-wiring it. I wouldn't bother. I've hot wired before and due to my inexperience I used nichrome wire that was shipped to me with very distinct ripples. My guess is that it was rolled on a square spool. The ripples left nasty ups and down 1/16 - 1/8" at regular intervals. No matter how tight, how much hammering I did to the wire the minute the current was snapped on the wire had a very good memory of its previous home. Anyway to resolve this problem? Tim Sullivan (tims@libre.com) O -----(/)----- Cozy Builder.... The journey begin. Plans #470 8/10/95 / \ O O From: Marc J. Zeitlin Subject: Re: Core cutting (fwd) Date: Thu, 14 Sep 95 8:25:59 EDT Tim S. writes: >I've hot wired before and due to my inexperience I used nichrome wire that >was shipped to me with very distinct ripples. My guess is that it was >rolled on a square spool. The ripples left nasty ups and down 1/16 - 1/8" >at regular intervals. No matter how tight, how much hammering I did to the >wire the minute the current was snapped on the wire had a very good memory >of its previous home. Anyway to resolve this problem? Let the wire get REALLY hot, and then pull it VERY tight. This worked really well in getting the corners out of my 0.025" stainless steel wire. It may not work as well with the nichrome, but I used nichrome on the Q2 and I seem to remember doing the same thing and having it work. Pull that wire TIGHT! I use a spring for a storm door closer on my cutter to keep continuous tension on the wire. -- Marc J. Zeitlin Email: marcz@an.hp.com Date: Thu, 14 Sep 1995 12:06:11 -0500 From: tims@enet.net (Tim Sullivan) Subject: Re: Core cutting (fwd) >Let the wire get REALLY hot, and then pull it VERY tight. This worked >really well in getting the corners out of my 0.025" stainless steel >wire. It may not work as well with the nichrome, but I used nichrome on >the Q2 and I seem to remember doing the same thing and having it work. >Pull that wire TIGHT! I use a spring for a storm door closer on my >cutter to keep continuous tension on the wire. > I'll give it a try. One thing the Dick Rutan pointed out to Ray Volk is that using a spring can be very dangerous if the "stretch" is long enough to allow that red hot wire to coil back and wrap itself around you when it breaks. Tim Sullivan (tims@enet.net) Phoenix, AZ | * | Cozy MK IV Builder #470 |-----(/)-----| The journey begins 8/10/95 / \ o o From: Lee Devlin Subject: Re: Core cutting Date: Fri, 15 Sep 95 14:09:58 MDT > I have found is very useful to use in light > stregth applications for foam binding using a glue gun instead of micro. > Hot wiring goes right though the glue with no fuss. Thanks for this information. I've found that hot glue is much better to use for gluing than 5 minute epoxy for holding things temporarily as well. If I had any idea how big the pock marks would be on my fuselage sides when I pulled them from the masonite, I would never have used the 5 minute epoxy. It tends to spread out and grabs a large area. Trying to chisel the foam off the masonite forms and use it to fill the pock marks isn't really practical because epoxy soaked foam is very hard. The hot glue cures faster, fills gaps better, and does not spread out as much as 5 minute epoxy. I used it to glue the temporary 1x2 frame to the bottom of the fuselage and found the damage to the foam to be quite minimal. Lee Devlin Reply-To: Nigel.Field@HQPSB.SSC.ssc-asc.x400.gc.ca Date: Mon, 23 Oct 1995 18:23:03 GMT From: Nigel.Field@HQPSB.SSC.ssc-asc.x400.gc.ca (Field, Nigel (1416)) Subject: RE: Chapter 6 Speed Brake Scott wrote: I'm about to cut out my speed brake. The instructions say to use a sabre saw at a 45 degree angle... Did anyone else have a better way of doing this? One of the handiest tools I use is a small one handed saw which is "C" shaped and includes a handle but takes a hacksaw blade leaving about 6 inches protruding. If you install the blade with the teeth toward your hand it will cut when you pull and won't bend the blade. I don't know the official name