the flying crust @theflyingcrust - Tumblr Blog

Elan wing #1

Well the right wing is well on the way to completion. You can see the planking on part of the wing is yet to be done but only after airbrakes are fitted. I still have to sort how to do them (not part of the kit but I’m gonna need them).

Then I can finish planking the wing and add a wingtip.

#Elan build

Elan 100

Winter is coming and I was wanting to to start a new project. As the weather this year has been pants for glider flying I thought I’d see what was around and I found a review in a recent RCM&E mag about this

It was 100 inch wingspan (2.5 metres) and would be ideal when the wind was poor for the other gliders in the cabin.

So I ordered one - with the bosses approval of course. I think she thought it was a ready built one. But no. Its built up from a box of balsa, ply and other bits. All the wood parts are laser cut and straightforward to assemble.

It arrived this afternoon. A quick look in the box was a treat. Good quality wood with all the non wood parts in their own bags.

It should be a straightforward build.

Have a look here for a short film.

I may make a start after the weekend.

Preserving

Blackberries, Blackberries and more Blackberries. Whilst out walking last week we came across some brambles, and they were loaded with the biggest, juiciest blackberries Ive seen in quite a few years. The Boss and I picked about 3 kilos in under 1/2 an hour. We blagged some cooking apples from the oldest boy’s back garden (and scrumped a few more from neighbour’s garden - they’re on holiday!), sterilised some jars and got cooking.

Here’s the result.

3 jars already passed on. It’s gorgeous!

#preserving

Moose Loose

You may or may not know that I’ve been a member of Moose International since I was 21 (15 years ago - not) and been secretary for the last 25 years! Well in spite of Dorchester Lodge thriving the organisation nationally is dying on its feet. It was time to do something about it,

Last April our group decided to leave Moose and start a new organisation here in Dorch which we’ve called Fundraising Friends 222. And its working! There are some teething issues but we’ve already raised over £700 for local charities. Onwards and upwards.

8 Months!

I hadn’t realised it was so long since I last posted. A bit of a catch-up coming in this and the next couple of posts. We’ll start with aeromodelling here.

As I got voted on as chairman of the Marquis Model Flying Club for a second year I thought I’d set a Chairman’s Challenge. It was to build a model glider from a free plan in July’s RCM&E magazine. Its called Sonny 1500. I said I won’t be entering the comp for best build but would be making one anyway. Here’s my example :-

It flies everso gently. Just what I’d hoped for.

4 other club members have also built them - decorated differently of course. With 5 in the air we need to know who’s is who’s.

Its Finished!

Well after being stalled for 18 months its finally done. And I’m really pleased with the outcome. Sounds gorgeous, and doesn’t look too shabby either.

I'm still here!

It's been a while so I thought I'd just leave a message saying I'm still around.

Been busy building stuff over the winter. Progress reports to follow.

Crow TTY 12

Ok. So a bit of backstory.

About 15 years ago I made a guitar based on a Gibson Les Paul but with a different shaped body. It worked/works perfectly well and I'm dead chuffed.

It's now getting some use by the son-in-law.

I've committed myself to producing another guitar, this time based on a Fender Telecaster, but the twist is it's gonna be a 12 string. The plan is it will be as bare looking as possible - no scratch plate, no control plate and the minimum amount of furniture I can get away with... But that doesn't mean it shouldn't look the business.

I'd already got the wood for the neck, donated by a friend who abandoned a guitar build project. It's a beautiful piece of maple and enough to make 2 necks - but I only need one! The body wood was open for debate so SWMBO and I had a day out to Yandles, near Yeovil, where I found a beautiful piece of Zebrina Wood. I bought a piece big enough. Within 10 minutes we found a problem. As we loaded it in the car we thought a cat had crapped in there. It was the wood. IT STANK! Journey home with the windows open.

Well the wood has been duly sized and shaped for the body and is awaiting machining for the neck, pickups and controls. Here's the body so far.

It's proving to be a right pain to work with and is very prone to chipping when machined (as tested on a scrap piece) so I dare not use a rounding-over bit in the router for the edges. Looks like it'll be done the hard way with spokeshave and sandpaper.

Oh. And the name? The other guitar had the name Crow, like a brand name, so I thought I'd follow this theme, TTY is an old computing abbreviation for teletype - well, it is a type of Tele(caster) and, of course, 12 strings.

More soon.

#Guitars

Oops ....

Err...

Well, it was going to happen sooner or later.

Flying Minnie at Ringstead today along with a few other club people when I had a mid-air collision with Mike's Alula. He's barely got a mark on his plane but his wing buried itself in Minnie's wing right up to the main spar. Good job that bit's made from Spruce otherwise the wing would have folded.

Interestingly, after the shock of it happening and both our models fluttering around for a few metres we were both able to regain control. Nothing seemed to be amiss but to check I decided to land. When banking for the final approach I noticed the chunk out of the wing.

I'd say the damage is quite minimal considering. Shouldn't take more than an hour to fix.

Mike and I both felt it was 50/50 who was to blame so honours even.

#model flying

More Bread!

I've been at it again.

The latest creations. Here's a photo of the items. The split-top loaf and the focacca are regulars in our house but the "tear and share" is a recent addition to the repertoir. Recipe after the photo.

And I wonder why I put on weight!

The Tear and Share is a sweet bread/bun mix of my own creation but based on another recipe.

Ingredients:-

300g strong flour

7g (1 sachet) of fast action yeast

30g butter, softened

150ml milk

generous pinch of salt.

cupfull of dried fruit (I used raisins but sweetened dried cranberries! Mmm)

Apricot Jam to glaze the top.

Method :-

Put flour, yeast, butter, salt and most of the milk in a bowl and bring together. If the mix is a bit dry add a little more milk. It should be quite slack but not too slack.

Kneed the dough, as you would expect to kneed any bread dough, until it's smooth and elastic. This may take up to 10 minutes by hand. If using a machine (I don't) then no more than 5 minutes. Return to the bowl, after oiling the bowl slightly, and cover with clingfilm. Set aside to prove until doubled in size.

Turn the dough out and knock it back. Sprinkle over with the dried fruit, then repeatedly fold over and flatten the mix until it all looks combined.

Line a large loaf tin or small cake tin with baking parchment. Cut the dough into lumps about golfball size and roll into balls. Stack these into the tin in 1 layer only. Some left over? Just squeeze them in. Leave to rise to about one and a half or twice the size. Bake IN A PRE-HEATED oven at about 200c (180c fan, gas 5) for 15 minutes. Once removed from the oven, warm a little apricot jam and glaze the top of the T&S whilst still hot. Allow to cool a little then turn out onto a wire rack to cool fully. (mine hasn't been glazed yet!)

Enjoy.

#Baking

Pang Anim

So here it is. Fully decorated now with a Philippine flag on the top wing. I've just got to install the receiver and a battery pack and it'll be time to fly. Of course the weather has to be a tad better than it is at the moment.

Enjoy