In the March/April 18 issue (#77) Jude revisits some good practices re harvesting rainwater. He gives some solid advice on how to set up your own system to collect rainwater, keep it clean and talks about some innovative products to help you get the best results.
We head to the South Island to enjoy the work of Dave Neame and Lloyd Knowles, two sawmillers who have their own distinctive ways of prepping timber and then go through the steps to make your very own Longbow from Walnut timber. Christchurch is the home of Chris Gordon where Ritchie Wilson explores his shed where Chris builds motorcycles from scratch including a unique 1920s board-track racer then Jude is back again welding a new trolley for his old bbq, giving it a whole new lease of life.
Nathalie Brown introduces us to the team of rail enthusiasts at the Oamaru Steam & Rail Workshop where a team of retired tradies keep the trains and carriages running for all to enjoy. We discover the stunning work of potter Renae Galetzka whose distinctive pottery is sought after by folks all over New Zealand and Mark Beckitt gives us some awesome tips and tricks to get us soldering like a pro. In Part Four of our series on 3D printing, Enrico Miglano steps us all up to the next level by showing how to print a DSLR camera and in the final part in our outdoor fires feature, we show you how to plaster the block fireplace we built in the last issue. Coen Smit has some fun building some steampunk toys for young and old before we visit a refrigeration business in Auckland (MacDonald Refrigeration) who are about to close their doors for the last time. They share with us their treasure trove of lathes, presses, guillotines etc they have including some fine examples manufactured by Dyco, Tanner, John Heine, Edwards, Logan, Colchester’s and more – an Aladdin’s Cave for engineering buffs.
Build an Almost Ready to Fly Warhawk
Then there is the relatively new kid on the block: the ARF (Almost Ready to Fly) model.
These come all packaged up in a huge box, beautifully built and packed, with all the hardware. But you do need to assemble them which can take up to a week. It isn’t quite ‘instant plane’ but it does provide some building satisfaction and a sense of achievement, albeit a rather shallow one, a bit like a healthy walk down to the bakery to buy a pie or taking Viagra.
To the supplied kit, you need to add various glues, an engine and electrical components (servos, relays, wires) to operate elevator, rudder, ailerons, throttle, flaps, undercarriage etc. The engine these days could be glow plug, 4-stroke or 2-stroke, electric or petrol.
This part of the hobby is now huge and the range and quality of products is astounding. ARF aircraft kits are readily available from many hobby shops and certainly online from within New Zealand and from lands far away.
