Jon Matcho's Progress

[Jon Matcho]

The other purpose is that I can ring it if I need an emergency hand or helper. ie help....and help now. All of these term have been agreed upon with all principle participants.

Sounds serious. I gather 'participants' means 'family members'. Go easy on them, otherwise they'll mutiny.

 

Last night I LoVac'd my electrical conduit covers. Woke this morning to cold air and the epoxy is still soft, so I'm leaving the pump on all day today. Slightly more info. is on my Web site.

 

How about someone else start their own thread in this section and fill it with progress every so often to keep the rest of us motivated...

[CFernandez]

Last night I LoVac'd my electrical conduit covers.

Looking good Jon.

 

How about someone else start their own thread in this section and fill it with progress every so often to keep the rest of us motivated...

Sorry too busy building an airplane.

[Jon Matcho]

This weekend marks my 2 year anniversary for when I actually started building (and stopped talking for a moment). I took 16+ months off, but since I restarted I've been slow and steady.

 

Dare I say that I hope to finish my sides this weekend? Sure, why not? I'm going for it!

[Jon Matcho]

I almost made it. All I have left is to mount the fuel sight gauges and cut out the spar area above LWX/LWY. At least the "heavy lifting" is done.

 

June WILL be the month I go 3D!

 

Boy do I want to go home and build! Time to think up a revised summer schedule...

[CFernandez]

EZ Jon, we're not in a race to get finished first...or are we?

[Jon Matcho]

I'm not racing anyone, other than myself to get this done before my kids leave for college. But... if this were a 100 yard dash, I think I haven't put my first foot down yet, while you definitely have!

[Jon Matcho]

Last night I cut my fuselage sides to size. After cutting a slightly less-than-straight cut on the forward edge, I measured the distance to the rear. The plans call for 101.75", but *GASP* I was short!

 

How short? 1/16" of an inch. I thought about it for a moment or two before determining that I was not going to fall out of the sky. It was more an annoyance than anything and I'm sure not going to cause any noticeable side effects.

 

I found several parts chapter 5 frustrating, in that there were missing pieces of information here and there. Sure, there's great help in the community, and I really shouldn't have had much of a problem -- I should have read the plans a bit more thoroughly before cutting -- but nonetheless I did have more head-scratching moments than I expected.

 

I just have to cut out the area for the spar in the rear and am then ready to custom-fit my AeroCanard FG bulkheads, which I already know will need hacking and cutting because as specified in the FG plans, they will not. More on that later...

[Jon Matcho]

Whoops... forgot I still have to do the cuts for the Atkinson fuel sight gauges I have. I decided not to do those per plans because I just didn't like the plans instructions in that area. The gauges come with their own instructions, and I'm also betting that because the plans came out before the Fein tool was discovered that there's an easier way. I'll let you know.

 

I also didn't cut the control stick depressions because I'm planning to get plenty of space by modifying the strakes to be more like those of the Long-EZ -- where the strakes join the fuselage much closer to the instrument panel, giving the opportunity to hollow out much more interior room. The Cozy Girrrl's did this and now the 'Cozy Girrrl Strakes' has become one of the most popular Cozy IV mods to do.

[Jon Matcho]

Last night I reminded myself why I didn't like the per-plans instructions for the fuel sight gauges. The plans were written prior to Vance Atkinson's gauges being available, and so the plans contain instructions how to make a fuel sight using bare glass.

 

The approach I have in mind is:

• don't cut the fuel sight depressions during inside glassing of the fuselage (just makes it harder with the bends)
• mark where the gauges will be installed
• assemble the fuselage
• glass the outside
• carefully cut out the area for the gauges from the inside (do not cut through the outside skin)
• sand the foam clean from the area, up to the outside skin of the fuselage
• install per Vance's instructions

Feedback appreciated...

[Jon Matcho]

I exchanged e-mails w/Vance and he didn't think there was anything wrong with this approach. He did point out that the best time to drill the bottom hole into the gauge is when you know exactly where the bottom of the fuel tank is going to be so that it's most accurate.

 

So... I am DONE w/chapter 5. Well... I guess I have to sand my upper longerons clean once I get them out of the jigs. So about 1 more hour...