of it but any good hardware store will have it for about 5 bucks. It will do this job easily if you hold it at 45 degrees as you go. Use a 45 degree cardboard template to help keep it at the correct angle but it is not critical if your out a bit. It is great for trimming glass, cutting holes and a host of other tasks. Date: Fri, 27 Oct 1995 10:23:54 -0500 From: Scott Mandel Subject: Black and Decker Power File X-Sun-Charset: US-ASCII Quite a few E-Mails back someone mentioned the Black and Decker Power file as being a good tool to have when building a Cozy. Since then I've looked and looked, and only found one. It was privately owned the owner swore by it. He is the guy who is building and selling the Glass Goose Kit, so I'd consider him an expert. Does anyone know where I can get one? I haven't found a hardware store yet that has ever seen one. I think Black and Decker may have discontinued it, or they only sell it to those select few that can view the emporer's new clothes :-). Date: Fri, 27 Oct 1995 13:39:00 -0400 From: Dick.Finn@FNB.sprint.com Subject: Re: Black and Decker Power File X-Sun-Charset: US-ASCII I don't know where you can get a the Black & DEcker power file but I know that Sears has a Craftsman Air file -- Sounds like the same thing. Dick Finn ______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________ Subject: Black and Decker Power File Author: mandel@newsnet.esy.com at INTERNET Date: 10/27/95 12:07 PM Black and Decker Power file...... Does anyone know where I can get one? Date: 27 Oct 1995 15:29:22 U From: "Judd Stewart" Subject: Re: Black and Decker Power F mandel@newsnet.esy.com RE>Black and Decker Power File 10/27/95 I was out at lunch today and stopped by a Black and Decker factory outlet and the only thing that came close to what was described was a Mini Belt sander. The model number is BD5900. Sorry didn't get the price. I only saw a 1' square picture and the best way to describe the thing is It has a pistol grip and a motor (2-3"dia) sticking out the left side (just like a electric chain saws). The belt is approximately 1/2" wide and 4-6" long. Hope this helps. Judd Date: 27 Oct 1995 15:47:28 U From: "Judd Stewart" Subject: FEIN Detail Sander I have been using a detail sander that has the others beat hands down. Its Mfg. by FEIN of Germany and is mostly advertised in fine woodworking magazines and such. It is the top of the line and is expensive $200, but its more than a sander: -Operates at 20,000 motions per second (doesn't put your hand to sleep) -Very robust mechanism and motor (its industrial strength) -Doesn't kick up glass dust! What makes this tool great is that you can remove the sanding diamond and mount a 2 or 3" dia circular blade and cut the cured glass like butter. You have total control and there is no feeling of pending disaster. The kerf is only 1/16" Its the same technology used to saw off casts (broken bones etc.). The blade vibrating at 20K cause no harm when touched to the skin. I can't believe a I built one of these planes (long-ez) without it. Judd Date: Sat, 28 Oct 1995 21:22:42 -0400 From: pinnock@magicnet.net Subject: On another matter; Some interest was expressed in the new 3" saws that use vibration instead of rotary motion. I didn't have one of these while building my MK IV, but have since use on quite a bit. These things are great, the control and lack of dust is amazing. If $ 185 is winthin your budget, get one. You can call Woodcraft Supply Corporation in Florida, 407 260-5002 and they can tell you where to get on closer. There a national chain of specialty wood craftsman stores. I think the manufacturer is Matco, but they'll know what your asking for. These saws have been used for years to cut off cast. My hangar buddy has one, I'll get the exact name and product number and post it later. Until next time... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------- Mike Pinnock E-Mail pinnock@orl.com 1124 Highland Acres FAX (407)297-9197 Apopka, FL 32703 Voice (407)880-8564 HM (407) 297-8884 WK Cozy MK IV 615PM Sanford, Florida (SFB) 585 hrs TT ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------- Date: 29 Oct 1995 09:19:03 -0500 From: "Bill Schertz" Subject: Re: Black and Decker Power F "Scott Mandel" Reply to: RE>Black and Decker Power File Scott Mandel wrote> >Quite a few E-Mails back someone mentioned the Black and Decker Power file as being a good tool to have when building a Cozy. > I haven't found a hardware store yet that has ever seen one. I think Black and Decker may have discontinued it, or they only sell it to those select few that can view the emporer's new clothes :-). --------- I was in a Black and Decker service center yesterday, to get a new battery for my cordless drill, and asked about this. What he showed me is a portable 1/2" wide belt sander, with dust collecting bag. Cost $30. He said that they still made it. The store was listed under Black and Decker in the white pages, and you might be able to get it by mail. Black & Decker, US Inc. 2950 Ogden Ave Lisle, IL 708-717-1075 Bill Schertz Date: Mon, 30 Oct 1995 10:45:00 -0500 From: Dick.Finn@FNB.sprint.com Subject: Drilling Wing Attach Bolt holes & Aileron Bearing I received the following from Ken Miller re: the bearings for the aileron torque tube in the wing root -- Do any of you guys have any interest? "I haven't decide to yet.... If I get a few guys interested, I might crank up my Lathe... Just leave out the root bearings and do the rest of your controls.... you can retrofit these things. There is a doughnut of .125 2024 T3 with three nutplates that gets buried in the wing root behind the inboard rib for the torque tube to pass thru, but this can be put in later. Let me know what the response is on the Net. Ken Miller" Now for the real question. I spent the weekend trying to drill the holes for the wing attach bolts on the left wing. I drilled the 1/4" pilot holes -- no sweat. I pulled out the 5/8" spot facing tool and went to work to expand the hole size. I spent about three hours and multiple sharpenings and so far have drilled about 1/8" into the inboard hole. The spot facing tool dulls unbelievably fast. I called Nat Puffer who indicated things did go slow but was surprised about how slow I was progressing. He indicated that he built three planes using the same tool and had to sharpen it three times. Possibly I have a bad tool. On Sunday I bought a 5/8" hole saw with a mandrel that that allowed me to loosen a set screw and remove the 1/4" pilot bit. I was then able to put the hole saw on the steel rod for the spot facing tool. I tested it on an old piece of aluminum and it cut through like butter. Sadly, the hole was just slightly to large and I had a loose fit for the bushings. I discussed this with Nat and he rather doubtfully suggested that I try a 9/16" hole saw and ream the hole out to 5/8" using a long drill. He strongly advised against floxing the bushings in place and relying on the flox to hold things solid. Nat said he had a lot of comments from builders about the slowness of drilling the holes but is not aware of anyone who has tried an alternative. Obviously another alternative is to assume that my spot facing tool is not adequately hardened and just buy a new one from Wicks. So-----What do you guys think? Have any of you tried alternatives? Have any of you had trouble? Dick Finn Date: 30 Oct 1995 12:00:57 -0600 From: "Bill Schertz" Subject: Re: Drilling Wing Attach Bol Reply to: RE>Drilling Wing Attach Bolt holes & Aileron Bearing Dick, Since the 5/8 hole saw is "slightly" too big, you could try the following, The hole saw teeth probably have a "set" to them, and sometimes you can remove the set on the outside, and still have enough on the inside of the hole to cut (although not as good). To remove the set, chuck up the hole saw, turn on your drill, and bring an abrasive stone into contact with the outside edge of the hole saw. you will be grinding off the set on the exterior, (which could reduce the effectiveness in cutting!!), and