StegallHobbies.com

03/29/2022

Now that I have my Ryzen computer running and am getting more and more of my software loaded on it, my digital and internet productivity is zooming again. I was almost fully cranked back up in December until I had the accident on Christmas Eve Day. Then my primary Windows 10 desktop computer I had been using since 2013 failed on January 14th due to a bad hard drive. My backup drive had been stolen while I was in the hospitals having my pneumonia and osteomyelitis treatments in 2021 and I hadn't noticed it was missing. So it's been a serious data recovery operation.

I still don't have the old machine back up, but I built an AMD Ryzen 7 computer and got Windows 11 on it. I can't run RealFlight 6.0, 6.5, or 7.5 on it. It seems to be a USB issue and the Interlink Elite controller isn't recognized. So far, that is the only software that isn't running on it, but I've mainly been loading more recent software like Microsoft Visual Studio 2022, Adobe Creative Cloud, Microsoft Office 365, AutoCAD LT 2023, and some music software from IK Multimedia. It will take quite a while to get everything installed and software like CompuFoil 3D will require license reactivation. I haven't yet started getting the components for the Intel I9-12900K machine together. I hope to start on that in a day or two now that I've passed some significant milestones with "Ryzen". One of my goals is to have two computers with all of the software I need in case of another down time. Another is having a second or even third computer to run my vinyl cutter and 3D printer. As well as having one that can be hooked up to the Android TV in the family room to run RealFlight on and test Android apps on. This is a significant technology and computing refresh for me. Early 2021 was phones and tablets. Fall was Internet service and full house reliable Wi-Fi for my home automation project. Now computers, a Chromebook, printers, and other devices. So I should be set from a computing and internet standpoint for a while.

In the past day or so, I got some of my web apps republished including my web site linking redirector I use to point my many domains to useful places with easy and nice domain names. I have my GoDaddy protocols updated. So soon, you'll start seeing nicer names for things in my messages. And web sites I had shut down for maintenance right before I went into the hospital a year ago on March 25th will finally be back up. A year ago on April 25th, the doctors told me I might never walk unaided again and that I had at least a year or two of recovery ahead of me. It has been intensely difficult, but I'm better and improving constantly even with the recent and continuing heart issues. Unfortunately my divorce is not complete and my ex-wife to be (EW2B) seems hell bent on making my life as difficult as she can. Sorry Altoona, PA POS.

The house is getting back in shape. I'm almost done with the kitchen and the south bathroom where the cat from hell's nasty litter box was, is now grime free and cleaned out. I have a videotaping and clean work table with studio lighting in the dining room which will go upstairs at some point. But having it and my office in the southeast bedroom on the first floor near the family room and kitchen is convenient. Maybe too convenient as I'm having a hard time slowing down and sleeping.

This is the second video I've minimally edited and uploaded to YouTube. My Mac Mini has also been down since last year. While I could have done some video edit on my MacBook Air, survival and a little real work were more important.

Hopefully I can keep up this pace. I have hundreds of hours of video footage from the workshop upstairs. I used to run the camcorder most anytime I was working and being able to review what I did before the "dark" time is really helping me bring all of my past memories back.

This video is over three hours long and I haven't cut any of it. No telling what I might have said or scratched. But here it is.
(Still processing on YouTube ... May not be viewable for another hour or two)

This is footage of a layup of a Telford/Violett FAI BOBCAT epoxy fuselage I did in March of 2018.It is completely raw and unedited video over two or three da...

03/29/2022

This is from footage of a layup of a Telford/Violett FAI BOBCAT Fuselage I did in March of 2018. My Father carved the plugs for the BOBCAT in the early 70's for Bob and Cliff. He often met them at the Charlotte Douglas Airport when they came through Charlotte and consulted with them until the shape on the plugs was right. Then we made the molds using polyester resin and fiberglass mat, and fiberglass cloth. I laid up most of the polyester fuselage for my father in the 70's. Hundreds of them. Now I have the molds and am working to duplicate them in epoxy so laying up joined in the mold fuselage using epoxy is easier.

This little snippet shows how I mix the goo to use in the sharp corners of a mold to use in a layup.

https://youtu.be/YhS8lIy3EB4

Find our fillers (temporarily out-of-stock) and other products on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/s?k=stegallhobbies&crid=I88PJC8N2DIO&sprefix=stegallhobbies

See some photos of the fuselage at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.822295821304554

Don Stegall

This is from footage of a layup of a Telford/Violett FAI BOBCAT Fuselage I did in March of 2018. My Father carved the plugs for the BOBCAT in the early 70's ...

