rickh

Yep what Spodman says, the seatback test your skills early in the game. Large layup, glass laps, flox corners, bends, ... Don't sweat any of the cutouts (corner, map pocket, maybe the electrical) till you're ready to assemble in the sides. Yep on Wicks and ACS too. I prefer to order from Wicks, even though ACS is often cheaper. Might ask if they'll match a price, can't hurt asking Umm, as STeve will say, "Build On!" Rick

Well, I think you're doing good Mostly. I meant accellerator for the base coat (brain fart), I've never used it. It may prevent/reduce the base from washing out if you chip the clear, now that I read the data sheet. I'm a few years out for paint, I may have a positive air mask by then, and may consider Imron too. Keep up the good work, and thanks! Rick

Jason: 1) I'd like to thank you for sharing your knowledge, it's been my experience professional painters keep their tips/tricks under lock an key 2) The pix of the Velocity on your website looks pretty cool, I trust you had fun painting it. 3) Question (and you knew this was coming ). I use a 2k all around, Chroma system color/clear, mostly on motor scooters. I'll probably be using the same for my Cozy. Would you recommend I add a touch of hardener to the base coat? It's called for in the recipe's, but I don't. I do add it to the clear though. Along with a bit of flat/flex additive just because. Rick

If it was me... but it is! I put my outlets on the walls around the table. Given most all electrical tools have shorter cords now days, I don't want to put the tools on the table when I'm done... I got me a Hugh Jass layup goin on there. There is an advantage to an outlet (or two) midway on the edge of the table though, like for the hair dryer. An extension cord works fine too. Ceiling drop cords look real neat. You'll hit them every time you flip a piece of foam As to casters, fine if you plan on moving the table down the block to show your neighbors Fixed legs, shim them so the top is level/flat. If (when?) you need to move it next month/year, re-shim. Rick

Looks like that's where I'll be adding the most also. Think I may be trying the Wayne Hicks Patented(?) Canard Micro Profiling Sander Thingamajig when the time comes. Thanks Wayne, Rick

West, System-3, Pro-Set, and MAS are all used in boats Test the archives. All recommend West, Pro-Set, MGS, AeroPoxy, ... I think we all are, that's why we're building our own go-fast planes. Price a Lancair recently? Though I suspect any epoxy, that meets strength properties, would work for a pure layup, there's a bunch more involved. Like peel strength of a secondary bond, and there are lots of them. TG is also important, don't want the wings sagging if parked on the ramp over night in Fairbanks on June 21. Know what you mean though ($$), but at 17,500 MSL with my family/friends in back, I'm a bit leery of experimenting with the glue that holds everything together. Eat some beans and rice once a week (it's not that bad). 14 gallon$ of glue isn't that much in the big picture. Rick

Thanks Ron. I'm mostly done flocking with the raw canard, came in at 24 lbs with two antennas and a 20" tails of coax. No tips, no elevator hardware. The profile isn't what I'd like, but *I* think it'll work No joggles/bumps spanwise, other than at the BID overlap in the center. Leading edge tangent appears to be straight/true, though since I'm now off the cradles, I get some bend spanwise. I'm slightly 'large' at the aft curve on the bottom skin, where it turns up for the elevator pocket, and I'm fairly sure I'll need to 'massage' the trailing edge when I install the elevators. Rick

It must be my build/shop elevation... My cores came out exact. Err, maybe a couple thousanths small. I lightly spline sanded (maybe two strokes?) to check for bumps/joggles using 120 grit before I started layups. I'll check final contour tomorrow, need to trim the trailing edge and taper the glass lap at the bottom skin. From what you say, I sould expect to be a bit large. We'll see. Rick Addendum: Cozy-IV, my drawn templates and checking jigs may be different.

Two years ago, almost to the day, I cranked out a pile of "K" jigs for the canard. Two weeks (plus two days, oh well) ago, I had "the usual suspects" up for a hot-wire par-tay to crank out two sets of canard blanks. One set for me, one for Curt. Two hours ago I wiped the squeegee clean, I just finished laying up the top skin. I think I have a real airfoil now, not just a '32 Coupe with no wheels hanging upside down in my neighbors garage. To me, it's the same feeling as when we all make zoom-zoom noises at the end of chapter 7. Maybe better Rick

Erps, meaning just because the epoxy doesn't smell, doesn't mean it won't harm. A few people have a reaction, and they don't necessarily have to be in the same room. Glass particles, foam dust, ... Rick

Five gallons should do it, unless you flock up something major. Carbon monoxide doesn't smell either... Rick

Elevator template 'hole' appears to be 13/16", the tork toob is 1". Can't remember the website, but someone ran his cores through an Onsrud CNC panel cutter (fer kitchen cabinet doors, etc.), then cut the 1" hole/slot with a ball end end mill on a router table. Though not beyond my capabilities to do the above, I figure (from the plans pix) the foam tips at the hole get sanded to blend into the tube. Any rivet will make its own path through the foam, and will be buried anyway. I was concerned it may snag/tear as it passes through. Rick

I forgot to add, if you don't have the CSA Canard Fly-In at Rough River (2i3) penciled in on your calender, you're an idjut. Be there, or be trapezoid. It is total canard immersion, and some pretty cool people are there too Rick