[Jerry Schneider]

Jon,

 

You probably already have, but just in case... check http://home.earthlink.net/~jerskip/FIRST/Chapter_5.html

 

1.Sand the depressions the size/depth of the gauges.

 

2.Put peelply in the depressions. (That's so you don't have to spend loads of time sanding the outer foam from the depression to get a glass-to-glass bond with the outer skin.)

 

3.Glass the inside of the fuselage wall.

 

4. When ready to glass the outer skin, remove the foam and peelply from the area of the gauges (you placed in step 2), and glass per plans.

 

Trust me, the UNI won't have any trouble contouring to the depressions if you make them gradual/tapered. You also get the benefit of complete continuity of the fibers running along the inside of the fuselage wall.

 

It seems to me, doing it the way you outline in your last post, you'll have to cut the inner skin and mount the gauge to the inside of the outer skin. What you end up with is discontinuity of the fibers traversing the inner skin.

 

Clear as ketchup?

 

Give me a call if necessary....

[Jon Matcho]

You also get the benefit of complete continuity of the fibers running along the inside of the fuselage wall.

Funny how I worried about that when I was drilling holes to fill some small bubbles (broke 1 or 2 fiber bundles per bubble), but didn't cross my mind here.

 

It seems to me, doing it the way you outline in your last post, you'll have to cut the inner skin and mount the gauge to the inside of the outer skin. What you end up with is discontinuity of the fibers traversing the inner skin.

This is exactly what I need to do at this point. I shoulda woulda have done the depressions, but Vance's instructions show there to be glass-to-glass contact with the inner skin to the outer, which is not per plans. I just got confused.

 

I'm just going to have to lay-in 3 plies of BID after I do the outer skin at this point. I think these planes are much more on the over- than under-built side and that this isn't really going to matter in the end.

 

Give me a call if necessary....

I should have, months ago.

 

Thanks for the good feedback!

[Jon Matcho]

I think these planes are much more on the over- than under-built side and that this isn't really going to matter in the end.

I feel the need to qualify this statement in that "most" of the airframe is overbuilt, IMHO. I'm sure there are areas that can stand another ply or two of glass, but for the most part it's a very solid airframe.

 

However, I suspect anyone facing an impact with the Earth would have appreciated a few more plies wrapped around the nose area...

[John DiStefano]

Last night I reminded myself why I didn't like the per-plans instructions for the fuel sight gauges. The plans were written prior to Vance Atkinson's gauges being available, and so the plans contain instructions how to make a fuel sight using bare glass.

 

The approach I have in mind is:

• don't cut the fuel sight depressions during inside glassing of the fuselage (just makes it harder with the bends)
• mark where the gauges will be installed
• assemble the fuselage
• glass the outside
• carefully cut out the area for the gauges from the inside (do not cut through the outside skin)
• sand the foam clean from the area, up to the outside skin of the fuselage
• install per Vance's instructions

Feedback appreciated...

 

If I had to do this part again, This is exactly how I would do it.. Also I think it helps keep the rest of the fibers on the fuse sides straight. Just use the plans repair requirements (1" per ply...)when creating the depressions.

 

How ya doin"

 

JD

[Jon Matcho]

Great points JD! I feel much better now. This was bothering me in the back of my head for a couple weeks now. I'll just say (to myself at least) that it doesn't matter structurally one way or the other.

 

How ya doin

Last night I went back to my IP bulkhead and glassed the channel onto one of the stiffener ribs. I sense this may be temporary as I'll probably be cutting the panel out after install to come up with removable aluminum inserts, but that's just me distracting myself right now.

 

I also haven't done my permanent firewall, and am not going to until I get my landing gear bulkheads fitted properly. The AeroCanard plans were off there, so I need to adjust. Shouldn't be too bad though -- I'm going to make a test piece first out of cardboard for the one bulkhead I think is specified incorrectly.

 

Assembly will be soon...

[Jon Matcho]

While I'm still pondering how to fix my AeroCanard rear, I went back to finish the IP rib rails. That was somewhat unsatisfying after recently hearing that a couple people have had to, or are planning to, cut the IP ribs out to fit their instruments. We'll have to wait and see.