will be relying on the interior set only. As I say, this is hard on the tool, but if it is not working right anyway what do you have to lose? You could then try it again in the test piece of Aluminum to see if this made it the right size. Bill Schertz Date: Thu, 2 Nov 1995 12:55:46 -0500 From: Phillip.Johnson@Lockheed.on.ca (Phillip Johnson) Subject: Re: Black and Decker Power File I was the initiator of the original posting for the Black and Decker Power File. It is indeed a 1/2 inch wide miniature electric chainsaw like tool which is black in colour. The bar extends approximately six inches out in front and the belt passes over a rubber wheel approximately 3/4 inches in diameter. This construction allows the operator to jab the end into tight spaces or use the main flat area for more general work. Mine cost me approximately $70 (Canadian currency) that's about $10 US. I bought mine some three years ago and still rate it performance. The name may has changed. I'm sorry about taking so long to reply since this refers to my original posting, I have been away on business for the past month and have had almost 200 Cosy postings to read. I am now up to date. Phillip Johnson. Date: Fri, 3 Nov 1995 14:06:00 -0500 From: Dick.Finn@FNB.sprint.com Subject: One more piect on info on spot facers Last night I went to my EAA meeting and mentioned the internet and the response to my question on wing attach bolt holes. My intention was simply a plug for the internet as a super source of information. However, one of the fellows indicated that he had experienced the same problem with the spot facing tool getting dull real quick. He said that if I were able sharpen it with a file the tool is too soft. This is the case with my tool. Further, he stated that the spot facer is basically a wood working tool and is made of soft metal that will not hold an edge when used with glass and aluminum. This certainly matches my experience. Another older fellow said that he used a spot facer extensively over the years and hardened it himself by heating it with a blow torch (I said he was an older guy :-) ) then plunging it into an oil bath. He tempered the steel and ended up with a fine tool. Several years ago I read an article in Fine Woodworking magazine that talked about heat treating tool steel. As I was always afraid of ruining a good chisel I never tried it. Since my spot facer is a piece of junk I may try putting a new edge on it and try hardening it. If I do, I'll let everyone know the result. Many thanks to all for their fine advice. Dick Finn Cozy MKIV #46 Date: Fri, 3 Nov 1995 22:36:48 -0500 From: NBalog@aol.com Subject: Air Bubbles, Syringes In a message dated 95-10-31 00:13:21 EST, write: > Does anyone use the syringe method? Where do you get syringes? Yes. This must be one of those times being a physician has its advantages I can pick up syringes from practically any of the clinics I work in, the ER, or labs. However, because most of the syringes used on people have a luer-lock (threaded fitting) on the end, causing much build-up of micro/flox, clogging and restricting the size corner I can get the tip into, I picked up a couple of 10 ml (2 tsp) children's liquid medication syringes from our hospital pharmacy (Army hospital). These are called "Exacta-Med Dispensers" sold by the Baxa corporation in Denver, CO 80112 (mfd in Denmark?!). I got them for free, but you can probably find them for under a buck. They really last, too;the epoxy doesn't stick to them (much). Wash them out with alcohol/acetone (I mix isopropyl with about 25% acetone), let dry and you can pick the rest of the epoxy off with a toothpick. When to use the luer locks? When you're forcing epoxy under pressure into a void or defect through as large a needle as you can get away with; I wouldn't use less than an 18 gauge needle (like wire and shotguns, the smaller the gauge the bigger the hole) for this AND eye protection. Why? I tried using a 23g, the epoxy prevented a good seal and the needle (hub