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Post by Longy on Sept 8, 2007 16:42:49 GMT
Many fantastic luge designs at Eastbourne got the old brain matter working and my luge had a good strip down ready for some smooth aero styling but without the extra weight resin and glass brings into the equation. Some spare Birch ply got press ganged into use i'm gonna wrap the luge in the ply and bond it with some groovy special glue i nicked from work. The spaces will get filled with expanding foam for rigidity. The work so far.....    I'll bust up a piccy of the bonding later on this week. As the Birch is well bendy it will "wrap" and laminate nice. An added bonus is that the foam and Birch are very light, very durable. |
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Post by Longy on Sept 10, 2007 14:42:35 GMT
Bit of work today but got two layers of birch wrapped nice around the luge bottom. I left the cut outs on the small side on purpose as im not sure how far the geometry will throw the hangar yet so i can tweek that when its fully laminated and screwed down. As is any process of lamination you always run out of clamps so some packing tape got used for some tricky bends such as the front and rear. The reason im sticking a layer of Birch on is to clean up the air flow underneath the luge. It may be a moot point for some folk but when seconds count i'll take the two or three that a cleaner bottom (and everybody should have a clean bottom ;D) will give me.... I used two sheets of 3mm birch for the press up.....  Here is the nose, dead tricky to get a clamp in so i utilised some strong tape (cheers work) to get the correct radius and get it flat on the luge rails.  Same on the rear, bits of tape get the wood to bend nice against the rails....i've left the rear square as i dont know what im doing with the back aero wise, might put a cone on maybe not.  This is a shot along the luge, you can see how the lines follow the pan. To be honest i reckon i can do away with the pan as the Birch (with a layer of glass maybe) will be stiff enough to hold up. I'll have a look at that tomorrow. |
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Post by windy on Sept 11, 2007 13:50:37 GMT
I think youre Right, and after what you and Ian said about me making a big hole in the air i had a bit play with an aerofoil programme made for model aircraft and it confirmed i'm making a big bunch of turbulence and a space behind that a standup guy could draft.... i looked at the video and im too head on on corners too, crating a flat face to the wind instead of leaning sidways on corners, got to work on my teqhnique, I like what you have done it's looking the buisness, i need to find somthing to cover the foam on mine, it's at the right level but not smooth and i have to fill the gaps between the trucks   and need to make the backend slippy through the air and not like the brick that it is at the moment,  i have some thermo plastic that i can put on and heat up and it will shape itself to the underside, i might give that a go and see how it turnes out, not sure what kind of glue to use as most kinds will melt the foam.. Youve got lots of area on the underside for some cool graphics!!!!! |
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Post by Longy on Sept 11, 2007 17:16:43 GMT
Windy, yeah i know what you mean about technique. Getting flat and aero will do a rider 10x as much good as all the farting around with equipment can do. Ive got better, i remember watching people who had been to Europe that had improved in leaps and bounds all due to tweaking their riding position and just having the experience of riding with others. I was behind Edgar, Will, Sebastion and a few others on a few runs at Eastbourne and just watched how they took the bends. Where i was hanging off the luge they were using slight movements of their shoulders to crank the turn. Also the drafting technique was an eye opener, i thought you had to be within ten foot of the rider in front in order to draft but i overtook David on one run and was perhaps forty foot back at the start of the draft. I just crept into the vacuum. Back to the luge.....ive cut the holes for the truck kingpins, well slots to be exact. I can tape the holes up during racing which gives me the aero back. Im undecided whether or not to make the front and rear removable so i can change wheels and or bearings during racing. I'm gonna have a think tonight....   |
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Post by windy on Sept 12, 2007 7:41:06 GMT
It's looking good, I'm still undecided on how to remodel the backend, not sure if tapering down to the road is the way to go or slip it to a kicktail trailing edge like yourself, i think i may have a bit plat with the aerofoil programme again........ then guess!
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Post by BOS on Sept 12, 2007 11:26:42 GMT
Great work Chaps!!
Longy does this mean your getting just a little bit competitive?? WIN WIN WIN!!!!
What about bottoming out, hitting a curb, running over a small child. All these things could rip your ply under trays to shreds, or are you just gonna be uber carefull?