 

On the landing gear bulkhead issues, I've decided to continue with the widening, and to trust the AeroCanard FG firewall drawing. I'm going to setup my temporary firewall per AeroCanard plans (mostly -- there's an impossibility in there as well). Once I get that, I can then confirm measurements & adjustments for the rear landing gear bulkhead. At the same time, I'm going to see how my cardboard bulkhead fits, based on measurements that I scaled up from the Cozy plans.

 

One way or another, I'll get it assembled.

[Jon Matcho]

This past weekend my wife and kids gave me a couple hours as helpers in my shop for a Father's Day present. They took turns helping my wife file all the shop manuals that I had nowhere to put, and carving do-hickeys out of spare foam when not doing that.

 

I did manage to teach both how to use an X-acto knife for trimming up my firewall drawing...

 

...trust the AeroCanard FG firewall drawing.

I had to rework it slightly, as FWX (or is it FWY?) was setup to penetrate the firewall in an impossible position. Simple fix... I decided where it should penetrate the firewall -- exactly like the Cozy Mark IV, but proportionately wider.

 

I should be able to finish this up tonight for a trial fitting. My family actually enjoyed what they were doing (drawing and cutting tracing paper; they never knew airplane building was so easy ), and my wife even told me that she wouldn't mind doing that again.

 

All in all, almost the most helpers I've ever had, but the least amount of work per hour I ever got done. I loved it!

[Jon Matcho]

I had to take 3 months off. Here's a quick summary of what's been happening:

 

1) work & family obligations

2) garage sale encroached on shop space

3) reduced excess "stuff" before and after garage sale

4) shop is now bigger

5) identified fix for my aft landing gear bulkhead

6) mocked up fake bulkhead to test fit

7) planning to cut aft landing gear bulkhead to proper size

 

The AeroCanard FG rear is wider than the Cozy Mark IV rear. However, the AeroCanard FG plans presently contain an incorrect measurement for the width of the aft LG bulkhead, which I am about to correct.

 

I intend to get myself in the shop EVERY day, however brief, otherwise I'll finish in 2053.

[Jon Matcho]

While fitting my "fixed" aft LG bulkhead, I found a plans measurement was not adding up. After search Marc Zeitlin's mailing list using Rick Maddy's search engine, I discovered Bill Kastenholz had the same issue as me, just 10 years earlier (almost to the day). It turns out that I forgot a total of 11 plies of UNI glass on the aft LG bulkhead (8+3) in Chapter 4. This explains 1/8" of my 1/4" difference, but I saw other's that were left with a 1/8" final difference as well, and so I'm moving on.

 

I'm just about to break through this bottleneck, with my next decision being whether to assemble the fuselage per plans, or using Wayne Hick's method (upside down)?

[Jon Matcho]

I split the "per plans or upside down" topic out into its own thread: http://www.canardzone.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1866

 

I now have an aft landing gear bulkhead that fits AND has all the specified plies. Just need to trim and will be ready to move on to assembly.

[Jon Matcho]

Almost there... epoxy doesn't cure as fast in this cooler weather. I'm going to bring in the house overnight before final sanding.

 

I HATE it went I gunk up my cherished Permagrit sanding block! Anyone know how to get half-cured or cured epoxy out of them? I'm thinking just to buy another one for "clean sanding". Looks like I could also buy a replacement sanding paper.

[Jerry Schneider]

I never could get epoxy out of mine.

 

You can go to their website and order the sanding strips to "renew" the blocks. They come with double-sided wide martian fly-paper. (And they stick like a BIG dog.) EZ as pie to replace.

 

It'll also give you an excuse to order more Permagrit Tools.

[Phil Kriley]

I use a steel brush and a scratch-awl. Gets enough of it clean so that you can use it again. If you get it before it completely cures, acetone will cut it.

[Jon Matcho]

Thanks... I'm going to do both. Order another, and offer one of my daughters $1 to pick out the epoxy bits with an awl.

 

I wire-brush while I'm sanding too, otherwise 36 grit (or whatever it is) turns into 80 grit in a short while. They're great tools -- sanding epoxy that isn't fully cured is what the "defect" is. That's the 2nd time (at least) that I've learned this.

[CFernandez]

I use a brass wire brush on a drill. Takes a little while but it cleans the Permagrit well.