Help, I need a sanity check

[rnbraud]

I build my landing gear bulkheads using the Lo-Vac technique. When I removed the peel ply last night, I was mortified to see a "DRY LAYUP". It looks way to dry, and when I weigh them they were below the avg amounts by a few ounces. This is worse than you think when youconsider I made them 3" wider and made each hard point 1 1/2" wider.

 

I am pretty sure I have convinced myself that these are too dry to use and I am planning to re-do them. However, as a sanity check, please refer to the attahced photos and comment on them. The second to last one, the 03 pic, has my good F-28 on top for comparison. I am looking for extra reassurance before I cut into them to remove the hardpoints.

 

Thanks.

 

P.S. This is my first image post, and the digital camera is kinda crappy.

[Jon Matcho]

Rock, these actually don't look that bad to me, with the exception of some bubbles on top of one of the hardpoints (at least they look like they might be bubbles).

 

My LoVac'd layups seemed on the dryish side, but not such that I was concerned about throwing them out. Here's what mine looked like (the white spots are sanding spots and NOT bubbles): http://www.canardzone.com/members/JonMatcho/chap_04.htm You can see one of my landing gear bulkheads dryish -- maybe I didn't LoVac the other side. I'll try to remember to weigh them tonight.

 

Question: Did you use a LOW vacuum Medo pump? Your vacuum may be too high, or your paper towels too thick.

 

As far as the widening, it sounds like you did the landing gear hardpoint widening the same was as done for the AeroCanard. You should be fine provided you can work out the measurements. I'd only caution about widening anything beginning with the seatback forward.

 

For your camera, would be good to repost pics with (a) setting Macro Mode to ON (for close-ups), and (b) angling your point of view so that the flash bounces AWAY from the camera. If you can post new pics maybe we can get a better idea for what to say.

[raydog]

yep, you either need a new bulkhead or a new camera.

 

I'm a pro at this, scrapped two bulkheads and both fuse sides

because they looked just like that.

 

two options, if you just wasn't happy with the assembly, you can

build over in about 1/4 the time.

 

or, with a heat gun, peal off the glass, and this will leave

a hard shell type texture. patched my fuse bottom this way.

surprisingly easy.

 

I'm slowly learning not to try too hard for the lightest possible layup.

 

ray, covina, ca. chap 10