RobT

My Feedback: (17)

Ward,

Step by step...
Since I use epoxy, I first assemble all of the sheeting for the part to be bagged, (they guys who use poly glue just tape the sheeting together) As I am setting up the sheeting I am sanding it. This skins get a tape hinge on the trailing edge. Next the "part" with all of the necessary servo rails, tubes etc. is sanded lightly. (wing in this case). I leave this on my secondary bench as I get the bag set up on the primary bench. I put the shuck down on the bench, and the bag on top. I personally seal one end first, but some leave the end open so they can work from both sides. Stuff the bag with breather cloth and release cloth cut at least slightly bigger than the part, and spread the cloth out smoothly over the shuck (but in the bag).

Back to the skins, wipe both the skins and the core with a tach cloth to pull up dust. and spread the epoxy out on the skins. (I put newspaper on the bench) The scrape the epoxy all off. If you see epoxy it is too much. The core goes into the skins, like a sandwich. I put a couple of pieces of tape on the L.E. so nothing slides around. Then slide the sandwich into the bag, close the second side and draw down the vacuum. I place the 2nd shuck down on top of the bag with a bit of weight, but this is not necessary. I feel the hardest parts of the whole thing are 1) Assembling the sheeting 2) making sure the core is lined up with the shuck.

Mark,

While cutting the 6.5" pieces I used a square. It was rare that the small pieces did not fit perfectly with Dennis's 48" pieces. When I found one few pieces of Dennis's sheeting that was not square at the end I just used this as one of the shorter pieces that did not have to be 54.5" long.

Rob

zzw26n

My Feedback: (45)

Thanks Rob .........

as722

My Feedback: (1)

Rob,

I do the whole skin and leave the 6.5" ext. for last. I use the 44" long sanding bar and sand the end of the skin I then attach the 6.5" piece.

Albert

OnTheEdge

48" sanding bar? Do you mean 24"?

as722

My Feedback: (1)

I got a 44", 33" and an 11" bar. There's no substitude for the 44" when it comes to leading edges and trailing edges on wings.

Albert

OnTheEdge

I didn't know they made them that big. Who makes it, Hobbico?

as722

My Feedback: (1)

Hobbico makes them and the 44" works awesome on wings.

Albert

RobT

My Feedback: (17)

A 44" sanding bar does sound pretty useful. Where do you get sandpaper long enough for that?

Albert,

I understand Dave has his package already...I was hoping to get the templates from you soon to cut the hatch, checks, and I think you said you had an extension...

Thank you,

Rob

Kaos1964

My Feedback: (12)

Rob, on the long sandpaper -

I get rolls of whatever grit from Lowes - they're about 6" wide so you have to trim them to width but it works very well on the long bars.

Regards,

Bob

vatechguy3

My Feedback: (11)

hobbico sells rolls of sandpaper that fit the bar.

tony

as722

My Feedback: (1)

Rob,

As Bob said I get them at lowes and cut the roll on the band saw to get two 3" rolls.

I'll send you some templates tomorrow, I was waiting to make the ones for the bottom hatch.

Albert

RickP

My Feedback: (2)

No work on this in the past few weeks? What's going on here?

RickP

RobT

My Feedback: (17)

I have had some 6 am to 9 pm work days so I have not been posting or taking pictures.

I instaled the wing tube phenolic using the following method:

First I centered the wingtube and phenolic in the fuse. A 4 foot straight edge was centered and clamped onto the top of the firewall so the front of the straight edge was facing forward. (this way the straigh edge cannot bend) The hole in the fuse for the wing tube was adjusted until the straight edge and the wing tube were parallel. Next a long wire is pinned onto the center of the rear of the fuse. A piece of tape is placed onto the wire (the tape can slide, but will not move on it's own) This tape is used to make sure the distance from the rear of the fuse to the ends of the tube are equal. When this distance is equal the tube is checked from all angles once more and glued into place.