BOS
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Post by Longy on Sept 12, 2007 14:22:16 GMT
Great work Chaps!! Longy does this mean your getting just a little bit competitive?? WIN WIN WIN!!!! What about bottoming out, hitting a curb, running over a small child. All these things could rip your ply under trays to shreds, or are you just gonna be uber carefull? BOS My Bro Bos! Competitive? Naaaaaah. When i do a hill there's only one person to beat and thats myself overcoming the fear factor and the risks involved. When i finish a run i feel drained out of all the stress and aggro that life throws at you. Its like a Catharsis if you want. On the other hand its a race, that means that you are pitting yourself against other riders skills and cojones. I dont want other riders to see myself as an easy ticket to the next round what i want is for them to pull out all the stops to try and beat me and make their victory a bit more than a phyricc one. In that case i have to increase my competitive edge, increase skill level and actually beat somebody hahahahahahaha. Once you get uber competitive then it becomes a job and a chore and i vowed long ago never to let that happen with skating etc. Bottoming out...yeah i measured 6mm for the Birch on the bottom so put two 3mm risers under the back truck which evened out the two front trucks as the luge was running a subtle rake which meant the two front wheels were ever so slightly raised at Eastbourne. Something i only found out when i got back and had a look. The SC8 luges and Pete Elliots run very low perhaps lower than mine so i think if its ok for them its ok for me. The Birch pan follows the exact line of the ally pan and i know Mr Cool had some issues with grounding the luge. Theres a lot of riser under that back truck which i run a DH hanger and a flipped "Lendal" 300mm. I can make up another 6mm or so by flipping the hanger back. When i've finished the mods i'm going to run it super loose and find out what i need to do to get it running perfect........Kids, kerbs, animals all things that get hit when i test out any deck or luge so yes i will be aiming for all three to see whether or not the plys get ripped off ;D I've now cut out the truck sections...thinking about it last night i dont want to have to fart around with taking the pan off to change a bearing plus have 15 or so screws and cup washers getting kicked around while i do it......so Here's the section i marked out for the cut out......  This means i can take off the truck completely without a lot of hassle. I'm going to mount the cut out on some inside lip velcro or screw it with a few captive nuts. This is the complete cut out....  Tomorrow the lips get done and the rear will have a good look at. At the moment the weight gain is 0.78kg. |
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Post by BOS on Sept 13, 2007 11:25:01 GMT
Looks very smooth Mr L! Your gonna be beating everyone....even though you dont want to!  Seriously though riding for stress relif is cool. Most people sit cross legged and hum! I know the SC8 boys stick a bit of perspex or poly stuff to the bottom of their luges to protect it! Maybe if you find you do bottom out you could find a useful bus shelter! BOS |
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Post by Longy on Sept 13, 2007 13:46:09 GMT
Looks very smooth Mr L! Your gonna be beating everyone....even though you dont want to! Seriously though riding for stress relif is cool. Most people sit cross legged and hum! I know the SC8 boys stick a bit of perspex or poly stuff to the bottom of their luges to protect it! Maybe if you find you do bottom out you could find a useful bus shelter! BOS Cheers Benjammin' finished off the back this morning ive posted the pics....kind of like an old school Bill Danforth/Alva deck (which i loved, ace deck). Ive wedged the rear bodywork at an angle after chatting last night with Alan Young a dude who races and does speed runs on sixties Nortons and sidecar combos. He reckons having an upswept rear causes a vacuum which pulls the air under the bodywork. He mentioned all sorts of obscure maths which i nodded at and pretended to understand. His sidecar combo has the same angle upsweep on the bodywork as the luge, more scary was the 10mm between his fairing and the ground. Anyway....built up the cone on the rear with reinforced expanding foam. Reinforced with Birch dividers i think it should give enough durability with a thin layer of resin and glass to stop it flaking off. At the moment it looks like King Kong has done a dump on it so i'll leave the pics of that till ive carved it to shape a little.   As you can see the shapes nearly there just a little farting around and i'll call it quits for a bit. Good call on the perspex Ben.....in my area the little scrotes are forever kicking the windows out of the bus shelters and storing them in my garage tsk tsk ;D |
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Post by Longy on Sept 13, 2007 18:25:00 GMT
Ok couldnt leave it alone i had to have another hack at it. The foam was alright to layer on as long as you wet each 25mm layer with a dose of water from a hand sprayer. This increased the cure time or let it cure properly one or the other. I layered it roughly in the shape i wanted to carve it which was roughly a cone shape. Within three hours it was strong enough to carve up. I did this with a hacksaw blade and it was quite easy. I did it all by eye no measuring and tried to follow the imaginary line that i thought the air would take around my shoulders and lid. Like i said its a rough approximation of it. Tomorrow i'll lie down with my lid on and get somebody to draw a few lines where my head will fit snug up to the cone. Looking at Svens photos of me at Eastbourne compared to other faster dudes i am all head and shoulders poking up having a look around while everybody else is low and tucked...bloody shocking technique. I'm like a bleedin' Meercat!   |
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Post by will on Sept 13, 2007 19:52:30 GMT
hummmmmmmmm looking very interesting indeed longy!!!
but great to see how it rides and if its harder to draft!!
