Phil Kriley's Progress

[Edge 513]

I'll give that a try when I re-assemble the gear. I got it apart last night so that I could do the layups over the tubes - what a PITA getting those studs out - even with the use of Liquid Wrench...

 

The good news is that the strut lines up perfectly, and I only have to attach the gear a few more times.

Man Phil, I will agree to that. All the angst I had about my gear and the 1/2" axel/studs to line up..I was so glad when It lined up within a gNats patooty... I only have to tap them with a mallot somewhat to get them through but I have heard the colorful "stories"...oh brother. Some kind of anti-seizure grease on those is a good idea, for long term.

I wonder just how many times a guy will be taking out the main gear,anyway, before they are "done"?

[Phil Kriley]

I had to press out one of the MG-4's because it had moved forward during cure, and I got the new one installed this weekend. I used some white lithium to make the studs a little easier to move, but they're still a bear. I'll remove the gear again tonight so that I can make the tabs for the "Hicks method" of main gear cover construction. Thanks Wayne! This is the way to go!

 

The landing brake installation is coming along nicely.

 

The CNC-cut foam cores for the elevators and canard arrived this weekend from Eureka - I'm really glad I bought them - no way I could have cut them myself and have them turn out that nice! I recommend them!

[Phil Kriley]

We did the shear web layup on the canard this weekend, and I think it is our best layup so far. After it was done, though, we got to talking about it and I can't help but wonder why we didn't just bondo the trailing edge to the workbench instead of building the 12' long jig. Seems like little dabs of Bondo and maybe one 2x4 to support one side using the nails would have given us a stronger fixture so that we could apply firmer pressure when pulling the threads straight and squeegying.

 

I also made the permanant attachment of the landing brake. That electric actuator is cool - after looking at the plans for the LB mechanism I can't imagine anyone doing it that way.

 

Next step on the canard is to affix the leading edge. While that's curing I'll flip the fuselage over and do the tabs for the landing gear cover.

[Lynn Erickson]

We did the shear web layup on the canard this weekend, and I think it is our best layup so far. After it was done, though, we got to talking about it and I can't help but wonder why we didn't just bondo the trailing edge to the workbench instead of building the 12' long jig. Seems like little dabs of Bondo and maybe one 2x4 to support one side using the nails would have given us a stronger fixture so that we could apply firmer pressure when pulling the threads straight and squeegying.

 

I also made the permanant attachment of the landing brake. That electric actuator is cool - after looking at the plans for the LB mechanism I can't imagine anyone doing it that way.

 

Next step on the canard is to affix the leading edge. While that's curing I'll flip the fuselage over and do the tabs for the landing gear cover.

I am sure you meant that you could 5 minute epoxy the canard to the table as you know bondo will dissolve the blue foam used for the canard

[mfryer]

We did the shear web layup on the canard this weekend, and I think it is our best layup so far. After it was done, though, we got to talking about it and I can't help but wonder why we didn't just bondo the trailing edge to the workbench instead of building the 12' long jig. Seems like little dabs of Bondo and maybe one 2x4 to support one side using the nails would have given us a stronger fixture so that we could apply firmer pressure when pulling the threads straight and squeegying.

 

I also made the permanant attachment of the landing brake. That electric actuator is cool - after looking at the plans for the LB mechanism I can't imagine anyone doing it that way.

 

Next step on the canard is to affix the leading edge. While that's curing I'll flip the fuselage over and do the tabs for the landing gear cover.

I am about at the stage where I will be installing the landing brake. I was considering using an electric actuator, can you provide some info on the system you are using?

[Big Steve]

Mfryer:

 

I used a linear actuator that I bought off of ebay. I think this is the one I bought. It has a 4" stroke and 110lb. working force. 550lb limit. It works great I made my own brackets only took me a couple of nights to install it. I used the 9 volt invertor for my electric scissors to run it. http://cgi.ebay.com/4-Linear-Actuator-w-Potentiometer-550-lb-Static-Load_W0QQitemZ160218331616QQihZ006QQcategoryZ55826QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

There are guys who sell kits if you dont want to make the brackets or wire it yourself. On another note:

 

Phil go ahead and use bondo on your fancy wing cores. I guarantee you will never do it again:D STeve

[mfryer]

Thanks for the info.

[Phil Kriley]

I am sure you meant that you could 5 minute epoxy the canard to the table as you know bondo will dissolve the blue foam used for the canard

I did not know that Bondo would hurt the blue foam. Thanks for the info!

[Phil Kriley]

I am about at the stage where I will be installing the landing brake. I was considering using an electric actuator, can you provide some info on the system you are using?

