Sketchbook, January 1952 Air Trails

Have you developed something new in construction, control, or flying that might interest other modelers? Send a rough sketch - we'll redraw it and pay $5 for each one accepted. Sorry, we cannot acknowledge or send back submissions.

Improvements on spring-type clothes pin make it triple-acting modelers' clamp ... Glenn Graham, Los Gatos, Calif.

C. H. Beiger, Chicago, Ill., devised slotted dorsal fin for guide and "stop" for dethermalizer ... made of plywood or balsa sheets.

This useful soldering torch is hard to beat for light work reports Ivan Ortiz, New York, N.Y.

Trimming covering tissue, says Ward Morris, Brevard, N.C., is more easily done with emery board than razor blade.

Mustafa K. Artam, Istanbul, Turkey, devised simple apparatus for checking relative thrust of propeller blades ...

Clever device by Ernie Shailor, Detroit, Mich., permits easy external winding of radio model's escapement rubber motor. No dismantling or winder necessary ...

Rubber model prop-folding improvements by George Woolls, Bristol, England, assure flush folding, durability and increased efficiency - (Conventional tensioner)

Australian Norman Bell, Victoria, submits simple idea to pressurize racing engines via hollow rear crankcase cover screw ... (Does not affect rotor)

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Back when the Sketchbook, Gadgetry, Powerless Pointers, and Engine Info columns were run, there were very few pre-built models, and there simply was not as much available in the way of hardware and specialized modeling tools. We were still a nation of designers and builders. The workforce was full of people who worked on production lines, built houses and buildings with hand tools, and did not have distractions like Nintendos and X-Boxes. Remember that plastics were not common material until the early 50s and the transistor wasn't invented until late 47. Enjoy the tips. Some of you will no doubt wax nostalgic over the methods, since you can remember the days when you did the exact same thing!

SketchbookJanuary 1952 Air Trails

Sketchbook
January 1952 Air Trails