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Post by windy on Sept 17, 2007 14:35:18 GMT
looking good cant wait to see it glassed over and smooooooothed out, i'm using more of the white foam to shape the back end instead of the expanding stuff,it dont half get scary when it squezes through every gap you didnt know you had left..
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Post by Longy on Sept 17, 2007 19:02:34 GMT
looking good cant wait to see it glassed over and smooooooothed out, i'm using more of the white foam to shape the back end instead of the expanding stuff,it dont half get scary when it squezes through every gap you didnt know you had left.. Yeah it is scary especially when you get a little blob in your hair then you look in the mirror an hour later and you have what looks like a mushroom growing out the side of your head....reminds me of Salisbury plain 1983. Anyways....the finished shape is quite smooth still looks like the previous pics so i havent uploaded anything. I'm gonna glass it this weekend if i can get my hands on some decent glass and resin. As an aside my head is massive and dwarfs the cone but it may help somewhat i dunno. When i've glassed it and painted it i'll take it for a spin and see what funky bits fall off. Ive got a Speedboard in the press at the mo' and ive got to finish that off on Friday and Saturday. Busy busy  I think Will should post up some of his secret weapon pics  |
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Post by JasonA on Sept 18, 2007 10:09:39 GMT
Great work Longy.
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Post by will on Sept 18, 2007 16:17:54 GMT
I think Will should post up some of his secret weapon pics shh longy, shhhhhhhh. things are happening.......... |
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Post by Longy on Sept 19, 2007 5:55:30 GMT
I think Will should post up some of his secret weapon pics shh longy, shhhhhhhh. things are happening.......... Oooops ;D Area 51 in Worcestershire..... I bought some good resin off Ebay on Monday enough to do both the luge and the speedboard so this weekend should see the back glassed and at least prepped for paint (if i decide to paint it, might leave it gnarly glass). I'll epoxy the glass and polyester resin the top coat i think dunno yet as i have found a sheet of real carbon fibre at work that may attach itself to me as i go home. Sticky stuff this carbon fibre. Oh and cheers Jase A you were missed at Eastbourne mate! ;D |
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Post by will on Sept 19, 2007 6:43:49 GMT
shh longy, shhhhhhhh. things are happening.......... Oooops ;D Area 51 in Worcestershire..... Worcestershire? never heard of it. Does'nt exist....... i have found a sheet of real carbon fibre at work that may attach itself to me as i go home. Sticky stuff this carbon fibre. Slick longy, very Slick..... |
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Post by JasonA on Sept 19, 2007 13:32:57 GMT
Oh and cheers Jase A you were missed at Eastbourne mate! ;D Very nice of you to say Longy, thank you! |
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Post by BOS on Sept 19, 2007 16:16:46 GMT
Hey Longy! Its looking good!
I know F1 cars used have the back of there undertrays angled up to create a vaccum to stick it to the road on fast corners and to aid traction and drive I guess, and Ive wondered if the similar principles are any use on a luge. Obviously it wont aid drive on a luge, but to gernerallt strick it to the road may help. But how this will effect air flow I dont know if it will be a help or a hinderence.
Ill have to drop by yours when your doing some resining/fibreglassing,to get a few tips! Im crap at it!
BOS
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Post by Longy on Sept 19, 2007 18:17:47 GMT
Hey Longy! Its looking good! I know F1 cars used have the back of there undertrays angled up to create a vaccum to stick it to the road on fast corners and to aid traction and drive I guess, and Ive wondered if the similar principles are any use on a luge. Obviously it wont aid drive on a luge, but to gernerallt strick it to the road may help. But how this will effect air flow I dont know if it will be a help or a hinderence. Ill have to drop by yours when your doing some resining/fibreglassing,to get a few tips! Im crap at it! BOS Yo Bos...yeah the same thing Alan said it forms a vacuum, saying that i dont think Luges get to the sort of speeds auto's do so it may be a case of massive overkill putting any aero stuff on the luge at all but you know it's wet outside, the garage is dry, and i love to tat about with things. It beats sitting in the pub with your mates getting bladdered....saying that i dont drink and haven't got any mates hahahahahahahahahahaha. Yo know you're always welcome at The House of Fun float me a text your help carrying around heavy weights is needed....jokin' ;D Will i know where you live and i know a dude with a Black helicopter i havent got any Spy equipment but i have got a balaclava, a shit torch and an air rifle. I'll be lurking in your bushes  |
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