03/27/2022

Sales of these have suddenly picked up this week and these have started flying out of the Amazon fulfillment centers (FC's) once again ... We're trying to get more to Amazon as soon as possible, but it will be at least a week before the restocked units are available to Amazon customers ... I expect them to sell out today or tomorrow if we have some kind of positive publicity pushing the jump in sales.

So order asap if you need Fumed Silica / Cabosil for your epoxy glue projects.

32 ounce are now out-of-stock and more are on the way.

The new 4 ounce SKU are in the way and should be available in two weeks or less.

The new one gallon size are almost ready to ship.

Fumed Silica Thickener, Cabosil (8 Ounces by Volume)

12/20/2021

I wrote this as a comment on a post by Robert Vess and Timothy Lampe about a Q40 aluminum landing gear shaping Robert did.

It is useful to most anyone that needs a shiny finish on guitar parts like frets. Tfat is where I started with these. But I quickly found other uses for things like the outsides of engine parts, and even in the kitchen. Surprise. 😎

In researching buying these as wholesale so I can sell them on our Amazon store, I found out that there are other varieties of the Micro Mesh pads and sanding paper. It is fairly expensive stuff. I ordered more variety than I have seen on any outlet. I will try them and post comments to this message. So please Like this message to see updates.

Don Stegall

Now the original message ...

To get a near mirror finish on aluminum plus the smoothest and shiniest surface on your planes, get these ...

https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/supplies/sanding-and-polishing/sandpaper-and-finishing-papers/micro-mesh-soft-touch-pads/

You can get them other places. Search for ... Micro Mesh Pads ... I see them on Amazon, but not as Prime items ... yet 😎

The set of nine pads includes 1500, 1800, 2400, 3200, 3600, 4000, 6000, 8000, and 12000 grits. Use the grits in sequence to achieve a super gloss.

I got these for guitar work. But now I use them for a lot of things.

You wouldn't think that 12000 grit would do anything. But if you do the full grit sequence, the results at the last 12000 are incredible.

It is important to get the sequence right and do the full sequence. It is very easy as hardly any material is removed in each step. It's basically just rubbing all over the part.

Preparation is also important. Even the 1500 will fix minor scratches. But sanding up to 1000-1200 before polishing is advised.

Shine On You Crazy Diamonds 💎 🤣 😂 😎

Fingertip-size pads for hand polishing high-gloss finishes.

12/12/2021

The StegallHobbies.com Cabosil is back in stock with more Inbound at Amazon. The available count will be increasing daily. Delivery by Tuesday in my area at the monent.

Great little Christmas present for the modeler, hobbyist, woodworker, fishing lure maker, and other in your life.

https://amzn.to/3lZQ1vA

Cabosil Silica Thickener is used to thicken epoxy mixtures to create a non-sagging mixture that hardens to a strong joint filler. This is an 8 ounce by volume container of ready to use powder.

09/27/2021

This morning I received notice that StegallHobbies is now an approved seller on http://Ozon.com ...

Ozon is the largest online marketplace in Russia. While have already been shipping to customers in Canada and Mexico and our Amazon Japan store is ready but not stocked, this is a big moment in our move to go global and bring our expanding product line to a worldwide audience.

We have translations to Russian in progress and now we can begin listing and producing products to possibly have them in Russia for the holidays.

I'm very excited about this development and wish to thank my Russian friends for helping make it happen.

Россия, мы идем !!!

09/23/2021

Just got off work from my public job.

Even with my recovery relapse, I'm pushing along as best I can.

Supplies are rolling in again.

Time to do some receiving of some of the supplies for the next shipment of 8 ounce cabosil to Amazon US.

Canada next week, and Mexico next week or the week after.

Still working on logistics for Amazon Japan.

I'm working on getting us into the largest online seller in Russia. Waiting on security approvals. Translations are in progress.

Then back onto Amazon Europe. European VAT and multiple languages are so much fun. No wonder everything costs more there.

I wasn't going to do Amazon India, but that market is looking better now. The web site is in English, and most anyone interested in our products reads English, so that helps.

Cotton Flock back in stock soon. Supplies are here.

09/08/2021

09/06/2021

Here's an informal new product announcement.

StegallHobbies.com is preparing some new products for builders of model airplanes.

Foam wing cores will soon be available on our Amazon Stores. Initially in the US, but coming to Canada, Mexico, and Japan soon. We'll be in Europe by year end.