and all) popped out of the luer-lock spashing 2427 epolite back into my left eye. Not much, just a microscopic speck but MAN DID IT BURN. Rinsed it out for a few minutes and went back and finished the project. The next morning my wife asked what was wrong with my eye; the left pupil being twice the size of the right and I was having some problem with sunlight. Looked into the hazmat file marc Z. has on his web page, checked a medical sourcebook or two and slept on it. The NEXT day it was back to normal. Pretty weird, nothing in the literature on this I could find. Try veterinary supply stores in your area, they often have syringes, needles, antibiotics, at least I know in California you can (or could, it's been a couple of years) walk in off the street and buy this stuff at Petco or some of the bigger supply houses, not necessarily rural, either. good luck. -Norm Date: Tue, 7 Nov 95 7:21:22 EST From: "Nick J Ugolini" Subject: Home made Air Respirator Tim, I looked at a air respirator system at sun/fun and it is a very simple system. I am planning to make one for myself. Take an old canister vacuum cleaner (blower side) run the exhaust through a HEPA air filter, then through a garden hose "Y" valve (with stop valves). The hose connections are made with plastic quick disconnects for a garden hose (Kmart) and a 5/8" flexible garden hose (same as the pro models). I plan to mount this on a plywood base. The only real expense (approx. $75) will be purchasing a full mask, half mask or hood. Your choice. Masks are available off the self through a safety supply catalog. They come with a short flexible hose to which you attach the other end of the hose quick disconnect. The project shouldn't take more than one or two evening, and cost less than $100 dollars depending on the blower you use (I found mine in a trash pile -works great!) Nick U. ------------- Original Text >From tims@enet.net (Tim Sullivan), on 11/6/95 4:57 PM: Ok Ok. After hearing (reading) all of the recent email about vapor protection I'm posting this... Wanted: Air Respirator (Used i.e. less than list price) Must include full face mask and 40-50' line. Please reply directly to my email address. BTW, I have hay fever twice a year in the PHX area so anything that will cause that feeling, more than what I have to put up with from mother natue, is just not worth the risk. Tim Sullivan (tims@enet.net) Phoenix, AZ | * | Cozy MK IV Builder #470 |-----(/)-----| The journey begins 8/10/95 / \ Current Status: Ch 5 o o The following was included as an attachement. Please use UUDECODE to retrieve it. The original file name was 'ATTRIBS.BND'. begin 666 ATTRIBS.BND M0F5Y;VYD(%!A8VME9"!!='1R:6)U=&5S`$%45%))*```````2&]M92!M861E M($%I65A2!B96=I;G,@."\Q,"\Y-0H@("`@("`@+R!< M("`@("`@("!#=7)R96YT(%-T871U`O=_`@!)`O=_`@!V M`O=_`@"=`O=_`@"I`O=_`@"J`O=_````````````````9``!I`$!2`,![`0! MD`8!-`@!V`D!?`L!(`T!Q`X!:!`!#!(!L!,!5!4!^!8```````````````!D M``&D`0%(`P'L!`&0!@$T"`'8"0%\"P$@#0'$#@%H$`$,$@&P$P%4%0'X%@`` M$0`````````$`%`$``````````````````````````!497ATCP-4:6TL"DD@ M;&]O:V5D(&%T(&$@86ER(')E2!S:6UP;&4@7-E;&8N("!486ME(&%N(&]L9"!C86YI M7=O M;V0@8F%S92X*"E1H92!O;FQY(')E86P@97AP96YS92`H87!P2!C871A;&]G+B`@5&AE M>2!C;VUE('=I=&@@82!S:&]R="!F;&5X:6)L92!H;W-E('1O('=H:6-H('EO M=2!A='1A8V@@=&AE(&]T:&5R(&5N9"!O9B!T:&4@:&]S92!Q=6EC:R!D:7-C M;VYN96-T+B`@(%1H92!P6]U('5S92`H22!F M;W5N9"!M:6YE(&EN(&$@=')AP$`9`&`30(`=@)`7P+`2`-`<0.`6@0 /`0P2`;`3`505`?