Top 5 Building Tools and Modeling Accessories

Top 5 Building Tools and Modeling Accessories

Did you ever wonder what Du-Bro stood for? Well when Dewey Broberg created the company for a little fun he shortened his name to Du-Bro and the name stuck, the rest is modeling history. For over 50 years, the folks at Du-Bro have been creating accessories/tools to make our model airplanes better. Based in Wauconda, IL, this family-owned business makes all of the parts and accessories it sells right here in the USA. Here are five of our Du-Bro favorites; what are yours?

1. Hinge Slotting Tools

1a

Making a difficult task more manageable, we like the way the hinge slotting tool set makes clean, straight cuts. Designed to make perfectly sized slots in control surfaces, they make installing Du-Bro hinges a piece of cake.

1b

1c

The forked tool produces a perfectly sized slot and the Picker tool removes the waste material. The tool set comes with different size tools for small, medium and large scale airplanes.

1d

 

2. Prop Balancing

2dubro prop balancecc copy

Perhaps the most important thing you can do to maximize your model’s power system, balancing the propeller is mandatory for both engines and electric motors. One of the very best we’ve used, the Du-Bro balancer has a spring loaded mandrel that centers the propeller hub and its precision bearing surfaces provide friction free support. The rest is up to you, but you can’t properly balance a wood or composite propeller without one.

3. Filters

3.fuel filters_cc

Whether you are running a glow engine or a gasoline burner, to keep your engine happy and running reliably, you need to feed it clean fuel. Du-Bro has been producing the finest fuel filters available and these aluminum inline accessories with last for years and years. Plus you can take them apart and clean or replace the filter screen. Don’t fly without one. You can also double your filtering pleasure by using one between the engine and your model’s fuel tank, and another one in the supply line from your fuel supply container.

4. Fuel Tubing and Pumps

4.Dubro Fuel Tubingcc

When it comes to getting your clean filtered fuel to your engine, it is important to use the proper type of fuel line material. And for glow engines, that means quality silicone fuel tubing. Available in short lengths and on the spool, you want the best for your model. The tubing comes in small, medium and large sizes to best match your engine’s carburetor. Never take a chance, if you find a pin-hole and a worn section of fuel line in your airplane, replace it, both inside and outside of the tank.

4DuBro Fuel Pump

And to get the fuel flowing, Du-Bro’s hand operated pumps are extremely reliable and require no batteries to recharge. And it is compatible for both glow fuel and gasoline.

 

5. Fuel Tank Padding

5

With a properly setup and plumbed fuel system, there’s one more thing you have to do to ensure great aircraft and engine performance. To prevent the fuel from foaming and bubbling up, you have to isolate your fuel tank from vibration. For foam padding, use the white foam sheets from Du-Bro. Available in several thicknesses, the foam is easy to wrap your tank with, and you can use rubberbands to hold it securely in place.

 

 

Updated: March 2, 2016 — 9:14 AM

3 Comments

  1. Enjoyed the article but three of the five items mentioned wouldn’t be of much use to someone weighing only flies electric powered airplanes…

  2. How about us control line flyers?…Dont we build “quality and reliable” airplanes also??

  3. Hinge slots are a breeze with a Great Planes Slot Machine, the old style just is not as accurate. Fuel line one can never have enough of, (always end up with everything being to short). Now days I have reduced my field equipment down to a Du-bro filling station can mounted if you can find it, bottle version has issues with the lid attachment. Any electric fuel pump mounted were the crank one mounts and a lipo I use a 1500ma to power it, no more heavy box and lead acid battery’s. The best starter on the market is a Dyna tron (Sullivan) with a Finer Edge Makita battery mount 18V. I started using this set up 6 years ago and almost everyone flying glow is using this system.

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