The first foam core offerings are cores that were done for the Stinger Q40 plane. These cores are for building a wing in the 52-56" span range. It is the SD6060 airfoil that Jerry Small and Dan Kane have favored on some of their racing planes, notably the EF1 planes and some Q40 planes. It is a fast airfoil section with good flight handling characteristics. These cores have 1" of sweep with a nominal finished root chord of 10.25" and the tip of 5" at ~24" from the center section.

The same airfoil will be available for a straight, non-swept leading edge wing. A slightly more swept 1.75" configuration, and a 4.5" sweep, nearly straight trailing edge configuration will be the standard options of our Amazon offerings for the SD6060 airfoil.

The price of foam cores only will is $40 with Next Day or Two Day delivery from Amazon and they will soon be Amazon Prime items with free shipping. Plans, instructions, and videos will be available online to help builders be successful in building strong and lightweight wings economically.

Complete wing kits with foam cores sheeted with balsa reinforced with fiberglass cloth and carbon fiber under the wing skins are $150. All wood needed for construction per the instructions, plus pre-made torque rods are included.

The sweep of a wing can be adjusted some by trimming the cores at the root before assembly.

Stinger Q40 kits are coming to our Amazon stores as well. The fiberglass and foam wing core short kit is $175. The full kit with pre-sheeted foam wing cores, all wood, landing gear, torque rods for the wing, elevator joiner, and other hardware is $275.

The Stinger can be powered with .40 to .55 engines in the approximate crankcase size of common 46 sport engines.

Electric motors up to 45mm in diameter will easily fit in the cowl.

We expect the bare foam cores to be available on Amazon by the first of October with other products arriving by the start of November.

Direct to customer orders will only be accepted until the products are in stock at Amazon. PayPal and credit cards are accepted.

Please contact Don Stegall at Don.F.Stegall@gmail.com or 980-269-4664 with questions and requests.

08/27/2021

These are on the dock at the Amazon Receiving Warehouse in Charlotte and will be getting positioned around the US Fulfillment Centers over the next week or so for Next and Second Day delivery ... They'll be available well before the October date Amazon is showing now .. the pipeline is getting filled ... Cabosil, Cotton Flock, and more ... Need a new photo,, but just wanted to let you know.

StegallHobbies.com Cabosil Silica Thickener, Cab-o-SIL (8 Ounces by Volume)

07/17/2021

These are coming to the StegallHobbies.com Amazon store. It is the Smasher Q500 plane that was designed years ago and is very fast. It is easy to build and has a pre-installed, but undrilled firewall. It uses a NACA 66-012 wing. The firewall, wing saddle, and stab saddle are 0-0-0. The stab can be a V-tail bolt on, set in V-tail, or conventional stab and fin/rudder.

It will be available as just the fuselage, as a fuselage and foam core short kit, and a full kit. Vacuum bagged sheeted foam cores will be available, and various sub-kits will be available, like tail kits, wing kits, etc.

A hollow core molded composite wing will become available at some point.

There is currently one molded composite bolt-on tail that is ready for production and have been produced, used, and raced in the past. A new tail is in progress that uses an airfoil that should be a little faster. Probably not ready until the first of 2022.

The chord of the wing us 9.812", but can be extended to 9.875" or even 10" with a little grinding and epoxy fiberglass work. Vortex wings have been used on this plane by multiple pylon racers. Fairings need to be added on the wing at the front and rear of the wing wing or the lip at the rear of the saddle will act as an air-dam.

The landing gear saddle was designed for flexibility and convenience. It is 1.510" from front to rear. It is 0.122" deep at the front and 0.144" deep at the rear. It is 2.625" wide at the front and 2.75" wide at the rear. I used carbon fiber landing gears made by the late Pete Reed. I plan to make molds for carbon fiber landing gears and will be getting aluminum landing gears produced. I also will make a plug for a thin plastic cover for the landing gear so that the screws holding it on are covered with a smooth tape on aerodynamic surface.

One thing I did is make a flat spot on the bottom of the fuselage at 0 to the firewall and thrust line so that with no landing gear on, it can be placed on a flat surface and easily secured for incidence checks and installing a tail.

This is not an easy lay-up. I have male molds and will be making more females. Kevin Matney of Matney Models has produced these for us in the past and is set to start making more. He does a great job and I really don't know how he gets the firewall in so well.

A famous airfoil designer helped me with virtual wind tunnel analysis of the fuselage and wing saddle junction. That was most appreciated.