Scale is nice, and I think it's real quick to portion epoxy. Set the cup on, pour 100gm of resin, add hardener to 130gm and mix. Wrap it with a sheet of disposable poly, and it'll do double duty in the kitchen too. Engineered materials for the table are also recommended (no/minimal warpage), though I question making it 48" in depth. It'll be difficult to reach the center when doing a larger layup. Mine is 36" in depth, and I find that more than adequate. The raw length is 10' too, but the outer 3' is loose, and can be (is) extended to 12' for doing the canard. Find someway to keep the shop heated to 70F during work sessions. Final cure (like over night) can be made by tenting and a heat source of some sort. Though I don't use an epoxy hot box, warming the epoxy cans to 80-90F does make for easy/quick wet-out. Warm them in a sink of hot water works. Buy in quantities to last six months. MGS is nice epoxy, good TG also. So is Pro-Set and Aeropoxy. Pro-Set seems to be the best wetout, MGS is highly rated, Aeropoxy is used by many. To a point, epoxy choice is somewhat personal, all the recommended epoxies will make a go-fast four seater plane with the little wing in front Rick

Jeff: Since I'll be starting my elevators shortly... 1) Don't forget to file a small slot in the tube, to match up with the inserts. This may not be clear now, but will be when you jig them to the table to bond them to the elevator cores... and later with the other half of the elevator hinges. 2) Do you think you'll need to lightly peen the head of the rivet over, in order to get the tube to slide easily into the cores? Rick

I *just* pulled the peel ply off the trailing edge of my canard last night. I used staples from my desk stapler, inserted them one leg at a time else the foam dented. Try *REAL* hard to have a straight edge on the peel ply, if you cut the strip from a bulk roll (I do). Shoot for no more than 5/8" on the fishtail, else you'll be pulling up a wad of foam, or digging out remaining fuzzies Saw the tail somewhat close (don't sweat this) like just shy of your staple length, then score the foam at the 1/2" mark w/ your knife. Now pull up the peel ply. Umm, I had some micro (from skinning the bottom) ooger down on the trailing edge, and it's somewhat of a pain squeeging the fish tail. I used the top edge of my squeege for this though, it had a nice hefty radius. YMMV... Rick

Here's one for the books. I opted to cut/insert the elevator hinge hardpoints in the canard before glassing the bottom skin, so I made a jig... for the router. Canard is resting level in the "K" jigs, all I needed was a foot on the table end of the jig (under the boxes of nails). The 'bit' in the router is a 1/4" drill bit. Only disadvantage, if you can really call it that, is the pocket corners are all 1/8" radius. Foam shouldn't stress crack... Rick

I'd appreciate the weights muchly. I just did my canard shear web today, will do the canard spar caps and skins w/in two weeks. Would be nice to know how I 'weigh in' with the pros. Tom: When I did my main spar, the spar tape trough got real "Jell-O like" once the trough was full up. If you vac bagged this, and the vac pulled ever so slightly unevenly... My main spar came in at 46lbs if I remember right, I don't vac bag. Rick

No glass on the side, it'll be clear when you install F22 on the fuse sides. Weight the doubler down. Thin strip of peel ply, some release fabric (poly sheeting), a board, then a few weights. I used boxes of nail gun nails. Leave room so you can still squeege out the 1" lap. I found the bottom edge of the doubler needed to be razor sharp. The top of that angle slightly radiused. Rick

This isn't in the plans, what about making a scarf joint at the top of the upper firewall? Bevel the joining edges 10 degrees or so (good and steady with a hand plane should do), lap and glue up the joint w/ epoxy, glass per plan. As I read the plans, the upper portion bonds to the canopy / turtleback, it doesn't appear to be doing a whole lot of structural function. Unlike the lower FW, and lower portion of the upper FW (engine mount locations). YMMV, don't forget to floss, ... Rick

Joe: newark.com, digi-key.com, mouser.com I picked up a pile of Amphenol BNC's for RG-400 coax, if you just need one/two... PM me with an address. Google for copper tape. steinair.com was the cheapest I could find RG-400, they contributed some stuff to the recent RR fly-in too. Torroids are a tough find, many formulations available. If willing to chance it, Newark has some the right size in bulk. I don't know how to read the chemical mix though Rick

I'll assume the 48" dimension isn't the problem... Will the parts fit if the top arc of the upper firewall fits into the NACA cutout of the lower firewall? It's real close on the Cozy-IV. How tall is the upper (and lower) on the Aerocanard anyway? I don't think it's specified, but can you rotate each firewall on your plywood... not parallel or perpendicular to the face grain in other words. Didn't hear this from me though. Worst case, order out another sheet. You'll need the lower firewall way before you'll need the upper anyway. And the small scrap pieces make for nice templates, stir sticks, jigs, ... Expensive, but nice. Rick

Six full length plies, or six plies at the center? Top or bottom? I went downstairs, piled all my templates together (working on canard right now), did some seat-of-the-pants figuring. If I get six full length plies, I'm gifted. I expect I'll have 3-4 at the outside, and 8+ plies in the center. My main spar was two more than STeve did, FWIW, assuming he means his centersection spar. Rick

I thought the same... I ended up cutting all the bulkhead foam with a knife/straight-edge then glassing per plans. F28 will end up getting beveled edges where it contacts the longerons, same for the IP, ... I did use a router to trim up the IP bulkhead though. The IP foam seemed way too fragile until fully glassed. I left the under leg holes, push rod holes, and heater holes until both sides were glassed. I've a few pix on my website (in sig) that may be helpful. My chapter 5 page also has a slick way of trimming the ends of the sides square and straight, as well as making the spar cutout. I think it's slick anyway Rick

My data may be old, but the Open-EZ drawings I have appear to be the GU canard. I grabbed them in Oct of 2006, from a file named: Open-EZDrawingsRev5.zip". The files are of the form: "Open-EZ r5 a"x".tif" (or pdf, depending). Nice save though, recreating the canard (and elevators) is relatively minor $ in the grand scheme of things. Rick