I also tackel the root cap a bit diffrent than the carden instrucations. I mark the locations of the hard points and install the hard points Before the root cap is glued to the wing. I feel this gives me a tighter instillation than I would get if I tried to relive the root caps after they are glued to the wing. I am still debating drilling 1/8" holes for some dowels to increase the strengh of these. (But I did not have any issues with my 330) I have heard rumors of these pulling out in flight but has anyone actually witnessed this?

RobT

My Feedback: (17)

Every contest plane I have built has had the same bottom as the French Connection. I love this bottom for it's great visibility. Plus the French connection was the best airshow team I have ever seen.

Any suggestions for the top?

lymant3

I have also heard the rumor, but only on one plane. However I think it's worth it to increase your glue are somehow - whether by adding the side tabs as Albert does, or by pinning. I have always pinned with an 1/8 dowel at each corner; each pin is also slightly angled out. Forgive me for the crude drawings.
t

OnTheEdge

Bill Pitsko's Edge had two of them pull out I believe at Imac's last year and/or the year before. They were build to the original specs. I did my Yak wing roots using Albert's method and I did what Ty shows above on the hard point mounting plate in the stabs.

OnTheEdge

Perhaps you can also do the top like the Caps in the Frech Connection? I've always like that scheme, colorful, simple with straight lines.

(Plus it's a scale sceme so it'll keep your dad off your back )

RobT

My Feedback: (17)

Were the ones that pulled out installed with epoxy? I always assumed if this rumor was true it was done with Gorilla Glue. However adding the dowels will be easy insurance.

Lymant - the drawings were great. I was thinking of something similar.

Mark - My first Gas plane was a Ohio RC Giles. That was very close to the French connection. (but I didn't go all the way to scale advertisements.) Each model since then has been moving away from that, but based on that scheme. Maybe I will go back...

Flyin Woodbutcher

My Feedback: (3)

I relaced a damaged Carden wing hold down with DA anti rotation pins. The plane was landed in a rough field and the hold down pop free. Last year when I built my 35% Cap I used the DA hold downs . Tapped the end of a 3 inch by 3/8 dowel and screwed the stud in. Made a hole in the wing with a brass tube drill and glued it in. I think the plane would be totaled before this would come out.

Kent

OnTheEdge

I think i was epoxy.

Flyin Woodbutcher

My Feedback: (3)

Rob , how many elevator servos are you going to use? I am building a 40% Edge and was thinking that one per side would be plenty. Hitec 5955.

Kent

RobT

My Feedback: (17)

Kent,

My 40% 330s has a single 8611 per stab with no issues. in fact when i built it I put in the hard points for the second elevator servo if I felt i needed it but never used them. Now that my Dad owns the plane he is talking (kidding I hope) about removing the extra servo rails to save weight!

Also I know that Dennis wanted the hold downs to break free in a crash so no other damage was done...i do not want them to be too secure...

Rob

Flyin Woodbutcher

My Feedback: (3)

Hey Rob , thanks for the reply. As for the DA hold downs . I bonked my 35% Cap into a plowed field a few months back. It wringled the skin on the right wing and the hold down in the fuse popped out through the balsa side. Kind of a toss up on which repair is the easiest. Anyhow plane is repaired and flying.

Kent

RobT

My Feedback: (17)

The stab tube is installed the same way the wing tube is. Except this time you use the center of the firewall, and the wing tube as your guides.

RobT

My Feedback: (17)

With the way I do the incidences I do not remove the Ailerons and elevators until after the incidence is permanently set.

A "Smart Tool" digital angle finder had been attached to a robart incidence gage. (with an extra long bar) Two sharpened 8/32 screws are screwed into the wing attachment hard points, and the fuse is blocked up so the firewall is 90 degrees to mother earth.

Slowly the wing is slid into position while the angle finder is at 0.0 as the wing contacts the fuse the sharpened screws are pushed into the fuse sides and leave small dents.

These dents are then opened up with a drill bit by hand so their is no slop between the screw and the balsa sides.

Next the wing is screwed into place with the hard points inside the fuse, but not glued. The incidence is checked again. If the incidence is still at 0.0 ONE of the the hard points is unscrewed, and glued into place. After this dries the incidence is checked (again) and if all is well the second side is glued in.

Repeat for the second wing...