@6=0`` ` end From: Marc J. Zeitlin Subject: neat filing/sanding/measuring tools Date: Mon, 13 Nov 95 20:50:00 EST People; While on the same visit, Michael Antares showed me some neat file/sanding tools. These are silicon carbide rough and fine grit sanding plates and rods, available in Hobby Stores. I went out with him and bought $63 worth of them. They also come in Dremel tool sizes, and replace the sanding drum and grinding attachments. The rounds come in different diameters, and are about 6" long on a wooden handle. The dremel attachments come in router bits, sanding drum sizes, points and rounds. Apparently they are GREAT for composites - just don't use them on aluminum, they'll load up and be useless. Also, Marc Parmalee gave me a length of kevlar string, also available from hobby stores (MFG'd by K&S, I believe). It's cheap and DOESN'T stretch, so it's great for laying out straight lines, such as when you do the canard shear web layup, or any long, straight measurement. -- Marc J. Zeitlin Email: marcz@an.hp.com Date: Mon, 13 Nov 1995 23:12:41 -0600 From: Tom Barclay Subject: kevlar materials Another source for kevlar "twine" would be an archery pro shop. Most archery ranges (and most archers, in the last ten years) are now using for bowstrings, especially on compound and higher-tech bows. Date: Tue, 14 Nov 1995 16:13:42 -0500 From: Marcnadine@aol.com Subject: Re: kevlar materials Tom Barclay writes: > > >Another source for kevlar "twine" would be an archery pro shop. Most >archery ranges (and most archers, in the last ten years) are now >using for bowstrings, especially on compound and higher-tech bows. I don't know what the cost of Archery Bow String is, but K&S kevlar (part # 801) thread cost about $1.95 for 40 feet and is available at most hobby shops. It has the tensile strenght of 400,000 lbs/sq. in. and a tensile modulus of eighteen million lb/sq. in.ie., in other words, it won't stretch. Marc N425CZ Date: Tue, 14 Nov 1995 16:14:11 -0500 From: Marcnadine@aol.com Subject: RE: Spotfacing tool from Rutland A few weeks ago a some builders wrote about problems with there spotfacing tool not lasting for the whole project. Rutland Tool & Supply sells them, and promote them as being made from high speed tool steel, properly heat treated and are ground to aircraft standards. The 5/8 tool sells for $16.48 + $6.08 for the 1/4" pilot arbor. They can be contacted at 800-289-4787. Marc N425CZ Fri, 17 Nov 1995 14:43:11 +1000 Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1995 14:34:17 +0200 From: parkyn@citr.uq.oz.au (Nick Parkyn) Subject: Re: neat filing/sanding/measuring tools A good source for these carbide tools is: Micro Mark 1-800-225-1066 340 Snyder Ave., Berkeley Heights N.J. 07922-1595 They stock: Router bits Cutters sold separately or in sets Sanding bands for Sanding drums I purchased mine from them! Nick #0017 >People; > >While on the same visit, Michael Antares showed me some neat >file/sanding tools. These are silicon carbide rough and fine grit >sanding plates and rods, available in Hobby Stores. I went out with him >and bought $63 worth of them. They also come in Dremel tool sizes, and >replace the sanding drum and grinding attachments. The rounds come in >different diameters, and are about 6" long on a wooden handle. The >dremel attachments come in router bits, sanding drum sizes, points and >rounds. Apparently they are GREAT for composites - just don't use them >on aluminum, they'll load up and be useless. > >Also, Marc Parmalee gave me a length of kevlar string, also available >from hobby stores (MFG'd by K&S, I believe). It's cheap and DOESN'T >stretch, so it's great for laying out straight lines, such as when you >do the canard shear web layup, or any long, straight measurement. > >-- >Marc J. Zeitlin Email: marcz@an.hp.com Date: Mon, 27 Nov 95 7:59:29 EST From: "Nick J Ugolini" Subject: Fein Sander I just purchased the Fein sander as was discussed in some previous e-mail. Guess what, It REALLY does work. If I could sum it up in one word ........Unbelievable....... I put on the cutter blade and helped a buddy do some trimming on his fuselage sides. It went through 7 layers of glass really quickly. On two layers of glass/foam it cuts the glass like butter, about 1" every 2 seconds with no dust. At on point my hand slipped against the blade for about 5 seconds and I didn't even know it. It work by oscillating the blade about 2 degrees in each direction. 