Yes - I ordered mine from Wayne Lanza. It's very well made, and includes everything you need - switch, connectors, wiring diagram, mounting bracket, instructions, mounting hardware including the crush tubes. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

[Phil Kriley]

The canard shear web is done and turned out well. I micro'd the leading edge on and managed to get 0.0 degrees the whole length. Bottom spar cap and skin next!

[Phil Kriley]

I added two radio antennae under the bottom skin - a NAV and an FM - and skinned the bottom. I had one large bubble on each end and corrected them with peel ply, freezer paper and leadshot bags. Looks good. I sanded the leading edge to a taper before I trimmed the cloth - I used a straight edge sanding block and sanded until I got to the duct tape. The duct tape protected the foam from being sanded. This worked well.

 

We made the blocks to bondo to the bottom and were surprised that rather than adding shims under the boards near the spar, we had to add 3/8" to the rear of the boards where they touch the PVC pipe bondo'd to the trailing edge. I used 1 1/4" OD pipe - not sure why mine turned out that way, but it did. The wing has no twist.

 

The hinge hardpoints were easy to do, and I had very little to do in the way of repairing the foam with dry micro. A little sanding tonight should do it. I think I will use wet flox and peel ply at the aft edge where I removed the peel ply to make a smooth transition for the top skin.

 

We're almost ready to lay up the top spar cap - I'll be extra careful not to overfill this time! What a pain that stuff is to grind down!

[Phil Kriley]

Good progress this weekend - finally got the top skin on the canard. I also started work on the elevators and got the bottom skin on.

[longezdave]

Keep at it Phil. Do your best work on those elevators!

[Phil Kriley]

Rats - gonna have to take a step back. The elevators do not match the contour guide - top is flat instead of convexed. I'll order another set of elevators from Eureka and try again.

[Phil Kriley]

Second set of elevators are perfect!

[steve]

If I buy the Fein tool, my budget won't allow for the next two chapter kits...

 

Looks like a great tool, but $250 plus $70 for the flush blade is a LOT of money. I was thinking about dropping $95 for the Dritz electric scissors - I understand they can be used to trim the layup while still wet and probably in the chewing-gum stage as well. My Dremel with a cut-off wheel seems to do a decent job of trimming cured fiberglass - what's the advantage of buying the Fein tool? Is it REALLY worth that much money?

 

I can ask Santa for one if it's REALLY worth the money.

i have the fine and there is a knok off at home depo that is grate maybe even beter ! i demod it and it out cut my fine

[Cozy Girrrl]

Welllllllll..... Scott Wick sent us a new Rockwell Sonicrafter to evaluate (1/2 the price of the Fein), we are still evaluating it

Here's our first and only gripe so far; the Sonicrafter does not have a recessed saw blade like the Fein. To us this is the deal breaker as it is the blade we use exclusively.

No, they are not interchangable between tools either.

-BUT-

We have figured out a design for a simple adapter to allow Fein blades to work on the Sonicrafter.

The price of the blades... I belive the price you quoted was for a pair, they come in a 2 pack. Call Wicks and ask for the price of a single one, we asked them to break them up into individual blades and sell them.

We are also checking out the Harbor freight FeinClone. Some HF things with motors in them do not last too long. But at $40 you can burn out quite a few of them before you get up to the cost of a Genuine Fein, and the Fein recessed blades will fit the HF El Cheapo Grande clone.

As far as the scissors go, so far only the Dritz or the new version under another name will last, the B&D and other knock offs do not have carbide inserts in the blades so they do not last. Not the place to save money.

If you are coming to SNF we may have both the Fein and Sonicrafter there for you to look at...maybe. Come find us in the Engines tent.

..Chrissi & Randi

[mfryer]

Here's our first and only gripe so far; the Sonicrafter does not have a recessed saw blade like the Fein.

Pardon...... What exactly do you mean by recessed saw blade?

[Bruce]

Pardon...... What exactly do you mean by recessed saw blade?

It means it only works on the playground...

 

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

 

It allows for a flush cut. Doesn't have the tightening screw sticking out in the middle of the blade. Here's a link at Coastal,

http://www.coastaltool.com/a/fein/mm_sawing.htm

 

Bruce

[mfryer]

It means it only works on the playground...

 

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

 

It allows for a flush cut. Doesn't have the tightening screw sticking out in the middle of the blade. Here's a link at Coastal,

http://www.coastaltool.com/a/fein/mm_sawing.htm

 

Bruce

That is what I thought Chrissi meant at first, (blade offset from the mounting screw). However after visiting the Sonicrafter website they seem to show a blade just like the fein (ok, SHAPED like) the fein blades that will allow for a flush cut. Hey, and as a bonus it wont damage all those balloons you have randomly getting in the way in your workshop....