20,000 times a minute. The movement is so slight that a soft surface (skin) or unsupported glass/foam is unaffected. Cured glass (a very stiff surface) cuts easily. Because of the type of blade (a disk 2" dia, about .030 in thick) it cuts best in straight lines. Outside curve are easy. Inside curve would be very tough. Plunge cutting is great and depth control (no reciprocal action) is terrific and can easily be controlled to within 1/8" (depends on how steady our hand is.) I was a little hesitant with the high price, but it is very well built. It advertises that it will but fiberglass (up to 2 mm) aluminum, wood and formica. You can buy additional attachments for scraping surfaces and a diamond coated blade for really tough stuff, i.e. concrete, glass, tile, et. I bought mine from Woodworker Supply (1-800-645-9292) Fein Sander /case #853-021 $189.00 Fein sawblade #873-193 $39.95 PSA (sticky backed) sandpaper from 60,80,100,1200,150,180,220,240,280,320 grits $1.95 for 5 pieces. Oh, by the way it does a great job at sanding . Nick U. From: Marc J. Zeitlin Subject: Re: cutting tools Date: Tue, 28 Nov 95 9:21:47 EST Randy smith writes: >One thing that caught my eye was a cutting wheel and the large thick >plastic mat that was graduated with all sorts of measurements and angles >that were used to cut the fabric. The wheel resembles a pizza cutter and >is VERY sharp. Does anyone have any experience using these tools to cut, >oh say,...fiberglas? Both Wicks and AS sell cutting mats and wheels for some nominal amount; I would assume they're essentially identical to what you're describing. I have one, and it's GREAT! A lot easier to cut the glass on the table than with scissors. Get one. Actually, the one you're describing sounds a lot fancier, although what I've got is more than adequate. -- Marc J. Zeitlin Email: marcz@an.hp.com Date: 28 Nov 1995 10:01:07 U From: "Judd Stewart" Subject: Cutting tools Cutting tools 11/28/95 I use the pizza cutter as well and it is really slick! Most craft shops carry them. Mine is about 2" dia and replacement blades are 4-5$ one word of caution, becareful that you back the glass up with something that won't nick the blade. Judd with Novell_GroupWise; Tue, 28 Nov 1995 10:11:11 -0700 Date: Tue, 28 Nov 1995 10:06:37 -0700 From: DAVID B MONK Subject: Re: Peel Ply -Reply Randy Smith writes: I purchased one of these wheel cutters from Aircraft Spruce and Specialty a year ago. They are great for cutting fiberglass, peel-ply, plastic sheet, cloth, etc.. I haven't found anything (within reason) that this cutter will not cut. One hint, be sure to buy some extra blades, it cuts much better when it is sharp! I think your wife :-) would really love one of these for Christmas! David Monk monkdb@asp.mortonintl.com Date: Thu, 30 Nov 1995 12:36:56 -0700 From: chapman@ditell.com (Dave Chapman) Subject: Rotary (pizza style) cutters >The wheel resembles a pizza cutter and >is VERY sharp. Does anyone have any experience using these tools to cut, >oh say,...fiberglass? I understand that you can buy different style >wheels to make wiggle cuts, or pinking cuts. Not having ever cut any >fiberglass, I was wondering if I should get my wife one for Christmas. :-) > >-Randy I have been using a rotary cutter (fancy name for the pizza style cutter) to cut all my fiberglass and it is probably the best tool for building plastic airplanes after the epoxy pump! They can be purchased from Alexander or where Randy saw them, a good fabric store. Dave Chapman (chapman@ditell.com) "Man's flight through life USHGA #5742 is sustained by the power Park City, Utah of his knowledge" (801) 647-0319 Cozy 3 on gear, with the engine on, in other words, 80% done and 80% to go... ***************************************************************************** Date: Tue, 5 Dec 1995 08:33:53 -0500 From: william l kleb Subject: Re: Fein Sander Nick J. Ugolini writes: > I just purchased the Fein sander as was discussed in some previous e-mail. > Guess what, It REALLY does work. > i assume this is the electric one (?)... has anyone used the pneumatic one (about $10 more)? or is oil contamination a problem? bil (w.l.kleb@larc.nasa.gov)