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5MZB3lRAi8&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo%2Egoogle%2Ecom%2Fvideosearch%3Fhl%3Den%26q%3DRockwell%2BSonicrafter%26um%3D1%26ie%3DUTF%2D8%26ei%3DroXlSZXwMJvGtAPuyuWjBA&feature=player_embedded

[Bruce]

Notice in the video, the shot of the balloon, they put the bottom of the blade on it, not the edge. OK, it's late, step away from the keyboard...

 

Bruce

[Phil Kriley]

Back to building: I cut the openings in the front of the center spar last night, and did some prep work for the final 2-uni layup (and yes, I bought a gallon of EX poxy with the 87 hardener). I tried to use a Dremel sanding drum to cut down the foam along the edges of the holes to make the glass-to-glass mating, but cut through the inside fiberglass. I had just gotten started, so I stopped and decided to ask for some advise before I make a mess.

 

One thought is to just go ahead and put on the glass cloth, let it cure, and then make flox "corners" between the glass layers. Seems to me that since it looks like things are going to go in and out of these holes a lot over the plane's life that the edges of the holes will take a beating.

 

Or I could stick to the plans and maybe use an X-acto knife to trim away the foam, and then gently sand down to the bare glass.

 

How did y'all do this w/o taking 3 days?

[Lynn Erickson]

Back to building: I cut the openings in the front of the center spar last night, and did some prep work for the final 2-uni layup (and yes, I bought a gallon of EX poxy with the 87 hardener). I tried to use a Dremel sanding drum to cut down the foam along the edges of the holes to make the glass-to-glass mating, but cut through the inside fiberglass. I had just gotten started, so I stopped and decided to ask for some advise before I make a mess.

 

One thought is to just go ahead and put on the glass cloth, let it cure, and then make flox "corners" between the glass layers. Seems to me that since it looks like things are going to go in and out of these holes a lot over the plane's life that the edges of the holes will take a beating.

 

Or I could stick to the plans and maybe use an X-acto knife to trim away the foam, and then gently sand down to the bare glass.

 

How did y'all do this w/o taking 3 days?

sounds like you are talking about the cut edge of the holes in the spar. most do nothing the foam will get painted with the glass and be fine if you want to you can sand out a little of the foam and fill with micro. no need to cover the edge with glass

[Phil Kriley]

sounds like you are talking about the cut edge of the holes in the spar. most do nothing the foam will get painted with the glass and be fine if you want to you can sand out a little of the foam and fill with micro. no need to cover the edge with glass

That's what I did, and it turned out well. The center spar is finished.

 

Working on the right wing now. I bought wing cores from Eureka and they went together w/o much trouble. Skinned the wing bottom yesterday (6-14-2009). Will have to wait until next weekend to flip the wing right side up, but that will give it time for a good cure before I move it.

 

I bought a couple pieces of 3/4" aluminum "C" channels and clothespins for truing the trailing edge. I could not find any "T" bar stuff.

[steve]

Unless you're the glass up onto foam, then you do everything in one fell swoop. Curing the micro on the foam first -- forming a hard skin and then sanding BEFORE applying the glass -- is known as 'hard shelling', which there's been a fair amount of discussion here and on the other lists/forums.

 

Personally, I don't believe that 'hard shelling' is better than the plans instructions. I recall reading about concerns relating to delamination.

it was in the news letter, i have the snipet...

HARD SHELLING

Hard shelling is a procedure (not recommended) of

covering foam with micro, letting it cure, and sanding the

surface prior to covering it with fiberglass.

Paul Kuntz, a Boeing engineer presently stationed in

England, did some experiments which he reported on the

internet 09/01/01. His conclusions were:

“After doing some two-layer uni layups over the hardshelled

sample surfaces, I attempted to peel the layups from

the foam to see how well they had bonded to the hard shell. I

found that where the hard shell was merely filling the usual

roughness in the foam surface, the glass remained bonded to

the hard shell and what failed was the foam beneath. That is, I

was breaking the foam itself when I stripped the glass… ..The

bad news was that everywhere the hard shell had filled in a

void, even as small as one-eighth inch in diameter and perhaps

one-sixteenth inch deep, and everywhere the hard shell had

been used to create even a very thin filler layer on top of the

foam, the glass skin popped right off the hard shell as clean as

a whistle… … Scary!…

My advice has been, and continues to be, stick to the

plans................